That'll Do Academy - Martina Miradoli

04/11/2024

🥶 WINTER MODULE! Thinking Games for indoor training ❄️

Are you the owner of a busy dog??

Are you dreading the short days and the bad weather that winter brings?

Are you asking yourself? How am I going to tire my dog out during winter and keep their brain occupied?

I am not going to suggest to use food puzzles or chews that’s not what tire border collie out!

What I can help you with is to create a plan for winter training that doesn’t require a lot of space and a lot of expensive equipment!

In the collie club, my online Academy, we are starting a a winter module that is called thinking games!

I’m going to give you a new video tutorial weekly to progress you through games that are suitable to your dog out in small spaces even in the winter nights !

The doors are open for you to join for one month three months six months or 12 months on a repeated subscription !

Do you want to know more? Drop me a message or follow the link:

https://thatlldoacademy.thrivecart.com/collie-club/

30/10/2024

🐾 Discovery Calls Now Available – Book Your Spot to start in November or for the New Year! 🐾

I'm excited to announce that I'm now offering free 20-minute discovery calls only until until the 9th December! If you’re ready to discuss your dog’s behaviour, training goals, or just interested about how to keep them mentally and physically engaged, this is for you.

Here’s what we can work together on:

🐶 Understanding and addressing specific behaviour or training challenges
🐾 Making a plan for a future dog – whether you’re preparing for a new puppy or a rescue
🧠 Finding the perfect job for your dog to keep them happy and fulfilled
📏 Basic obedience training: recall, focus, settle, and more
❤ Puppy Training: to do it right from the beginning
🐕 Controlling and understanding herding or chasing behaviours
🎓 We can also discuss my two available memberships: the Collie Club or Puppy Training Diary to support your journey remotely and train along with me.

Spaces are limited, so don’t miss out! Book now to end this year or start the New Year strong with your dog. 🐾

https://calendly.com/martina-thatlldoacademy/discovery-calls

29/10/2024

Had a fantastic conversation with Helen about one of the most important (and often overlooked) aspects of dog training: arousal! We dove into why it's crucial to understand both the dog’s and handler’s arousal levels to bring out the best in dog sports and training. We covered everything from the unique challenges with working breeds like Border Collies to how over-arousal can sometimes impact their performance.

Helen shared some great insights on balancing physical health, the right kinds of exercise, and building handler awareness to support dogs in a compassionate, effective way. Understanding a dog’s physical and emotional needs is key to a positive training journey!

We also got real about the expectations vs. reality of dog ownership. From how to handle different types of arousal and reactivity, to why mental stimulation and free movement are so essential, to the role of medication for some dogs—it was a truly eye-opening chat.

If you want to know more about Hélène coaching programs, follow her on Facebook:
⁠https://www.facebook.com/helenelawlercoaching⁠

Listen to the new Podcast Episode here:

https://thatlldoacademy.com/episode-76-optimal-arousal-with-helene-lawler/

26/10/2024

Tali is 13 weeks old!

What has she learned in the last few weeks with us?

- her name
- to walk on a harness and long line
- to eat in her pen
- to be in kennels a couple of hours at the time
- to sleep all night
- she saw a train
- she has seen cars but not very often and still not too sure about them
- she saw our neighbours cattle and after an initial bark she got over it
- she met a few new dogs
- she has learned new noises like the quad, the trailer, the kitchen appliances, the hoover
- she has started basic shaping and exercises but we haven’t done much training yet (life has been a bit busy)
- she has learned how to play and retrieve a toy
- she is learning about the other dogs and who she can play and who she is better leaving alone …

Most of it it’s not actual “training” but they are the most important things for a puppy. It’s life, experiences and learning to process new things 😄

What are the most important things for you when you are thinking about the first few weeks with your puppy?

Ps: our puppy training diary is still open if you want to join us!

https://thatlldoacademy.thrivecart.com/puppy-training-diary/

24/10/2024

Who else has a dog that counter surf?

We have at least 3… I maybe can think of 4, out of 8 dogs and one is too short to reach yet 🤣

This annoying house issue is brought up many times in the list of problems that humans have with the dogs in their household . The reality is that 50% of dog counter surfing it’s probably a good representation of what’s happening in at least half of the houses with dogs, especially if this dogs are over certain size..

How do you train dogs out of counter surfing?

Dogs are scavengers and opportunists so if they find a way to get food very easily, food that normally is forbidden to them, and get themselves a free snack, they will try.

If your dog is able to put their paws up on the counter and find food to steal there is no training on its own that is going to stop what is just dog nature. What is going to stop that behaviour is you putting management place so that this behaviour doesn’t happen often or even better doesn’t happen again for a very long time , if your dog jumps up on the counter and doesn’t find any food over and over and over again every time and when they move away from the counter you reward them with a treat in a bowl on the opposite side of the room for example or reward them when they make the decision to go and sit on a platform or bed that you position on the other side of the room eventually they will learn a new behaviour. The counter will fade in favour of offering you a sitting behaviour or moving towards the bowl placed in a strategic position away from your counter.

Consistency is key so if you can’t control what’s on the counter or you can’t keep an eye your dog while you’re cooking the best way is to avoid completely to have your dog in the same room when food is available to avoid reinforce in the behaviour in any form.

There is no magic formula, there is no word you will say that will stop an instinctive behaviour and like scavenging so many other similar behaviours that are nature of the dog itself.

The list is endless. You need to learn to manage your dog in the environment where the behaviour has a chance to be reinforced while working on the new more acceptable behaviour.

Ps: a picture of a dog that yesterday stole the remaining of my smoked salmon and today got hold of a slice of bread 🤣

22/10/2024

Puppy training is the most important part of your dog life, it’s where you put in all the foundation that are going to build your dog future behaviour.

If I could be part of all my students puppy training I know that 99% of them would not develop the behaviour problems that they have to deal with in other lessons and adult life.

I want to make puppy training accessible and I want to show you exactly how I do it and that’s why I decided to run this membership that is going to run on a private Facebook as well as on a hub, but I’m going to upload all the training sessions I will do with my puppy.

This is what you get by joining my puppy training day membership :

- Access to a private Facebook group where I’m going to upload at least three videos per week if not
- impromptu live training session follow up by Q&A if you’re watching
- live chat on zoom or on the Facebook group where we can discuss puppy training behaviour and anything that can help you supporting your
- you will have access to this material forever on a Facebook group and on the
- bonus content of the training I’m still doing with Kite which is my older puppy that is just entering adolescence

To join me on the mini membership, you will pay only £15 a month (breaking it down for the next 12 months of content)for a total of £180 to have access forever to the content of my training.

You can also pay with six months instalments or three months instalments. The reason I don’t do shorter membership is because to see really my program and my training philosophy you have to stay in for the full journey and I assure you it will be worth it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a puppy right now because you will have access to the same content even for your future puppies and I’m sure a lot of the things I’m going to do are going to be useful for your other lessons or young adult dogs too.

If you are a dog professional, you can improve your understanding of border collies and how they’re working brain effects and influences the training that we plan for them.

Join as soon as you can to not miss out any content and to see where our journey takes us.

https://thatlldoacademy.thrivecart.com/puppy-training-diary/

19/10/2024

Join us for this theory and practical workshop designed specifically for pet professionals who wish to deepen their understanding of herding traits in Border Collies and similar breeds.

This one-day training event will equip you with the knowledge and skills to better support your clients with these remarkable, yet often misunderstood, dogs.

Workshop Highlights:

🐾 History and Modern Use of Border Collies: Delve into the origins of this extraordinary breed and learn how their roles have evolved over time.
🐾 Working Abilities: Gain insight into the innate working abilities of Border Collies and what makes them such exceptional herding dogs.
🐾 Live Demonstration: Witness a real demonstration of my dogs working on sheep. I will be transparent about the challenges faced during the process, providing you with a realistic understanding of herding training.
🐾 Alternative Herding Activities: I will share my perspective on various alternative herding activities that can be beneficial for these breeds.
🐾 Hands-On Experience: You will have the unique opportunity to work with one of my dogs, helping you to better understand the pressure and drive inherent in herding breeds.
🐾 Kinder Training Methods: As one of the few trainers who advocates for force-free methods when working with pet or sport dogs on sheep, I will share my approach on these . I will also discuss with you where pressure and force free can go together in training herding and why it's important to understand that
🐾 Last but not least we will discuss how to prevent and help clients that struggle with herding behaviours in their working bred border collies

https://thatlldoacademy.thrivecart.com/collie-traits-petpro/

18/10/2024

Raising a puppy properly is a full-time job and like every job it does need skills and knowledge.

The majority of dog owners don’t employ the guidance of the dog trainer when they have a puppy thinking that they will leave the chance to pay for a dog trainer if their dog develops a problem.

Knowing how to raise a woking bred puppy with high drive and breeding traits that can develop into severe behaviour issues if you are unaware how to avoid them or even how to spot them before they become a bigger problem is the best investment you can do when you get a new puppy.

I’m raising my 6th Border Collie puppy, I have owned them for 20 years and I have been helping hundreds of Border Collie owners raising their puppies I’m finally going to give you a guide on how to raise your Border Collie puppy and show you exactly how I do it!

Do you want to know more? Comment with PUPPY and I will send you the link to learn more!!!!

11/10/2024

Puppies and food motivation.

It is hard for new owners to understand how important it is to start their puppies on the right track when it comes to food motivation . We as humans struggle with the idea of not eating and if we have a person that doesn’t want to eat something we cooked them something else we want them to be happy, well fed, and know that they are taking care of.

Our immediate feeling is to make sure that our new puppies eat exactly the quantity we have in mind and amount of times we would like them to eat so what happens very often when there is a puppy that is not be immediately motivated on food is that we try to get them to eat by changing brand, adding tasty toppers, try to engage with the puppy and the food to make sure that they actually eat when we want them to eat, because of course they need their food to grow healthy and strong.

The problem is that we actually create sometimes bad habits in our little puppies that will then transfer to our adolescent dogs when it’s time to actually train them with food and help them performing behaviours and reinforce behaviours we want them to learn.

Tali is not super food motivated, she will take food when I offer it most of the time from my hand, but she’s not a puppy that will eat all her food when you put it down, especially in the morning or if her meals are too close to each other. I normally feed my puppies four times a day until there’ll be bigger and then I go down to 3 times a day until they’re six months old and then I go down to twice a day but Tally doesn’t want to eat four times a day and she’s normally skipping at least one of the four meals I offer her and at the moment she’s not eating at the times I have planned for her so she eat at different times then my other dogs for example.

Am I worrying about it? Absolutely not. Am I forcing her to eat by hand feeding her? Maybe I use one of her meals for training and I know that if I’m training her, she will take it. Am I changing brand of food or adding topping to make sure she eats when I want her to eat? No.

She still adjusting and she still learning when to eat and she’s probably not doing enough exercise because she still very small and she’s growing well and she’s not thin so I do not worry if she’s not eating the amount of food I am planning her to eat.

Don’t put pressure on your puppies to eat the food as long as they are healthy and growing. I wouldn’t put pressure on them at the risk of putting them off food and treats forever!

10/10/2024

Tank 🤩 has started his training journey with me today to help him with some adolescence type behaviours and car reactivity!

We will be working on building his confidence and his ability to make positive associations with the things he is scared of.

Previous his owner was suggested a slip lead and correction every time he reacted and not only this has not worked but has possibly made his behaviour worse… why would you “correct “ a dog that is telling you that is scared and uncomfortable and that’s why he is communicating with reactivity behaviours? It’s still beyond me!
Thankfully his owners had the same thought and decided to move away from that plan.

Looking forward to see how this clever little guy improves!!!!

09/10/2024

While I’m raising my own puppy I feel the need to share my program in person, as well as online (I’m doing a free week training at the moment!)

Who would be up for a puppy class on Tuesday morning at 10 am, pen to any breed!

We won’t be doing boring sits and stays but rather we will be building on:

🙌🏻 confidence
🙌🏻 focus
🙌🏻 engagement
🙌🏻 thinking skills
🙌🏻 recall
🙌🏻 play

Suitable for dogs that have plenty of energy, wants to train for any sport, working breeds that need to channel prey drive and use their brain.

Only 4 puppies so spaces will fill fast!

Location: Over Wyresdale, Lancashire
6 weeks, £90, starting date TBC after I have some interest.
Get in touch to book a space 🤩😁

07/10/2024

Today we start the Puppy Diary Training Week! Have you signed up?

I have just posted my intro video where I explain what I do the first week my puppy is home...

Bringing a new puppy home is such an exciting time, but it’s also important to get things off to a good start. Here are some simple steps to help you settle in with your new furry friend during the first week.

🌟Spend Time Together: Getting to know your puppy is key. Spend time playing and bonding with them to help build trust and create a strong connection.

🌟Toilet Training: Start toilet training right away. Be patient and consistent, taking your puppy outside frequently so they begin to understand where to go.

🌟Explore the House: Allow your puppy to explore their new home. Whether you’re crate training or just helping them get familiar with the space, it’s important to help them feel comfortable.

🌟Introducing Other Animals: If you have other pets, take things slowly. Give your puppy time to meet the other animals in a calm and controlled way.

🌟Positive Food Associations: Teach your puppy to take treats from your hand without asking for anything at first. This helps them see food as something positive, building good associations.

🌟Reward Good Behaviour: Whenever your puppy does something you like, reward them! Whether it’s with treats, praise, or a cuddle, positive reinforcement will help them understand what you like.

You are still in time to sign up!

https://thatlldoacademy.com/puppy-training-facebook-challenge/

02/10/2024

"You should really appreciate and respect the breed you're getting."

NEW PODCAST EPISODE WITH KAT from K9 Behaviour Consultancy

In this episode Kat and I discuss raising a working bred puppy, talking about the differences of raising them for work or to be pets (Is there really any??) and how to do it to avoid problems to arise!

Listen to the episode

https://thatlldoacademy.com/episode-75-raising-a-working-bred-puppy-with-kat-janczur/

01/10/2024

Puppies are not a blank canvas.
They come with loads of pre loaded behaviours!

- genetic predisposition
- health status
- the breeder job

When they come to you they already have attitude, temperament, habits, reinforced behaviours.

You need to identify what is good to keep and what we want to shape into something different to make our puppies suitable for this world, make the world safe for them and also start them on the path we will want to walk together, that being sport, work, assistant dog duties, pet life.

Sometimes you are given a difficult one that challenges your knowledge and life and sometimes you are blessed with an easy one that just want to stare at you!!

At times you can predict it and other times you can’t !

This time I was blessed!!! 😇
But that doesn’t mean I won’t be training her exactly the same as I did Kite! I will go through any training step needed so… join us to see how I start!!!

https://thatlldoacademy.com/puppy-training-facebook-challenge/

27/09/2024

Watch my chat with Danny from Tug-E-Nuff about play and Border Collies!

NEW EPISODE - this time with Border Collie expert, Martina Miradoli! 🧡

In this episode, we dive into - you guessed it - everything collie!

In this episode, we discuss:

🐾The crucial role of play in recall training
🐾 Understanding herding instincts in Collies
🐾 The truth about chasing (and the best thing to chase!)
🐾 Alternatives to fetch that curb ball obsession and improve focus
🐾 How to recognise and manage unwanted behaviours before they become bad habits

You can come and geek out with us and Martina here 👇

https://youtu.be/W-GvO12fBAQ?si=iYCU2hVifMZcmJJB

That'll Do Academy - Martina Miradoli 🙂🧡👏

26/09/2024

Puppy update!

It’s been a very full on three days and not because of this little midget but because between a new puppy, the other dogs that still need exercise and attention, the farm and my job (plus my partner being sick) I haven’t had much time for anything else let alone social media content!

I’m writing down everything that is happening as that will be available for you to read or listen to (if I do a video) on the free facebook puppy diary challenge!

I’m going to start uploading so when the group opens on the 4th you have already material to learn from!

Have you not signed up yet?
Let me know in the comments and I’ll send you the link!

She is being amazing. Sleeping all night in the pen with the company of another dog in the same room, eating her food, being cool about everything and brining load of happiness and positive vibes!

24/09/2024

Let me introduce you… the new team member Tweeddale Tali ❤️

Tali is my first female after Abigail, my first ever Border Collie that left me in 2020.

I can already tell she is a special one!!!!
I’m going to document Tali’s life and training and I’m going to share it with you, starting with a week Facebook Training Challenge ❤️ where I’m going to go live and post videos with training and tips!

The challenge starts on the 7th, make sure to subscribe so you get to learn all our secrets 🤩

https://thatlldoacademy.com/puppy-training-facebook-challenge/

21/09/2024

Moss, the dog that made me the dog trainer I am today is 14 years old!

If you think that they eventually calm down 🤣 ask Moss ! His cheeky face tells it all 🤩

Wish Moss a Happy Birthday 🥳 I wish I was as strong as he is at 14!

I will record a podcast episode about Moss ❤️

20/09/2024

I would like to organise a workshop to introduce new teams to scent detection!

Who is scent detection for?

Any dog of any age! Any owner even the ones that don't have great fitness and cannot run around!

Scent detection is a great activity to make dogs work and focus on a task, so if you have a dog that need to burn energies but doesn't have a lot of work to do or cannot be off lead running around all day, this is what you need.

Comment if you would like to get started and I will sort a workshop date out for you! 😎

Location: LA2, Over Wyresdale

18/09/2024

I can finally announce my next FREE Facebook training challenge!!!

I haven't done anything like this before, as I usually offer solutions to problems that dog owners are experiencing, and you know where the problems originates? From the first year of your life with your dog!

It's not easy, it's not quick, training a dog takes time, months and the fewer mistakes you do the less you will have to work when they hit adolescence!

Puppy training is the most important stage in a dog life and up to know I haven't offered any puppy training support online. It's time we start!!!!

The cat is out of the bag... actually the puppy!! Yes, I'm getting a new puppy and I want to take you with me in this journey!

Sign up to enter my life as a dog training professional and all I do with my own puppy to learn from my experience, my skills and of course my mistakes too! I'm still human, like you.

The challenge will show you how to train a puppy, how to manage behaviour, what are the important things I work on and how I deal with problems and challenges!

What are you waiting for? Yes, It's FREE!

PS: the puppy will be introduced SOON! But not yet...

https://thatlldoacademy.com/puppy-training-facebook-challenge/

17/09/2024

🚨 New Podcast Episode! 🚨

Ever wondered if it’s good to let your Border Collie stare at things? 🤔 In this episode, I dive into the natural instincts of Border Collies and whether it’s healthy to encourage or manage their staring behavior. 🐾

Here’s what we cover:

👉Should you allow your Border Collie to stare?
👉Tips for pet dog owners and sport dog owners (even if you don’t have a farm).
👉Why it’s important for working-bred dogs to express their natural abilities.
👉The fine line between healthy instincts and obsessive behaviors.
👉Real-life examples of when staring is okay and when it can cause problems.
👉How to maintain control and balance your dog’s behavior in different situations (like during walks, playtime, or around livestock).

Tune in for some practical advice to keep your Border Collie happy, healthy, and mentally balanced! 🎧🐕💬

https://thatlldoacademy.com/episode-74-is-it-ok-to-let-my-border-collie-stalk/