The Canine Coach

23/01/2025

22/01/2025

We love a good sniffari!!!

WHOSE WALK IS IT ANYWAY?

Imagine going on a long-anticipated walk, through new scenery and exciting smells after being cooped up in the same place all day, but you have been fitted with a blind fold and are being dragged or yanked along at a fast pace.

I imagine that this is how dogs feel when we don’t allow them time to stop, sniff and explore the environment.

Dogs largely perceive their world through scent and it’s how they collect and process information to help the world make sense.

Taking away an opportunity for sniffing on a walk really isn’t being fair.. As much as physical exercise is important, the mental stimulation that sniffing provides is equally, if not more important.

Allowing dogs to choose when to stop and sniff provides so many benefits – increases self-confidence, promotes calmness, lowers stress and anxiety levels, lowers pulse rates, reduces cognitive decline in older dogs and provides important mental and environmental enrichment.

Make time for a slow sniffing walk when you can, where your dog is allowed to choose which direction to go and allowed time to just investigate, interpret, process the environment and follow wherever their nose leads them.

It may take far more time and patience as we wait for them to finish smelling that particular blade of grass, but the benefits are well worth it – after all, whose walk is it anyway?

21/01/2025

Listen to the whispers

Whispers are soft, subtle and so easy to miss in our often busy, hectic lives, but making an effort to listen to them can prevent situations from escalating, resulting in reactive behaviour.

A dog’s attempt to communicate is so often misunderstood or completely ignored.

Body language is one of the only ways that dogs can let us know how they are feeling. When we know how they’re feeling, we can intervene, help them feel safe and prevent those emotions from boiling over.

Body language can be subtle and fleeting, but with careful observation and knowing what to look for most of us can learn to recognize and understand what our dogs are saying.

It’s always important to look at the context, the situation and especially what the rest of the body is doing when deciphering their language.

Being able to understand a dog’s emotional state through their body language helps us to predict behaviour, prevent potential problems or simply allows us to just enjoy observing what they are feeling.

Although dogs each have their own unique personalities and distinct way of communicating, there are many common signs that can give us insight. We just need to take the time to learn and then notice them. I believe dogs would be so grateful if we make the effort to learn their language.

Here are some resources and links to learn more about body language -

On Talking Terms With Dogs - Calming Signals, 2nd Edition by Turid Rugaas
https://www.dogwise.com/on-talking-terms-with-dogs-calming-signals-2nd-edition/?srsltid=AfmBOoqj8ruQJx5bCP7qWb03TqCyAGfmAvCj988UuWk_L1_UHbYcZsES&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0AaDd_wwhSC4JEUqkvQmOG9lU5bNdbAOEeHQb0st7P_DXrdAOR-utY_-k_aem_cqU0VLHHyjrKbce9ddT84g

The Veterinary Behaviour Centre
https://www.heska.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TVBC-Canine-Dog-Body-Language-handout.pdf?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3mKGykzNJr7_yFf1_e6mc2sRHjNvjEok2GLvKTw-OMtTxEfjtlxM6vk4I_aem_B-YAlekmE0eV03c_1x8cyw

19/01/2025

🐶 Do you need help to prepare for your new puppy's arrival?🐾

❓Where will they sleep?
❓To crate train or not?
❓How do you start toilet training?
❓How do you stop them from jumping up?
❓And biting?
❓What do you even do with your puppy in that first day, night, week?

✅Prep For Your Puppy✅
My 90 minute video consultation will answer all those questions and more.

🐶Your puppy will be learning every waking moment whether you are training them or not. It’s so easy to make mistakes in those early days that are much harder to fix later on.

⏰ Don't delay the start of your training journey, get in touch and I will get you set up on the right path from the outset.

🏠 Is your puppy already home?

✅ No need to wait for them to be fully vaccinated to start training and building that special bond.

🧑‍🏫 My tailored 121 training sessions can start straight away from the comfort of your own home.

✅Sessions work around you and your family life, prioritising what you and your puppy need when you need it.

🐶 Ready to step out into the big wide world?

🐕 We can take your training outdoors and work in real life situations and give you the support you need to work on recall,, focus exercises and the best way to socialise your puppy.

✅ Reward based training from an IMDT accredited, qualified and experienced trainer serving SW London and Surrey.

📧 For all your training needs contact [email protected]

www.the-canine-coach.co.uk

18/01/2025

So sad to hear the news that Toby passed away this week.

Toby and little sis Lucy were a big presence in our K9 crew for many years.

He had been ill for a wee while but kept bouncing back and really enjoyed his pootles with the gang.

A really lovely natured gorgeous boy, he will be sorely missed.

RIP Toby 🐾🌈🐾

15/01/2025

🙌 Wednesday Win!!! 🙌

❓Do you have a spaniel that pulls on the lead?

Yup we've all been there!

🐕 I've always had working springers myself so I know all too well the difficulties and we have to think about the breed of dog as well as the individual dog we are working with. Yes, they actually CAN walk nicely on the lead but it does take time and commitment, there are no magic overnight fixes!

❤️ Skye is a gorgeous 3 year old springer whose family love her to bits but were having a tough time walking her as her pulling was out of control. They unfortunately felt they had to resort to a headcollar, which in turn made Skye anxious and conflicted when leaving the house.

👍👍 We ditched the head collar in our first session and we saw a very different dog leaving the front door that day which was just wonderful.

😀🐕😀 It's a work in progress but I'm so delighted to get this amazing feedback.

👏👏 Well done Team Skye you are rocking it!

14/01/2025

Lungworm ‼️🫁🪱

We have seen have seen an increasing amount of dogs with lungworm lately. As you can see from the map we are in a high risk area!

Dogs get lungworm by eating lungworm larvae found in snails, slugs and frogs. Lungworms live in your dogs heart and the vessels that supply the lungs. The main signs are coughing, changes in breathing, changes in exercise tolerance, lethargy, poor appetite and stomach upsets. Sometimes lungworm infections have no symptoms at all. Lungworm also cause issues with blood clotting for your dog, which is why we sometimes require testing prior to surgery if your dog hasn’t had cover.

Prevent your dog from getting lungworm through the following steps:
🐌 making sure your dog is taking timely monthly anti-parasite treatment that includes cover for lungworm
🐌 prevent your dog from eating snails, slugs, and frogs
🐌 change the water in any outdoor water bowls regularly
🐌 contact your vet as soon as your dog becomes unwell

14/01/2025

Meet Peggy the cavapoo puppy!

Peggy and her family are working through the tailored puppy training programme with me.

Our first session covered everything puppy. Peggy is quite a confident wee girl and is lucky to have a really chilled big bro in Harvey.

Bringing a puppy into a home with another dog requires a thoughtful approach to help build a harmonious relationship and ensure both dogs feel secure and at ease so we've discussed a few tweaks to help this along the way too.

Really looking forward to working more with this super duper duo!

If you need help with your puppy get in touch.

13/01/2025

🐾🐶 Yay! Great to see Team Bambi for their first outdoor session!

🥶🥶 It was blooming freezing but we kept moving and practised our basic recall exercises and introduced an emergency recall for those moments you need to get out of dodge (like turning the corner to be faced with a stag or a kids picnic for example!).

👀 We worked on a range of focus exercises including eye contact on the move which is super important - if your dog is not checking in with you they are less likely to recall to you!

👍 Looking forward to our next session in our tailored puppy training package.

📧 If you need some help with your puppy get in touch.

🐶 I offer Pre Puppy consultations to get you set up on the right path before pup even comes home as well as 121 sessions tailored to your needs and timeline, and Training Walks too to support you out and about with your puppy or dog.

12/01/2025

🐶 Do you need help to prepare for your new puppy's arrival?🐾

❓Where will they sleep?
❓To crate train or not?
❓How do you start toilet training?
❓How do you stop them from jumping up?
❓And biting?
❓What do you even do with your puppy in that first day, night, week?

✅Prep For Your Puppy✅
My 90 minute video consultation will answer all those questions and more.

🐶Your puppy will be learning every waking moment whether you are training them or not. Its so easy to make mistakes in those early days that are much harder to fix later on.

⏰ Don't delay the start of your training journey, get in touch and I will get you set up on the right path from the outset.

🏠 Is your puppy already home?

✅ No need to wait for them to be fully vaccinated to start training and building that special bond.

🧑‍🏫 My tailored 121 training sessions can start straight away from the comfort of your own home.

✅Sessions work around you and your family life, prioritising what you and your puppy need when you need it.

🐶 Ready to step out into the big wide world?

🐕 We can take your training outdoors and work in real life situations and give you the support you need to work on recall,, focus exercises and the best way to socialise your puppy.

✅ Reward based training from an IMDT accredited, qualified and experienced trainer serving SW London and Surrey.

📧 For all your training needs contact [email protected]

11/01/2025

10/01/2025

Oh my goodness, just how cute is teeny weeny pupster Luna the cockapoo!

This smart wee pup has just started my tailored training package.

As you can see she thoroughly enjoyed having her lunch out of all of my enrichment goodies and face planted in one of the snuffle mats, lol!!

As always we talked though everything puppy from building a good sleep routine, making the crate the best place to be, how to teach kids to be around pup for everyones safety, toilet training etc.

Today we did a bit of work on eye contact - which should never be dismissed - it is a super important bit of foundation training which makes all the difference in recall and loose lead work.

We also worked on a good Give cue and Luna aced her Settle to mat training too.

A fantastic start!

Puppies are learning every waking moment. If you'd like to get your puppy off to a good start get in touch!

09/01/2025

Alabama rot is a rare but deadly disease.
There is still a lot unknown but it is thought that washing clean muddy legs after a walk may help prevent your dog from contracting it.

Alabama rot is rare, but it's still important to watch out for any signs of it on your dog.

Read more about this rare and unexplained disease: https://www.myfamilyvets.co.uk/alabama-rot-in-dogs

09/01/2025

Thursday training tip!