Paws4me

29/05/2023

If you can't call your dog back from a distraction then they're not ready to be off lead around that distraction. It's that simple.

It doesn't matter if they are friendly. Or just want to play. It doesn't matter if the other person has food, or a ball. If you can't recall your dog from a distraction then they can't be off lead around it.

That doesn't mean they can't have any freedom. If there are no distractions around go for it and work on your recall when you do. If there are distractions nearby then manage your dog and keep them polite & safe by using a long line and working with them around those distractions.

Having our dogs off lead is a privilege, not a right, and it's a privilege that needs to be earned.

11/01/2023

Please read and share... dogs will love you for it. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/canine-corner/202301/does-it-matter-whether-dog-training-is-positive-or-aversive?fbclid=IwAR25EX5wg-0pHZVaC_qrg6HPlibRrkdo75_AQ2W2q5s9XbveTOS-Af-u5ww

Specific dog training methods have long-term and short-term emotional effects.

21/12/2022

How to teach your dog not to chase [runners / squirrels/cyclists / etc]...
1. Do not let your dog chase
2. Teach your dog to respond to you when there is nothing around that your dog wants to chase.
3. Teach your dog that when they respond to you, it's great fun, even if there is nothing else going on.

When you have this mastered, up the game play. Take your dog to a quiet area where they are likely to see interesting things at distance, but you are still closest to them, and keep them in under physical control with a lead.

1. Do not let your dog chase
2. Teach your dog to respond to you when there stuff going on in the distance, but just a bit far off to be overly interesting for your dog to want to chase.
3. Teach your dog that when they respond to you, it's great fun, even when there are a few other things going on.

When you have this mastered, up the game play. Take your dog to a slightly busier area where they are likely to see interesting things quite nearby, but you are still closest to them, and keep them in under physical control with a lead.

1. Do not let your dog chase
2. Teach your dog to respond to you when there stuff going on in quite nearby but you are there providing enough interested that they do not want to chase..
3. Teach your dog that when they respond to you, it's great fun, even when there are quite a few other things going on...

And then you can up the game plan further, and you will have a dog that does not chase.

Whoop*e, you can take a confident dog to the park and not worry about runners / squirrels / cyclists etc

If at any point things start to go wrong, take a step backwards and work on making sure your dog is totally focused on you in the quietest of places before going anywhere busier.

20/12/2022

Round and round in circles.. like a teddy bear? It would seem always that just as people start finally getting to grips with the idea that we don't need to be jerking our dogs around by the neck and saying no in a gruff voice to train them, another new name his the media wheel spouting all sorts of unfounded and frankly nonsensical garbage in the name of dog training. .
Let's play a game. I have a task for you:
1. Guess correctly, you are very good and you might get a treat.
2. Guess wrong, don't worry you will get feedback. I will keep saying no in a gruff voice until you find the right answer. If you are very wrong, I might pull your neck hard a few times and push down on your hips or pull you around with my hands...
How long before you decide I am an absolutely impossible arse and give up trying to communicate with me at all?
How many people would communicate with work colleagues like this? .. would your partner like it? Would you like it?
Isn't it so much easier to manage a situation so that you cannot fail to make the right choice, and then learn that this is what wins big prizes?

23/03/2022

I have read several posts across various platforms about the subject of dogs pulling, and sadly advice here is beginning to reflect the quick fix methods people see on US TV, and even UK TV. Holding on to a dog pulling can be really tiresome, especially of other issues are compounding the situation but please remember that it's a two way street. Our dogs don't want to pull either. If your not working together, it's not the walking that needs fixing, it's the togetherness. ..try this with your human family. Who if you were to hold hands would walk faster ahead, or who would slow down, or even say 'get iff'? What would you do if your friend, your partner, your child or your parent were to reach out to hold your hand as you walk? The connection is the issue, and no equipment can build that. Communication can.

08/03/2022

Fancy some free learning? John Rogerson has just releasd several modules which I know that you will enjoy here: https://johnrogerson.com/learning-hub/

09/02/2022

Dogs trained with aversive methods are less likely to show a ‘secure base’ effect.

13/01/2022

What's in a word? At Paws4me the ethos is all about holistic and communication. We've always advocated the mantra 'say YES, not NO!' and there's no change there. No is meaningless to our dogs unless they are taught to associate it with an outcome. Traditionally the word 'no' was associated with a punishment or scolding intimidating voice, and that is a very very long way from where we want to be today..but as humans the word 'no' is so deeply embedded into our psyche. Two year old children often pick up no as one of their very first words - ask any young mum! If we see a potential impeding hazard, what's the first thing we cry out? No! So rather than demonising a word based on no reason other than that 'some' people still use it with an association built towards intimidation, it is really only a word that most of use it as a reflex outcry to make something stop? .. so why not teach it as a stop cue?

21/10/2021

Hi all... you'll maybe remember how in my classes I have always said we only use balls on ropes as I once read a horrific personal account of a weimaraner owner losing her dog in the field due to choking on a ball. She just could not get it out?.... Please watch and share this video, it could really be a life saver for someone! https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=635905514452840

23/07/2021

Does a wagging tail mean a dog is happy?

Dogs 'speak' with their body language. They don't have words, they use several aspects of their body at once to communicate the depth and detail that they want to communicate. I have been wholly fascinated by the way they do this since I was a 10 year old little girl. I had a dog called Sadie, a terrier mix, and my brother Jonny was a baby in a crib.

Sadie would take my hand in her mouth and lead me over to the crib, and she would then hop her front paws on the side and just look at him.

Of course, I did not know what she was saying then, and I would recommend far greater adult supervision all round with any child / baby / dog combinations, but then, I realised that she was talking to me without words, but still giving me a very clear message that she wanted me to be with her while she looked at my brother in the crib.

Here's a little game to play. Ask your dog to sit or down, or stand - whichever you know they'll be most comfortable with. Try and set up a video camera on them, and then take their favourite toy or food out and make a little bit of a deal about it, then toss the toy / food for them and release them to go find... now play back the video on the largest screen you have and see how many changes in your dogs posture and expression you can see. Look particularly at ears, tail, mouth, eyes / brow, shoulders and neck. Feel free to share here for discussion if you would like to :)

14/05/2021

this is fabulous news! Why? Because dogs are really not so different to us. They feel pain, they feel fear, they get confused and sometimes misunderstand us. if your dog is failing to respond to your cues(commands) always consider first that this is a failure of communication, rather than a failure of compliance.. and on the latter part, whoever did want a slave anyway? Dog's are the ultimate team players and teamwork is about good communication and trust. Hurting a dog to stop it from doing 'anything', especially with a remote device that it has no chance of understanding, about instilling a fear of life. Fear of living in case you do something wrong, by accident, something that you didn't even know was wrong because it seemed like a natural thing to do, (like p*e or sniff, which is very natural for a dog).. fear of living, what a miserable existence, that some would call 'training'.

12/03/2021

I was asked to put this little video on the Weimaraner Club of Great Britain website yesterday, and it was so awesome, such a delightful watch, I know that you will love it as much as I did... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38RdMTmSxMU

10/02/2021

With violent dog theft in the news, it's scary but we can help ourselves. Thieves will be put off by a dog that looks like it's going to hurt them. Start teaching barm on command.. here's our practice tonight