Standish Dog Trainer

18/07/2025

Welcome to the weekend!! My new favourite tipple, a Sarti Spritz at , thanks to Kerry at for the recommendation 🍹🍹

17/07/2025

A great end to this term of puppy classes ☺️

17/07/2025

Darna... Still in goofball mode, just slightly bigger...again!
🐾🥰

17/07/2025

This!! ☺️🐾

There are very few shortcuts that don’t cost double later—

The key to training success isn’t found in achieving the perceived next step, employing a more sophisticated technique or trying a new gimmick. A dog achieving his best, directly correlates to the quality of his foundation training and your mindset.

When trainers don’t see the progress in their dog they expect or desire, they sometimes get frustrated; their response is often to press harder, hyper focus on the specific area or force their dog….the exact opposite of what many dogs need.

We see this with young dogs or when teaching a new concept.
Specifically, handlers believing when their dog makes a mistake, it is the chance to ‘correct’, instead of recognizing, it is the chance to teach.

While everyone knows it’s not reasonable to correct for something your dog doesn’t yet understand , handlers can, inadvertently, do just that.

Whether it’s a shout, a yell, a “no”, or other correction, when a dog doesn’t yet understand a concept, doing this isn’t productive and can be detrimental.

‘Correction’ is defined as a rebuke or punishment, assumption of comprehension to know differently/better.
It doesn’t offer explanation, foster understanding and worse, it can deliver the message that trying (offering behavior), has negative consequences.

Dogs can develop an unpleasant association with the behavior that was ‘corrected’ such as:
a wrong flank direction, attempt at the shed, heading the sheep, shape of the flank, lifting off of a person, turning back, the list is endless.

It can affect overall enthusiasm, enjoyment, understanding and the willingness for a dog to want to try.
While the intent of the ‘correction’ is to speed up the learning, it can actually slow it down and cause many additional problems.

It’s ok and even productive, to let your dog be wrong when learning a new concept—
and also important he understands, it is not a big deal.
Instead of correction, employ connection; it’s a teaching opportunity.

Dogs, and trainers alike, learn from being allowed to make mistakes.
Training epiphanies are not common; the majority of the time the ‘sudden improvement’ is actually a reflection of the body of work that preceded it, which includes being wrong.

Mistakes aren’t the opposite of success, they are part of it and overcoming them helps develop confidence and mental fortitude.
Every dog learns at a different speed and the training time is dependent on the individual.

Understanding mistakes are inevitable and ultimately, pave the road to excellence empowers your bond and partnership.
macraeway.com

17/07/2025

Beautiful Maia, she is sensitive to sounds and becomes anxious, looking for places to hide and running to safety.
We made a good start 🐾☺️

16/07/2025

Lovely cool walk with Poppy Puppy, she is a fab little dog and is making great progress ☺️

16/07/2025

Mikey says that small sofa can play with BIG BONES!
Proper terrier energy!

15/07/2025

Fantastic weekend at the ABK conference. Looking at creating resilience in dogs, super educational experience, catching up with old friends, making new friends and spending my weekend with Vikki Zeiler - we don't often get chance to feel out and be students together ☺️
Huge thanks to Daniel Shaw for organising 🙏

15/07/2025

Working on training exercises for left turns on Rally exercises in our Activities class ☺️

15/07/2025

Hunter getting those neck muscles warmed up ready for some dog sports 💪💪

15/07/2025

Playtime in Puppy Class

15/07/2025

🌞🌞

🍋We have seen a worrying increase in people suggesting the use of lemon juice to use in dogs with heat stroke🍋

PetLink Magazine recently highlighted that their founder, RVNspeaks lost a bulldog to heatstroke as owners, while attempting to save their beloved pet, sadly delayed treatment while trying to use lemon juice orally (see post shared below 👇)

When dogs have heatstroke they can often pant excessively and produce lots of saliva, especially brachycephalic dogs, whose airways can quickly become obstructed, risking aspiration and asphyxiation .

People believe lemon juice will help clear this if they pour/squirt into the mouth, we don't recommend this.

When polled in the Veterinary Voices UK Facebook group, 0 of over 970 veterinary professionals would recommend giving lemon juice!

If you think your dog has heatstroke:

❌ Do not pour lemon juice into its mouth if they are producing excessive phlegm or saliva
❌ Do not attempt to force any liquid into its mouth - you risk causing aspiration
❌ Do not leave wet, cold towels stationary on them. They quickly warm and trap the heat

✅ Do...
✅ Bring your dog inside into a shady, well ventilated, cool room
✅Call your veterinary team and follow their instructions
✅Prepare yourself to promptly transfer to your practice
✅Cool them down by pouring *cold* water on them
✅ Depending on their current condition they may drink small amounts of cool water, don't allow they to lap up huge quantities at once incase they vomit
✅ Travel in a cold, air-conditioned car

➡️ According to one study into heat-induced illness in dogs, those actively cooled before arriving at the vets had a lower mortality rate than those not cooled prior to arrival.

➡️ Plan to travel to a veterinary practice as soon as you have engaged in the preliminary first aid.

More information on heatstroke and how to manage while transferring to your veterinary team?

Veterinary Voices UK article:

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/cool-icy-cold-or-tepid