30/08/2024
Happy Tongues out on Friday 🥰
Ringwood Dogs provides one to one Private Dog/Puppy Training, Pre-Puppy Visits and Group Classes.
(18)
Ringwood Dogs offers one-one private dog training, puppy manners courses, dog training courses, specialist doodle daycare and home dog boarding. One to One Private Training:
Offering training in the comfort of your own home, teach your dog/puppy the "8 Essential Commands" needed to become a well behaved member of your family including Focus, Sit, Down, Stay, Come, Leave It, Drop It, Heel. Problem
behaviours dealt with by Ringwood Dogs are Fear, Destructive Behaviour, Separation Anxiety, Inappropriate Toileting, Barking, General Bad Manners - (stealing, jumping, leash-pulling, mouthing, attention seeking etc). Pre-Puppy Visits:
Ringwood Dogs can assist before the puppy arrives. Get valuable and essential advice on how to set up the home appropriately, prepare for puppy's first night at home, discuss equipment the puppy will need, feeding and how to introduce the puppy to a resident dog, children, other pets etc. Puppy Manners Course:
Ringwood Dogs Puppy Manners Course is a six week course suitable for fully vaccinated puppies under the age of 20 weeks old. Each new course starts approximately every 3 weeks and you will learn all the essential commands in a class environment. They are a wonderful opportunity for your puppy to meet other puppies and owners in a fun class environment for an action packed training adventure! Teenage Loony Course:
Ringwood Dogs Teenage Loony Course is a six week course suitable for fully vaccinated teenage dogs over the age of 20 weeks old. They are a wonderful opportunity for your young dog to meet other dogs and owners in a fun class environment for an action packed training adventure! Ringwood Dogs Training Club:
Once your puppy or teenager has completed the Puppy Manners Class or the Teenage Loony Course, they will be ready to attend the classes on Saturday mornings in Bransgore. These classes are geared towards friendly dogs and older puppies where you can meet like-minded owners in a group class environment covering general obedience, socialisation, fun and games. Doodle Daycare / Boarding:
As the name suggests, we offer specialist breed daycare for Goldendoodles, Labradoodles, Spoodles, Cockapoos, Cavapoos, Schnoodles, Shihpoos, Maltipoos, Yorkipoos and of course all your perfect Poodles. Having owned and trained many a Doodle/Poodle over the years, you can be sure you will be placing your Doodle with someone who is experienced with the breed and their little idiosyncrasies. Dog Treats & Equipment:
Ringwood Dogs provides 100% Natural Treats & Chews, is an authorised stockist of KONG products, a stockist of biothane long lines and provides a variety of enrichment products and toys. Make your dog happy and sniff out what we have to offer via The Ringwood Dogs Shop on the website. About your Trainer:
Isabelle trained with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT) and is an Accredited Trainer and Full Member of the IMDT (with distinction). She is also a Full Member of the International Society of Animal Professionals (ISAP) and achieved an OCN Level III Accreditation “Principles of Dog Training and Behaviour”. As an Assessed and Qualified Member of The Institute of Modern Dog Trainers – Isabelle is proud to display the UK Dog Behaviour & Training Charter symbol, providing assurance and accountability to the public and other professional bodies.
Happy Tongues out on Friday 🥰
LOOSE LEASH WALKING
In this picture you can see the dogs out in front. I am encouraging them to be in this position as as are moving away quickly from the bustle of the forest carpark and I need them to get to a safe place promptly where I can let them off leash. But why do dogs pull on the leash......
Dogs naturally pull on the lead and there are a couple of reasons for this. By pulling on the lead, a dog is usually inadvertently rewarded by the owner in the form of forward movement. The dog pulls because pulling works in getting them to the place they want to go! The problem stems from the fact that the natural pace of most dogs is faster than the natural pace of the owner. The dog hits the end of the lead immediately and thus, self-teaches to pull. The other reason dogs pull, even to the point of gasping for breath in obvious discomfort, is that dogs have what is called an "opposition reflex". As soon as they feel pressure against their necks or chest, they reflexively lean into it. Lastly, think about how long your dog spends outside his or her home on average during their day – 1 hour, maybe 2 hours – your dog knows this and wants to get as much out of the walk as he/she can and gorges on the environment by pulling forward.
Despite what anyone tells you and unless you are using very aversive training methods. Dogs DO NOT learn to walk on a loose lead in one exercise. What usually happens is a gradual decrease in the attempt at pulling. There is no “quick fix” to pulling on the lead and the dog’s success will be mainly down to the owner's effort - so keep on practicing!
Slow is fast and fast is slow - the fastest way to train a dog, is to train it slowly!
It was Tongues Out On Tuesday for this group today 🤎🧡🧡🖤🧡
Another wonderful Puppy Manners Course comes to an end. Well done to Isa, Kobi, Suki, Aldo, Luna and Nina for gaining their obedience stripes.
Puppies you were ….
🌟 PAWTASTIC 🌟
Monday morning walk. It was 12C when we set off. First time this summer I’ve had to get out my coat. Hoping summer isn’t quite over yet….
The Story of Benji
This is Benji, I know him very well because he attends the training club on Saturdays. He is clever, comical, gives 100% and is friendly with all other dogs and humans 😍. He lives with a wonderful family which includes two horses 🐎 🐎 . Unfortunately, one day when he was out with his mum tending to the horses, he had a frightening experience with one of the horses. It wasn’t serious and Benji bounced back quickly, so the day continued as normal. But the following day, Benji was different, in Benji’s mind the horses were now his arch enemies 👿. As time progressed, little Benji changed from a happy go lucky dog around the horses to a barking, growling, lunging and sometimes snapping dog and his mum decided to call me in to help.
The video below is of how Benji is doing 5 days into training 🤩 and the video in the comments section is of Benji ahead of the consult ☹️. What a difference. This change was all achieved with positive reinforcement – counter conditioning and gradual desensitisation. We work at Benji’s threshold, never purposely pushing him beyond his capabilities or where he is not comfortable❤️.
The horses have been wonderful and gentle during his training journey, which has helped him enormously with his learning. He can even work with the racket going on in the background (a trigger for Benji before). That is Oreo kicking the stable door – Oreo is a dressage horse who quite frankly is a Prima-donna and thinks he is honestly the most important animal on earth, so is busy having a tantrum in the stable because the spotlight is not on him 😏🙄
Cases like this make me realise I was born to be a dog trainer because whenever someone tells you that you cannot change a behaviour without harsh methods, that is untrue, because Benji is proof that you can ❤️🐶❤️
Be The Change!
Today we welcome teeny tiny Honey who is staying for her holibobs. Honey is actually a Cockapoo but she’s the tiniest Cockapoo I’ve ever met. Perfect things come in small packages 😍
RESOURCE GUARDING
Resource guarding is a natural behaviour in dogs and to some degree happily 'sharing stuff' isn't a natural behaviour for dogs. Control and Management is CRITICAL because resource guarding can quickly become a learned behaviour that can progress to dogs giving fewer warning signals and displaying more serious resource guarding behaviours. Dogs are also very poor at generalising and so when you feel they have improved, a new person / dog / environment / situation comes into the mix and the dog immediately regresses to their guarding behaviour.
It is important to remember your dog is an animal and displays animalistic behaviours, just like any other animal. Humans view them as family members and most owners think they should be able to take a bone, sock, toy or any other item from their dog at will. Lots of owners think their dogs should be sharing nicely, as we humans have been taught to do so. But dogs, being predators, come with pre-programmed behaviours to guard resources that are important to them.
Tips to Prevent Resource Guarding:
🐶 Always trade with your dog. If you want them to give something up, offer them an amazing treat to "trade" the item back to you.
🐶 Teach a really solid "Leave It" cue. This means you can stop them before they sn**ch the item.
🐶 Teach a really solid "Drop It" cue. OK so they ignored the leave it cue and now you can move onto the drop it cue......
🐶 Don't set your dog up for failure. If you know they always steal the remote control. Please find a safe place to store it other than the coffee table of armchair.
🐶 If your dog has an item and he won't give it up. Move onto the "Counting Game". Keep dropping treats 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 until the dog feels 8 treats is worth dropping the sock for.
🐶 If it all goes wrong and your dog is getting very agitated - walk away. If he is not in danger, leave him to it until he loses interest in the item and moves away.
And last but not least we welcome Hattie back into daycare after the holidays.
Being Little Miss Independent - Hattie decided she didn’t want to get in line and be like all the other doodles. Oh no, she just wanted to do her own thang.
I took two photos, I gave up, I have a lot of work to do 😏😍
🖤🖤🖤
Phew…. it was hot hot hot today on our walk. We set off early and kept to the shade of the forest where the dogs had a gentle sniffari.
Let us know how your doggies are keeping cool in the heat 🌞
Fabulous classes today in the Saturday Training Club. Eight dogs, all off leash working in their own lane. That’s what you call “being on fire” 🔥 🐶
Well look at this gorgeous pupster. Monty the Old English Sheepdog. They’re on the vulnerable list in the UK and you don’t see a lot of this breed around. But I’ve had the pleasure of training 5 OES’s in this area.
He’s a cheeky puppy and has just been placed on our Master Puppy Package. No doubt he’ll be a “master” in obedience when he’s graduated 🖤 🤍 🖤
And last but not least today we welcomed back Hattie 🖤 and Roo 🧡 back into doodle daycare.
The sun has gone, the rain has started, that sunny holiday seemed a long time ago.
The boys are back in town 💙
Today we welcomed back Paddy into doodle daycare after the holidays.
Here he is front and centre absolutely delighted to be back in the fold 🤩
Ringwood Dogs is in love ❤️. Here is little Luna. She’s a tiny Cavapoo pup and I’ve been called in to help her settle into her new home.
She’s had a bit of a rocky start as she’s been suffering from a UTI infection but is now on antibiotics and on her way to feeling much better.
Oh my goodness she is adorable - a sensitive, attentive, bright little pup who has settled in well into a wonderful family home.
I think she’ll go far 🤩
Well after a lovely holiday in Majorca. Ringwood Dogs has returned home and very happy to be back working with the doggies.
It was wonderful to see Dudley back in doggy daycare today. My word was he happy to see his friends again and they were happy to see him.
They just picked up where they left off - a bit like old friends do 😍
🌞 HOT HOT HOT 🌞
There’s lots of advice out there about how to keep your dog safe in the heat and what activities to do. Here’s a few extra tips of what to do when it’s……..
🌞 HOT HOT HOT 🌞
🐶 Fans are good but remember they will only circulate the air in the room. It has been said that by placing a bowl of cold water or a wet towel in front of it will help to blow cooler air around the room.
🐶 Check your patio floor temperature. Use the back of your hand, if your hand gets hot quickly, so will their paw pads. Use old towels, or bed sheets. Soak in cold water and lay them over the top for your pooch to walk to rest on re-soaking them regularly.
🐶 If your doggy insists on sunbathing, try using either a children’s t-shirt or a baby grow with the arms and legs cut off, soak in cool water and put it on your dog. As it begins to dry out, just re-wet by pouring water over it with it on them. This can keep them cool and may prevent them from getting sun stroke. You can of course buy then a dog cool coat which works in the same way.
🐶 Ice cubes can be a controversial one. It is a choking hazard if given to them whole and some dogs are better at crunching them than others! However, you can place them in your dog’s water bowl to keep it cool.
🐶 Ice lollies/frozen smoothies are a really good idea. These should only be given under supervision. It is best to make these yourself using lolly moulds or in the form of a frozen KONG. I freeze natural yoghurt, kefir or broth.
🐶 Freeze a bowl of water with chopped up fruits/veggies to act as a licking activity. Good choices of fruit are berries, apple, bananas. Good choices of veggies are carrots, broccoli, peppers.
🐶 Cool mats are a popular one, don’t use these if your dog is a chewer, the jelly inside the mat is poisonous if ingested and make sure to give them a once over regularly for splitting.
🐶 If you have Lino on your kitchen floor, put down damp towels for your pooch to rest on. Tiles usually stay cooler which is why your dog chooses to rest there in the heat.
🐶 Raised dog beds allow air to flow underneath, keeping things cooler. You can also use them outside so your dog has the option to get off of the patio floor.
🐶 Put a large plastic soft drink bottle of water in the freezer and once frozen wrap in a towel and put at the back of their bed or sleeping area.
🐶 Keep the blinds closed if you can so the sun heat can’t pe*****te through and warm the room - this is good for humans too!
🐶 Try and supply a few extra bowls of cool water around the house and replenish regularly. Dogs drink MUCH more in the heat.
🐶 Don't panic if your pooch goes off their food. I know I never feel like eating when it’s too hot and neither do your dogs.
🐶 DO NOT walk your dog between the times of 8am and 6pm. A dog has NEVER died of NOT having a walk but there are plenty of dogs that DO die of heat related complications every year.
🐶 No matter how cool you feel it is out there. Remember your dogs are wearing a thick, sometimes long coat. They have no choice about it - they can’t just peel off the layers like we can. Make sure you carry drinking water with you on every walk. But as above if you’re out walking in shorts and T-shirts and you think it’s too hot. You can bet your dog thinks it’s even hotter!!
🐶 If you must walk your dog, check every different pathway you’re walking on. Concrete, tarmac, tiles, sand, artificial grass, gravel etc all carry different temperatures. Just because one feels ok, doesn’t mean they all feel the same temperature.
🐶 If you don’t have any shelter in your garden from the sun, you could try creating one. A cheap gazebo, beach brolly are good options or you could make your own using garden canes driven into the grass and an old single sheet, soaked in water and squeezed out, draped over the top.
🐶 If they're hot, and you think your dog needs cooling down quickly. Don't simply throw water over their head or back. Instead use cool water and soak their feet, belly, chest, groin and armpits. These areas get the hottest and dogs sweat through their paws pads and so by cooling these areas first, you’ve got a good chance of cooling your dog down faster.
Delighted Ringwood Dogs have achieved the Top 3 Dog Trainers spot in the area yet again from ThreeBestRated.co.uk 🤩
Celia Moss Dudley even made the cut in the photo they chose to use. 😍
https://threebestrated.co.uk/dog-trainers-in-new-forest
A lovely walk today. Old lady Poppy joined us too. Deaf, almost blind, 15 years old and still loving life.
I really couldn’t ask for more. I keep saying “quality over quantity” for darling Poppy but she still has it all 😍. Sat between the two most important boys in her life 💙💙
Another wonderful Puppy Manners Course comes to an end. Well done to Benji, Motsi, Otto, Archie, Bertie and Dottie for gaining their obedience stripes.
Puppies you were…..
⭐️ PAWTASTIC ⭐️
Perfectly Behaved Dogs
As a trainer, owners often think my own dogs are perfectly trained. But my dogs aren’t “perfectly” behaved ALL of the time.
🐶 They don’t always walk perfectly to heel, instead preferring to walk slightly ahead.
🐶 They jump up at me occasionally when I come home and occasionally they will jump up on people out on a walk.
🐶 They sometimes whine when I leave them behind and one of them whines for attention.
🐶 They sit by the table when I’m eating, just in case I feed them from it.
🐶 And well we all know Chester "The Legend" steals when he has the opportunity! 🙄
But being a dog trainer isn’t about having perfect dogs. And being a good owner means accepting your dog will have limitations because “perfectly behaved” dogs just don’t exist.
Some of the issues listed above are things I can manage if need be but sometimes I’m just not that fussed if they display them.
I like that my dogs are happy and confident. I like that they try their luck. I like that they make me laugh. I like that they make me frustrated and I also like that they sometimes look at me as if to say “you’re kidding me - I ain’t gonna do that!”. But most of all I like that they’re not “robots” in their behaviour.
As owners, don’t worry too much about your dog being “perfectly” behaved when it comes to things you’re not that bothered about. Because that time can be spent on training the things you do need to prioritise on.
Have fun with your training, and do what works for you and your dog. If it’s not negatively affecting you, your dog , your family or others, then frankly, you’re doing just fine!
Isabelle, your trainer at Ringwood Dogs
Well what can I say. A lovely walk this morning but I’m back wearing my sweatshirt and raincoat.
It was 13C this morning and it’s the middle of July 🤔🤨
Chester was in attendance at the Polling Station today exercising his right to vote.
If he could put his pawprint on the ballot paper, he would vote for:
🐶 Unlimited Treats
🐶 National Belly Rub Day
🐶 Open Fridges
🐶 Ban on Nail Clipping
🐶 Squirrel Surveillance
🐶 Dogs Rights to Sleep on Beds
If your dog could vote. What would be on the list.
If you took a photo of your dog voting. Post a picture below 🐶
💙 ❤️ 💛 💚 🩵
So wonderful to have little Hattie back in doodle daycare today.
She’s been off all last week with an abcess 🙁. But she certainly rocked her donut cone and was simply delighted to be back with the gang 😍
This is Chester, the lovely Labradoodle. It’s been wonderful to see him develop in class because he’s a very nervous boy and has grown so much in confidence around the other dogs and humans in his group.
Chester has just gone and achieved his IMDT Grade 2 and we never had any doubt that he wouldn’t.
Lovely Chester, with those suspicious, green eyes and a bark that lets you know you’ve come too close. It’s been a pleasure to teach you that things aren’t as scary as they seem 🤍
This is Phaedra. She is an XL Bully in our training club classes. We love her because she’s gentle, relaxed, ridiculously clumsy and gives off good vibes towards the other dogs - they all love Phaedra.
Here she is rocking her new tailor made muzzle which allows her to pant fully, drink and has a special treat hole in the centre to receive her rewards 🤩 Phaedra is a very well behaved, friendly girl but due to the new government legislation has to wear a muzzle in public.
She’s just gone and achieved her IMDT Grade 2 and we couldn’t be prouder.
Phaedra you lovely comical girl. You simply ROCK 🧡
It is HOT HOT HOT out there. Now we are definitely not complaining about the glorious weather here at Ringwood Dogs but we do need to consider our dogs when walking them in the heat.
🌞 Don't walk your dogs during the times between 9am to 6pm when the sun is at its strongest.
🌞 Don't walk your dogs on the pavement in the midday sun - the tarmac will be really hot.
🌞 Do take water with you on the walk to hydrate your dog.
🌞 Do stick to shady areas or areas where your dog can cool off in a stream.
And lastly…..
A dog will never die from NOT being taken for a walk.
But CAN die of overheating if you decide to walk your dog when it is simply too HOT.
Tongues out on Tuesday. It was scorchio today on our walk but we kept to the shade of the forest.
Who knew that pine cones grew on tree trunks! I always thought they grew from branches a bit like fruit.
Everyday is a school day in the forest 🌳 🌞 🌲
Happy Smiley Faces at Ringwood Dogs today. Perhaps it’s because it’s not raining for a change ….. 🌞
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Ringwood Dogs posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Ringwood Dogs:
The Story of Benji This is Benji, I know him very well because he attends the training club on Saturdays. He is clever, comical, gives 100% and is friendly with all other dogs and humans 😍. He lives with a wonderful family which includes two horses 🐎 🐎 . Unfortunately, one day when he was out with his mum tending to the horses, he had a frightening experience with one of the horses. It wasn’t serious and Benji bounced back quickly, so the day continued as normal. But the following day, Benji was different, in Benji’s mind the horses were now his arch enemies 👿. As time progressed, little Benji changed from a happy go lucky dog around the horses to a barking, growling, lunging and sometimes snapping dog and his mum decided to call me in to help. The video below is of how Benji is doing 5 days into training 🤩 and the video in the comments section is of Benji ahead of the consult ☹️. What a difference. This change was all achieved with positive reinforcement – counter conditioning and gradual desensitisation. We work at Benji’s threshold, never purposely pushing him beyond his capabilities or where he is not comfortable❤️. The horses have been wonderful and gentle during his training journey, which has helped him enormously with his learning. He can even work with the racket going on in the background (a trigger for Benji before). That is Oreo kicking the stable door – Oreo is a dressage horse who quite frankly is a Prima-donna and thinks he is honestly the most important animal on earth, so is busy having a tantrum in the stable because the spotlight is not on him 😏🙄 Cases like this make me realise I was born to be a dog trainer because whenever someone tells you that you cannot change a behaviour without harsh methods, that is untrue, because Benji is proof that you can ❤️🐶❤️ Be The Change! #bethechange #positivereinforcementtraining #borntobeatrainer #proudofBenji #proudofowner #gentlehorses #Oreoisaprimadonna
Well we’ve been practicing our recall in the forest with this daycare crew and my word how we’ve nailed it!! Little Miss Independent Hattie 🖤 needs reminding what she’s supposed to be doing because she enjoys sabotaging my efforts 😏. So here I give you: The EPIC 50m Recall 😎 The game is on owners. Goals right here 💪🏼
We practiced our 50m recall today in the forest. Chester aka “The Legend” decided the whistle blow was not quite up to the usual standard first time around and also decided someone of his status and superiority was certainly not going to recall with that rabble. So waited patiently to be whistled again, so he could recall with full attention and glory on himself 🤣🙄
We have been working on focus in our training club classes and this class is doing so well. Most of these dogs are off leash, focusing on their owners as they cross the training circle. A proud moment 🤩
It’s jumping over logs day at Ringwood Dogs. I love how the biggest one takes the easiest route and the littlest one takes the highest route 😍
☔️ 🐾 the Great British Weather didn’t dampen our spirits today. Taking these doodles for a rain-soaked, ramble, hoods up and paws out. There’s a certain calmness when it rains and nothing beats having the forest to ourselves, because no one else is stupid enough to walk their dogs in the rain unless you have a Spaniel 🤣. Poppy had her coat on to keep warm and she trails a long line because she’s got a bit of dementia now and when I whistle …. Sometimes runs in the opposite direction 🤔🤨😂🫣🙄🥺 #RainyDogWalks #BritishWeatherWoes #PawsAndPuddles
Jingling in the Forest A lovely walk with this lovely crew today. I put bells on the dog’s harnesses when walking in the forest for a few reasons: 🐶 It alerts wildlife that we are on our way. Dogs move surprisingly silently through the forest and wildlife are often familiar with their barking. The unfamiliar sound of bells alert them to their arrival and gives the opportunity for birds, rabbits, squirrels, deer etc to move away. 🐶 It allows me to hear where dogs are if I can’t see them. If you have a dog that likes to go off piste and run through the forest - a bell means you can have confidence that they are enjoying the forest even when you lose sight of them for a moment. 🐶 It indicates to the other dogs where their friends are. So if we turn left and a dog is busy sniffing, he can hear where the pack is heading and catch up. 🐶 It indicates to other dog walkers that we are coming. This gives us both a chance to move away or change direction if needed. 🐶 And lastly with Christmas coming I feel like when walking a herd of Santa’s reindeer and that’s good 🎅🏼 I get these bells from my supplier so if you want one for your dog, let me know. Happy jingling to you all 😀
A very peaceful walk today. I walk at the dogs’ pace, not mine. I whistle for them if I need to, not when I want to. I spend long periods of time not speaking to them - just allowing them to absorb the environment as they mooch along. It’s their walk. Not mine. Let them just be…….. 😍
Leading on from out Sit-Stay last week we’ve been practicing and have built up to a group 30m stay 🤩. Such clever doggies 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶
The much anticipated doodle race practice was held on the new trail way this morning. We trained hard and saw some good results. In this practice run the results were: 🥇 GOLD for Chester 🥈 SILVER for Poppy 🥉 BRONZE for Paddy 🏅 Medal of Participation for Roo Because he’s got the littlest legs 🥰 Love how my whistle sounds like a steam train horn 😁
I have been working with the lovely Luna and her family because there have been a few changes in her household recently and a family member and toddler are staying for a while 😊. So we have put some control and management in place in the form of creating a safe doggie room for Luna to call her own and stair gates installed to keep toddler safe. Another control and management feature was a house line so that her owners can step in and swiftly move Luna to her safe area if needed. Luna then decided to kill two birds with one stone and create her own personalised exercise regime of chasing the end of the long line around the sofa 🤦🏻♀️🙈🙉🙊🙄 Don’t you just love dogs 😍🐶
Wednesday is Crazy Cockapoo Day. On Wednesdays 4 Cockapoos come for daycare. To say the day is - well MANIC is an understatement 🤪. I think you can tell from my rather erratic filming that I spend a lot of the time on the walk dodging out of the way of a nutty cockapoo 🤣. Why they insist on playing at my feet I’ll never know 😏. Today we welcomed Charlie, Otis, Henry and Mathilda ☺️
Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service?