A Game of Dogs

  • Home
  • A Game of Dogs

A Game of Dogs Simple solutions for common dog behaviour, puppy classes, 1-2-1 training. Fully insured, first aid trained.
(9)

Had fun with this lovely lot today. An excitable family of dogs to say the least but hopefully I have given their owners...
03/06/2024

Had fun with this lovely lot today. An excitable family of dogs to say the least but hopefully I have given their owners the tools to keep these a bit calmer , the household a bit quieter & hopefully the neighbours happier. Looking forward to working with them all again soon 😊

Well yes I have been a bit rubbish updating this page & sharing pics of the lovely dogs & their owners I have been lucky...
03/04/2024

Well yes I have been a bit rubbish updating this page & sharing pics of the lovely dogs & their owners I have been lucky to work with. Today was little Archie, cute as a button but has a huge personality and does take a bit of time to relax in his surroundings and is a bit reactive when out on his daily walks. We did some fantastic work with him and his owner, Arche showed some lovely engagement, even with the distraction of other dogs. We also discussed his obsession with sheep so we talked about doing a bit of habituation. Basically placing yourself at a safe place from sheep so he can observe & basically work it out for himself. Apart from holding the end of the lead the owner doesn't get involved. He may jump, cry, bounce around, get his adrenaline up but then he can learn to bring it down until everything is just very boring. The first time may take a long time but that time will lessen until one day, no reaction. Us humans getting involved can often heighten the situation and then a behaviour is learnt & worsens everytime.

Today's training session was with miniature Dachshund, Mia & her owner Lee. These little dogs are extremely popular thes...
18/03/2024

Today's training session was with miniature Dachshund, Mia & her owner Lee. These little dogs are extremely popular these days but recall can be an issue, after all the dachshund was bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals. The miniature dachshund was bred to hunt small animals such as rabbits. So they can get distracted very easily by a good smell. So today we worked on getting Mia's attention & then getting that recall sorted which she did amazingly. Hopefully I've given Lee a few tools to work with so that recall keeps getting better.

03/03/2024

Everyone who is thinking of getting dogs should read this because you need to understand this reality:

***I am a 21st century dog.***
-I'm a Malinois.
Overskilled among dogs, I excel in all disciplines and I'm always ready to work: I NEED to work.
But nowadays I get asked to chill on the couch all day everyday.

-I am an Akita Inu.
My ancestors were selected for dog fighting.
Today I get asked to be tolerant and I get scolded for my reactivity when another approaches me.

-I am a Beagle.
When I chase my prey, I raise my voice so the hunters could follow.
Today they put an electric collar on me to shut up, and you make me come back to you - no running - with a snap of your fingers.

-I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a terrifying rat hunter in English mines.
Today they think I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.

-I'm a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dive into a pond to bring back the duck he shot to my master.
Today you forget I'm a walking, running, swimming dog; as a result I'm fat, made to stay indoors, and to babysit.

-I am a Jack Russell.
I can take on a fox, a mean badger, and a rat bigger than me in his den.
Today I get scolded for my character and high energy, and forced to turn into a quiet living room dog.

-I am a Siberian Husky.
Experienced the great, wide open spaces of Northern Europe, where I could drag sleds for long distances at impressive speeds.
Today I only have the walls of the house or small garden as a horizon, and the holes I dig in the ground just to release energy and frustration, trying to stay sane.

-I am a border collie
I was made to work hours a day in partnershipwith my master, and I am an unmistakable artist of working with the herd.
Today they are mad at me because, for lack of sheep, I try to check bikes, cars, children in the house and everything in motion.

I am ...
I am a 21st century dog.
I'm pretty, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I stay in a bag...but I'm also an individual who, from centuries of training, needs to express my instincts, and I am *not* suited for the sedentary life you'd want me to lead.
Spending eight hours a day alone in the house or in the garden - with no work and no one to play or run with, seeing you for a short time in the evening when you get home, and only getting a small toilet walk will make me deeply unhappy.
I'll express it by barking all day, turning your yard into a minefield, doing my needs indoors, being unmanageable the rare times I'll find myself outside, and sometimes spending my days sunk, sad, lonely, and depressed, on my pillow.
You may think that I should be happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work, but actually I’ll be exhausted and frustrated, because this is absolutely NOT what I'm meant to do, or what I need to be doing.
If you love me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athletic look make you want me, but you can't give me a real dog's life, a life that's really worth living according to my breed, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes are asking, DO NOT buy or adopt me!
If you like the way I look but aren't willing to accept my temperament, gifts, and traits derived from long genetic selection, and you think you can change them with only your good will, then DO NOT BUY OR ADOPT ME.
I’m a dog from the 21st century, yes, but deep inside me, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided and protected a herd still lives within.
So think **very** carefully before you choose your dog. And think about getting two, rather than one, so I won't be so very lonely waiting for you all day. Eight or ten hours is just a workday to you, but it's an eternity for me to be alone.

At last a dry day! Anybody who wants to get their dogs recall or reactive behaviour a bit more under control before thos...
26/02/2024

At last a dry day! Anybody who wants to get their dogs recall or reactive behaviour a bit more under control before those summer months. Think of lovely relaxing walks with your dog on a beautiful sunny day. If you have a problem, call me 😊

So, I'm back doing what I love doing alongside my job at Witten Park Vets. My first training session since moving to Dev...
22/02/2024

So, I'm back doing what I love doing alongside my job at Witten Park Vets. My first training session since moving to Devon & I was incredibly lucky to work with the lovely Bryn, a large male Cane Corso & Clare his lovely but long suffering owner! Bryn has a few issues, he's super reactive, dogs, people, cyclists in fact whatever he chooses. Which is tough because he is such a big, strong dog. For our first session we worked on Bryn getting a bit more focused on Clare, giving him plenty of feedback & letting him know when his behaviour was correct by plenty of reward. Also a bit of change in Clare's body language made a world of difference. He's far from being perfect & we have lots to work on but I'm confident we'll get there with him. Sadly his last trainer recommended having him Put to sleep so let's hope we continue to make positive steps.

16/09/2023

Although I no longer have my dog training business due to moving to Devon. I highly recommend that if you are an owner of an XL Bully or similar type. Get them muzzle trained now! It will save you a lot of problems. Lots of trainers online offering advice but I very highly recommend Chirag Patel he has many videos online explaining how to muzzle train, stress free

People often ask what is the most popular dog I see. Certainly in my puppy classes it's Cockerpoos. Funnily enough a goo...
20/12/2021

People often ask what is the most popular dog I see. Certainly in my puppy classes it's Cockerpoos. Funnily enough a good friend of mine has some looking for a 🏠 if you are interested please DM me. Based in Chobham

Got to work with this lovely boy. 18 month rescue collie who doesn't know his name. He's had several! Meet Dec 😘 a super...
10/11/2021

Got to work with this lovely boy. 18 month rescue collie who doesn't know his name. He's had several! Meet Dec 😘 a super intelligent boy who just needs to settle into his new home. Lots of games, engagement exercises for him. Keeping his brain active. Have advised to keep training to short bursts, including scent work & adding obstacles for him to go round & step up onto on command. Looking forward to seeing how he progresses.

10/11/2021

So I recently did a post about Frank the boxer & his serious lack of recall. Well a little update. Frank is doing really well. It's been hard work & he's annoyed a few people along the way but we are getting there. It's not 100%. I have done it purely by letting him off & doing countless recalls & rewarding him by letting him go straight back to freedom. As I said before, even on those occasions when it has taken a bit of time to get them back, resist the urge to put them straight on the lead (obviously in some situations you do have to put them on the lead) Be happy, be exciting, be the person your dog wants to be with 😊

The dog in the picture is a gorgeous, young male boxer called Frank. Now Frank has zero recall. Actually, I lie. Frank h...
02/10/2021

The dog in the picture is a gorgeous, young male boxer called Frank. Now Frank has zero recall. Actually, I lie. Frank has great recall in a training environment but take him out to the woods & it's goodbye Frank. So how do we deal with this. According to social media, Frank should never be off the lead. Frank should be trained until he's allowed off the lead. Unfortunately many dogs & their owners get a seriously hard time on social media if they are not 100% but it may be controversial me saying this, a dog trainer but dogs make mistakes & a young hormonal male dog is not a robot with an off switch. Over the last 2 weeks, Frank's recall has improved but it's far from perfect & when he does run off & I get him back, I have to resist every fibre in my body and not put him on the lead. What does that teach him. He comes back & all fun is ended. Enjoy your dogs but don't beat yourself up if they are not perfect, despite the keyboard warriors 😊

I've been very bad at updating this page at the mo. I have been super busy with lots of new dogs. Looking forward to a q...
01/10/2021

I've been very bad at updating this page at the mo. I have been super busy with lots of new dogs. Looking forward to a quiet weekend. Have a good weekend & enjoy your dogs 🐕

I have been so bad updating this page at the moment. I'm taking a bit of a break from puppy classes at the moment but st...
09/09/2021

I have been so bad updating this page at the moment. I'm taking a bit of a break from puppy classes at the moment but still offering 1-2-1 sessions. I've met some great dogs the last couple of weeks, dealing with all sorts of issues including lead pulling, recall & barking. Keep them coming!

Good morning everyone. It's been a quiet week. Orla had her spay op last week so I have been busy trying to keep her qui...
01/09/2021

Good morning everyone. It's been a quiet week. Orla had her spay op last week so I have been busy trying to keep her quiet but entertained. I believe the squirrels of Chobham have had a good week knowing she's on the lead! Sorry squirrels, off lead exercise will resume!

Another busy week but I've been a bit useless at putting pics up! This week saw another puppy course come to an end. I l...
20/08/2021

Another busy week but I've been a bit useless at putting pics up! This week saw another puppy course come to an end. I loved this group, sadly I haven't got pics of everyone.

Look how much little Twix the Golden Doodle has grown! Had another 1-2-1 with him today & we did our first lead walking ...
06/08/2021

Look how much little Twix the Golden Doodle has grown! Had another 1-2-1 with him today & we did our first lead walking session. Such a clever chap who learns so quickly. He is doing great and his family have worked hard with him & have had great results.

Just saying 😁
05/08/2021

Just saying 😁

So for the last few weeks I have been working with a beautiful GSD & her lovely owner Sarah. Now Ziggy is a super reacti...
26/07/2021

So for the last few weeks I have been working with a beautiful GSD & her lovely owner Sarah. Now Ziggy is a super reactive dog. The first week I met her I couldn't get within 2 metres of her but I soon realised her barking, lunging, snarling & lip curling was down to her just being an anxious dog. She's actually very sweet but people & dogs are just too much for her. We had a great break through this evening with very minimal reaction to another dog. Nick & the fabulous Franco stood in as stooge dog this evening and both dogs were outstanding & eventually walked beautifully together & Ziggy carried out commands such as recall, sits & down within touching distance of Franco 😊

Make your dog walks fun. Use the environment & get your dogs standing or sitting on logs or park benches (if they aren't...
24/07/2021

Make your dog walks fun. Use the environment & get your dogs standing or sitting on logs or park benches (if they aren't too dirty! 🐾) get them working for rewards, engage with your dogs & commands such as recall will fall into place & they will enjoy it & so will you. Enjoy your walks this weekend

Happy weekend everyone. Enjoy the sun 🌞 but keep your dogs cool x
17/07/2021

Happy weekend everyone. Enjoy the sun 🌞 but keep your dogs cool x

Oh Twix, how so very cute you are 😘. Had the privilege to work with this adorable Golden Doodle who arrived with his for...
09/07/2021

Oh Twix, how so very cute you are 😘. Had the privilege to work with this adorable Golden Doodle who arrived with his forever family on Weds. So today we went over toilet training, distraction noise & managed to fit in learning sit & down. Looking forward to working with this boy in the future

Had a great morning session with the lovely Indy. She's nearly 8 months & just getting to what I call the 'Kevin & Perry...
09/07/2021

Had a great morning session with the lovely Indy. She's nearly 8 months & just getting to what I call the 'Kevin & Perry' stage! A bit of a stroppy teenager so she's lost her, what was a great recall in the presence of other dogs. So today we worked on sits with a distance & the 'middle' command. I often find when the recall fails, having another strong command can often bring them back to you, getting them 'back in the room' if you like.

Spaces still available for puppy/beginners class starting 13th July at 7pm in Chobham. A fun, relaxed training environme...
05/07/2021

Spaces still available for puppy/beginners class starting 13th July at 7pm in Chobham. A fun, relaxed training environment for you & your dog 🐕

6 dogs & 1 narrow path 😊. Morning walkies with my lot & Toby the lab came along too
01/07/2021

6 dogs & 1 narrow path 😊. Morning walkies with my lot & Toby the lab came along too

New puppy/beginners class starting!! Tues 13th July @ 7pm. Based in Chobham, 6 weeks of fun learning for you & your four...
25/06/2021

New puppy/beginners class starting!! Tues 13th July @ 7pm. Based in Chobham, 6 weeks of fun learning for you & your four legged family member

Lola the boxer having a little dip after her training session. This girl is doing so well & her behaviour was impeccable...
25/06/2021

Lola the boxer having a little dip after her training session. This girl is doing so well & her behaviour was impeccable in a busy environment amongst other dogs, displaying excellent recall & other commands her owner Lou asked of her

19/06/2021

The emergency stop. A handy little tool to have, just think you're in your kitchen & that bottle of wine slips out of your hand & smashes everywhere, you make a fuss. Dog comes running in & you shout stop before he stands on the glass. This video is Orla on the common, stopping on command.

17/06/2021

Not a great video as had to rest phone on tree but having some fun with my pack, now its a bit cooler. Orla & Shelby displaying their 'go rounds' on our walk. People always say they want a dog that comes back when called & walks nicely on the lead & it all comes down to engagement. This is a great example of engaging with your dog. Enjoy your walks today 😊

Check out these two 😍. Romanian rescue pups Lily & Poppy. We had our second training session today & boy these two are s...
16/06/2021

Check out these two 😍. Romanian rescue pups Lily & Poppy. We had our second training session today & boy these two are smart cookies. Lovely to see them fitting into a loving home environment and loving life.

Great to see this girl again. Lovely Lola the boxer who attended one of my puppy courses. We had a 1-2-1 session today w...
16/06/2021

Great to see this girl again. Lovely Lola the boxer who attended one of my puppy courses. We had a 1-2-1 session today working on a few new commands, including the emergency stop. Which she nailed ❤

Address


GU248PX

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when A Game of Dogs 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 A Game of Dogs:

Videos

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Telephone
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Business
  • Videos
  • Claim ownership or report listing
  • Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service?

Share