Lothian Dog Training

24/01/2025

🚨 New Blog Alert! 🐾

Does the idea of introducing your reactive dog to other dogs feel overwhelming? Not knowing where to begin can make it feel impossible—but with the right steps, it doesn’t have to be.

In this blog, I break things down into simple, actionable tips to help you and your dog feel more confident. From understanding their needs to creating positive experiences, it’s all about setting you both up for success.

👉 Read it here: https://www.lothiandogtraining.co.uk/post/can-sensitive-or-reactive-dog-make-friends

Have you tried introducing your reactive dog to other dogs before? If it felt daunting, this guide could help. If you successfully followed a similar structure, would love to hear your stories 💛

Absolutely—Here’s How!If you have a sensitive, fearful, or reactive dog, the idea of them making “friends” might seem out of reach. But let’s reframe the goal. It’s not about creating best pals who play and wrestle—that kind of high-arousal interaction often leads to mistakes in commun...

07/01/2025

Mantrailing is an incredible activity where your dog gets to use their nose and show you just how amazing they really are! 🐾 It’s not just about having fun together—it’s also a great way to learn more about your dog’s unique skills and personality. Check out my latest blog to discover why it’s such a rewarding experience for both of you.
Link in the comments.

24/12/2024

As the year comes to a close, I just want to take a moment to express how grateful I am for the opportunity to be a part of your journey with your amazing dogs. Watching your progress and seeing the bond between you and your dogs grow has been such a joy.

Thank you for trusting me with your furry companions and for letting me be a small part of their world.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas filled with love, laughter, and plenty of tail wags! Here’s to an exciting 2025 ahead. 🎄🌟

Sandra

22/12/2024

https://www.lothiandogtraining.co.uk/post/a-dog-friendly-christmas-managing-the-festive-chaos

This is a quick guide on how to manage Christmas festivities with dogs

28/11/2024

🐾 Vet Visits: Starting Off on the Right Paw 🐾

Today, my young dog Vinnie went to the vet for his health check and vaccination, and I have to admit, it was a little embarrassing! He walked in on two paws, jumping for joy to be there—clearly stealing the show. 🐕💨

Why was he so excited? Because Vinnie hasn’t had any unpleasant experiences there. We recently switched to a new vet, and before our first routine check, we did a “nothing” visit—just popped in to say hello, let him explore, and left without any handling. This kind of visit helped build positive associations and made today’s appointment stress-free.

During today’s visit, the vet and I chatted about Vinnie’s future neutering procedure and how it would go. It’s such a relief to know he’ll be comfortable and relaxed when the time comes. This is a world of difference from my past experience with Ria who was terrified of vet visits due to my lack of proactive preparation.

Here’s how you can help your dog feel just as happy and confident:
✅ Ask your vet if you can visit during quiet times—pop in between routine checks to explore the space without being handled.
✅ Practice stillness and focus exercises so your dog learns to stay calm and connected to you in new environments.
✅ Build useful skills at home that make future vet visits and recovery smoother:

Muzzle training: Helps your dog feel comfortable wearing a muzzle if needed.

Gentle restraint: Teaches your dog to tolerate being held or examined.

Touch desensitization: Get your dog used to having their paws, ears, and mouth handled.

Relaxed isolation: Prepare your dog for times they may need to rest alone, such as after neutering or surgery.

These small efforts now can save a lot of stress later and help your dog feel safe and secure in any situation.

PS: Some dogs find sitting in the waiting area frustrating, scary, or exciting. Did you know that some vets are happy for you to wait outside and call you in when it’s your turn? It’s a great option if your dog finds the waiting room overwhelming.

Do you have a “Vinnie” who loves the vet, or are you working on building their confidence? I’d love to hear your stories!

21/11/2024

What makes mantrailing sessions even more fun than they are on cold dark nights? Creative people! ☺️ Last night one of the ladies turned up with the hot water bottle and it was a talk and highlight of everyone's night. It became a competition of who will guard it while she's running her dog. This might be a new trend from now on. 🤣❤️

18/11/2024

Not All Wins Look the Same: Celebrate Your Dog’s Unique Journey

It’s so easy to compare our dogs to others, especially in training. But what seems like a simple task for one dog can be an incredible challenge for another.

Take Cara, for example. Cara recently completed a huge milestone—she found a complete stranger in the woods during mantrailing, took food from them, and even left the safety of the path to navigate through rough terrain. For many dogs, this might not seem like a big deal. But for Cara, who has spent so much time building her confidence, this was a moment of bravery and trust.

I feel so lucky to witness these moments—the small steps that are truly huge in the grand scheme of a dog’s journey. Each dog has their own challenges, and progress isn’t about what others are doing—it’s about where your dog started and the steps they’re taking. Cara’s success might look different from someone else’s, but it’s every bit as important, if not more so.

Let’s celebrate the small wins, the big milestones, and everything in between. Because for our dogs, every bit of progress deserves recognition.

What’s a milestone your dog has reached that made you proud? Share it below—I’d love to hear!

13/11/2024

Socializing Puppies: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Socializing a puppy isn’t a checklist—it’s about understanding your puppy and choosing the best approach for their needs.

Take Vinny, for example. He was a second-hand puppy with unknown genetics, full of energy, and an extreme desire to interact with anything that moved. When I first walked him with Kelty, he screamed at the top of his lungs, desperate to chase her doing "spaniel things." He had no idea how to control himself, and his behavior was, well, rude.

I knew traditional socialization wouldn’t work for him. Instead of letting him meet every dog and person, I chose a different path: gradual learning.

Engagement first: We worked on focusing on me rather than the environment.

Neutrality over novelty: No random meet-and-greets with unfamiliar dogs or people.

Carefully chosen company: I decided which dogs he could spend time with and structured interactions to suit him. Most of the time, these were calm, exploratory walks, not play sessions.

Now, after 10 and a half months, he listens to most cues with familiar dogs and has come a long way in controlling his arousal. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. He’s still an adolescent testing boundaries (because of course, he knows everything now), but the progress we’ve made together is amazing.

Every puppy is different. Some might thrive in traditional socialization settings, but others need time, space, and guidance to grow into confident, well-adjusted dogs. Give your puppy what they need, and don’t rush the process—puppies take time to learn how to navigate the world.

If you’ve got a busy puppy like Vinny, know that a different approach can work. It’s all about setting them up for success.

What’s been your experience with socializing your puppy? Let me know in the comments!

25/10/2024

Hey there! 👋 I realized it’s been a while since I introduced myself, so here’s a quick reintroduction! I’m Sandra, the face behind Lothian Dog Training!

I’ve trained dogs (and their wonderful humans) for nearly 10 years, and my goal is simple: to bring guidance, support, and results for dogs with big personalities—whether they’re reactive, fizzy, or just need a bit of fine-tuning! 🐾

A little about me: I’ve lived through the ups and downs of reactivity with my own dog Bear, so I know how overwhelming it can feel. With two rescue dogs of my own, I understand firsthand the journey it takes to build those special bonds and overcome challenges.

What I offer:

✨ One-to-One Sessions: Whether you’re dealing with reactivity, recall issues, or just want a bit of confidence in managing your dog, we’ll work together to tackle those specific needs. I create step-by-step plans that make things manageable and easy to follow.

✨ Walk and Train (coming soon!): Perfect if you need a bit of extra support with outdoor skills like loose lead walking, recall, and focus. Great for busy owners who want to see real progress but might need an extra hand to get there.

✨ Scent Work and Mantrailing: For dogs who need an outlet for that busy mind, these fun, engaging activities build confidence and give them a job to do—all while strengthening your bond.

I’m here to support you with personalized training plans, practical advice, and a no-judgment approach. You’ll get tools that fit into your life, ongoing support, and—most importantly—a sense of progress and connection.

Would you like to connect and find out more ? Get in touch 😊
Have you worked with me already? Come and say hi 😊

16/09/2024

According to the most reliable sources who say what they think ( kids of East Lothian), this is ...
" Whoa, this is an army dog! Look, it's an army dog!"
It probably looks even more official due to my choice of clothes and favouring the olive green and camo colours.
On the serious note, though, me and my friends have noticed that when we are out walking with Vinnie, way more people put their dogs on leads when they see us coming. This wasn't the case when I walked with Bear. We think that it's because Bear was fluffy and very soft looking. Do you have a certain breed dog that you notice people behaving different around ? 😊

01/09/2024

We said goodbye to summer with a full weekend of mantrailing. We trained dogs, ate food, hugged a few trees and laughed a lot 😊 Couldn't fit all dogs in the pictures. Hope your weekend was just as productive as ours 😀

27/08/2024

Choosing the right dog for you can be tricky. It is a long term commitment and the new addition can make you very happy , but it can also give you a lot of extra work which might not be as much fun... It's been a while since I wrote something cause writing isn't my favourite type of content , but if this will help one person to make the right choices for them, it'll make me very happy 😊

When it comes to choosing the right dog, it's not all that different from picking out a new car. Both decisions require some thought, a bit of research, and a clear understanding of what you want and need. Just like cars, dogs come in all shapes, sizes, and temperaments, and finding the perfect matc...

27/07/2024

You know what's amazing? Dogs learn by association. At our mantrailing classes I hardly ever engage with the dogs because they have a skill to learn and focus on working as a team with their handler. They don't get food or much attention from me during lessons, however... Good things happen- they get to play this hide and seek game where they're encouraged and celebrated for making their own choices and get rewarded with their favourite things by the trail layer and just so it happens that I'm always around, like that cool aunty that comes around and the kids get to do fun stuff. Through the years I've been honoured by voluntary interactions from some very sensitive dogs who trusted me with cuddles because I became their safe person. We keep laughing during the lessons that some of the dogs are on their best behaviour and try their hardest when I'm around , we jokingly call them " teacher's pets ".
Today I was volunteering at the German Shepherd Rescue Scotland fun dog show and got to play with a few of my customers/ friend's dogs at the have a go agility ring. The truth is, Willow( the girly in the picture) knows more about agility than I do and does it well with her mum. She came into the ring, stayed with me and performed to her best ability with the information that I was giving her (Very poorly on my part, may I add.). We did have fun though 😊
So I guess this is a thank you post to all of the customers for allowing me to be part of their dog's trust circle and for letting me be the cool aunty.

P.S. : Our mantrailing classes are currently full.

28/06/2024

Thanks for inviting me to judge Good Citizens Bronze. Many congratulations to these guys for passing the test. 🥳❤️

17/06/2024

You know best what works for your reactive dog to keep them below the threshold and distance is always your best friend if you want a less stressful walk. Here's my review of The Hermitage and it's suitability for walking a reactive dog 🙂 Where should we visit next?

29/04/2024

02/04/2024

We recently opened the doors to a small number of new people wanting to explore the sport. I was worried because it's been such a long time since I ran an intro workshop and a lot of times people reach out because they are looking for a safe space. During one of the workshops we spoke about how challenging it can be attending events where you don't know anyone and especially if you have a sensitive dog. Everyone is worried about their performance and how they show up. I shared that I was also worried about my performance , especially since I'm a " a spade is a spade" type of person and it can sometimes come across too straight forward. And we all laughed about it. I love people and I love seeing people and dogs relax and see the progress. Not just in mantrailing, but in all areas of training that I do.
Have a great day.
P.s. any new dates for workshops will be announced on the website.