Dogs R Dogs

29/11/2025

Next up from the PGTC 2025 is a seminar from Leanne Smith looking at Training plans.

Leanne looks at how to create a useful training plan and why it is very helpful. She also looks at how we prioritise training and tailoring a plan to the individual dog and handler combination.

Creating a training plan can seem very overwhelming. This seminar looks at how to break things down so that you are able to focus on the elements that you and your dog need.

Link to access the video is below.

https://www.dogsrdogs.co.uk/online-shop/training-plans/

Leanne looks at how to create a useful training plan and why it is very helpful. She also looks at how we prioritise training and tailoring a plan to the individual dog and handler combination.

28/11/2025

The next workshop from PGTC 2025 is Walked up for competition from Collette May

Collette breeds, works and competes successfully with her Labradors and shares hints and tips on the skills required for training your dog to be successful in a walked up test.

The link to access the video is below.
https://www.dogsrdogs.co.uk/online-shop/walked-up-for-competition/

Collette looks at the skills required to teach a dog how to perform well in a walked-up retriever test.

27/11/2025

The next workshop that is available from the PGTC 2025 is Hunting for Competitions by Vicky Payne

Vicky breeds, works and competes successfully with her English Springer Spaniels. She shares hints and tips for bringing your spaniel's hunting up to competition standard.

The link to access the video is below.

https://www.dogsrdogs.co.uk/online-shop/hunting-for-competitions/

Vicky looks at finessing spaniel’s hunting for competition.

24/11/2025

The next session that I would like to share with you is the Practical workshops that took place with Sarah Fisher looking at how to sharpen our observational skills using ACE free work. Both afternoon sessions are available following the links below. There were different dogs in each workshop

https://www.dogsrdogs.co.uk/online-shop/ace-freework-session-1/

https://www.dogsrdogs.co.uk/online-shop/ace-freework-session-2/

Freework session looking at honing observational skills and understanding how to help our dogs.

21/11/2025

The next workshop on offer is What's the Point? by Helen Phillips. Link to access the video is below.
https://www.dogsrdogs.co.uk/online-shop/whats-the-point/

Helen looks at games to help stimulate the point and steadiness with HPRs, Pointers and Setters.

It can be difficult to work on the pointing behaviours in the absence of live game, so this workshop provides some helpful information to help get your dog started in a fun way.

Helen looks at games to help stimulate the point and steadiness with HPRs, Pointers and Setters

20/11/2025

The next available session is from the PGTC 2025 video series is Working in Tricky Situations by Gwen Johnson. Link to access the video is below.
https://www.dogsrdogs.co.uk/online-shop/working-in-tricky-environments-reinforcement-strategies-that-enhance-relationships/

Gun dogs have to work in really tricky environments; they need to be simultaneously calm and ready to go!

They can also be very good at being self-employed, so in order to be the best team mate possible we need to consider how and where our dogs are accessing reinforcement.

We will look at how to tailor reinforcements to your individual dog, how we work out what they really like, and how we work out how to effectively deliver reinforcement in order to have a relationship that allows us to work in challenging environments.

Gun dogs have to work in really tricky environments; they need to be simultaneously calm and ready to go! They can also be very good at being self-employed, so in order to be the best team mate possible we need to consider how and where our dogs are accessing reinforcement.…

19/11/2025

The next available session is Ace Freework Seminar from Sarah Fisher.

Link to access the video

https://www.dogsrdogs.co.uk/online-shop/ace-freework-and-how-it-can-help-with-loose-lead-walking-and-holding-on-to-objects/

Animal Centred Education (ACE) is an integrated and multi-modal approach to animal wellbeing and education.

ACE Observations combined with ACE Free Work help caregivers and guardians focus on the health and wellbeing of the dog’s internal environment. As we deepen our understanding, we can shift our perspective when it comes to education and think in terms of income for the dog, as opposed to outcome. The more balanced and peaceful the dog’s internal environment becomes, the less disruptive the external environment will be – even for dogs who have had a poor start in life or those who are sensitive to sensory information.

As well as giving us tools to improve our observations skills, ACE Free Work can help improve the posture of our canine companions without the need to use our hands. If we habitually lead our dogs from our left side for example, we can inadvertently reinforce natural postural tendencies creating uneven load on the skeleton and soft tissue.

ACE Free Work enables a dog to process new experiences and develop more efficient postural and behavioural habits. It helps dog to become more considered and less reflexive in their responses. It helps to meet a dog’s need to be curious, move, explore, and engage the sensory systems. It can also be of benefit to identify emotional and physical discomfort, and as part of a therapeutic approach to modifying pain.

This presentation will include:

An introduction to Animal Centred Education and ACE Free Work
ACE Observations
Deficient and excess movement and behaviour patterns
Creating your first Free Work layouts
Building the Free Work layers

Animal Centred Education (ACE) is an integrated and multi-modal approach to animal wellbeing and education. ACE Observations combined with ACE Free Work help caregivers and guardians focus on the health and wellbeing of the dog’s internal environment. As we deepen our understanding, we can shift o...

18/11/2025

Next up in the sessions available from the 2025 PGTC is Where's the R in my HPR? from Helen Phillips.

In this workshop Helen looks at how to increase the value in retrieving for dog’s who do not have a strong natural retrieve drive.

Many HPR's, Setters and Pointers don't have a strong desire to retrieve. The exercises and hints and tips in this workshop can help to build value for these dogs.

It also works for other breeds who also have a low desire to retrieve.

To access the workshop follow the link below.

Helen looks at how to increase the value in retrieving for dog’s who do not have a strong natural retrieve drive.

17/11/2025

This is my latest Blog looking at the pros and cons of errorless learning.

Errorless Learning – A good thing? I see a lot of dog trainers promoting errorless learning, this is where we set up a training session where the problem-solving steps are so small that the dog can easily achieve each next level without too much effort and so they do not…

17/11/2025

I just thought that I would share with you all the amazing topics that were covered in this year's Positive Gundog Training Conference.

The sessions are now available to purchase individually as well as in a bundle.

Today's featured session is

Multiple Marker Systems from Gwen Johnson.

Link to access the video
https://www.dogsrdogs.co.uk/online-shop/multiple-marker-system/

With Gwen’s latest dog her ambition was to excel in multiple sports, in order to be able to do this much of her thinking time and preparation was spent on trying to make the clearest communication system that she could. It has revolutionised her training.

One of the progressions in modern training systems is the use of multiple markers. It allows us to communicate more than just the availability of a reward but what that reward might be and where it will be delivered.

Multiple marker systems add clarity to any work at a distance, focus, detail, balance of drive essentially, they can add clarity and confidence in all areas of training and life with our dogs.

This is a game changer when working on steadiness.

With Gwen’s latest dog her ambition was to excel in multiple sports, in order to be able to do this much of her thinking time and preparation was spent on trying to make the clearest communication system that she could. It has revolutionised her training. One of the progressions in…

16/11/2025

Training Boundaries.

This morning whilst being uncharacteristically efficient, I combined training the open front door as a boundary for the dogs whilst also washing the van.

Ragnar is very good at his boundary work but Finan has really struggled up until this point and so I have been steadily working on his boundary training in the house and other indoor venues but he's only now ready to progress to firming up the front door boundary.

Staying in the house gets rewarded periodically and coming out just gets put back inside.

Finan still forgets what he is doing occasionally and steps out to investigate something, but this is happening more infrequently and he is able to have me out of sight around the front of the van for short periods of time without feeling the need to come and find me.

This is still very much a work in progress for Finan but I do feel that we are making good headway now. He is two and a half years old now, and it's only really been the last couple of months that he is starting to show signs of beginning to mature.

15/11/2025

Another good chat from Susan Garrett.