Positive k9 training "where sit happens"

17/10/2025

‘But my dog isn’t food motivated!’

I hear this often. Online or in person. ‘He doesn’t like treats’. ‘I’ve tried reward based and it doesn’t work for my dog’. ‘I’ve used a whole roast chicken and he ignored it!’

I hear this every week.

I have a question for you. What is your favourite food in the world? Mine is probably anything with pesto. Pesto pasta with lashings of cheese and some tomatoes and a crackle of black pepper.

Now imagine we are at a theme park. We sit for lunch and you’ll probably say yes to that absolute favourite food. Now we are on the biggest rollercoaster about to go down the drop. You know that moment it holds and you can feel your adrenaline spike? You turn to me and offer me a plate of pesto pasta.

Honestly. I’m gonna tell you to f**k off in that moment. I’m about to go down a huge drop on a terrifying roller coaster! Now is not the time for food even if it’s my absolute favourite!!

Now I’d like you to picture your dog in a park. There’s other dogs around. Your dog is reactive to other dogs. You offer him some cheese and he ignores it totally. You look at me exasperated saying ‘see! He isn’t food motivated!’

He is. He is just on the emotional rollercoaster. His body has kicked into that ‘fight flight’ response and food simply isn’t appropriate. This can be out of fear or excitement. It isn’t that he doesn’t like food, it’s that there’s an emotional barrier stopping that food from being motivational in this moment. It’s a sign your dog is overwhelmed if he starts to ignore food.

There’s lots of ways to improve this. Food is one of the easiest reinforcers we can use because it is cheap, we can reinforce often, it’s easy to carry and have on our person and one of the most simple ways to train. We just need to get him off the rollercoaster and show him that dogs in the park do not mean PANIC STATIONS or PARTY TIME! There’s lots of other reinforcers we can use of course, but food is typically one of the easiest for us humans to use.

I guarantee your dog is food motivated. You’re just trying to feed him on the rollercoaster and that will never work. You need a trainer who can show you how to get the dog on firm ground first.

01/10/2025

Just a couple of places left for this class, any questions just ask

New Puppy class starting on Saturday 18th of October at the lovely Whitland Memorial Hall the class will start at 09:30 and last an hour, the class lasts for 3 weeks and will give you some insight into how to get your puppy to do many of the things you want such as walking nicely on the lead, coming as soon as you call them, meeting other dogs and people and basically settings them up to make great choices in life.
Reward based training doesn't mean permissive.
It's about showing you how to get your dog to do the behaviours you want but keep or build an amazing bond with them.

20/09/2025

New Puppy class starting on Saturday 18th of October at the lovely Whitland Memorial Hall the class will start at 09:30 and last an hour, the class lasts for 3 weeks and will give you some insight into how to get your puppy to do many of the things you want such as walking nicely on the lead, coming as soon as you call them, meeting other dogs and people and basically settings them up to make great choices in life.
Reward based training doesn't mean permissive.
It's about showing you how to get your dog to do the behaviours you want but keep or build an amazing bond with them.

25/08/2025

I pull up to grab a coffee, open the boot and let the lazy lesson begin. It’s the easiest dog training and totally underestimated.

Dogs don’t only learn by doing, they learn by watching. Pongrácz showed dogs figured out detour problems quicker when they’d seen a human do it first. Fugazza and Miklósi proved with “Do As I Do” that they can even copy novel behaviours on cue. Range found that when dogs watch other dogs, they don’t just copy, they take the goal and work out the most efficient way to get it. Watching counts.

And while they’re watching, they’re smelling. Classic work by Scott and Fuller showed puppies exposed to more sensory experiences, including scent, grew up less fearful and more resilient. Gazzano confirmed that varied exposure in puppyhood leads to pups who explore more and adapt better. Jezierski and McGowan showed that familiar odours act as a social buffer, reducing stress and helping dogs settle. Smelling the world counts - possible as much, if not more than watching.

So, when these pups are sat in the car boot with the world rolling past, they’re not wasting time. They’re learning. They’re building a bank of information about how the world looks, moves and smells. When they’re too young for a walk - get owners to take them for a drive. Science tells us those quiet moments matter.

Learn more at: www.thejrhacademy.com

03/08/2025

03/08/2025

03/08/2025

Just a couple of spaces left for this fun filled 3 week class to set you on the right path with your puppy. Not only do you get help with the basics but also an insight into how to work with your dogs natural instincts instead of against them.
Any questions, pop me a message

Next set of puppy classes starting at Whitland Memorial Hall. This 3 week class gives you a great start in teaching your puppy the foundation for your great life together only 3 spaces left so booking soon is advised. Any questions just drop me a message or email

30/07/2025

Hope to see you later with Rawr&More Whitland Community News

23/07/2025

Loose lead isnt natural. It’s a skill that has to be learnt. Biomechanically, dogs are built to move faster than us. Dogs choose to shift to a natural trot and on average walk at 2.5 - 4 mph (Hildebrand, 1966) where us naked monkeys on the otherhand average 2-3 mph walking (Kirtley, 2006). Do you know what 2.5 feels like? You should!

Because the mismatch alone creates tension — physically with the lead and emotionally in the relationship. Infact Dogs Trust found 30% of owners considered it a reason to rehome.

Now add in breed differences with research by Fischer & Lilje (2011) suggesting that Different breeds have different locomotive profiles based on original function. Malinois and Vizslas who are bred to move, track, cover ground; hearding breed like kelpies and collies who are bred to arc out infront; scent hounds like Beagles and Bloodhounds - designed to follow their noses with purpose, drive and speed; and of course breeds like Huskies who are literally bred and built to pull - it’s in the actual job description.

Its not a suprise that Rooney & Cowan (2011) found Lead tension and restricted gait was specifically a negative welfare marker for working breeds.

So when we expect all dogs to plod beside us through a park at human pace, ignoring smells, distractions, and natural instinct…we’re arent asking for a behaviour: We’re asking for the dog to restrain their pace, suppress their instincts, and constantly self-regulate.

In my opinion loose lead is one of the three essential skills I believe every dog pro needs to understand in depth - gait, drive, motivation, mechanics, assessment, different technique and exercise, consequence gradients and all.

Because when you understand what you’re really asking for,
you stop calling it stubbornness
and start training it like the advanced skill it actually is. And this leads to way better pet dogs with way happier relationships. ###

19/07/2025

Next set of puppy classes starting at Whitland Memorial Hall. This 3 week class gives you a great start in teaching your puppy the foundation for your great life together only 3 spaces left so booking soon is advised. Any questions just drop me a message or email