The South Shields Dog Trainer

Home
United Kingdom
South Shields
The South Shields Dog Trainer

Dog trainer
(7)

🏆 Twice Voted UK Best Dog Trainers by the public
🥇 5x Winner Dog/Puppy Trainer/Behaviourist of the Year
🌟 500+ 5 star Reviews
🎓 Qualified and Accredited
🐶 5000+ Dogs
🤝 Recommended By Vets, Dog Groomers, Dog Walkers, Pet Shops and More!

06/12/2024

✋ STOP ✋ TOUCHING ✋ DOGS ✋ WITHOUT ✋ OWNERS ✋ PERMISSION ✋

We’ve just had Bruce the Rottweiler’s second session, and the progress he’s made is awesome!

During our first session, Bruce was reactive to both people and dogs. He would fixate on them, react from across the road, and even air-snap at anyone trying to stroke his head. He could seem quite aggressive, especially when people ignored his clear warnings.

After implementing counter-conditioning since the first session, Bruce is like a completely different dog. He’s no longer fazed by people and only reacts to dogs if they bark at him first. This is absolutely fantastic progress!

While Bruce still doesn’t like people touching his head, he’s much calmer now. His reactivity towards people at a distance has disappeared entirely. This is a big step forward, but his dislike of head-touching remains something we’re working on.

Unfortunately, there was one incident since the last session when a rude woman ignored the owners’ warnings and Bruce’s signals, deciding to touch his head despite being told not to by both Bruce and his owners. Thankfully, Bruce was just warning her, so no harm was done. This is an important reminder to listen to dog owners and respect their dog’s boundaries.

We’ve introduced techniques to make Bruce more comfortable with head touches, and his owners are working hard to implement them. Well done, Bruce and his amazing owners! Your hard work is paying off, and we’re excited to see what’s next! 🐶👏

05/12/2024

🐾 Bella the Beagle Doesn't Like To Be Woken Up! 🐾

We’ve been back to see Bella the Beagle from Hebburn, and she’s such a lovely, friendly girl who adores people. However, she’s been struggling when family members come through the living room door in the evening, especially when she’s been woken up. She’d run at them, barking quite aggressively, and understandably, it’s been scaring them.

In her first session, we worked on counter-conditioning to help Bella associate people coming through the door with positive experiences. This has already reduced her reactivity by about 60%! Now, she only reacts about 40% of the time, which is fantastic progress.

We also suspect there’s a pain element involved. Bella has had some past health issues with her legs and still seems to experience discomfort now and then. This could explain why she’s startled when woken up and reacts reflexively with barking.

We’ve sent her to the vet for a potential pain trial to see if this can be resolved further. Bella is doing so well, and her owners have been fantastic in their dedication to her progress.

Well done, Bella and her family! You’re almost there! 🐶🎉

04/12/2024

🐾 No-longer-reactive-Roxy! 🐾

We’ve been back to see Roxy the Staffy for her second session, and what an incredible transformation she’s made!

Roxy is full of energy, absolutely adores people, and somehow manages to jump about six and a half feet into the air! However, she’s been quite nervous around dogs and previously reacted to them.

Today, we worked on building her confidence, and she was like a completely different dog. We got as close as a metre or two to strange dogs, and Roxy hardly batted an eyelid. She calmly looked at the dogs and then happily looked back at her owner for a treat.

This is such fantastic progress, and it’s all thanks to her owner’s hard work and dedication. Next time, we’ll be focusing on her recall, but for now, we’re so proud of how far Roxy has come.

Well done, Roxy and her amazing owner! You’ve done fab! 🐶👏

03/12/2024

🐾 Maisie the Golden Doodle is Smashing Her Training Goals! 🐾

Today, we had an amazing session with Maisie, the Golden Doodle. It's been a while since her last session due to her heat, but she's back and making fantastic progress!

Maisie has struggled with nervousness around people and dogs. In the past, she’d bark and lunge when people approached her. But now, she’s learned to confidently approach, perform a hand touch, and then happily disengage to get a treat from her owner. This means she can now interact with people without fear and knows she can walk away if she’s uncomfortable. What a huge step forward!

We also worked on Maisie’s car behaviour. She used to go wild whenever the car stopped, barking and trying to jump out. Today, we introduced a new behaviour—lying down calmly. Step by step, we worked through different car motions: stopping, the handbrake, gear changes, and even the seatbelt coming off. By the end of the session, Maisie was calm and quiet, responding beautifully to her new training.

Finally, we tackled the doorbell. Maisie used to react a lot, but now when it rings, she runs straight to her crate, where she knows a treat is waiting. Today, we added a new layer by playing a YouTube doorbell video, simulating someone at the door. Maisie handled it like a pro!

Her owners have done such a fantastic job, and it’s paying off. Well done, Maisie and team! 🐶🎉

02/12/2024

🐾 Willow Learning to Chill! 🐾

Today, we went back for Willow's second training session at Seaburn, and wow, what a difference! Willow, who can be nervous around people and dogs, is learning to overcome her challenges. She gets overexcited when seeing other dogs and sometimes stalks or reacts to them, especially off-lead.

When we arrived, she instantly recognised me, ran over, and jumped up, full of excitement. It was such a lovely moment!

Willow is making amazing progress with her reactivity. She’s now able to ignore most dogs or be called away from them. Her biggest challenge is off-lead dogs chasing balls or running around, but today, we focused on helping her make great choices in those moments.

We worked on getting her to automatically look back at her owners when she sees a dog, without needing to be prompted. By keeping the off-lead dogs at a distance she was comfortable with, Willow could succeed and was heavily rewarded and praised when she made the right choices.

By the end of the session, she was calmly watching a little cockapoo chase a ball, disengaging on her own and looking back to her owners for treats! 🎉

Her owners have put in so much hard work, and it’s paying off brilliantly. Willow is doing fantastically well. Well done, team Willow! 🐶👏

25/11/2024

Session 3 for these two lovely pups and they both did so well.

22/11/2024

Top 3 once again in Sunderland, shields, Gateshead and Washington 💪

19/11/2024

😅 𝗩𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗦𝗕𝗢 𝗗𝗼𝗴 (𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆) 📮

🐾 Today kicked off with me in Newcastle visiting Vito, the Old English Bulldog. Vito’s family has had issues with the Royal Mail delivering to their house after Vito once caught the postman! They now wont deliver parcels 😅📦

Vito is a lovely, excitable dog who adores people, but his enthusiasm often leads to him jumping up and knocking people over – a big concern given his size. This is especially tricky when their young granddaughter visits, as Vito needs to be removed from the room to prevent accidents. He does dislike delivery men though.....

Today, we worked on calming Vito down and teaching him calmer behaviours when people come to the house. 🏡

✅ Step 1: We started by teaching Vito to go to a specific spot at the other side of the house. This spot becomes his safe space where he can focus on food instead of getting overexcited when delivery people arrive.

✅ Step 2: Next, we introduced an emergency call-away command, which he picked up brilliantly right away.

✅ Step 3: Finally, we began counter-conditioning for when someone comes through the gate. By the end, Vito didn’t bat an eyelid at me coming in – he was completely calm!

Well done to Vito for being such a quick learner and to his family for seeking help to ensure a happier and safer environment for everyone. 🌟

If you’re struggling with similar issues, we’re here to help! 👇

18/11/2024

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝘅𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘀𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱 🌟

Rory has been on a journey and a half! Despite facing a serious spinal issue that required life threatening surgery, this brave little pup is recovering well. With the help of her very dedicated owner, Rory has been working hard on physio to strengthen her back legs and improve her walking. The progress is clear to see—her spine is becoming straighter, and her walking has improved dramatically which is lovely to see! 👏

Since her surgery, Rory's reactivity to other dogs and her separation anxiety became much worse. But thanks to the hard work of her owner, she’s come a long way. Her separation anxiety is now completely resolved; she calmly watches her owner leave and then relaxes. Her reactivity to other dogs has also transformed! Rory is much more confident, rarely barking, which is a huge achievement for a Dachshund. 🐾

We'll continue working together to fine-tune her progress, but a massive well done to Rory and her amazing owner for all their hard work. We look forward to seeing you both again soon! 👏

15/11/2024

🌟 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘆𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗱 🌟

Freya is a lovely dog, though she can become quite stressed. Even small things—like her owner walking down the stairs, passing through a gate, or preparing for a walk—can make her spin in circles frantically. She also tends to bite at feet when frustrated and often grabs onto her lead.

Freya’s behaviour plan includes support from a vet behaviourist, who suspects hip dysplasia in both hips, which might be adding to her stress. Recently, she started a new course of anti-anxiety medication, so today’s session was focused on light training to give the medication time to kick in.

We worked on training outdoors, practising loose lead walking and helping her stay relaxed when leaving the house. Freya did fantastically well, and by the end of the session, she was lying down by choice, calm and happy—just like a regular, relaxed dog. 🐾

Freya has a way to go, especially with reducing her spinning behaviour, but she’s showing great progress, and her owners have been incredibly dedicated. Massive well done to Freya and her amazing owners! 👏

14/11/2024

🌟 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗵 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿 🌟

Lenny has been making good progress in his reactivity training! He got to a point where he could ignore all dogs, except his nemesis… French Bulldogs! Even then, his distance was coming down, and he was doing brilliantly.

However, after a recent holiday that left him feeling quite stressed, his reactivity to dogs resurfaced. Another dog moving into the same flats added to his nerves, and his training took a step back. So, we’re back to square one—but that’s OK - these things happen! 💪

In today’s session, we scaled things right back and started from scratch. We added more distance between Lenny and other dogs, using Chloe as a stooge dog and working with other dogs we saw along the way. We marked every dog he saw and used a cue to help him look back at his owner for a treat. This simple exercise is right back to basics, but it’s a great start! 🐾

Going back to square one doesn’t mean it’ll take as long as it did the first time. Lenny will remember his training, and we’re confident he’ll get back to ignoring other dogs in no time. With that added distance, he was able to look back at his owner easily, and that’s exactly the foundation we need to rebuild his confidence.

Huge well done to Lenny’s owners for their dedication and to Lenny for all his hard work! 👏 Keep it up, team!

12/11/2024

🏆 It's official! We are incredibly proud to announce that we have been crowned the 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 by the Northern Enterprise Awards. This accolade is a testament to the unwavering commitment and expertise of our remarkable team of dog trainers and behaviourists.

Our journey has been filled with recognition, having previously been honoured twice as "UK Dog Trainer of the Year" in the esteemed Dog Friendly Awards - voted by you, the public. Moreover, our dedication to excellence has led us to win "Dog Trainer and Behaviourist of the Year" four times across the Northern Enterprise and LUX Awards.

This momentous award marks our 7th Award of canine training excellence. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our loyal clients and their adorable pups for entrusting us with your dog training needs. Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to set new benchmarks in the field.

Here's to continuing our legacy of success together! Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey. 🐾

03/11/2024

Celebrating Bella’s Life ❤️

Last week we sadly lost Bella, suddenly. One day she was playing and running around, the next she’s at the vet and we are being told it’s as bad as it gets.

Bella was a lovely dog, she was loved by everyone she ever met. She was incredibly sweet, loyal and loving.

I first got Bella when she was 8 months old, she was a handful and her last owners struggles with her. As soon as I got her, she would just copy her sister Chloe with everything she did until she knew the routines. She was so funny and silly from day 1.

Her 2 favourite tricks were ‘Pretty’ and ‘Howl’, which we taught her by putting the cue to her howling whenever she got excited by her dinner 😂

She was erratic and she was easily spooked, but when she was focused on her training, she was insane, she’d do anything for a treat. She loved life, she was just happy and always ready for action.

I always remember the time she opened the Christmas presents from under the tree and ate all the chocolates, or how she looked terrifying and angry when she ate ice cubes, or how she would always sleep with her tongue out 😅

She was always with me, she’s come with me to work everyday for about 7 years. She’s helped hundreds of dogs, even in her final week, the day before she took ill, she was out helping a reactive dog to get better.

She’s left behind Chloe, her sister, who is clearly missing her. They were the only dogs that played with each other like they did, and Bonnie was just starting to learn to play Bella’s way too.

Losing Bella has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. She gone far too early, she was only 8 and had so much energy left in her. Sadly she had an internal tumour that erupted and she lost a lot of blood internally. Her heart was swimming in blood from another tumour. The vet said that is extremely likely to be cancer that’s spread throughout her organs and that nothing can be done.

Bella will be missed so much, there’s already an empty space in the house and it’s way too quiet and calm without her.

Sleep tight little Bella Wella, we loved you and always will ❤️😢 thank you for giving us so much happiness.

31/10/2024

🐾 Meet Kody, and "Guess the Breed" in the comments! 🐾

Kody was sold as a Cane Corso, but looking at him, he seems more like an American Bulldog, Staffie, maybe even with a bit of XL Bully in him. What do you think? Drop your guesses in the comments below! 👇

Regardless of his breed mix, Kody is an amazing dog, and I fell in love with him during his first session today. He's done absolutely fantastic! 🌟

Kody has had a couple of scuffles with other dogs, mainly when he gets frustrated. He tends to pull towards other dogs, and when he doesn’t get there fast enough, he can get hyperactive. This often leads to other dogs telling him off, and then Kody reacts back. He’s also a puller on the lead. 🐕

His owner, however, is doing a great job! They've already done some online training, which made today’s session much smoother as Kody is used to training. 🙌

We worked on counter-conditioning around other dogs to help Kody stay calm and neutral. He picked this up in no time! Then, we moved on to loose leash walking, using "drunk walking" to get him into heel positions, and teaching him to follow his owner. By the end of the session, Kody was walking beautifully and staying calm around other dogs.

Kody also nailed some lovely loose leash walking without treats or being asked. At just 10 months old, he’s doing perfect! 🏆

Can’t wait to see him again for the next session, where we’ll solidify these behaviours.

30/10/2024

🐾 First session with Zuma and Nala in Great Park, Newcastle! 🐾

Zuma is a nervous and anxious dog, especially around people and other dogs, while Nala is the complete opposite—she’s super friendly with people but extremely hyper and overstimulated when out and about. Her excitement means she’s never really processed the world around her, leading to some reactivity when she encounters new things, specifically dogs and cars. 🐕

To help both of them stop reacting to other dogs, our first step was calming Nala down. Today, we switched her from a collar to a harness, something she struggled with in the past. But by introducing it in a simple way, she quickly got used to it very quickly. 🙌

We then started working on calming techniques and teaching her to focus on her owners while out on walks. By the end of the session, Nala was much calmer—she didn’t react to other dogs or even the traffic around her! 🌟

There’s still a lot of work ahead for Nala. We’ll be focusing on giving her the outlets and exercise she needs at home, not just lead walks, and using counter-conditioning to help her process the world calmly. 🏡

Once Nala is more settled, we’ll turn our attention to Zuma. For now, though, Zuma is off to the vet to check a possible leg issue. We’ll be back soon with an update on how they’re getting on!

👏 A big well done to their owners for reaching out and doing so well in today’s session!

29/10/2024

🐾 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱! 🐾

Islay is a very happy little golden doodle who’s great with people and off-lead dogs. 🐕 However, she’s been having a few fights with on-lead dogs. I think the issue is that she doesn’t quite know how to read dogs that are on a lead since she hasn’t socialised with them much.

On our walk today, we also noticed that Islay wasn’t eating food—not because of stress or anxiety, but simply because she’s so focused on the walk! Just like when you’re working out at the gym, food isn’t the first thing on your mind—that’s how Islay feels during her walks. 🚶‍♀️

But since she pulls quite badly on the lead, we need to teach her to stop and use food to reinforce good behaviours. So, we changed things up by starting right outside the house, where we taught her to eat and work with food. 🍗

Islay picked this up incredibly quickly, and within minutes she was doing some beautiful loose leash walking! She lasted about 15-20 minutes before getting distracted, so we called it a day, but it was a fantastic start. She ate, she walked calmly, and we made a ton of progress in just one session. 🎉

Now we’ll keep working on this over the next few weeks, building up her focus and then tackling her issues with on-lead dogs. Well done, Islay, and a big well done to her owners for their hard work! 🏆

Can’t wait to see you all soon and take things to the next level!

28/10/2024

🐾 𝗝𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗼, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 - 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝟭 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻! 🐾

Jarvis is a lovely little Cockapoo who has faced quite a few struggles. He's very sensitive to noise and was reactive when outside during our first session. He also has a hard time meeting new people and, on top of that, has an extraordinary number of allergies. After a long allergy test, it turned out he was allergic to almost everything (literally!)—something I've never seen in a dog before. 🐶

In our last session, we focused on counter-conditioning and calming him down before walks. Since then, Jarvis has made awesome progress! 🙌 He’s no longer reactive on his walks, the pulling on the lead has nearly stopped, and he’s so much more relaxed outside. 🌟

While there are still things that make him anxious, like workmen moving things and shouting, Jarvis no longer barks or lunges at people or dogs. He might pull towards them occasionally, but he’s easy to call back and reward with a treat, and then he forgets all about them. 🦴

We’ve now shifted our focus to his noise sensitivity. Our new plan is for him to go to his mat and get some treats whenever he hears a noise, instead of running to the door barking. 🏠

Can’t wait to see how this works out over the next few weeks! Well done, Jarvis, and well done to his owner, Macy—you’ve both done fantastic so far! 🏆

27/10/2024

I’m going to be taking some time away from the business for the next few days.

Unfortunately, my lovely Bella took ill tonight and was rushed to the vets but couldn’t be saved.

Here is her final howl.

I will contact everyone who has appointments this week to rearrange, classes in South Shields will not be going ahead, however Sarah’s classes in Eighton Banks and Newcastle will, as well as her appointments.

Thanks you for your understand.

Address

The Waggy Warehouse
South Shields
NE335TE

Telephone

+447893950688

Website

https://www.southshieldsdogtrainer.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The South Shields Dog Trainer posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The South Shields Dog Trainer:

Videos

Celebrating Bella’s Life ❤️ Last week we sadly lost Bella, suddenly. One day she was playing and running around, the next she’s at the vet and we are being told it’s as bad as it gets. Bella was a lovely dog, she was loved by everyone she ever met. She was incredibly sweet, loyal and loving. I first got Bella when she was 8 months old, she was a handful and her last owners struggles with her. As soon as I got her, she would just copy her sister Chloe with everything she did until she knew the routines. She was so funny and silly from day 1. Her 2 favourite tricks were ‘Pretty’ and ‘Howl’, which we taught her by putting the cue to her howling whenever she got excited by her dinner 😂 She was erratic and she was easily spooked, but when she was focused on her training, she was insane, she’d do anything for a treat. She loved life, she was just happy and always ready for action. I always remember the time she opened the Christmas presents from under the tree and ate all the chocolates, or how she looked terrifying and angry when she ate ice cubes, or how she would always sleep with her tongue out 😅 She was always with me, she’s come with me to work everyday for about 7 years. She’s helped hundreds of dogs, even in her final week, the day before she took ill, she was out helping a reactive dog to get better. She’s left behind Chloe, her sister, who is clearly missing her. They were the only dogs that played with each other like they did, and Bonnie was just starting to learn to play Bella’s way too. Losing Bella has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. She gone far too early, she was only 8 and had so much energy left in her. Sadly she had an internal tumour that erupted and she lost a lot of blood internally. Her heart was swimming in blood from another tumour. The vet said that is extremely likely to be cancer that’s spread throughout her organs and that nothing can be done. Bella will be missed so much, there

I’m going to be taking some time away from the business for the next few days. Unfortunately, my lovely Bella took ill tonight and was rushed to the vets but couldn’t be saved. Here is her final howl. I will contact everyone who has appointments this week to rearrange, classes in South Shields will not be going ahead, however Sarah’s classes in Eighton Banks and Newcastle will, as well as her appointments. Thanks you for your understand.

When should you start training your puppy? Straight away! Try our puppy course for FREE in our academy here: https://www.southshieldsdogtrainer.co.uk/the-academy

Is your dog trying to be dominant? Listen to this! Watch the science behind the dominance theory for free in our academy here: https://www.southshieldsdogtrainer.co.uk/the-academy

Thinking about introducing a new puppy into a house? Watch this first! Remember, its not your current dogs responsibility to train a new puppy!

The other day we were working on eye contact in our puppy class! This is a brilliant drill to teach your puppy to make eye contact and pay attention to you!