Positive k9 training "where sit happens"

09/07/2025

Professional dog training services for a happy, healthy pup.

20/06/2025

🐕HEATSTROKE IN DOGS🐕

We've been banging on about this for years! HEATSTROKE is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY! Fortunately, now more and more professionals are communicating the same message!

Whilst the need for rapid cooling with COLD water (1-15°C) has been recognised for decades in equestrian and human medicine, the dog world has lagged behind, and very poor information still circulates. e.g. "cool the paws", "cover with wet towels", "avoid cold water as it will cause shock"

THE KEY MESSAGES ARE............

💦"WET THEN VET"💦

💦"COLD WATER IMMERSION" (1-15°C)💦
(If you can't immerse, keep pouring ANYTHING COLD over the dog - hose, soft drinks, milk, etc)

💦Dogs die of heatstroke because they were NOT COOLED QUICKLY ENOUGH, NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE COOLED!

♨️RISK FACTORS FOR HEATSTROKE IN HOT WEATHER♨️

♨️Large dogs
♨️DOUBLE-COATED breeds
♨️Brachycephalic breeds
♨️June, July, August (UK)
♨️Exercise, being outdoors, left in cars

EDIT: - If a dog is PANTING, it's struggling to control its body TEMPERATURE! 💦HOSE IT TO COOL IT DOWN!💦

❤️PLEASE SHARE - Spread accurate information; potentially save a dogs life!❤️

CHECK OUT FREE RESOURCES HERE: https://askanimalweb.com/managing-dogs-in-hot-weather/

Welfare in the Heat: https://askanimalweb.com/heat-welfare/

If you don't believe me, look at the research: Beard S, Hall EJ, Bradbury J, Carter AJ, Gilbert S, O'Neill DG. Epidemiology of heat-related illness in dogs under UK emergency veterinary care in 2022. Vet Rec. 2024;e4153. https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vetr.4153

14/06/2025

Beautifully said

Dog Myths Debunked: 10 Misconceptions That Deserve to Be Put to Bed (Preferably Not in Your Dog’s Crate)

Dogs are brilliant. The things people say about them? Less so. Myths, half-truths, and pub logic have been passed down like family recipes, except this stuff doesn’t age well, and unlike your gran’s shepherd’s pie, it doesn’t do anyone any good.

So, let’s throw a lead around 10 of the biggest dog myths, give them a firm “leave it”, and set the record straight.

1. “A Wagging Tail Means a Happy Dog”

Tail wagging? Must be happy, right? Not quite. Dogs wag their tails when they’re excited, anxious, aroused, or plotting a tactical sock theft. It’s not the wag, it’s how they wag and what the rest of the body’s doing.

Truth: A loose, sweeping wag with a wiggly bum? Likely joy. A stiff, high wag with locked shoulders? That’s “back off” in dog language.

2. “Let Dogs ‘Work It Out’ Themselves”

Ah yes, the “natural order” myth. Pop two dogs in a room, let them have a disagreement, and wait for harmony to magically emerge, what could go wrong? (Spoiler: a vet bill.)

Truth: Dogs don’t need to be left to battle it out. They need guidance, structure, and a human who steps in before fur flies. You’re the referee, not a spectator.

3. “You Have to Be the Alpha”

The ‘alpha theory’ should’ve died out with flip phones. It was based on flawed wolf studies from the 1940s and has no place in modern dog training. Your dog isn’t planning a coup, it just wants to know what works.

Truth: Dogs thrive on leadership, not intimidation. Be calm, consistent, and clear, not a wannabe drill sergeant with a superiority complex.

4. “You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks”

Tell that to the twelve-year-old Collie who just learned scentwork. Age might slow the body, but the brain still wants a job. It’s not that old dogs can’t learn, they just don’t suffer fools or faff.

Truth: Older dogs can absolutely learn. You just need to adjust the pace and make sure the reward’s worth getting off the sofa for.

5. “My Dog Knows They’ve Done Something Wrong”

The guilty look? That’s not guilt, it’s appeasement. Your dog’s not reliving the moment they ate your dinner; they’re responding to your voice, posture, or the fact that you’ve just found half a cushion in the hallway.

Truth: Dogs live in the now. If they look sorry, it’s because you look scary. Not because they regret doing the thing.

6. “A Big Garden Means You Don’t Need Walks”

Oh, the classic “he has loads of space to run about”. Yes, and most of us have kitchens, but we still go out for a meal. Dogs need more than a patch of grass, they need smells, novelty, and interaction.

Truth: A garden’s a toilet. A walk is a sensory experience. One drains the bladder, the other fulfils the brain.

7. “Let Them Say Hello to Every Dog – It’s Good Socialisation”

If your dog greets every dog like it’s their long-lost sibling at an airport reunion, that’s not socialisation, it’s chaos. Not every dog wants to meet yours. And not every dog is safe.

Truth: Proper socialisation is about manners and neutrality, not meet-and-greet mania.

8. “My Dog Pulls Because He’s Dominant”

No, he pulls because he’s never been taught not to and because the world is full of exciting smells, squirrels, and possibly chips. It’s not about dominance. It’s about training (and a bit of patience).

Truth: Pulling on the lead is a lack of leash skills, not a power struggle. Stop taking it personally and start teaching calmly.

9. “If You Use Treats, You’re Bribing Your Dog”

Bribery is when you wave a sausage in panic after your dog ignores you. Training with treats is reinforcement. You’re paying your dog for a job well done, not handing out hush money.

Truth: Dogs work for food just like you work for wages. No one does their best work for free, not even your dog.

10. “Playing Tug Makes Dogs Aggressive”

Nope. Tug doesn’t create aggression, poor rules and no boundaries do. In fact, tug can build confidence, engagement, and control, if it’s structured properly.

Truth: Tug isn’t a gateway to violence. It’s a brilliant training tool and an outlet for energy as long as you play with rules and know when to end the game.

Final Thoughts

The dog world is full of noise. But in your dog’s life, you are the filter. So ditch the folklore, ignore the bloke in the park who thinks your dog needs a “firm hand”, or the woman in says smother it with “love and affection” and everything will be fine and lean into what the science, logic, and results tell us.

Dogs don’t need outdated myths. They need understanding, structure, and someone willing to lead with fairness and a few biscuits.
www.k9manhuntscotland.co.uk

11/06/2025

This class is now full unless I get any last minute cancellation.

This is another very popular class on the 20th June some spaces have already been pre-booked so drop me a message if you wish to join or have any questions.

10/06/2025

This is another very popular class on the 20th June some spaces have already been pre-booked so drop me a message if you wish to join or have any questions.

08/06/2025

The end of another fantastic set of puppy classes, thank you for braving the weather I thoroughly enjoyed our three weeks together and hope to see you all again soon. Also a couple of lovely big dogs I've had the pleasure of working with over the last week. Next lot of classes will be announced soon.

05/06/2025

The perfect way to show the power of a cue

04/06/2025

The end of another set of improver classes, well done everyone and thank you for helping to make my classes so much fun to teach.

04/06/2025

Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing Lara's journey.

That little minx in the top left hand picture is Lara. Jeff, Lara and I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah when she came to our house early April this year to help with us with Lara’s many issues. Brief history of Lara – Age unknown – was found with no ID whatsoever in a derelict swimming pool early May last year. Estimated she had been there a few days. She had some broken toes where she’d been trying to get out. Her whole body was covered in matted fur incorporating faecal matter and urine and she had a chronic ear infection again, clogged faecal matter. She had urine burns consistent with lying in a restricted area and we came to the conclusion that she might have been used for breeding in a puppy farm as she had recently had a litter. She also had some masses on her ventrum and a large mass on one of her mammary glands, which we think is the reason she was probably dumped. When she was initially found she was taken to a vets and completely shaved and washed and then transferred to GSRS (German Shepherd Rescue South) team based in Southampton. This wonderful organisation is where we adopted our previous GSD from and having lost Bullet in the May of last year, we were following Lara’s story as she went into foster care with a wonderful couple and their two dogs to help with her rehabilitation and general integration into a ‘normal’ healthy family situation.
Lara was spayed and on many meds to help with her chronic infections. The many dermal masses on her body have been identified as Infundibular keratinising acanthomas which GSDs can be predisposed to. There is no cure for these and Lara is currently under the watchful eye of a wonderful vet to treat these as best as possible.
Long story short – we followed Lara’s progress through the rescue’s FB page and when the time came for adoption we wanted to meet her and see if we could offer her a forever home. The foster family were based in Basingstoke and we had a few meet ups and absolutely fell in love with her. We adopted her on 13th July last year.
Fast forward to April this year. Sarah came highly recommended to us by Julie Payne. We spoke on the phone and arranged a one-to-one home visit. Sarah gave detailed instructions for how to meet with Lara. Everything was meticulously thought of and arranged around Lara to accommodate her reactivity. Lara is our 8th rescue GSD and over the years we have experienced many different training techniques, however, the programme that Sarah shares is somewhat different in so much as the whole practise is to encourage the dog to feel wholly included by way of games and praise and not forced commands or movements, thereby encouraging the dog to want to participate and enjoy the training sessions, leading onto making everyday walking and outings normal experiences. Lara is incredibly protective of us, her home and any possessions e.g. car that we happen to be near. She is also very unpredictable. One day in the same seemingly scenario (to us) she is calm and well behaved and the next day very reactive, barking and straining at the lead.
That first session went incredibly well culminating with Sarah coming into the house, sitting on the sofa and being able to give Lara treats. Prior to this we had been unable to have any visitors into the house without putting Lara in a different room. Sarah gave such positive feedback and followed up with emailing very useful printable handouts particularly tailored to Lara’s needs.
We met Sarah a number of weeks later at a secure dog park and she brought along her beautiful collie, Lexi. We’d been putting into daily practise some of the exercises and under Sarah’s careful guidance Lara was making good progress. Again, this session was followed up with some very useful and informative handouts.
Currently we have just appreciated the second week of a three week Improver Course. Again, prior to the course very useful handouts and instructions were given. We’ve met a group of like-minded people who are trying to give their dogs the best possible chances and life in their new homes. The course is going extremely well and Lara is learning lots of new activities. She is very responsive and both she and us are learning new tricks and ways to cope with different situations.
We are so pleased to have been introduced to Sarah and her teaching methods. She is a lovely person who seems to have total empathy and understands why dogs behave the way they do, and ways to cope and change the circumstances around this. Lara has improved immensely under Sarah’s guidance.

31/05/2025