Puppy Education with Valerie Vdawg Wilson

17/07/2025

Well explained!

17/07/2025

Totally agree!

13/07/2025

Yet again a balanced trainer has tried to set me a ridiculous challenge (a set up)
Just like this one i had from a local trainer beginning of the year.

"I currently have a particular twitchy dog with me at the moment. I am more than happy for any force free/ positive only trainer to pop along and take him out of my van and walk him through town with lots of other dogs around show me exactly how you'd work him completely force free. No telling him no ect no spacial pressure... it has to be 100% free of any force whatsoever"

Let’s be clear:
That’s not a challenge — it’s a setup.
No ethical trainer, regardless of method, should be throwing a stressed or reactive dog into a situation they’re clearly not ready to handle.

As a force-free trainer, I work with dogs, not against them. I don’t flood them, push them past their thresholds, or risk their welfare to prove a point.
I use science-based methods that build trust, resilience, and long-term behavioural change — and that starts with meeting the dog where they are.

Force-free doesn’t mean passive or permissive. It means strategic, ethical, and kind. It means using smart training instead of shortcuts.

In force-free training, we use thoughtful management, desensitisation, counter-conditioning, and reinforcement-based strategies to build behavioural change gradually. That’s not weakness — that’s ethical, evidence-based practice.

Setting a dog up to fail isnt proof of anything except poor judgement.

12/07/2025

***I am a 21st century dog.***
-I'm a Malinois.
Overskilled among dogs, I excel in all disciplines and I'm always ready to work: I NEED to work.
But nowadays I get asked to chill on the couch all day everyday.

-I am an Akita Inu.
My ancestors were selected for fighting bears.
Today I get asked to be tolerant and I get scolded for my reactivity when another approaches me.

-I am a Beagle.
When I chase my prey, I raise my voice so the hunters could follow.
Today they put an electric collar on me to shut up, and you make me come back to you - no running - with a snap of your fingers.

-I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a terrifying rat hunter in English mines.
Today they think I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.

-I'm a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dive into a pond to bring back the duck he shot to my master.
Today you forget I'm a walking, running, swimming dog; as a result I'm fat, made to stay indoors, and to babysit.

-I am a Jack Russell.
I can take on a fox, a mean badger, and a rat bigger than me in his den.
Today I get scolded for my character and high energy, and forced to turn into a quiet living room dog.

-I am a Siberian Husky.
Experienced the great, wide open spaces of Northern Europe, where I could drag sleds for long distances at impressive speeds.
Today I only have the walls of the house or small garden as a horizon, and the holes I dig in the ground just to release energy and frustration, trying to stay sane.

-I am a border collie
I was made to work hours a day in partnershipwith my master, and I am an unmistakable artist of working with the herd.
Today they are mad at me because, for lack of sheep, I try to check bikes, cars, children in the house and everything in motion.

I am ...
I am a 21st century dog.

I'm pretty, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I stay in a bag...but I'm also an individual who, from centuries of training, needs to express my instincts, and I am *not* suited for the sedentary life you'd want me to lead.

Spending eight hours a day alone in the house or in the garden - with no work and no one to play or run with, seeing you for a short time in the evening when you get home, and only getting a small toilet walk will make me deeply unhappy.

I'll express it by barking all day, turning your yard into a minefield, doing my needs indoors, being unmanageable the rare times I'll find myself outside, and sometimes spending my days sunk, sad, lonely, and depressed, on my pillow.

You may think that I should be happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work, but actually I’ll be exhausted and frustrated, because this is absolutely NOT what I'm meant to do, or what I need to be doing.
If you love me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athletic look make you want me, but you can't give me a real dog's life, a life that's really worth living according to my breed, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes are asking, DO NOT buy or adopt me!

If you like the way I look but aren't willing to accept my temperament, gifts, and traits derived from long genetic selection, and you think you can change them with only your good will, then DO NOT BUY OR ADOPT ME.

I’m a dog from the 21st century, yes, but deep inside me, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided and protected a herd still lives within.

So think **very** carefully before you choose your dog. And think about getting two, rather than one, so I won't be so very lonely waiting for you all day. Eight or ten hours is just a workday to you, but it's an eternity for me to be alone.

11/07/2025

HOT WEATHER & AN INCREASE IN BITE RISK 🥵

We've had some very hot weather recently in the UK, and for many parts of the UK- the next three days are going to be scorchio!

It's important to be aware that being too hot can lower thresholds for tolerance and overt reactions- and not just in 'reactive' dogs.

And not just in dogs!

There's a correlation between human riots and an increase in crime during a significant rise in temperature (27 to 32 degrees).
It is well established that in people, heat stress causes irritability and an increased likelihood of aggressive behaviour.

Being hot and bothered is a physical stressor - the body works hard to return to homeostasis.

Cognitive processes can be negatively affected. So if your dog is not responding to as they would normally, consider the effects of heat.

Furthermore- being too hot can interfere with a dog's ability to rest and sleep. During rest and sleep, stress is lowered, and subsequently compromised rest and sleep affects behaviour.

This can affect (lower) the dog's threshold for emotional stress.


🐕 Two unfamiliar dogs meeting while both are hot and bothered is less likely going to result in a healthy interaction. Now is the time to largely keep yourselves to yourselves on walks, or monitor the body language of both dogs very carefully.

🏡 Extra caution should be taken in situations that your dog may struggle with, such as around visitors to the home.

🧒 But the greatest caution of all should be taken around up-close interactions in ALL dogs, especially those who live children.

Remember these basic safeguarding rules;

1. No faces near faces.

2. Let sleeping dogs lie.

3. Do not forcefully take resources (toys, food or anything the dog has found/picked up) off a dog.
Children should never take things off a dog.

4. Do not 'box dogs in' with your interaction.

- Always ensure they can easily move away by not blocking a dog's ability to move forward/away (for example, wrapping your arms around to hug a dog front on makes it near impossible for them to easily disengage).

- The safest way to interact is to invite a dog to come to you.
Alternatively, if you do approach then do so when they are awake and instead of swooping straight in with strokes- wait for them to signal to you they are keen for an interaction.

- Stop stroking after 2-3 seconds, and see if your dog communicates to you they would like more, or if they are done.
This is called the consent test, and it's something all children (and adults) should be aware of.


Most people who get bitten by a dog know the dog well, didn't think their dog would ever bite someone and didn't see the bite coming.

Most dog bites are on faces and hands of someone close to the dog, and this tells us a lot about what the person was LIKELY doing (Note, there are always exceptions).


As I always say to my clients ......

🗣️ Never take your dog's current level of tolerance for granted.

06/07/2025

Very important info….

Recent research by Vet Compass and the The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) showed correlation between human heat warning and heat stroke cases. Heatwave peak set to bring 34C to parts of UK. The UK Health Security Agency has issued heat health alerts are across England.

Is it true that if we use cold water on heat stroke pets they will go into shock?

One of the most common things we still hear is that we can only use tepid water on a pet with heat stroke, incase they get some complications like hypothermic overshoot, peripheral vasoconstriction hindering a cooling response, and cardiogenic shock...

We have heard not to use cold water in case it causes shock... this rarely happens!

But guess what? In a recent study over 26% of dogs presented with heat stroke died, with flat faced breeds making up nearly half of heat stroke cases seen in the study.

You should:

💧Get someone to call the local veterinary practice and tell them you're going to travel down with a heat stroke patient
💧Pour, hose or if safe immerse the pet in very cold water (this should obviously be done under constant supervision, ensuring the head is fully above water and immersion should not be attempted if the animal is too large, or you are unable to do so without hurting yourself)
💧NB: If using a hose pipe, make sure it has run through until cold, as they can often contain water that is extremely hot in the tubing initially
💧Do not drape in towels and leave them in situ. Keep the cold water flowing.
💧Move to a cool, shaded area
💧Prepare to transport to vets in a cold, air conditioned car

In studies they found that:

🌅International consensus from sports medicine organisations supports treating EHS with early rapid cooling by immersing the casualty in cold water.
🌅Ice-water immersion has been shown to be highly effective in exertional heat stroke, with a zero fatality rate in large case series of younger, fit patients.
🌅Hyperthermic individuals were cooled twice as fast by Cold Water Immersion as by passive recovery.
🌅No complications occurred during the treatment of three older patients with severe heat stroke were treated with cold‐water immersion.
🌅Cold water immersion (CWI) is the preferred cooling modality in EHS guidelines and the optimal method applicable to UK Service Personnel
🌅Studies suggest using either ice-water or cold-water immersion

The best intervention is PREVENTION, but if you find yourself with an animal with heat stroke, using cold water either by pouring, hosing or ideally (if safe) immersion then this may help reduce their temperature to safe levels while you transport to a veterinary practice.

Read more below with updates from Hot Dogs - canine heatstroke education for dog owners

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/cool-icy-cold-or-tepid

01/07/2025

ITS ANOTHER GREY MATTER 😆

Studys show that despite early neutering having taken place for a dog, the brain still goes through the stage we term adolescence....yup, neutering doesmt stop it!!

Hormones do play a role in, behaviour and development but the risk taking part of the brain still develops at an increased speed which means dogs still take more risks, appear harder to train, appear less interested in us etc.

Neutering can impact hormone driven behaviours such as roaming, urine marking and sexually motivated hu***ng ( not all hu***ng is sexually motivated) BUT if you are considering neutering to stop a dog being a KEVIN AND PERRY teenager, you are likely to fail and I would hope a good vet would tell you this and point you in the direction of a reputable Trainer or Behaviourists before doing something you cant undo.

There are also many health implications and considerations to neutering, alongside the impact the procedure itself can have on some dogs.

I have a dog with a retained testicle whom i am weighing up my option on the impact it would have on him having it removed, over possible health benefits...again its about researching and making informed choices for the individual DOG as much as we can.

We really need to consider the pros and cons for that individual dog and not just take the easy option of blanket advice.

Yes Derek definitely has kept his ( sorry DD)

26/06/2025

We want to make training and asking our dogs for mutually compatible behaviours as fun and enjoyable as possible.

This doesn’t change the fact that we are asking our dogs to work for us. To do something they might not naturally choose to do.

Just like our dogs, we know our motivation would drop without payment, and we would stop showing up. Most importantly we would loose respect for our boss, not gain it.

24/06/2025

A space has become available - Pet Gundog Class in Kilmarnock on a Sunday evening at 18.30-19.30
Any breed or type will benefit from the life skills they learn….. and they have fun!🐕‍🦺🦮🐕🐩😄
Message me if you would like to enroll your dog.

23/06/2025

We like to think we’re in control of our homes, our routines, and, let’s be honest, our dogs. But here’s the truth: we cannot truly control another species. Not dogs. Not humans. Not anyone with a brain and a will of their own.

We can influence behaviour. We can create environments that promote safety and cooperation. But when we try to control or suppress behaviour, particularly in dogs, we run into serious problems.

Because the moment we try to dominate or override natural behaviours barking, growling, guarding, running away, avoiding we’re not solving the problem. We’re just pushing it underground. And buried behaviours don’t disappear. They escalate. That’s when relationships break down. That’s when dogs become dangerous. That’s when we start hearing, “It came out of nowhere.”

But it never does.

Just like humans, dogs have needs: to feel safe, to communicate discomfort, to rest, to explore, to have choice. These aren’t luxuries. They’re biological imperatives.
In both human and animal models, lack of control over one’s environment is one of the strongest predictors of aggression, anxiety, and learned helplessness.

Seligman’s classic experiments in the 1970s demonstrated that when animals were repeatedly exposed to uncontrollable stressors, they eventually stopped trying to avoid them even when escape was possible. This “learned helplessness” is now a widely recognised psychological condition.

More recently, research in animal welfare (e.g., McMillan, 2005; Beerda et al., 1999) has shown that suppressing normal behaviours in dogs leads to elevated cortisol levels, behavioural shutdown, and increased aggression over time.

Instead of asking, “How do I stop this?” we should be asking, “What need is this behaviour meeting?”

When we give dogs:
Safe outlets for natural behaviours
Predictable environments
Choices within boundaries
Consent-based handling and interactions
Listen to their body language

…they thrive. And we build something far more powerful than control: a relationship based on trust.