The Mindful Canine Coach

Little Freddie 🫶🏻

I’ve been working with this loveable lad and his owners for a couple of months now and I’m really enjoying seeing his progress. Clip 1: No understanding of lead pressure & distracted by everything! Clip 2: Freddie’s owners have been working on teaching better engagement, strengthening their relationship & utilising our tune up drills teaching lead pressure. Clip 3: Quite the challenge for Freddie! We’ve now built up the distraction in a new environment adding in other dogs. Giving him a job he now already knows to walk nicely alongside me with other dogs present and how to be neutral (playful interactions will come later on but for now we need to make sure he understands not to pull his owners to every dog he sees). Clip 4: The same principles of walking by my side with the training line on so we remove the lead pressure to test our heeling skills! Clip 5: Impulse control around other dogs in a down stay. This would have been far too exciting for Freddie without the groundwork first! Slowly but surely we’ll keep building Freddie’s interactions. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here setting him up for a happier & healthy relationship with his owners & other dogs 💫 Shoutout to my pack walker stooges Cookie & Jasper! 🌟

Happy Pancake Day! 🥞

Encourage your dog to do ~ nothing ~ Sounds simple right? That’s because it is.. mostly! Often its something overlooked, especially when we want to take our dogs to places like pubs & cafes but they don’t have the ability to settle & do nothing, often they start whining, chewing or barking for attention. Start by encouraging your dog to settle on their bed and their ‘place’ command. Use a lead to ensure they stay on place if needed. Allow your dog to fully relax and be still. A home environment is the easiest place to start and gradually switch up the environment. I like to use their ‘place’ command and we take a thick blanket (instead of the raised beds) with us when we’re out in public so they know exactly what I’m asking from them when I need them to behave appropriately in pubs & cafes when giving them the ‘place’ cue.

~ Multi-dog Households ~ Pack adventures are always fun and rewarding but without individual time, effort, affection & attention we wouldn’t be able to enjoy our pack walks together as well balanced & confident dogs. I love spending time with each dog whether that’s playing or training. Allowing each dog that time to learn & grow in confidence gives them so much more fulfilment, happiness and encourages them to make their own decisions without the influence of each other. So here’s your reminder to take some time to spend with each dog individually every day 💫

Whether you’re a dog walker with a pack, a multi-dog household or your dogs going solo.. Do you hype up your dog with the magic word “walkies!” and reach for the lead to clip onto their collar as they frantically spin around with excitement? Whilst it may seem like no big deal, you could actually be creating a lot of the issues that later entail on that walk. 👎🏼 If your dog is already excited at the thought of the walk before you’ve even left the house, don’t be surprised by pulling, lunging, barking and hyper arousal. 👌🏼 Instead, start making small changes as you prepare for a walk, to promote much calmer behaviour. 👋🏼 Whilst every dog has different physical needs and it’s not to say no to frolicking around the field. But adding some structure at the start and end of your walks will help set your dog up for success and a much more enjoyable walk for both human & hound. 🐕 Here’s my pack walkers demonstrating how we start our walks - strengthening our impulse control, respecting each other’s space all whilst co-existing in a calm manner.

Some goals for 2024.. ✨ Fulfilment. Do more of what makes you & your dog happy. 📵 Often on walks I see people staring down at their phone and not being present. It’s easy for work and life to get in the way but don’t let it be a thief to the quality time we spend with our dogs. 💫 If you set yourself one small goal to start the year let it be that you fully embrace your surroundings during a walk and engage with your dog. 🪴 Building a safe and trusting relationship with your dog through engagement will strengthen your training, setting you & your dog up for success!

Reps reps and more reps..

How well does your dog really know a heel command? I see a lot of clients with dogs who have bad lead manners and lack of direction leaving their owners being dragged down the street. It’s the most common issue I work with before dogs are able to join my pack walks. Our step by step how to heel guide will be available online soon! If you’re local to Taunton you can book a private in person session. Bookings now open for Jan & Feb 🐕