Storm's Squad - Dog Training

22/11/2025

When touch issues aren't actually about the touch itself.

I had some fantastic questions during a free intro call the other day.

Their dog has touch issues, but intermittently. They have investigated the pain route and have worked with several other trainers and behaviourists, but they were still feeling there was a missing puzzle piece.

They explained that the previous behaviourists homework and setups (counterconditioning touch by having touch cause good things) was feeling like it had limited benefit, because their dog likes touch in many situations, and is generally keen to opt into optional easy touch in return for food, so when they did easy set ups seeing if their dog would opt in for a snack, he generally did with gusto!

This was seeming to have limited benefit in the situations where they NEEDED to touch him even when he said “no thank you” though. The optional reps meant that their dog was increasingly happy to SOMETIMES CHOOSE to get touched to earn some food, but if he chose not to, he would still escalate his aggressive choices.

They asked me what I can offer that is different to their previous homework, and the answer is that in this instance, the issue isn't the touch itself. It is related to chronic stress, and it is also more about the control of the touch than the touch itself.

For this dog, who loves touch on his own terms, but will choose aggression when touched not on his own terms, doing reps only on the dog's terms is missing the core of the issue!

If your dog also loves touch (on their terms/when in a good mood), but changes when you initiate the touch (especially if you have any intention to do something), then it's not a touch issue, it is a control issue. If your dog is in this category, trainer advice is crucial, but there absolutely are so many factors that the mainstream dog training and behaviour world is still missing.

If this sounds like your dog, start by checking out the stranger danger and touch sensitivity roadmap on the Honest Hounds app, or for 1:1 customised advice, book a free discovery call - link in comments

20/11/2025

19/11/2025

He's currently staying for assessment and work on his resource guarding tendencies with me, but in the right home (who want an active, feisty, determimed outdoors companion (he did not get the classic cavapoo memo) and who are willing to put work into this pocket sized big dog, he has huge potential. He is a joy to train and walk - but really does need boundaries and is not a couch potato.

Cavapoo Seeking Experienced Home

This brilliant 10 month old Cavapoo is looking for a new home due to a genuine and significant change in his owners’ personal circumstances. He has been receiving professional behavioural support since 5 months of age, and his current guardians have worked hard with him throughout an extremely challenging period involving full-time care for three elderly parents.

He’s not your typical Cavapoo. He’s an energetic, outdoorsy, adventurous little dog who can keep up with the bigger dogs on all kinds of terrain. He’ll thrive with an active home that can offer structure, boundaries, and ongoing training (support provided from our team if you wish.)

He had some early resource guarding tendencies around food, space, and his favourite person. These have been caught early and are very workable, but he must go to a home that understands canine behaviour and won’t inadvertently worsen things by babying him. Managed correctly, he’s set to become a fantastic, capable companion.

If you’re looking for a small dog with a working-dog mindset, who loves activity and will reward good handling with heaps of potential, this little lad may be the perfect match.

Enquiries from experienced homes welcome.

14/11/2025

If we let this behaviour continue to be practised, this young dog is extremely likely to be attacked at some point when he does this to the wrong dog out in public.

It's much kinder in my mind to teach him that he cannot hump everything he wants to with the safety of dogs I know, rather than letting him learn a much harsher lesson from a random dog out in public who won't tolerate this.

Letting this rude behaviour get practised more is a surefire way for this stressy, hormonal adolescent to go down the reactive route, instead of the polite route.

07/11/2025

My dog was attacked...

but that isn't the main reason he has developed a low level of dog reactivity.

The pressure for dog trainers to have perfect dogs/not ask for help from other trainers or behaviourists is something lots of us feel.

I have long been extremely open about my whole history with Storm, but that was easier, as she is (a) a rehome who arrived with her aggression already, and (b) by the time I felt comfortable sharing our journey, it was because we were making huge progress, and on an amazing upward trajectory.

As many of you know. I have a second dog. Minsc, who is a goofy, intense, handsome, clever, hardworking and hilarious dog. 

He also has the tendency that many shepherds do to pick up on stress from his humans, and our household's humans have been really, really stressed recently. There is also the additional factor that I do bring stressed and aggressive dogs into our home regularly for rehabilitation, and that isn't something that can be taken lightly. 

We know how crucial is is for Storm's ongoing mental wellbeing to not use her as an emotional support dog (putting that weight of responsibility hangs heavily on her, and when I am stressed, her stress noticeably increases).

What neither my husband or I realised for a little while was that Minsc was subtly being affected by this stress too, in particular from seeing behavioural dogs try to bite me, from an unrelated incident where Minsc was attacked, and from my husband accidentally using Minsc as a bit of an emotional support dog. 

Both of those things are a really hard role to ask a working line shepherd to just handle without being affected, and it was affecting him - he has started to become a little pessimistic/defensive around unknown dogs, and bolshy/pushy/herdy with known dogs.

If I wanted to bury my head in the sand, I'd say that all of the dog issues were caused by being attacked, but that is simply not the case. It IS one factor, but by no means the only one.

31/10/2025

Two part question - firstly what do you OBSERVE in their body langauge in the first and second clips (describe their tails, ears, body tension, any hackles).

Secondly, what do you conclude from your observations, what do you think this conversation is, and are you concerned by it / would you interrupt each situation?

31/10/2025

Two part question - firstly what do you OBSERVE in their body langauge (describe their tails, ears, body tension, any hackles).

Secondly, what do you conclude from your observations, what do you think this conversation is, and are you concerned by it / would you interrupt?

15/10/2025

09/10/2025

Should you back off when a dog growls?

It depends!

If they aren't muzzled, then yes you should in the moment, for safety.

But, you then need to work on their muzzle training, and ensure you have a muzzle on them in ANY future situations where this could arise. This liberal and pre-emptive muzzle use stops you needing to go with what works in the moment for safety (backing off) even when this might compound your dog's issues.

Now, assuming that you have a dog who is wearing a muzzle and they growl at you, what should you do?

IT. STILL. DEPENDS.

It depends on the dog's motivation for growling.

It depends if the growl is at the "good" or "bad" end of the behaviour spectrum for that indicvidual dog (if they'd normally deliver bites, but only growl on this occasion, then wahey, what a great choice from them, reward it for now (the goalposts will change in time).

If the worst they do is growl, and they have simply learned that threatening aggression with a growl always gets them what they want, then it kay be more appropriate to NOT give in to that growl.

Any threat of aggression needs to be taken seriously, and on a case by case basis. If a prefessional gives you lots of "always" or "never" statements, be very, very wary.

At , all of the affiliate trainers will explain to you the WHY behind what we recommend for you and your dog. In cases involving any aggression, this is an iterative process, and the "what to do" will change as your dog progresses.