Anna Balch Dog Trainer

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Newbury
Anna Balch Dog Trainer

🐕 Classes, 1-2-1s & Behaviour
🧩 The missing piece in your training journey
🐾 Specialising in reactivity
⬇️ Contact us to get started ⬇️
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I promote positive, kind methods that improve your relationship with your dog along with environmental factors so that you can live in harmony. I can come to your house to work with you and your family on a one-to-one basis and provide long-term solutions that enable you to build on your relationship with your dog.

15/11/2024

It would’ve been Bosco’s 9th birthday today. Thinking of my little man. Still can’t believe he left us so suddenly. I miss his cheekiness.

13/11/2024

This one is for the new dog parents. Just adopted a dog or a puppy? Are you first time dog owners? Knowing where to start can be a bit of a minefield. Here's a quick blog to get you thinking about what might be right for your training journey.

Knowing where to start when training your dog can be daunting. What you decide to train first is likely to depend on a few things.

11/11/2024

07/11/2024

For the Yumove people. Please have a read.

Please click this link if you have any questions 💚 https://www.yumove.co.uk/amazon-faqs

07/11/2024

The 'Cheese Rain Cloud' is a game that I play to help prevent resource guarding. Guarding stems from a fear of a resource being taken away, so practicing taking things away from your dog can make things worse. This game helps your dog to learn that your approach means that nothing gets taken - and even better - more great stuff comes!

06/11/2024

A big well done to Ralphie who managed his first trip to the beach. Lots of dogs and people around and his family were super proud 🥰 Well done team.

05/11/2024

Flashback to two Bully boys strolling in the woods. 🌲

26/10/2024

Off to Devon for a few days. Back next week 👋

24/10/2024

This one is a big NO from me. Continuously taking your dog's food is actually a great way to accidentally encourage resource guarding and I work with many dogs where this has been the case.

Meal times are an important source of enrichment, access to an important resource and a key part of a dog's mental and physical wellbeing...so leave them to it.

I did a little training when my boys were young where I would come and put something crazy yummy in their bowl while they were eating, this went a long way in helping them feel comfortable around humans when eating.

My boys were also always separated from each other so that they could eat in peace.

22/10/2024

Very excited to be a guest speaker, alongside Victoria from our team, for Sasha who runs coaching_bysasha for dog professionals.

We will be talking about the close link between pain and behaviour and how the Dynamic Dog process can help support them and their clients with their behaviour progress.

Looking forward to it!

21/10/2024

OK, this isn't exactly a myth BUT it is also not a guarantee.

A lot of people think their dog is lonely and would be much happier with a buddy. Most of the dogs I meet are perfectly happy with their quiet cozy home, with all the attention and resources and time to themselves.

Don't get me wrong, it CAN be hugely successful, but I meet a lot of dogs where another dog addition to the household can be quite stressful. My two boys were companions but I'm sure Bentley wished Bosco would be returned to the Dogs Trust most days! 🤪

Have a real think about whether your dog will appreciate having a full-time friend and remember that they may need time to bond.

19/10/2024

Say it with me - “Good dog training looks boring”.

Charlie spends a lot of his walks in a heightened state and at the end of his lead. For dogs like this, these things are key:
- setting up in the right location.
- good long line handling skills.
- easy to achieve engagement training.

We’ve slowed everything right down, given Charlie the skills he needs to succeed and we are now working up to busier environments.

Really enjoyed my walk with him this morning.

P.s. please excuse my finger!
P.p.s. We’re chatting about where to buy pilchards from to make pilchards treats!

18/10/2024

Becca has some group walking slots available in Newbury. Give her a shout if you’re needing some extra help with your dog.

ADDITIONAL GROUP WALKING SLOTS NOW AVAILABLE - £16 per dog

Current availability for regular weekly group slots:

- Wednesdays 10-11am (Newbury)

- Wednesdays 12-1pm (Newbury)

Requirements:
- Must be good walking on and off lead
- Must be good with other dogs
- Must be comfortable traveling in the car

Message me via 07743 555720⁩ to discuss further.

17/10/2024

We are still investigating the range of true emotions in our dogs and understanding interactions between them and us humans. Whether dogs actually feel guilt is still up for debate.

Chances are, though, that when you come into a room with 'such as bad boy!' or 'what have you done?!', that 'guilty' facial expression is more likely to be a response to your demeanor and tone of voice in that moment. It is unlikely that they understand that you are cross about the chewed up, tempting food packet that they stole 2 hours ago whilst you were out.

Try it out. Next time you come into a room and your dog has done something 'wrong' be cheerful and relaxed and see if they show the same signals.

16/10/2024

Halloween can actually be scary for our dogs. Here are some top tips to plan ahead.

14/10/2024

This is a common misconception. Dogs actually wag their tails for a number of different reasons. Take a closer look at your dog, sometimes their tail will be fast, sometimes slow, sometimes high and floppy, sometimes low and slow....every breed is different.

Your dog will have different tail wags for different emotions. Get to know your dog as an individual.

12/10/2024

Don’t forget that your dog needs an autumnal top colour for their super comfy Perfect Fit Harness! 😁

10/10/2024

This one is plainly just incorrect! My boys wore harnesses, I fit for Perfect Fit Harness and I have had many a client change from head halti, collar and slip lead to a harness without issue.

The true thing that helps with pulling is understanding why your dog does it in the first place and addressing the underlying issue.
If you are unsure of why your dog pulls, check out my blog:
https://www.annabalchdogtrainer.com/post/why-does-my-dog-pull-on-the-lead

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https://www.annabalchdogtrainer.com/

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Videos

Flashback to two Bully boys strolling in the woods. 🌲

How engaged are you with your dog? How engaged are they with you? No, we don’t need our dogs to be robots but if there is little to no communication between you then this makes training really hard. If walks are a struggle and you have little engagement from your dog, then step one is to figure out why. #dogtrainingtips #dogtraining #recall #dogrecall #dogengagement #newburyberkshire #westberkshiredogs

Say it with me - “Good dog training looks boring”. Charlie spends a lot of his walks in a heightened state and at the end of his lead. For dogs like this, these things are key: - setting up in the right location. - good long line handling skills. - easy to achieve engagement training. We’ve slowed everything right down, given Charlie the skills he needs to succeed and we are now working up to busier environments. Really enjoyed my walk with him this morning. P.s. please excuse my finger! P.p.s. We’re chatting about where to buy pilchards from to make pilchards treats!

Ralphie

This is Ralphie. He’s a superstar and is having some follow on sessions after my reactive dog course. Ralphie’s reactivity is starting to turn into frustration (which is a good sign) because he is building in confidence around wanting to greet other dogs. His prey drive is also kicking in. So, today we practiced watching and moving away. I love seeing dogs start to forget their fear and new ‘normal’ behaviours shine through. It’s a sign that things are continuing in the right direction.

Success Story!

This little man is such a superstar. He’s on my reactive dog programme and cooed with walking around a field with off road dogs like a pro. So proud.

This cutie is Stanley and his lovely face brightens up a gloomy, rainy morning 😊

Let's break down some play signals. The two dogs in this video were good friends and have played with each other for years so they already had a good level of communication and understanding. The Bulldog (my Bentley) didn't really play for very long as you can see, and I think this is because it hurt him due to his joint pain. He tries though, especially when Eade (the Labrador) winds him up with a toy!

Today would’ve been Bentley’s birthday. I hope he’s somewhere swimming in a pool of squeaky tennis balls! Happy birthday squee moo.

It may be difficult to believe, but I work with a lot of dogs who find just the process of standing in an open very quiet field very daunting. Even the smallest sounds from the next street can be enough to spook them back to the car. Before we even look at their reactions to dogs or people, we need to build their confidence in just being in their own skin. Stripping away the amount of surrounding triggers to the bare minimum and helping them gain some self regulation and coping strategies is key. Bruce here is using different activities and things to investigate (a very crude version of Freework) to help with his recovery and self regulation. He did brilliantly.

Once you have perfected your recall cue with a long line, you can start to process to off lead. Top tips!: 🐕 Work in quiet areas with low distractions. 🐕 Reward any engagement from your dog at first to encourage them to stay close and check in. 🐕 Pay them with high value rewards. 🐕 Use your ‘loaded up’ recall cue. 🐕 Make recalls exciting and fun! For more tips and advice, check out our blog (link 🔗 in bio) #dogtrainingtips #dogrecall #dogrecalltraining #forcefree #forcefreetraining #hermitageberkshire #newburyberkshire #westberkshiredogs #dogtrainingnewbury

Checking in and staying close are the foundation behaviours for everything else on walks. - walking nicely on a lead - having good recall - being able to be off lead safely… This all stems from a great foundation of engagement with you. When your dog chooses to stay close, check in or hang out with you let them know they’re doing a great job. Remember, go for a walk with your dog rather than taking your dog for a walk. #puppytrainingtips #puppytraining #newburyberkshire #dogtrainingnewbury #treattrainingworks #forcefree #frenchbulldogpuppy