The Good Dog Coach

02/11/2024

Meet Impi, a 3 year old Labrador.

Aside from excessive barking at home and bullying the older dog in the home, Impi was a nightmare to walk. 🫣

From being pulled left, right and centre, Impi’s owners also had to keep watch for other dogs as Impi could not only be very reactive, but selectively aggressive to some dogs. 🐕

This made walks stressful and she’d never been able to come along to places where it was likely there would be other dogs.

Such as the big annual Village Show…

However, after only 3 sessions she not only came along to the Village Show, she entered the dog show and won the “best catch” category. Not only did she catch her ball in a spectacular fashion during the show, she was also completely neutral towards and unphased by the other dogs. 🥳

When dedicated owners meet the right guidance, a lot can be achieved in very little time.

Well done Team Impi!!! 👏

30/10/2024

This handsome German Shepherd had gotten into a fight with his half brother... 😬

After that, their relationship was never the same again. They could not be walked together and, a possible knock on effect, Hugo had become fear aggressive towards both dogs and people.

It had become difficult to walk him, even on his own. He was always muzzled and on lead. While this made it possible to let him out to go to the toilet, it didn’t change the fact that he was terrified of the world.

6 months into his training, you would not have recognised him and it was at this point that we reintroduced his recall.

Within a year of starting his training, he was off lead and unmuzzled wherever he went. Hugo is no longer terrified of the world. 🥰

He is happy and relaxed, enjoying his life. His owner has become an incredibly capable dog handler and seeing those two out and about never fails to take my breath away. A team as it should be.

Happy dog, happy owner, safe walks. I am in love! 😍

25/10/2024

“My dog is pulling on the lead.” 👀

Actually, no.

You are pulling on the lead, your dog is pushing against the pressure.

If I push against your shoulder, likelihood is that you will push against that pressure so as not to fall over. It is called opposition reflex.

Unless we teach our dog to yield to that pressure, their natural instinct is to push against it.

If you have a small dog, that may feel very manageable to you, but bear in mind that walking on a tight lead is not a pleasant experience for your dog. 🤔

Imagine spending your whole walk trying to escape the pressure. 😣

If you want to stop pulling your dog and learn how to teach your dog how to walk nicely without tension on the lead, get in touch. 👋🐾

24/10/2024

I hope you enjoyed my series on rescue dogs. 🐾

While I don’t mean to be negative about rescue dogs (heck, all three of mine are rescues / rehomes, so are my chickens…), I do want to give you a very realistic picture. There is nothing more damaging to the dog rescue effort than romanticised notions of perfect family pets stuck in kennels. It is this idea that causes dogs to end up in the wrong homes and being returned into the rescue system over and over again.

I have worked with hundreds of rescue dogs and have fostered many for the purpose of rehabilitation to make them safe to be rehomed. I hope the information I have shared will help you find your perfect family pet.

And if you missed the series, here is a brief recap for you. 😀

Not sure how to find the dog that is right for you? Or you have the dog and want to start them right and need help? Get in touch with me today.

20/10/2024

Aside from money, training your dog will cost time and effort. ⏰

Mostly your time and effort.

It can sometimes feel a steep investment at the beginning of your training journey while you are implementing everything your trainer told you to do. You'll then have to be consistent for long enough for those new, learned behaviours to become habits. This will not happen overnight and won't happen at all without consistent effort.

The alternative of not training your dog may be even more costly. 🤑

Financially, you may have vet bills to consider if your dog eats things they should not. Emotionally, the price may be even higher. Not being able to take your dog with you wherever you go, passing up opportunities to go on holiday because you can't leave your dog with anyone and the constant, nagging anxiety from anticipating your reactive dog's next blow up.

Getting up at 4 am to walk your dog without distractions is not fun long term. 🥱

Owning dogs we pay either way - whether we want to invest time and effort intensively over a period of time to get the dog trained or we manage their behaviour for the rest of their lives.

Share this if you agree- you pay either way!

19/10/2024

This handsome young Borzoi is an assistance dog. 👇

He is mild mannered and has a fantastic temperament for the service work he does. His owner did do her homework, that is for sure.

Unfortunately, due to being attacked multiple times by off lead dogs, Raoul had started to become dog reactive. This and his prey drive towards some animals had made it difficult for his owner to fully trust him. Relying on him as her assistance dog, we needed to get those issues sorted ASAP.

Raoul was temporarily demoted to Assistance Dog in Training (ADiT) while we got to work.

His owner is very dedicated to his training and to giving him the outlets for his genetics. Raoul gets to go lure coursing which he loves and, as a result of his training, he became even better at. Not being allowed to chase just anything, he put his all into chasing the lure when coursing.

Raoul’s owner had done an incredible amount of work with him already and with a little guidance, now has a reliable assistance dog she can trust. They are a fantastic team and Raoul is much happier now, too. 😀

To learn more about how I can help you, drop me a message today!

17/10/2024

Now that your dog has settled in and you have started to get them used to their environment, we can start with actual obedience and teaching your dog commands.

There are a great many things we can teach our dogs. Willow fetches my slippers for me, which is a great little trick and she absolutely loves it. It doesn’t help her navigate everyday life though and so tricks shouldn’t take priority over the more important life skills.

Those are:
👉 Walking nicely on the lead
👉 Reliable Recall
👉 Being able to switch off anywhere

What was the first command you taught your dog?

14/10/2024

As a native German speaker, I remember when I first came to the UK with pretty basic English. One phenomenon I found very interesting: If I didn't understand someone, they would repeat the exact same words. Just LOUDER.

My dear friend, I heard you the first time, I just don't know the words you are using. It is a feeling I imagine our dogs know only too well.

Almost every day I see the question posted in dog related Facebook groups: "What tool should I use to stop my dog from pulling?"

The answers range from slip leads over prong collars to head halters and a variety of harnesses, such as front clip and those that tighten under the dog's armpits.

Every single time I see these posts I shudder at the responses. Because the reality is that none of these tools stop a dog from pulling. I have seen so many dogs pulling into front clip harnesses, falling over themselves as they do so, or pull into prong collars without a care in the world.

You see, it is not the tool as much as it is the technique. It is HOW you use the LEAD, rather than what you use it with.

Think of it this way: The lead should be there to communicate with your dog, the collar/harness/insert any tool of your choice is just what translates that lead communication into what your individual dog best understands. If whatever communication has not worked, we may need to change the communication / the translation tool rather than doing the same thing, only "louder".

Are you with me so far?

Our feelings about the tool are no more relevant than our feelings about having chosen the most beautiful vocabulary - if it is not understood by the other party of this conversation, it is not ideal no matter how we feel about it.

It is important to understand that a front clip harness is not necessarily an escalation of a back clip harness and a prong collar is not necessarily an escalation of a slip lead. They are just different forms of translating the communication from the lead.

Having a trainer that is well versed in a variety of different tools can help you better communicate with your dog. Knowing about these tools does not mean I use them on every dog. It means I know when I should or should not use it and for what purpose to get the best result for you and your dog.

They more your trainer knows, the better for you and your dog.

Are you guilty of just shouting louder? 🤣

12/10/2024

One of the first questions I usually get about my training is cost. 👇

While of course an important consideration, especially in a cost of living crisis, a possibly more relevant question would be how effective my training is.

Considering how many of my clients have been to multiple dog trainers before coming to me, often spending hundreds if not thousands of pounds for little to no results, a short term saving may cause a higher expense in the longer term.

Luckily, Sophie didn't mess about and went with me as her first trainer. Bugsy, the deaf rescue Frenchie, came with quite a list of problem behaviours and is now doing brilliantly.

If I was better at business, this would have taken years to achieve and it would have paid for a holiday home. Alas, Sophie and Bugsy had exactly four sessions over the space of 5 months and are doing so well, they won't be needing any more. Bugsy can now be looked after by Sohpie's parents, he no longer guards his food, toys or the sofa and can even be fully off lead and remains under control despite his deafness.

Sophie and Bugsy had their 4 sessions over a period of 5 months and he has gone from being a terror, to being the light of Sohie's life, her pride and joy and an absolutely fabulous (and much happier) companion. 5 months from being a biting, out of control worry inducer to being the perfect pet. This is what can be achieved when proper training meets a owner dedication. 🫶

If you've been working with a trainer for months and months and are barely seeing improvements, it is time to switch it up, get results and start enjoying life with your dog. Drop me a message for more details!

11/10/2024

Remember that dogs see the world in a series of pictures.

Even if the rescue told you that the dog is good on lead and fully toilet trained, the dog has not yet learned how to walk on lead with YOU and to not soil in YOUR house. So, take it easy with your dog and always work on the assumption that the dog doesn’t know anything yet. Start with the easy things and while your adopted dog may be well out of the critical socialisation period, expose your dog to their new environment in a very similar way as you would with a young puppy. Controlled exposure is giving your dog continued guidance in different situations while letting them experience their local neighbourhood and new lifestyle.

It is always easier to start off with strict boundaries and relax them as your dog is earning that privilege through good behaviour, than it is to start off with lots of freedom, allowing the dog to get it wrong and then having to claw back all that freedom and having to work through more issues.

Working with a trainer from the start and following their advice can make the process much easier for both you and your dog and prevent issues from taking hold or developing further down the line.

How did you help your rescue dog understand the ways of your home? Tell me in the comments below.

08/10/2024

Odin, who is in for intensive reactivity rehab, has been smashing it! Brew For Ewe is our local village coffee stop. Odin settled nicely with multiple other dogs around. And he does make for a good picture, that handsome devil!

A happy customer at yesterday’s coffee ☕️ Same again next Friday - more blue skies please 👍☺️☕️ 9.30-12pm (and the pumpkin patch will be open so bring a bag & take home some delicious winter squash for soups, curries, muffins… you name it!)

04/10/2024

Most of us expect too much too soon. Whether I go to see a puppy or a rescue dog, often within just days of having the dog it knows 'sit' and 'down' and how to 'give paw'. None of those behaviours really help you create a well-adjusted family dog. So where should you be starting instead?

Aside from crate structure to help your dog decompress, keep a lead on your new addition whenever they are out of the crate so you can guide your dog to not chew up your furniture or come up with other ideas that may be fun for them. While you do not yet know them very well, it also allows you to stay in control should something trigger the dog to aggress towards you or others.

When I take in a new dog, I start with two things:
- Their name: Whether you want to keep it as it is or rename your dog, their name is the first command to teach. But Sarah, a name is not a command. Well, for your dog it is. Their name is the cue that tells them you want their attention and it needs to be taught like any other cue or command - in different environments and under different levels of distraction.
- A marker system, or rather the words I use in my marker system. This makes all other parts of training so much easier as we progress.

Feeding them by hand instead of from a bowl gives you plenty of opportunities to practice their name and to lure your dog into all sorts of positions, whether that be a sit, down or walking by your side. You can use their food to reinforce all of the behaviours you like and there is no need to rush into naming those behaviours. You’ll have plenty of times to cue a command for those later on.

30/09/2024

Imagine your life with your dog completely changing for the better, and even your cat benefiting from it...

Lottie was highly dog reactive outdoors and hyperactive at home. She could not sit still for two seconds, whining continuously, she’d chase the cat and ripped up the curtains. Her owners had been given very bad advice to keep her busy all the time and keeping her entertained turned into near enough a full-time job.

Puzzle toys, snuffle mats, enrichment games, you name it. Lottie’s owners are incredibly committed and they followed all of the advice given, trusting it would help them.

Unfortunately, much of the advice given made matters worse and the one thing nobody ever suggested to teach this dog to settle, to be content doing nothing.

Luckily, her owners never gave up and reached out to me after working with multiple trainers. Despite the previous disappointments, they continue to give her training their all.

Already, Lottie is a different dog. Much calmer, she is happily co-existing the cat, no longer chases the lawn mower or hangs from the curtains. She can settle at home and her explosive reactivity has reduced to mild reactivity on walks, continuing to improve all the time.

I am in awe at their ability to trust and willingness to continue to throw themselves at her training 100%. They are reaping the rewards and it’ll only get better from here. 🤩

Great work, Lottie! 🐾

26/09/2024

When we find the right dog for us, we are often already in love with them before they even come home. And from day one we want to shower them with love and affection and spoil them rotten and make up for all the terrible times they’ve had in the past.

Let me tell you something: You are not doing your dog any favours doing any of that! 😬

If you want to build a solid, trusting relationship with your rescue dog, there is one strategy that delivers every time: Leave your dog be!

Get your dog home, put them in a crate and allow them time. Time to decompress, time to get used to the new sights, sounds and smells of their new home, time to settle in without the additional pressure of you trying to be their best friend straight away.

Of course you need to meet their needs of having food, water and toilet breaks. But you don’t yet need to take them for hourlong walks or play with them or otherwise entertain them. They are busy settling in, give them time and space to do that.

Dogs like and seek predictable outcomes. Structure will give your dog a sense of safety. Using a lead indoors gives you access to guide them without creating confrontation.

If you are considering adoption or recently got a rescue dog and want to start your relationship off on the right start, get in touch with me today. I can't wait to help you and your dog settle into your new lives together! 🤩

24/09/2024

For me, being kind and considerate are core values. 🫶

It costs nothing and can significantly improve our experience in life.

The final and last piece for this month's Responsible Dog Ownership series is a big one for me, because it is about just that.

The way I see it, I decided to have dogs and it is my responsibility to ensure they do not cause upset to anyone, human or otherwise. And dogs don't have to be a nuisance to cause distress - just think what life must be like for someone who is terrified of dogs.😔

Especially in big cities where you cannot avoid each other!

A little bit of consideration goes a long way. Here are some of the ways I show consideration. 👇

How do you show consideration? Tell me in the comments below!

23/09/2024

Long before I trained to be a dog trainer, I was a project manager in one of the big 4 consultancy firms in London.

To aid in my communication skills (and because I was looking for a way out of the corporate rat race) I completed several coaching courses. From performance coaching to personal transformation coaching, I also completed CPD courses in existential, relationship and health coaching. 😀

A comprehensive understanding of dogs, breed genetics and learning theory is of course a must as a dog trainer. However, the dogs are almost the easiest part of our job. It is the people that belong with the dogs that make the job harder.

It is them that may have had negative experiences with other trainers, may have preconceived ideas of how to train them or what can be expected of their dogs. It is the dog's owner that is the much more complex aspect in dog training.

I have spent tens of thousand of pounds on my education to better understand and teach dogs. Yet one of the most valuable skillsets I have are my coaching skills as they give me the ability to effectively work with the owner to achieve their training and relationship goals with their dogs.

Have a look at some of the coaching techniques that are part of my work. ➡️

21/09/2024

It is Responsible Dog Ownership Day and one of the most responsible things you can do when owning a dog is training it. 🙌🏻

Training should not only help you to comply with the law, but it should also aim at creating a strong, loving bond and optimally preparing your dog for life in a human society.

While I specialise in unwanted, difficult and dangerous behviour, spicy dogs are not the only dogs I work with. 👇

I love working with puppies and my focus on problem dogs informs my training to help puppy owners prevent some of the most common issues and lay the foundations for a happy and healthy life.

Little Bruno really lucked out because his owner didn’t wait for problems to occur. She reached out to me within days of getting him. 🥹

We started out with an online consultation to help her get the right structures and routines in place to set her puppy up for success and followed this up with a practical session during my last London visit to show her how to use luring techniques to teach Bruno desired behaviours.

Throughout this process, I am provding her with guidance as to what we can and cannot expect of such a young puppy. Too often I see people asking far too much of their puppies, becoming disheartened and then expecting far too little from their adult dogs.

Bruno’s owner is very dedicated and has been putting in the work. As a result, she says he is already far better behaved than most adult dogs they come across.

He is not even 4 months old yet! Go Bruno!!! 👏

19/09/2024

Whether you get a dog from a rescue or a breeder, it is really important that you are clear about your lifestyle and how you want your dog to fit into it.
How much time do you have to commit to your dog’s training?
Are you very active, enjoying day long hikes regularly or are you more of a couch potato?

Getting a dog to force you into a more active lifestyle is bound to fail and puts unfair expectations on the relationship with your dog. Knowing which breed of dog and what character traits will suit your lifestyle is the first option to consider.

When you adopt a dog, you also have to take their past into consideration. If the dog comes with problems, make sure to have an honest conversation with the rescue and be clear about what training needs you are willing and able to take on.

For the first few weeks of bringing your rescue dog home, you will likely have to view your new family addition as a project before they become your pet.

Once you are clear on all of the above, be ruthless in your selection process and get the dog that is right for you. "Giving it a go" and then having to return the dog to the rescue is not only a traumatic for the dog but can significantly reduce their chances of being adopted again.

Helping people find an appropriate rescue dog for them is part of what I do. I recently helped a family find a new companion for the grandparents who already had a cat. While we could train a dog to get along with the cat and the grandkids, it was far easier to narrow the search to those dogs that were already good with cats and children.

With an unprecedented number of dogs in rescue, you can take your pick, but that comes with a huge responsibility. You cannot help them all but a thorough selection process can mean that you can change the life of one forever.

17/09/2024

Tying into knowing the dog you get, owning a dog comes with more responsibilities than loving it.

While getting your dog used to being groomed and handled doesn't cost money, you will have to invest time and patience.

Health care and and a high quality diet don't come cheap and whether the dog is well bred or not, allergies and accidents can cause unexpected costs. It is a good idea to have a savings account specifically for your dogs to cover vet costs or the excess if you have insurance.

Do you have a savings account for your dog's unexpected costs?

16/09/2024

The last one in my team to introduce to you is Menace, my Belgian Shepherd.

Truth be told, I didn’t want a third dog, never wanted a boy dog and most certainly never planned on getting a Malinois. Alas, when I heard about young Menace being found tied to a fence at only 11 months old, my heart went out to him. 💔

He was kennel guarding and didn’t let anyone in the rescue near him and was due to be put to sleep when a specialist rescue took him on. With a past of severe aggression and a significant bite history, he was not going to be easy to be rehomed and he needed an experienced person to take him on.

After a first rehoming attempt failed, his life was again at risk and I agreed to meet him. He took a shine to me straight away, bringing over his toy, despite usually being very apprehensive towards strangers.

Well, that was the nail in my coffin and he came home with me in December.

Since being here, Menace has come on leaps and bounds. He is great with my girls and absolutely devoted to me.

Taking it very slow with him to begin with and keeping him under strict structure has paid dividents as he completely trusts me and allows me to handle and restrain him without volatiliy. He is really fun to train though his level of enthusiasm is next level. He is a much more intense and serious dog than my other two and just like Winnie, he has made me an even better and more adaptable trainer. 🙌🏻

Life will never be carefree with a dog like him, but I love him to the bones. He is an absolute cuddle bug and he puts his absolute heart and soul into everything I ask of him.

If ever my life was in danger, I am sure Willow would cry for me, Winnie would eat me, but Menace would lay his life on the line to save me. 🥹

15/09/2024

Let's talk about Alfie! 🐾

Alfie was highly dog reactive due to barrier frustration. He would get so frustrated on walks that he would try to nip other dogs if they got close enough.

His barking and lunging made walks unenjoyable and stressful and his obsession and unpredictability with other dogs meant that he could not be off the lead. ❌

Starting out with one to one work, his owner wanted to give Alfie the best life as quickly as possible and opted for intensive training for him. This was nearly two years ago and he is still doing fantastically well, enjoying his life off lead and I have since called on his owner if I needed a calm and well mannered dog to stooge as a distraction for reactive dogs during sessions with new clients.

His owner has done super well keeping up with maintaining his level of training and not only is he super handsome, he now is a perfect gentleman, too. 😍

12/09/2024

Oh young Wilbur, my little man.

He was a pain in the backside, I can tell you that much.

He was barking all the time and bullied his family, nipping and controlling them. It was impossible to leave him alone as he would scream the house down, but taking him out with a young baby was no fun either.

He was barking at everything, pulling on the lead and had patchy recall at best. If he managed to steal a ball from another dog, he would run home to save it.

But he'd be stealing at home, too and aggressively defend his new found treasures.

Good thing he is cute as a button, because he made life with him so hard for the family, there was not much enjoyment in having the dog. Wilbur came in for intensive training with me and while he really tested me to begin with, I almost didn't want to let him go in the end.

He went home at the start of April this year and I have been getting regular updates of him. I am over the moon to see him doing so well and bringing so much joy to his family again! 😍

11/09/2024

One thing I keep going on about is that well trained dogs enjoy more freedom. 😍

Training your dog to be able to cope with your environment and fit into your lifestyle, however, is only the bare minimum. Having the right breed for your lifestyle and knowing how to genetically fulfil them both mentally and physically on top of that basic training should not be an extra, but part and parcel of our life with our dogs.

Do you know and fulfil your dog? Let me know how in the comments below!

09/09/2024

Winnie, my ‘Lil’Evil’, came to me three years ago. At a tender 10 months old, she’d already been through 4 homes.

The person who asked me to help rehome her was a very caring and loving dog owner who was simply overwhelmed with the issues this little pocket rocket came with.

These had been massively understated when she took her on and within two months she knew that this dog was more than she could handle. I took her on to rehabilitate her before finding her a forever home.

Until this day, she has been the most severely dog and human aggressive dog I have ever worked with. Bold and tenacious as she is, I soon realised that she would likely fall back into old patters if I was to adopt her out into a pet home. I decided to keep the little devil who’d irrevocably wormed her way into my heart.

We worked through her aggression towards dogs and people, her resource guarding and social aggression.

Social with people and tolerant of dogs now, she is an absolute delight. She has become an invaluable member of the team.

While I’d describe Willow’s role with other dogs as big sister, Winnie is the mother who will keep order and ensure everyone knows their place.

Most recently, her ability to give well timed and fair corrections as and when needed has been crucial in the resocialising of a fearful rescue dog.

05/09/2024

This is one thing nobody wants to admit or talk about, but likelihood is that the dog you are about to adopt will have some issues for you to work through.👇

There are a number of reasons why this is usually the case:
1. Well bred dogs don't end up in rescue - Ethical and responsible breeders will almost always have their dogs back, no matter how old they are. Good breeders stay invested in their puppies and want to avoid them getting into the wrong hands.

2. Unethical breeders does not prioritise temperament - and they have no interest in their dogs once they can make no more money from them. Whether a first time breeder who doesn't know what they are doing or serial greeders that churn out litter after litter, it is these dogs that find themselves in a rescue when the going gets tough.

3. Well behaved dogs don't end up in rescue - The average age dogs go into rescue here in the UK is 8 months! Just as they start to test the boundaries, puberty like. Often these dogs have received very little training, been given no boundaries and the first owners' permissiveness has crated a dog that is hard to live with. So it had to go.

4. The wrong breed - Buying a dog for looks without an understanding of the breed, people often find themselves overwhelmed and surprised by their working dog's high drive and behavioural fallout from not meeting their dog's needs.

5. The golden goose - Sometimes a change in circumstances genuinely prevents someone from keeping their dog. Whether that is a particularly difficult divorce or the passing of the owner with no next of kin who are willing to take the dog, though these occasions are very rare. Even with the passing of the owner, a well trained dog that is well behaved is far more likely to find a new home within the family or group of friends.

Yes, there are dogs that find themselves in rescues due to unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances. Sometimes the breeder may not have been informed, other times the rescue may refuse to relinquish the dog to the breeder because the dog is good for their marketing (I know of several cases where this has happened). 🤔

In many cases, however, there will be some problem or other and it is about matching the right dog with the right owner to ensure a happy outcome for everyone involved. 🐾