Agata Brzek - Dog Focused

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Agata Brzek - Dog Focused

I help owners of young, energetic dogs who struggle with recall, pulling, over-excitement, chasing, and reactivity across Perth and Kinross area.

Dog Training and Behaviour Consulting based on positive reinforcement techniques and protocols. Non-aversive methods, creative and effective solutions to common behaviour problems, life enrichment for pet dogs, games, everyday manners, obedience. I hold a Diploma of Dog Training and Behaviour Consulting from Companion Animals Sciences Institute, and the Pro Dog Trainer certificate with AbsoluteDOG

S, and have attended various courses, workshops, seminars and webinars related to animal training and behaviour. I have over 15 years of experience of working with dogs, including 10 years as a pet dog trainer.

19/06/2026

What an absolutely horrible day☔☔☔

Got soaked at my 1-2-1 session and had to cancel the class tonight....

Merrick didn't understand my disgust though. He was totally keen to go out and play. It's just water, he said.

To distract him we did some trick and obedience training with a ball as a reward, so it looked really snappy and sharp.

Then we played with the bite sleeve. I asked him to stay in one room and I hid in another, and then called him. When he found me he got the sleeve to bite.

We finished with a few rounds of a food puzzle, The Brick by Nina Ottoson.

It's not what he expected, but he managed to sleep afterwards for about half an hour.

Then he forced me to go out, but it was a disaster and we came back after 15 minutes. I discovered that my umbrella was leaking😞

I'm sure I'll need to play and train more this evening, maybe some scent work, as it tends to tire him out nicely.

What do you do on rainy days?

10/06/2026

Attention and focus. Your dog already has lots of it, even if you don't think so.

There is a finite amount of attention available for a dog at any given moment.

Most dogs are very good at focusing. The problem is most of the time their focus is not on you.

Occasionally they blank their people out totally. The pull of the environment is just too much to resist, that they don't have any attention left.

Especially if your dog is an adolescent. There are a few reasons why that is, but it's not the topic of this post.

What I've been thinking about today is that we equate eye contact with attention, but a dog can pay attention without giving you the eye contact.

They can also give you eye contact, especially if you teach it on cue, but still be distracted and unfocused.

I do teach eye contact, usually voluntary, or offered, to pretty much all my students. We reward every time the dog looks up and connects with us.

This is because when I first meet dogs, a lot of them never look at their owner when they're out and about. So, if you're not on your dog's radar, it's hard to get their cooperation.

Eye contact is easily visible to the owner and we can start there, and once the dog has good habits and can split his focus between the environment and the owner, he'll be more attentive even if he's not looking at his person.

Eventually a flick of an ear, a slight head tilt, or body orientation can tell us that the dog is "with us" although the eyes can be on something else.

So, a big part of the "attention pool" the dog has, will be directed towards us. A dog like this is easy to live with, walk, and train, also in distracting environments.

I guess the reason I wanted to write this is: don't get hung up on eye contact too much. Reward it when it happens, but watch your dog for other signs of attention as well.

And: don't think that if your dog looks at you he is focused on you. Because this is not always the case.

Today we observed that Nan, the black lab from the last post, is much more focused and responsive to her person than before our sessions, and it was such a good feeling😊

Photo of a very focused Merrick. You probably don't need that level of obsession though 😆

09/06/2026

Adolescent Nan learning to focus on her handler in a busy park.

Nan is one year old, and in general she's very well behaved. She attended classes and has the skills she needs to have a great life.

But she's also at the age when some of these skills are hard to apply in the real world, especially when other dogs are around.

She tends to suddenly lunge towards dogs, which results in pulling her mum over, and she struggles with impulse control in other situations too.

We already had a few sessions and introduced some exercises to build Nan's focus and self control.

It is already helping a lot, but we still have to improve a few areas.

In this video Nan and her mum are engaged in the Superbowls pattern game.

They move from marker to marker only when Nan gives eye contact. She can look around her as well, notice dogs, birds, and other distractions, but because she's engaged in a pattern, it's easier for her to look away from distractions and back to her owner.

Eventually we'll remove the markers, but at the moment they help both of them have a visual aid, so they can concentrate on building connection.

Superbowls game is a part of the Control Unleashed programme by American dog trainer Leslie McDevitt.

I don't use this game with all dogs, but youngsters like Nan often do well with a clearly defined, easy to follow, pattern.

Superbowls can also be a great help for teaching loose lead walking, getting out of doors and gates nicely, reducing excitement, and more.

Tomorrow another session with lovely Nan😊

04/06/2026

If you want to walk your dog off lead everywhere you have to start somewhere.

Too many times I hear "my dog can't be let off lead", but the person saying that is not doing anything to change it.

Keeping your dog on lead will never teach him to come back when called.

Having him on a long line will do nothing either, if you don't work on it.

Even if you tried to teach him and still got nowhere near a decent recall, chances are you didn't have the right tactics, the right ideas, protocols and system.

You probably gave up right before you could see any improvement.

It's a great feeling when you call your dog and he actually comes back. It is achievable, but yes, it takes some work on your part.

I start early, my puppies are off lead from the very first walks, they follow, they get rewarded every single time, the habit gets stronger and more ingrained.

Then in adolescence I might use the long line for a while, manage my expectations, up or completely change my rewards to suit the developing brain.

And then one day it all falls into place, we reach the management phase, and life gets easy.

And people comment on my dogs' obedience. And even if it took time and effort (although for me it's all just fun), it is well worth it, because now, for the rest of my dog's life we can have truly relaxing walks wherever we go.

This feeling and this reality is possible. Reach out if you're ready to unleash your dog.

A.

03/06/2026

I do "bitework" with my dogs. Well, not real bitework, we just play with the bite sleeve.

Years ago I went to a Schutzhund club with my German Shepherd Raven, but only a few times, as I didn't like the methods that were used.

When I got Arco I didn't know if he would be interested in the sleeve until one day I had a chance to try and he absolutely loved it.

I got two sleeves then, from nice folks who trained security dogs, and I used them with Arco on a regular basis for all his life.

Dogs like Arco, and then Comet, instantly recognize what the sleeve is for, even though they haven't seen one before.

It's in the breed, and for the two of them, playing with the sleeve was absolutely the best fulfilling experience they could have.

I always knew when Arco was in a mood to do some bitework, as he would follow me around and nip my bum.

After 10-15 minutes on the sleeve, he was happy and relaxed again.

Other breeds like to bite too. My Chester, the collie, loved a bite wedge, which is a big soft toy used for training young protection dogs.

And now Merrick loves the sleeve too. He asks for it, and gets very excited when I finally pick it up.

All the dogs were super friendly with people, the sleeve is just a toy for them, it does not teach them to grab a stranger on the street.

Also I do it myself, nobody else wears the sleeve, I could just as well hold a different toy in my hands.

When I say Drop, they do it, they back away when asked, can do all sorts of behaviours and tricks for a chance of another bite.

There are a lot of people who train proper bite sports (there are many). Some do it because their dogs love it, others to make themselves and their dogs tough.

Unfortunately egos often get in the way of the sport. Recently a dog d!ed at bite sport trials in the UK. He was kicked and whacked with a stick, and it was all happening on a very hot night. They were testing how much "pressure" he could take.

Now people call to ban all bite sports as being inhumane. True that these sports are dominated by balanced trainers, who routinely use prong and shock collars.

But not all of them use this equipment. There are positively trained dogs all over the country and the world. Dogs who absolutely love doing bitework, and who need it to be happy.

Banning is not the answer, but the situation needs to change. Dogs shouldn't d!e in the name of the sport.

The person responsible has been reported to the police. He will face consequences. Hopefully severe, although it doesn't always end the way it should.

In the meantime Merrick and I will still play bitey-bitey with our old beat up sleeve.

A.

02/06/2026

There are no rivers or burns where we live. Only a ditch here and there.

We have to walk quite a distance to play water fetch, or splash and cool down.

But if you don't have the resources you have to be resourceful, says Merrick.

None of my previous dogs would ever lie in a puddle on the road.

This boy is truly special😆

It wasn't easy to move him either...

01/06/2026

Last week I had a lovely walk with a former canine student Murdo and his brother Walter.

Murdo was just a baby when I first met him, and now he's a handsome one year old youngster.

Their mum fell and broke her ankle, and was in need of a walker, so of course I said yes.

I'm happy to report that Murdo was great on our walk, he didn't pull much, and was very well behaved on the road.

He did, of course, have to check every single hole, bush, and hedge, as this is what spaniels do, isn't it? I managed to get him out of there though, much to his dismay.

In the meantime his pal Walter was doing everything in his power to stop the silly walk and go back home.

Walter doesn't care for walks much, especially with a stranger. Eventually he refused to move any farther, and no amount of begging and coaxing could change his mind.

I'm walking them again on Thursday, maybe he'll be happier this time.

If you need an occasional walk for your dog, let me know. I'll be happy to do it, if I have the time.

A.

29/05/2026

NEW class announcement below!

This week I started Skill Practise Sessions with my current and previous clients.

I totally forgot to take photos on Tuesday, but here are two dogs from yesterday: Cassie, the birdie x, and Beau, a Staffy x Frenchie.

Unfortunately one dog had to go home early due to his fear of noises, as he could hear a bird scarer in a field somewhere.

Out of the 3 dogs that attended, both days, 2 were somewhat reactive, and one was an adolescent.

It was a good mix, and all the dogs did really well. We focused on engagement via simple activities that the dogs could perform but still be aware of their surroundings and the presence of other dogs.

There was plenty of space to walk away if someone got overexcited or feisty, and we also had barriers between them to partially block the view of other participants.

I'm thinking of doing the same for new clients with young adolescent dogs, who are NOT displaying serious reactivity towards other dogs or people.

A good candidate for this class would be:

a dog who pulls on lead towards other dogs, generally friendly although too excited and frantic;

a dog with poor recall around distractions

a dog that finds it hard to focus on his owner/guardian

a dog that finds it hard to settle and switch off

Classes would be limited to 4 dogs. Would be held outside, near Dunning (although we could change location to add challenge), at 6 pm on Friday.

Let me know if you're interested or share with someone who might be.

Thanks
A.

27/05/2026

For those of you who are always on the lookout for high value dry treats.

I found this food a while ago and have been testing it on Merrick and other dogs.

It's not extruded kibble, it's more like a dry cake. The best way to describe it is a dehydrated wet food.

It smells nice and dogs go mad for it. It's made in Poland, hence the weird name.

There are three sizes of it:

The adult food, the beef recipe in the photo has the biggest pieces, around 0.5 inch in length. Would suit dogs like a lab or GSD. I also take this with me for my walks.

The junior variety is smaller pieces, good for a collie or a spaniel sized dog, and I use them in my training when I feed from hand or throw around in games.

The mini variety is tiny cubes, good for small dogs, but I also use it for training some tricks or doing fitness, as I do many repetitions and want small tasty treats for that.

I'll put a link in the comment to the site I got it from.

They have more flavours available, not only the ones I got.

Higher value treats are great for teaching new important behaviors, like lead walking, recall, attention and engagement.

With time you can switch to a lower value and eventually even just regular kibble, but you want to impress your dog with something amazing when you are in the beginning stages of training.

And if you have a dog who is not very food motivated, it may be because you haven't found what they really love.

If you know some other high value treats that your dog loves, let us know. Personally I'm always keen to try new things.

A.

Address

Dunning
Dunning
PH29BX

Telephone

+447593032280

Website

http://www.dogfocused.co.uk/

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