Klever K9s

Klever K9s I offer individual training for puppies and older dogs. Individual sessions are calmer and more cond We run classes Thursday, Friday and Saturday lunchtime.

Pet obedience covers the basics needed to have a happy dog and owner. (12.00 -1 p.m.) We also cover fun agility. The equipment is maintained regularly and always in tip-top condition and Kennel Club standard. Groups are small and friendly and the emphasis is on having fun with your dog, meeting all the contacts and following the designated route. Courses are designed to make handlers' think and dogs' listen to their handlers. Again, these run Thursday Friday and Saturday's at 10.30 a.m.

06/02/2024

Limited agility places Friday and Saturday mornings.

Email : [email protected].

Dogs should have basic obedience, be 12+ months of age or older and not aggressive towards dogs or people.

10/06/2022

Limited agility spaces available, Thursday & Friday mornings,
10.30 a.m.
send email to:
[email protected] for more information.

Dogs must be reasonably obedient, sociable with dogs and people and, be a minimum of 12 months of age.

01/05/2021

Fingers crossed, we should be able to get back to some individual sessions this month...

Interesting...
19/01/2021

Interesting...

To Castrate or Not To Castrate!

For decades castration has been recommended routinely for young dogs as a cure for:
šŸ¶ Barking, lunging and reactivity at dogs or people
šŸ¶ Dog-dog interaction challenges
šŸ¶ Hu***ng, inappropriate toileting
šŸ¶ Adolescence (as if it needs curing like itā€™s a disease šŸ˜‚)

Download my free book on this to keep forever here: beha.vet/free-neutering-ebook

āš ļøWARNING!āš ļø What Iā€™m about to discuss relates to castration and health and behaviour. This does NOT relate to overpopulation management. However, of note, in some countries, castration is considered a mutilation and these countries have less of an overpopulation issue than countries where it is routinely recommended, highlighting how intrinsic overpopulation is to societal beliefs around and respect for dogs.

šŸ‘‰ What actually happens when we castrate a dog?

Well, to put it bluntly, the testicles get chopped off. What does this lead to?
It completely removes the dogā€™s ability to reproduce.
It removes a major source of testosterone; the Leydig cells that produce testosterone reside within the testicles and so experience a extracorporeal relocation too! Important to note here that I say a major source as the adrenal glands in both sexes as well as the ovaries in the bitch produce small quantities also.

šŸ‘‰ What consequence does this have?

Importantly, testosterone is valuable as a hormone from a behaviour perspective. In multiple species, it has been demonstrated to be closely associated with confidence. Why is this protective against behaviour struggles? Well, behaviour struggles are often driven by lack of confidence, anxiety, fear and situational pessimism and certainly never the result of positive emotional states that testosterone would promote.

ā€œThere is absolutely no benefit to reducing an animalā€™s confidence when working on their behaviour. Confidence is never a bad thing!ā€

šŸ‘‰ What the SCIENCE Says!

In 2018, McGreevy et al published a study in Plos One (Itā€™s open access so you can check it how here if you are feeling geeky: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5931473/), assessing how the length of time a dog maintained their go**ds for influenced the risk of behaviour struggles.

šŸ‘‰ What did they find?

The shorter the time they keep their go**ds and, in turn, the sooner they lose most of their testosterone, the less likely the dogsā€™ owners were to report two behaviour struggles - howling when left alone and indoor urine marking.

Oh! Easy! Question Answered! To theatre we goā€¦.

Wait for it.

The findings didnā€™t end there. The longer the dogs in the study (sample size of 6235) kept their go**ds attached and, in turn, their testosterone, the less likely their owners were to report 26 (Yes, TWENTY SIX!) mostly unwelcome behaviour struggles!!

AND

7 (yes, SEVEN!) of these behaviour struggles that were much less likely the longer a dog remained entire would be labelled as ā€œaggressiveā€ (including ā€œaggressionā€ directed towards people and other dogs).

So letā€™s dive into the reasons why castration is often wrongly considered and wrongly recommendedā€¦

šŸ˜±Barking, lunging and reactivity! This behaviour struggle is often driven by an underlying pessimism, dogs perceiving novelty in the environment (whether that be a human, another dog, a cat or a kangaroo!) to be something to worry about. Pessimism and lack of confidence are closely linked and so it is no surprise that castration doesnā€™t help this situation and often makes it worse as the McGreevy findings suggest!

Download my free book on this to keep forever here: beha.vet/free-neutering-ebook

šŸ˜±Dog-Dog interaction challenges! This refers to unpredictability in a dogā€™s interaction with another dog. It might be that your dog unpredictably snaps when having a nose-nose interaction. It might be that your dog stands over another dog and raises their hackles. It might be that your dog charges and barks at other dogs upon the approach. The thing is, a successful interaction can only occur with three skills: 1. Optimism, 2. Disengagement (seeing value in moving away from the interaction), 3. Calmness. Any weakness in these will lead to unpredictable (or very predictable!!) breaks in the chain. Iā€™m sure we can all relate to a time in our lives where weā€™ve had a fail in one of these departments and had a bad interaction with someone (maybe a partnerā€¦.) - it didnā€™t come from overconfidence, it came from all the rubbish that went on at the office that day and your sore back!

Now I have a saying when it comes to dog behaviour and that is -

ā€œIf you want more of something, BUILD IT! Donā€™t attempt to squash something else to make it seem bigger!ā€

Success inā€™t about trying to correct, inhibit or STOP a behaviour. This is about growing the skills needed to behave effectively and go through the world feeling great! So again, castration has absolutely no place here and again often makes things worse!

šŸ˜± Hu***ng and Inappropriate Toileting! These behaviours were long hailed as the ultimate in dogs disrespecting us and, therefore, by some twisted logic, if an animal is disrespecting you, you must chop off a body part, reduce their confidence, show them who is boss. Crazy right?! šŸ˜‚ Of course not - in fact, these behaviours (just like the ones above) are just a couple of behaviours a dog might select from when feeling worried, anxious, scared or a little bit like ā€œI donā€™t know what to do here.ā€

Have you ever had an interaction with another human where you were nervous for whatever reason and you said something crazy or did something completely weird instead of just shaking their hand? Meet the canine equivalent: hu***ng!

Again this is driven by LACK of confidence, not overconfidence and so castration wonā€™t make it better and might again make it worse! Inappropriate toileting and marking behaviours can be much the same, and so while research shows that castration might improve marking in the house in some instances, it can equally make it worse based on this and so, importantly, we should never do something irreversible when reversible (non-body-part-chopping) options exist.

šŸ˜± Adolescence! Adolescence is not a disease! In fact, none of this is a disease!

ā€œThese are not BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS! Theyā€™re DOG BEHAVIOUR!ā€

Adolescence is a period of development! Itā€™s associated with structural brain, cognitive and hormonal changes. Itā€™s a period that actively promotes conflict between the animal (human or canine) and their carer as an evolutionarily beneficial temperature check on the relationship (more on that another time maybe). What all the research agrees on in relation to human and canine adolescence is that confidence and relationship are key! The Asher et al 2020 study on canine adolescence found that conflict (in the form of ignoring a sit cue) was much reduced with increasing relationship between dog and owner. What do we take from this?
Chopping off body parts will not help.
Spend the time and money you were going to spend on castrating your dog and invest it in your relationship bank account instead - invest in positive interactions, games, play, whatever you and your dog love!

Download my free book on this to keep forever here: beha.vet/free-neutering-ebook

šŸ©ŗšŸ‘ØšŸ¼ā€āš•ļø Health Benefits of Castration

Castration has also been recommended from a health standpoint, reducing the risk of a variety of diseases. However, the health benefits castration brings (such as prevention (and resolution of) benign prostatic hyperplasia) are only of significance after the age of 5 in most dogs when they become at increased risk of such. Equally, thereā€™s early evidence to show that castration before one year of age could increase the risk of joint disease, cancer risk and allergic skin disease, further reinforcing the idea that early castration (if even at all) is not nor should not be a procedure that comes with a blanket recommendation for all young dogs.
ā€ØReversible Options!

Finally, we must consider if it is appropriate to give a blanket recommendation on anything that is irreversible and not completely benign when reversible options are available. Short-term implants have the same whole body effects as surgical removal of the testicles while still being reversible! These can act like a test drive of the new hormonal system where castration is being strongly considered without the fallout of an irreversible procedure.

šŸ‘‰ The Future!

So, thatā€™s the wrap on castration with a focus on behaviour and training! Whenever I talk about this, it often causes of a wave of remorse and grieving for the now lost testicles of your dogā€™s youth. BUT I work with people on a daily basis whose dogs have had their go**ds inappropriately removed at some point and yet they are achieving amazing results and living the lives that they dreamt of when they got a dog in the first place.

The first step they took was ditching the labels, the limiting beliefs and the story of how they arrived where they did. The second step they took is they took their dog-owning dream off the back burner and they made it a MUST.

The reality is that castrated or not, you can unlock real-life results and amazing transformations with your dog with the right plan, the right tools, the right games and strategies! I even wrote a book on it you can download for free here: beha.vet/free-neutering-ebook

This is an opportunity to spread the word, save some go**ds along the way and change the blanket advice for the better, so if you know someone who this might benefit, please share it far and wide :-)

02/11/2020

Sadly, all classes for agility and individual sessions have to be postponed now until December at the earliest. Those of you who have individual sessions booked, I will contact you early December to reschedule.

Stay safe everyone.

Just a few of this week's shenanigans.   We're working on impulse control, recall and waits etc.  All part of everyday t...
23/09/2020

Just a few of this week's shenanigans. We're working on impulse control, recall and waits etc. All part of everyday training with a bit of fun thrown in for good measure!

05/07/2020

Someone is happy to be back...

07/06/2020
Keeping everyone 2m apart. Worked very well, everyone is used to queing now. Well done Saturday group.
07/06/2020

Keeping everyone 2m apart. Worked very well, everyone is used to queing now. Well done Saturday group.

Come on dad, put the tea down and let's go!!!
06/06/2020

Come on dad, put the tea down and let's go!!!

30/04/2020

25/03/2020

Please read This hits home hard as I am one of these people unfortunately :-( and not sure if my business will survive or not :-(
My Self Employed pals. As this says blood , sweat and tears to build up a business. I do think something will happen but right now our heads are spinning. When this is over we must all still pull together and get folk back on their feet. If wee Davy wants his aftershave shared..share it , If Nancy wants her nail business shared , share it. If Billy wants his new bathroom he fitted shared..Share it
Seen this so I'm sharing it
They donā€™t own a premises - no Ā£10k grant.
They donā€™t employ staff - no 80% of their wage covered to retain them.
They arenā€™t employed - no 80% of their wage covered.
They can apply for universal credit and get a maximum of 300 odd quid, but if you live with a partner whoā€™s lucky enough to have a wage then youā€™ll get nothing.
They havenā€™t been given definitive direction to close, but all of their clients are cancelling and their industries are mounting pressure and shame on them to close - the same people who are getting grants and their staff are getting 80% of their wages paid.
They know they have to do social distancing. But they are a few days away from zero income.
And these people have built their businesses from zero with unimaginable amounts of blood, sweat and tears.
Please be compassionate and empathetic to your freelancer friends, their world is crumbling around them and they are havenā€™t been thrown the same lifeline as you. They are being forced to make horrendously difficult decisions and donā€™t need any more shame from anyone else.
All SELF EMPLOYED PEOPLE PLEASE COPY AND PASTE TO YOUR TIME LINE AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER.

17/03/2020

In light of the PM's announcement yesterday, with regard to social distancing, I would like your views on whether we can continue with agility, but with strictly enforced distancing and touching, or whether we should close for business for the foreseeable future.

I am willing to carry on, but only if everyone adheres to these suggestions. They have to be adhered to because Andrew is over 70 and has underlying issues, which makes him particularly vulnerable.

Please comment below your thoughts. Many thanks. Christine & Andrew.

17/03/2020

Please be aware. You are all welcome to bring your own refreshments while we are unable to provide any. I apologise for any inconvenience.

13/03/2020

In view of the Covid 19 situation, we are continuing with classes until we are informed otherwise. However, I would be grateful if you would adhere to the following while you are here:

1. Do not touch ANY of the equipment.
2. Try to stand 6feet (2 meters) apart from one another.
3. If you are coughing, sneezing or showing any other signs of infection, we'd be grateful if you stayed away.
4. Wash hands and use Antiseptic Gel.
5. The loo. If you use the loo, please wipe all handles (Inside and out).
6. To avoid cross contamination, refreshments will not be provided to help prevent any potential cross contamination.

I hope you understand the potential risk involved in group gatherings, so we are doing our best to keep risks to a minimum. We have a few group classes here as you know, not everyone in these groups is young or indeed healthy!

Sorry for the inconvenience. Oh, and don't nick the toilet rolls!

02/03/2020

Agility is starting again on Friday folks. Same time, same place, few new things... more will be explained when I see you. Just a reminder:

Thursday 10.30 - 11.30 (but not March 5th 2020).
Friday 10.30 - 11.30
Saturday 10.30 - 11.30
Sunday - 10.30 - 11.30* New later time.

The grounds might be a bit soggy so we'll take things carefully and slowly for the foreseeable.

Look at these two! Anyone know the breed?
25/01/2020

Look at these two! Anyone know the breed?

Not something humans do, but dogs?  It's a yes from us!
05/09/2019

Not something humans do, but dogs? It's a yes from us!

It's quite common to see 'enforced' face to face greetings between dogs, only to be separated when they begin doing "rude" things like sniffing bums.

This.  This is why you need to be able to control your dog in EVERY situation.  No recall?  Don't permit your dog off th...
04/09/2019

This. This is why you need to be able to control your dog in EVERY situation. No recall? Don't permit your dog off the lead, no matter how friendly you think they are. Visitors? Pop your dog away until they have left or, he is more settled with the visitors. Keep everyone safe.

Did you know? Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, it's illegal for a dog to be 'out of control' both in a public place and on private property, including in your own home if the visitor has a legal right to be there.

A dog doesnā€™t have to bite or physically injure someone, a person only needs to feel that your dog may hurt them for them to be considered as ā€˜dangerously out of controlā€™.

29/08/2019

I'll have them up for a round or two here...

This.  This is why we reward our dogs when they work for us... it really is that simple.  Don't be greedy with the sweet...
28/08/2019

This. This is why we reward our dogs when they work for us... it really is that simple. Don't be greedy with the sweeties!

I donā€™t work for free and I donā€™t expect my dogs to either šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļøāœØ

Hmmm, there's critters in that there tree...
24/08/2019

Hmmm, there's critters in that there tree...

14/08/2019

It's a Marmite course...

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it šŸ˜
09/08/2019

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it šŸ˜

08/08/2019

Someone is pleased the lesson has finished! Working on quick, distant downs. Week one, good results!

07/08/2019

It's fast, don't forget to eat your Weetabix!

31/07/2019

I have been very kind this week, but it's fast...

Training is so hard.....This clever pup has worked out, if he puts his paw over the lead, we (handlers) HAVE to stop, be...
25/07/2019

Training is so hard.....

This clever pup has worked out, if he puts his paw over the lead, we (handlers) HAVE to stop, bend down, touch him to remove his paw in order to continue walking... not ideal, this is typical of the dog/puppy training us... there are ways around this problem (which is quite common)... clever puppies and dogs usually find a way to get what they want, but we're cleverer... most of the time hahaha! We got this!

18/07/2019

Morning everyone. We did our Breast Cancer Aware walk on Monday so, if you could please bring your donations with you this week, that would be fabulous. We all had a lovely walk and enjoyed every step.

Also, there will be NO CLASSES on Friday 26th July. Apologies.

Address

Twilights, Stowey Road, Fivehead
Taunton
TA36PP

Opening Hours

Thursday 12pm - 1pm
Friday 3:30pm - 1pm
Saturday 2:30pm - 1pm
Sunday 10am - 12pm

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Klever K9s 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 Klever K9s:

Share

Category

Our Story

Pet obedience covers all the basics needed to have a happy dog and owner. We run classes every Morning from Thursday through to Sunday. Afternoons are kept for 1-2-1 training. No matter what age your dog is, whether s/he is rescued, a puppy, an older dog, all problems and concerns will be covered by myself, a full member of The British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers. We also cover fun agility. The equipment is maintained regularly and always in tip-top condition and Kennel Club standard. Groups are small and friendly and the emphasis is on having fun with your dog, meeting all the contacts and following the designated route. Courses are designed to make handlers' think and dogs' listen to their handlers. Home boarding for dogs. We share our home with our own dogs and many visiting dogs. Provided your dog is sociable, your bitch is not due her season and they are reasonably well mannered, then they will fit in very well. We offer fun agility training while your dog is staying with us if required, and during summer months we offer a large paddling/swimming pool for your dogs to cool off in throughout the day if they wish. Dogs are supervised at all times and are rarely left unattended by us. Priority for home boarding is given to dogs that are current customers or previous customers.