A & B Dog Training

A & B Dog Training 1-2-1 Training Consultations, Group Training and Fun Social Groups.
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23/06/2024

Sunday Sermon

The day of rest and so let's talk about resting. I apologise in advance for sounding preachy or ranty, that's not the intention, no one is being told off, I just want to give you something to think on and I've got myself all passionate about it.

Dogs are supposed to rest a minimum of 16 hours a day. That's 16 hours where their brain and body does nothing but relax, recharge, process and decompress.

Digestive rest is important and I think some dogs have their digestive system taken advantage of, to suit human convenience, under the guise of it being a priority for the dog's own welfare.

Having patience and teaching yourself and your dog life skills without relying on food is important. People aren't patient or they want their dog to have treats or chews or training rewards and can't wait to get them off any kind of dietary restriction, because they rely so much on their dogs digestion to manage their activities of daily living.

I once read a comment that said "Immediate red flag if a dog owner doesn't want to use food rewards" (actually I think they said pet parent). How rude to immediately think that. Why not ask why? What if high value rewards make the dog s**t itself? What if the dog needs digestive rest after a period of illness? What if the dog isn't into food rewards? How about find another way instead of presuming that if someone doesn't want to train that way that they're a big meanie.

Sometimes we have to prioritise health and healing over the importance of what you're training or managing. Can Fido have a couple of weeks off from performing for primula and party sausage, seeing as he's spent the last week vomming his guts up and pebble dashing the patio. Could Princess maybe have a week doing nothing and maybe not ask her kidneys to process unnecessary food and exercise waste, so she can recover from that UTI she just had?

So many dogs never the get the opportunity to heal because the people that feed them use food to satisfy their own human emotions, or fulfil a perceived need that they prioritise over a dog needing time to heal. It's a constant battle for me to get people to place importance on healing above all else. It's amazing how much of an inconvenience it is to humans when I suggest they need to rest their dog's digestion. Broken digestion needs rest to heal. Just like a broken leg. Would you give a dog a quick run on a broken leg because "he needs to let off steam or he won't settle".

My Sunday Sermon message is please, let your care, kindness and drive to meet your dogs needs be more considerate of your dog's digestive system. It is not normal for anyone to be constantly eating, for so many reasons.

I might put that on my fridge actually. "It is not normal for anyone to be constantly eating, for so many reasons". That might fix the diabetes πŸ˜‚

Thank you for reading, please don't shout at me πŸ™

Reminder, it is weekend socials this Sunday. 930am for smaller, calmer or younger dogs and 1030am for bigger, more boist...
20/06/2024

Reminder, it is weekend socials this Sunday. 930am for smaller, calmer or younger dogs and 1030am for bigger, more boisterous dogs Barmby Fields - Dog Walking Fields

Bookings are here:

Group fun sessions where your dogs have chance to interact and play with others whilst supervised by you and a qualified trainer.

18/06/2024

Our 2 day show will be closing for pre-entries this Sunday, we have some amazing sponsors, meaning you have some fantastic goodies to win.

We have β€˜unique’ 1st place awards which will allow you to build a set !! …. Intrigued then come along and all will be revealed. There will also be rosettes awarded 1st - 3rd in all progression classes and special clear round rosettes for veterans.

On top of all this we will be running a league over the 2 days which you automatically get entered into free, with the overall winner from the 2 days being rewarded with a fab treat bundle.

Then to top it all off we will be running some pay on the day INTERNATIONAL SIMULATOR classes for those who would like to have a try and see if they would be good enough to try out for the team GB squad in 2025 …..why wouldn’t you want to enter it’s going to be amazing 🀩

https://www.agilityplaza.com/competition/1720762067

14/06/2024
23/05/2024

Hoopers Gang - some upcoming shows to look at:
Dynamic Dogs (Crowle) 2nd June, Closes Tomorrow
Calmer Hoopers & Agility (Barrow Haven) 8th & 9th June, closes Sunday.
Harlequinn (Barrow Haven), 16th June, closes Sunday.
Ey Up (Great Fencote), 23rd June, closes 16th June.
Yorkshire Hoopers, (HOSM), 28th & 29th June, closes 23rd June.

I don't think Harlequinn are doing late entries (not mentioned on schedule), and Dynamic dogs don't usually do late entries, so get them entered this weekend!!

10/05/2024

Hoopers gang. A local show for end of June!

Fields of Gold, or Dandelions at least!!
05/05/2024

Fields of Gold, or Dandelions at least!!

Having a practice & play about at our hoopers between 121s. Finally some sunshine β˜€οΈ to enjoy!!
02/05/2024

Having a practice & play about at our hoopers between 121s. Finally some sunshine β˜€οΈ to enjoy!!

27/04/2024
May Weekend Social Sessions will be Sunday 5th at 9.30am for smaller dogs, 10.30am for the bigger dogs.
25/04/2024

May Weekend Social Sessions will be Sunday 5th at 9.30am for smaller dogs, 10.30am for the bigger dogs.

Group fun sessions where your dogs have chance to interact and play with others whilst supervised by you and a qualified trainer.

25/04/2024

Hoopers Gang - May Shows to look at:
May 5th Dynamic Dogs. Entries close soon.
May 18th/ 19th Calmer Hoopers. Entries close 5th May
May 26th Ey Up. Entries close 19th May.

All on Agility Plaza.

Beautiful morning run, finding some new trails, with all the boys (including the human one!πŸƒπŸ»)πŸΎπŸΆπŸ•πŸΆπŸƒπŸ»β€β™€οΈ.
30/03/2024

Beautiful morning run, finding some new trails, with all the boys (including the human one!πŸƒπŸ»)πŸΎπŸΆπŸ•πŸΆπŸƒπŸ»β€β™€οΈ.

Water fun = sleepy collies!! πŸ’¦πŸΎπŸΆπŸ˜΄
29/03/2024

Water fun = sleepy collies!! πŸ’¦πŸΎπŸΆπŸ˜΄

Comfy there boys?! 😴🐢🐱 Some interesting sleep positions after a busy day.Add yours in the comments!
26/03/2024

Comfy there boys?! 😴🐢🐱 Some interesting sleep positions after a busy day.

Add yours in the comments!

24/03/2024

Classes this week - reminder, the road between Allerthorpe and Melbourne is closed, so pleased go either Thornton or Bielby. Due to open Wednesday, but might be worth going round just in case!

Absolutely! We can help with ideas to stimulate your dogs and meet those breed needs!
23/03/2024

Absolutely! We can help with ideas to stimulate your dogs and meet those breed needs!

Everyone who is thinking of getting dogs should read this because you need to understand this reality:

***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.
Like David Attenborough Fans for more:

11/03/2024

Newest Article. Enjoy!!

Let Dogs be Dogs – Unrealistic Expectations.
By Abby Huxtable
Our society has lots of laws, rules, regulations, terms and conditions and expected morals. We are conditioned to all of these measures of control by our society, so we often feel the need to pass them onto our dogs.
However, our dogs are animals, and they have many natural behaviours that don’t easily conform to these expectations. Yes, they can be trained to conform, but should they be?
A number of studies have been done recently on the lives and lifestyles of street dogs in villages (1). This is often seen as a more natural, symbiotic state of living for dogs and humans. The dogs may be completely free roaming and not β€˜owned’, or they may be β€˜owned’ but released to roam during the day, then return home for food and shelter overnight.
The main natural behaviours these dogs display, that we try and suppress, or train out, so they can conform with our society, are free ranging movement or roaming, communication – barking, growling, body language between the dogs and other creatures, scavenging and sexual interactions.
Our UK, European, US and other β€˜developed’ societies then try to manage or supress all of these behaviours. We cannot let our dogs free roam, partly from lead/ leash laws, partly for safety considerations. We teach Loose lead walking and recall. Some less understanding owners/ trainers simply stick on aversive devices or tools and don’t even bother to teach these!
We don’t like our dogs to scavenge. Partly from the safety risk of what they could be eating, but mainly we view it as an undesirable behaviour, because of the human perception that scavenging is a bad thing. We are conditioned to see scavengers (human and animal) as pests, or somehow lesser creatures, yet it is natural behaviour. What do you think cows and sheep actually do – they move about an area and select the pieces of vegetation they like the look and smell of to eat. That is by definition scavenging! Although with a fenced / penned field, we also control that.
Dogs communicate with each other, other animals and us. They have a wide range of vocal and visual communications they use. Yet we try to suppress the communications, as we perceive them to be β€˜bad’, annoying or a disturbance.
One of my clients had an experience she shared about this and showed her understanding, but not those of others (thanks Elaine). She and her dog were walking (on lead, along a public lane) past a local farm. The cows in the field all mooed at them, as cows do. The farm dog also barked at them.
The cows were warning of a potential predator/ stranger on site, as is natural. The dog was expressing exactly the same communication. The dog got shouted at for barking, the cows didn’t.
This is simply due to human expectations of our dogs. Unrealistic human expectations.
Yes, the owner could counter condition their dog to people/dogs walking by. Yes, they can train the dog not to bark in this situation. They could train the cows the same, but they wouldn’t understand the need to, yet because we have brought these dogs in as β€˜pets’ and chosen to domesticate them, we then have extra expectations of them.
The point of this article is not to encourage us all to release our dogs into the streets, and not to encourage you to neglect training your dogs. That is an unrealistic and unsafe expectation! But, to promote you to think about those expectations, but also think about how instead of supressing your dogs’ natural behaviours, to try and conform them to our society’s expectations, you can allow them, but in safe circumstances.
Think about how you can enable your dog the opportunity to simply be a dog, not the robots we as a society as a whole seem to think they should be.
This will be personal to you and your dog and your situation, as to how much freedom you feel you can safely grant them, and in which situations.
Are there safe areas you can simply let them roam and explore? Such as a secure dog field, or dog park. Can you use a long line to let them mooch and wander?
Can you allow/ accept some communication, and kindly teach an alternative in situations where it may not conform to our human expectations? Click the trigger and LAT training help with that and allow lesser communications from our dogs. Can we accept they may bark occasionally, then settle again. Or help them to settle once they have barked if they struggle to do so.
Can you find suitable other dogs that they can have free and natural interactions with, in a safe environment?
Can you set up searches to allow them to scavenge for safe and fun items?
What other ideas do you have to simply allow your dog to be a dog?
Can you accept that as long as your dog is safe and happy, they are not and do not need to be a robot, trained to within an inch of their life?

(1) Village dogs match pet dogs in reading human facial expressions, study shows (phys.org)
Pampered pets or poor bastards? The welfare of dogs kept as companion animals - ScienceDirect

Great offer from a great trainer. I know my customers are force free anyway, but the original video is worth a look too.
07/03/2024

Great offer from a great trainer. I know my customers are force free anyway, but the original video is worth a look too.

As all of those who follow the southend trainers page jump on to my page to give me abuse, it's worth pointing out that the ONLY reason my video went viral is because hundreds of qualified educated competent dog trainers agreed with me and wanted their dog owning followers to be aware of the potential damage you can cause to your sticking your puppy in a crate and letting them cry it out.
If you are a fan of his, and jumping on my page because he has 'rallied the troops' my only message is that we have all been in a position that we strongly believed x was true, only to later in life realise that maybe you were mislead.

I am going to make my Understanding Pet Dogs course free for the next 48 hours for those who are open to learning more about training without using pain, fear or intimidation.
Just go to free courses available for those who are willing to educate themselves, just input the code knowbetterdobetter at check out.
https://www.nancicreedon.co.uk/product/single-course-flash-sale-understanding-pet-dogs

06/03/2024

Welcome to all the new followers and likers! Plan is to get the accurate gpx done in the next week or so, then push entries a bit more, so if you haven't actually entered yet, you best hurry up and do so!! 🀣.
https://abanimalcare.upshotbookings.co.uk/races/field-house-5km-run/

Nice photo of our training run in the Lakes recently. The hills on our 5km Route are much gentler.... πŸƒπŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸƒπŸΌ

Slightly damp πŸ’¦ afternoon walkies! πŸΆπŸ•
01/03/2024

Slightly damp πŸ’¦ afternoon walkies! πŸΆπŸ•

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