Lee Lunt Professional Dog Advice & Training

11/09/2025

Puppy Training: The Common Mistakes

Bringing a puppy home is one of the most exciting things you’ll ever do. The cuddles, the fun, the little paws padding around your house it’s easy to get swept away.

But here’s the reality: taking on a puppy is a huge responsibility.
And the way you handle those first few weeks and months can shape the dog you’ll live with for the next 10+ years.

So let’s talk about the most common mistakes people make with puppies, why they matter, and what you can do instead.

1. Confusing puppies with babies

People want to cuddle and comfort your pup like a child. But here’s the catch: your puppy is not a baby, it’s not natural for dogs.
It’s a completely different species with instincts, drives, and needs of its own.

Dogs don’t have rational thought the way humans do. They don’t “grow out of” behaviours they repeat what works for them. If you smother a puppy with fuss every time it’s anxious, excitable or demanding, you’re teaching it that those states of mind get rewarded.

What to do instead: Show calmness. Reward stillness. Let your pup learn that human attention comes when they’re relaxed, not bouncing off the walls.

2. Forgetting mum’s role

Before your puppy came home, mum was in charge. She gave them discipline, boundaries, and reassurance. She taught them how to cope with the world.

When that pup arrives in your house, you take over that role. You become “dog mum/dad.” And that means more than just love it means providing leadership, structure, and consistency.

Without it, pups quickly become confused and unsettled.

3. Too much freedom, too soon

One of the biggest mistakes I see is owners giving their puppy the run of the house, the garden, even meeting other dogs before the pup understands any rules.

This can feel kind, but it’s like giving a toddler the keys to the car. The pup hasn’t learned how to control itself yet, so it ends up making bad decisions.

What to do instead: Gradually introduce freedom, once your pup shows impulse control and can listen to you in each environment.

4. Encouraging arousal, not calm

Many owners accidentally nurture the very behaviours they don’t want: barking, jumping, mouthing, over-excitement.

How? By stroking, talking to, or giving attention while the pup is hyped up.

What to do instead: Wait for calm before giving affection. Show your pup that relaxation opens doors, not over-excitement.

5. Poor exposure to the world

Exposure is vital but it must be done the right way. Throwing a pup into busy streets, crowded parks or overwhelming situations too early can cause fear, stress, or future reactivity.

What to do instead: Build up slowly. Pair new experiences with calm, not chaos. Your job is to prepare your pup, not flood them.

6. Relying on short-term courses

Many believe a 6- or 8-week puppy course will “finish” their training. That’s simply not true.

Puppies aren’t trained in 6 weeks, or 6 months. Training isn’t an event, it’s a lifestyle. It’s about shaping behaviour through daily repetition until it becomes second nature.

What to do instead: Think of training as an ongoing journey. Keep layering habits, keep reinforcing good behaviour, and understand that growth takes time.

7. Skipping impulse control

Play and freedom are important. But balance is everything. If you only focus on fun, without teaching your pup how to stop, wait, or stay calm, you’re raising a dog that doesn’t know how to cope with frustration.
What to do instead: Practise short sessions of “doing nothing.” Teach your pup that being still, waiting, and watching is just as rewarding as playing.

8. Allowing space invasion

Another mistake? Letting puppies invade human or dog space whenever they want. Jumping on laps, barging into rooms, pushing past other dogs.
While it might seem harmless at first, it teaches your pup that the world revolves around them.
What to do instead: Teach respect for space. Invite the pup in, don’t allow them to take it.

9. The results of these mistakes

When these areas are ignored, pups can grow into dogs who:
Struggle with over-stimulation
Develop anxiety, reactivity or even aggression
Find it hard to trust their humans
Become uncontrollable in public

This isn’t about being strict for the sake of it. It’s about giving your pup the tools to cope with life confidently and calmly.

10. The goal: balance

Raising a puppy isn’t about military-style control. And it isn’t about letting them do whatever they want.

It’s about balance.
Clear rules and boundaries
Calmness and impulse control
Play, exploration and fun
Gradual responsibility as they mature

When those parts come together, you create a well-rounded dog who can walk into any environment and feel safe, confident and calm.

11. The bottom line

Puppies don’t just become good dogs by accident.
The dog you end up with is the one you create, day after day.
What your pup practises is what they’ll repeat.
The relationship you build is what they’ll trust.
The leadership you provide is what shapes their behaviour.

If you put the work in now calmly, consistently, with balance you’ll be rewarded with a dog you’re proud to take anywhere. Think before you do.

07812089288

10/09/2025

The issues with playing with a laser pen or some sort of reflector device can have a significantly negative impact on your dog and their behaviour. It might seem fun but the truth is it is something the dog can never physically catch it get hold of and when they stare in the dogs brain it magically appears therefore the dog can think they make it appear just by looking at a spot. Remember dogs don’t have rational thought. I’d probably say you’ll get more problems with dogs with higher prey drive like spaniels, collies, Malinois etc but it can effect any dog. Think before you do things with your dog, ask yourself can you stop something from happening if you need to before you start doing something.

If you are having any issues with your dog, get in touch and we can help. 07812089288

30/08/2025

Just a reminder. There are no classes or appointments this week we are on annual leave and I’m having a well earned little break. Any messages or enquiries, please be patient, I will get back to you but it might not be straight away. We are back for classes next Sunday 7th and I will look forward to seeing you all.

Please let anyone know incase they have forgot.

Have a great weekend everyone and keep up the good work.

26/08/2025

What a great day yesterday for our pack walk which really ended up turning into a human pack walk/day out, as most of us decided to leave the dogs at home due to the weather for some dogs and also deciding to have a dog free day, but for those that did they behaved amazingly and all had a great day, especially with the messages I received saying how they enjoyed it. Bangs going off, chainsaw carving, horses, Gundog demos, fairground, axe throwing, shooting, plenty of smells, noises, lights, loads of other dogs, indoor tents etc along with also chilling out in quieter places and going off to do their own thing. To see everyone enjoying themselves is great, as a few people said to me it’s about the involvement, which they haven’t seen or get anywhere else, which makes all what I do and put in worth while and I’m grateful for doing it. That’s what we are about, yes I push you, yes I’ll tell you, but also yes I’ll be there to help, support and have a laugh too, and that’s not just about the dogs, so you can enjoy things like we had yesterday, which makes days like this more enjoyable. We had a couple of very reactive dogs who have not long joined us and they were great. Even taking away the muzzle and gaining confidence around everything that was going on. Brilliant day, Sorry if I didn’t get pictures of everyone, me and recording, taking pictures is normally the last thing in mind.
Well done everyone and thank you for coming. ANYONE from the classes are always welcome on theses outings we do, and our pack walks are free of charge.

24/08/2025

Three years ago, I took Maya and Sabre with me on a trip down to Cornwall. Sabre has been in the police for the past 2 years, he’s one of Cleveland Police’s top dogs, partnered with PC Walker. The bond between them is fantastic, and I couldn’t have asked for him to go to a better place. I’ll be honest, I do miss him, but knowing he’s out there making a real difference in the world makes me proud and the team at Cleveland have certainly pushed him on to the real world criminals.

Sabre was trained with balance – leadership, rewards, structure, and yes, corrections when needed. This made him a well-behaved, friendly dog who can also switch into serious work mode when required. He was never trained through fear or pain, and he never saw it that way. Corrections, when used fairly and consistently, are simply part of communication.

There’s a lot of scaremongering out there suggesting that if you correct your dog, you’re somehow breaking their spirit or causing them harm. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Dogs need guidance just like we do – they need to know what’s expected of them, and they actually feel more secure when clear boundaries are in place.

My mentor taught me these principles, and if they were good enough for his dogs, they’re good enough for every dog I work with. And let’s not forget – the tool that connects us to our dogs is called a lead. It’s called a lead for a reason: to guide, not to instil fear.

At the end of the day, balance in training is what creates dogs like Sabre – confident, friendly, reliable, and capable of incredible work. If you know, you know.

So yes leadership, rewards and corrections are ALL ok to use, it’s about reading the dog and what you are trying to achieve.

If you need help please get in touch we can help 07812089288.

20/08/2025

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Don’t forget everyone our pack walk is going to be at the Cheshire Game & Country Fair this bank holiday Monday. Everyone is welcome to come, family etc. You don’t even need to bring your dog if you just fancy a nice day out. You will unfortunately need to purchase tickets either online or at the gate on the day. Follow the link to get tickets. You don’t even need to follow around in a pack you can just go off on your own if that’s what you want to do. If you are going please drop me a message just so we have an idea who is going to wait for. We are looking to meet just inside the entrance for 10:30am if you want to start off with us.

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20/08/2025

I often see people stroking, petting, or talking to dogs that are highly aroused, anxious, or stressed in the hope of calming them down. The reality is, this doesn’t calm the dog it very easily reinforces the very state of mind you’re trying to reduce. When a dog is focused elsewhere or fixated on a trigger, and you add touch or attention at that moment, you’re effectively rewarding that emotional state. To the dog, it’s confirmation: “Yes, this is the right way to behave.”From a human perspective, this feels natural it’s how we comfort each other. We use words, rational thought, and explanation to reassure one another. But dogs don’t think like us. They live in the moment, and every behaviour they repeat is one they believe brings them the best outcome in that situation. If it didn’t, they wouldn’t continue to do it.That’s why timing and context are everything. My advice to all owners is to first build connection through calm and respect. I call this “being with your dog, without being with your dog” the art of leadership through doing nothing. By nurturing stillness and calm energy alongside your dog, you’re laying the foundation for a balanced relationship.When your dog learns to connect with you in calmness, it not only helps them handle more stimulating environments later, but it also makes it much easier to “switch them off” after play, training, or any exciting situation.A calm dog is a balanced dog and from there, you can truly take them anywhere. Before you start talking, stroking in a situation etc just thing first you could be quite easily be doing the opposite of what you think you are trying to fix or help. Want to learn more about this then get in touch we can help. Here you can see Diego getting a very arousal stroke but he stays pretty calm and not over the top, all from the understanding above. 07812089288

14/08/2025

I’ve got to say, every dog I’ve seen in Amsterdam up to now I’m very impressed with their behaviour, they all walk around like this, no pulling, chilled, not trying to run up to anyone for fusses, no barking, reactivity, no anxiety or stress, just coping and being with their owner whether walking or just laying down while the world carries on. The basics of how dogs should be, to attain a well behaved and balanced canine, along with a good relationship.

“Being with the dog without being with the dog”

07/08/2025

Take note, something again I try and convey to customers to help them and it’s not just guests coming into the house it’s you and the rest of the household, people walking past and winding the dog up then disappearing, speaking in a high pitched voice and sentences, especially when you are having issues with your dog, this is paramount to start changing the behaviour for everywhere else, it could be excitement, aggression, anxiety the reaction doesn’t really matter, what matters is can your dog respond in a neutral calm way, why, because it’s principles and principles can be adapted anywhere for anything. It’s a baseline/default behaviour that we are instilling, to teach the dog how to cope. This doesn’t mean it can never get excited, stroked, played with, it gives you a control that you can switch off the dog when needed. See I don’t make it up, if you are incapable of doing what he is explaining in the house, then you’ll find it even harder out and about when more triggers are pushing your dogs emotions and reactions. I learned all this from my mentor Ian, I would study the things he was doing and saying, working things out for myself and asking questions and advice. It’s not our method it’s the method of DOGS, quite simply, the moment you credit the dog with any human ways and thinking your are destined to fail. Think about the dogs needs not the human, then you can teach the dog anything and how to deal with humans and their emotions.

05/08/2025

STOP THE PRESS!! Rip up the science books. I’ve just shattered the boundaries of dog training and communication….MAYA NOW SPEAKS IN MORSE CODE. That’s right dots, dashes and all. She’s so good, she even does it in her sleep and upside down. Tap…tap tap…pause…tap. Only problem is… I don’t speak Morse Code, So I’ve got no idea what she’s saying. Probably asking for a biscuit. Or chasing bad guys in her dreams. Either way it’s next level. If anyone can decipher her latest message, drop it below…🕵️‍♂️🔍🐶