MeeraPuppins Puppy Training

26/02/2025

One thing I’ve learnt this week is that size matters – especially if you have a puppy, like to wear tights, or own an expensive pink jacket with a narrow lining (this might just be me, actually).

A couple of days ago I was getting ready to go outside (going outside is not the same as getting to go out, when you’re 30+). Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my tights past my knees. Despite entering a calorie deficit from the hoisting, joisting and cajoling, I still couldn’t wear them at the correct height (under my neck, if you were wondering). Had I have paid more attention, taken more care with the sizing, I would have spared myself the frustration, annoyance and *three days of eating salad for dinner.

You see, size matters.

If your lead is too short, it’s a problem.
If the harness is too big, it’s a problem.
If the collar looks like a belt, it’s a problem.

Why?

Because you (probably) want:

A puppy that walks nicely on their lead and doesn’t make you feel like you’re entering a strong(wo)man competition from the constant pulling.
How are they going to walk nicely if their lead is as long as a shoelace? They’re not. They physically can’t.

No heart-attack moments if their harness goes flying over their head, because they’ve done the wriggly puppy bum dance (you know the one I mean) and now you’re standing in the middle of the park watching your puppy run riot, with absolutely nothing but a (sometimes fake) pocket full of cheese, and a desperate tone to your recall cue.

A collar isn’t going to make your puppy pull less. It is a direct source of pressure against their delicate, dainty throat if they do pull. If your puppy is a puller, you might also get the added extras of your puppy coughing, gagging and gasping whilst their trachea is being squished as they storm ahead of you – well, as best as they can on that silly short lead.

Size matters. It’s not a solution, but it’s the easiest thing to fix first.

For my professional recommendations on all things puppy, have a look at my Sheffield Puppy Playbook.
It’s free to download, and ready for you in the comments.

*I didn’t eat salad for 3 days. If I ever do, please know I'm not OK.

24/02/2025

Once upon a time (about four years ago) I was walking my horse (rescue greyhound) in a land far, far away (Lancashire).

I stumbled across a tiny little bean of a sausage dog puppy. She was so small, not even a baked bean yet, and I noticed her because she was criss-crossing her way along the pavements, and up onto driveways whilst her humum was coaxing her to continue their walk.

As I was full of freshly squeezed confidence from a glowing Distinction on my dog-walking Diploma with Compass Education, I stopped to ask if the little pup was OK, as she looked quite nervous.

I can’t remember the exact conversation (I can barely remember what I did yesterday) but I do remember that Dottie, the nervous little sausage bean-baby, and her lovely human, became my first ever Meera Puppins puppy clients.

They say you never forget your first, and they’re definitely not wrong!

Dottie is all grown up now (swipe to see) full of sassy confidence and a supermodel swagger. She knows what she likes, and she’ll bark if you’re not it! Her family absolutely adore her, just as much as Dottie loves the ping of the microwave, letting her know that her morning scrambled egg is cooked to perfection.

March brings with it four years of Meera Puppins, four year of dogs, puppies and, because I can’t sit still, the launch of a new puppy service.

Puppy Power Hour.

An hour in which you get to borrow my puppy training brain, without the commitment of a full training package if that’s not what you need right now.

More details coming when I've finished scrolling through four-year-old puppy photos ;)

19/02/2025

On Valentines Day, I woke up early, unwrapped several boxes of chocolates, lingered over freshly brewed coffee and the heartfelt messages in Hallmark cards gently poked through the letterbox, artfully placed my premium-priced bouquets of flowers in vases and then realised my toilet wasn't flushing.

Damn. If only I was madly in love with a man, on Valentines Day. Love can fix anything - even a broken siphon. Love can fix a puppy who bites his owners. Love (and leaving the backdoor open) can fix a puppy who leaves bodily deposits on the lounge rug, and in the vortex of the (still open) back door. Love can teach a puppy to stop jumping up.

As I'm not madly in love with a man, and as I don't have a puppy, I did some diagnostics work (lifting the lid, taking a photo, and harassing my estate agency).
My findings were not deemed to be accurate - a second opinion was required. The agency sent a Man™️ to have a manly look at the problem.

The man arrived, did the same thing I did, and then declared that the siphon hailed from the rarest of rare parts shops. A voyage then ensued from S11 to S6 in search of a replacement. Alas, the voyage was not successful. This man was a professional, entrusted to his task.

A second Man™️ then arrived. Even manlier than the first. The second man copied my diagnostic work and declared, whilst beating his hairy chest: this part is a standard part! It's not as rare as someone not liking Hendo's! The Second Man roared in frustration and stamped his dirty shoes all over my nice clean floor.

I wondered if being in love with this man would make the experience more palatable. The Second Man said very rude (yet correct) things about the First Man.
Once he was calm enough to drive, he criss crossed his way down Eccy Road and returned triumphant.
Having replaced the bog standard part (pun intended) he lingered just long enough to make things a bit weird. Then he asked me to test the flush to ensure I was capable of acclimatising to the new angle. After proving myself capable, I promptly chucked him out.

The moral of this love story is in the comments.

12/02/2025

This week, I accidentally microwaved a Tupperware lid INSIDE my lunch box. We’re all aware of the horrors plastics are unleashing on our already downtrodden environment, but on Tuesday lunchtime, warm plastic to two-day old roast potatoes, was what Spring is to the cherry trees.

A dog walker in Sheffield called a dog a c**t and snivelled some nonsense  about dogs not being allowed to growl. He then claimed to be qualified with the IMDT – the same organisation that I’m qualified with, which was worrying. The only dog I’m calling a c**t has two legs and owns a dog walking business in Sheffield.
If you’re more offended by the C word than how this person behaves around dogs, then I am more offended at you being offended by the word he used in the first place.

Dragged my Lancashire dwelling folks over the Pennines (not literally) to view a place I really wanted to buy – until my mother pointed out the damp in the walls and red flags in the leasehold. She did say I looked slim though, so my property-buying-nightmare cloud may have an elasticated lining.

Took some ripped clothes to the tailors instead of shoving them onto my floordrobe for several months, before relegating them to house clothes status, prior to their final demise as the prettiest cleaning cloths you’ll ever see.

Learnt how to integrate Whatsapp to my Google Business Profile, which left me feeling like Steve Jobs (do we still like him, or have we since begun to cancel the deceased?)

Did some puppy-training things. More on that later, I'm still busy trying to harvest up some testimonials and feedback to see whether how I thought it went, matches up to how my clients thought it went.

Meera

P.S. I've got room for one (yes, just one) puppy training client before 17th March. If you want to bagsy that space, this is where you start:  
https://meerapuppins.co.uk/problem-to-perfect-puppy/

03/02/2025

A reyt hairy growler... the story I wanted to tell you after a very weird experience at the vet's today 🐕

We had a great training session at work today about social media and it's many wonderful uses to help rehome pets. My full time job is in the animal rehoming sector, I work for a national rehoming charity.

As I was furiously scribbling down notes, I was thinking about how I use my social media for Meera Puppins.

I had plans for making pretty templates and a brand colour palette, posting three times a week and replying to my DM's and comments to "boost engagement" and "strengthen the algorithm".

Then I remembered that I can't be arsed with all of that.

I'd rather post when I feel like it, and have something interesting to share with you.

I have a story about:
- A hairy growler (dog, not female genitalia)
- A green chair that nearly cost a broker my mortgage application (I want to buy a house so I can fill it with dogs)
- A little video on how to know if you have an aggressive puppy or not
- A fancy video of how to use my website before you ask me questions I've already answered

But ya know what?
I am tiiiirrreddddd and I want to go to bed, with my book, and a cup of tea.

So the stories can wait for now, because social media will still be here tomorrow - and dare I say, and the day after that.

P.S. I'm hosting a teenage dog training class on Saturday 8th Feb. Last 2 spaces left, link in the comments, and all the information is on my website ;)

31/01/2025

🐾 Tony is a puppy (a damn handsome one too).
🐾 Tony is sensible and came to my puppy class.
🐾 Tony had a great time at my puppy class - as did his parents.
🐾 Tony is going to go through Teenage Turd Age (thanks for the vocab).
🐾 Tony is going to forget that he was ever a Practically Perfect Puppy, or that he's ever had any training.
🐾 Tony's parents are probably not going to have much fun when Tony's behaviour is sponsored by Turd FM - tunes of ignorance, swear-word lyrics when he runs off into the distance, songs of bribery and prayers for recall.
🐾 Tony is sleeping right now because he's coming back for Teenage Tearaways training on Saturday 8th February at 08:50-09:50a.m..

🧏🏽‍♀️ Due to the unpredictability of human behaviour, there's 2 spaces left. It's a small group class.

In this class, we'll cover:
- Introduction to understanding teenage behaviour.
- Magic mat training - teaching your pup to settle.

- Training through play - without problem behaviours (jumping / nipping).

- Rock solid recall: target training & avoiding common recall mistakes.

We've already seen that Tony is smart.
Be smart like Tony and book one of the last remaining spaces.

Link in the comments.

27/01/2025

Congratulations to Saturday's Practically Perfect Puppy graduates!

And to me for remembering to take a group photo! No videos as I was too engrossed in explaining things, and checking on everyone as they practiced the exercises.

If you swipe, you can also see the outtakes 😂

Saturday's class was properly brilliant, in just one hour we:

- Learnt the easy peasy secrets to our puppies not jumping up.
- Did some drunk dog walking (no actual alcohol involved) where the pups learnt to walk nicely on their leads.
- Put some foundations in place for rock solid recall - no "Fentttooonnnnn" moments here!

Everyone was lovely and I was very much feeling like a proud mother hen by the end of the class!

My next class is on Saturday 8th February, for teenage pups. Cause of cancellations (it's annoying but it happens) there's still some spaces left.

In this class, we'll cover:

- Introduction to understanding teenage behaviour.
- Magic mat training - teaching your pup to settle.
- Training through play - without problem behaviours (jumping / nipping).
- Rock solid recall: target training & avoiding common recall mistakes.

To book:
1) www.meerapuppins.co.uk/events/ and fill out the application form (or click the link in the comments).
2) Wait for me to read through your application and send you an invoice.
3) Pay your invoice.
4) You're all booked!

21/01/2025

January, 2025 in numbers:

- This month is 1,852 days long.

- "What day is it" has been asked 472 times, and 100% of the answer is always, disappointingly, "January".

This time next week, it will still be January.

- 802 good boy and good girl puppies are in their new homes.

- 802 new puppy owners have Googled "why does my puppy..." and "how do I stop my puppy from..."

- I've said "I love you" to 48 animals and 0 humans.

- My puppy class is fully booked with 4 good boys.

- I've read 2 books this month, and neither of them were about dogs.

- There are 2 spaces left on my Teenage Tearaways class on February 8th.

- I have memorised the CVV number on my new credit card, resulting in a 100% increase in "adding to cart" and 0% annoyance of having to get up to get my purse.

- I only have 1 space left for private puppy training in February.

To book your pooch's training with me, you just need to fill out 1 enquiry form. Link in the comments.

📷 of the beautiful Bonnie, taken by the fabulous

17/01/2025

15/01/2025

"Meera is friendly, encouraging and she has been so supportive. She really does care about us and our pup and she makes the training enjoyable. She also gives you space and time to allow you and your dog to learn and put the training into practice before the next steps. We're looking forward to what she has in store for our teenage pup next!"

A lovely testimonial from Parker's mum!

When your puppy hits their adolescent phase its a bit like walking into a dark room and fumbling for the light switch. You know there is a light somewhere, but you usually end up walking into stuff, swearing a bit, getting annoyed / frustrated until you finally reach the golden light that is adulthood for your teenage terror...

Annoyingly, adolescence can continue to 18 months- 2 years of age. That is a lot of stumbling around in the dark and whacking your toe / knee on stuff as you look for the light...

What have I got in store next for Parker?
And perhaps also your teenage dog?

My small-group teenage dog training class on Saturday 8th February.

Parker's already signed up, which means there's 3 spaces left.

✅️ Secure indoor location
✅️ Plenty of parking
✅️ Small group of up to four teenage pups
✅️ Positive training only - there is absolutely no use of any weird, painful or ridiculous "training" tools or techniques.

🧏🏽‍♀️ accredited trainer, who likes everyone to have a laugh in my classes, relaxed approach to training, no shaming of pups who might need a helping hand in class & no bombarding you with boring jargon whilst I explain what we're doing and why. My most frequently used training words are "stuff" and "things" and "sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but that was really funny".

There's a link in the comments if you want to read more about the class, or book your space.

13/01/2025

I'm just going to leave this here for you if you're trying to train your puppy using the word "no".

Being told "no" isn't going to stop your puppy from doing whatever it is that's making you argue with your partner over whose idea it was to get a puppy in the first place.

There's lots of problems (99 actually) with relying on "no" as a puppy training technique, but getting help from an accredited puppy trainer, ain't one.

I'm opening up my books to three 121 clients in February.

If you're fed up of saying "no" and are ready for some help with your puppy's training or socialisation, get in touch to see how I can help you.

P.S. I was going to make a "who's a Pretty Polly" joke but it's Monday night in January and I actually just wanna make unlimited quantities of cheesy pasta.

📷 Not my photo and I can't remember where I screenshotted it from. Anyone who is offended by this, would you like some cheesy pasta?

08/01/2025

How not to train your puppy 😜

06/01/2025

Day 6(th of January) of what feels like Squid Game.
Do we have any contestants still in the game?

🐾Things I have said this year, as a puppy trainer
vs. 💩 what I actually meant.

🐾 Thank you for your enquiry about the puppy training services I offer, pricing and my availability.
💩 If you knew how much I spend on my website, you'd understand why this type of enquiry is so annoying.

🐾 Apologies for the delayed response.
💩 Psych. I genuinely mean this. There's always a reason why it might take me a few days to reply.

🐾 Raising a puppy is really stressful.
💩 It would be less stressful if you let me help you.

🐾 I'm really sorry to hear that.
💩 I'm going to think about what you said for a very long time and get myself all upset over it, but I'll tell everyone I'm fine, and no I am NOT crying because my jumper sleeve got stuck on the door handle. I'm fine, I'm fine!

🐾 How did you respond when your puppy did that thing that made you really mad?
💩 Did you behave like a human (it's cool, puppies are annoying) or were you physically violent to your puppy?

🐾 How many snowmen are gonna have yellow legs?
💩 Let your pup wee in peace without yanking them away mid-flow.

🐾 I don't say yes to every person who wants to work with me.
💩 Get off TikTok, it's created unrealistic expectations of how long it's going to take to train your puppy cause I know you're gonna project your weird expectations onto me, then get disappointed when it takes weeks and not minutes.

🐾 My pricing reflects my knowledge, support and experience. I'm sorry that it's out of your budget, but I thank you for your enquiry, and wish you all the best.
💩I have marked you as spam.

🐾 Awww look at your little puppy! They're so cute!
💩 In three seconds I have identified five ways I can help you.

🐾 Hello! I'm just checking in to see if you received my previous email about Fido.
💩 Did you mark me as spam?

🐾 Yes, I still have spaces left on my Practically Perfect Puppy small-group workshop.
💩 Why do I still have spaces left?! My workshop is really good.

If you wanna help me out with the last thing, link in the comments for my small-group workshop.
I'd love not to keep repeating myself.

04/01/2025

If your new year's resolution was to have more Lasagne in your life (not on your plate, it's not that kind of Lasagne!) have a look at this gorgeous little boy who is looking for a new home.

02/01/2025

Happy New Year!
A frosty start to 2025 - just had a look outside and my car looks like an ice cube!

How have you started 2025?
Have you welcomed a cute little puppy into your home, or are you preparing to bring your puppy home in the next couple of weeks?

If you're looking for some small-group training for your puppy, following positive training techniques only, I've got a couple of spaces left on my upcoming Practically Perfect Puppy class on January 25th.

This is what Monty's (Spaniel puppy) dad said about signing up to one of my small-group classes (this is when it snowed in Sheffield, to explain about the cancellations!)

"We had initially booked a group session but due to bad weather, others had cancelled. Meera very kindly offered a home-visit lesson instead, since we were local to her. She was absolutely brilliant and very knowledgeable, and demonstrated numerous methods to help to control our puppy’s biting. We’ve found these to be super useful - thanks so much again Meera"

Not only is it really nice to hear I was able to help Monty with his puppy biting, but it's also great to continue proving that positive puppy training techniques absolutely do work!

If one of your New Year's Resolutions is to finally get some professional, personalised help with your puppy's biting, on Saturday 25th January I'm teaching a Practically Perfect Puppy class. It's a small group class - last few spots remaining.

I'll help you to:
- Banish your puppy's painful biting
- Easily and positively stop your puppy from jumping up
- Share some tips on training a rock-solid puppy recall
and a couple of other bits that I'm going to try and squeeze into the class!

If you'd like to come along, check out the comments for the booking link.

P.S. If you can share this post with your puppy-owning mates / family in Sheffield, that would be fab!

📷Of Monty chewing his toy, instead of our feet 🤣

31/12/2024

"She's a 30 year old woman that can't work without her dog."

2024 - have you been asking the wrong person for help?

I've taken a break from snaffling mince pies and glugging Baileys to share this story with you.

It's a story of a 30-year old lady? girl? woman? who keeps rejecting full time office jobs because her dog has separation anxiety, and now she's struggling financially.

She invested in a financial expert, thinking he would help her to find a work from home job / support her with managing her finances.

However, "because of the dog thing" (his words, not mine) he really struggled to help her make any progress or changes. In the end, he admitted that he couldn't help someone who "wasn't willing to adapt to financial reality."

Had she asked the wrong person for help?
Yes, and no.

The finance guy is gonna do his finance stuff. He had all the potential to help her.
But the dog's behaviour is not going to change because of the finance guy.
The woman's behaviour is also not going to change because of the finance guy.

Is a dog trainer going to change the dog's behaviour?
Potentially - if the woman listens, communicates and implements the advice she's given.

If she doesn't? Nothing will change, and everyone she asks for help, will still be the wrong person.

If you know you need help with training your puppy, and you've already asked:
Your neighbour who is a dog groomer / the bloke down the pub who has a really well behaved dog / family members who had a dog 30 years ago / friends who just got a puppy / Google / YouTube dog trainers for help, but you're still stuck with the same problem puppy behaviours, stop asking the wrong people for help.

As an accredited puppy training specialist, I'm pretty confident I can help you transform your problematic puppy into a practically perfect companion.

Last few spaces left on my upcoming Practically Perfect Puppy small-group puppy training event. The event is on Saturday 25th January, S8, at a secure indoor location, with loads of parking.

Find out more / booking link in the comments - if you're looking for the right kind of help. Helpful help.

26/12/2024

So, what now?

This morning I checked my emails (I know, I know) and wasn't surprised to see a handful of puppy calls booked for next week.

Why?

Cause Christmas can be stressful.
Christmas with a puppy can be even more stressful.

😴 Your puppy possibly hasn't slept properly in the run up to the big day. A tired puppy is precisely that. Tired. Irritable. Nippy. Doesn't seem to be listening to you. Is quicker to behave like a gremlin.

🍗 Maybe they've eaten something they shouldn't. Or perhaps you bought them something with brilliant marketing - doggy mince pies / pawsecco / festive Christmas dinners for dogs...and now their insides feel like spaghetti junction during rush hour. Which means they're behaving weird and don't want to be touched or have anyone talking to them. Oh and they might have left you a Brucey Bonus somewhere 💩

💏 Their comfort level of humans has become less comfortable with the arrival of family / friends / kids who are understandably excited to meet your puppy. But it's a lot! The correct time for surplus humans to go home (for your puppy) may have been a few hours after they arrived.

⏰️ Your routine might be in the recycling bin over the festive period, but your puppy still wants up and out. Or so they think. Your walks might be a bit stressful as you take your sleepy, nippy, overwhelmed puppy out for their daily constitutional.

🎆 What the heck was that? Loud, unexpected noises can be really worrying for your puppy. It's not uncommon for pups to then become scared on walks if there's a loud bang, motorbike revving, or in my case, nearly dropping all of dinner plates this morning.

🆘️ If you found this helpful, share it with your puppy owning mates. If you found it helpful and want more help, download the Sheffield Puppy Owners Survival Guide. I wrote it so you don't have to struggle. Find out how to easily banish your puppy's painful biting, stop your puppy from jumping up and fast track your puppy's toilet training.

Link in the comments.

📸 One of my faves. Parker has been training with me since he was a puppy. Now he's a teenager and makes me laugh with his antics.

25/12/2024

There's Baileys in my coffee, snacks everywhere and a delicious pile of new books waiting for me.

Merry Christmas 🎅