Wiser Dogs by Dilnaz Baria

06/06/2023

Finished my last session with this gorgeous boy recently! He has done so well and I am bursting with pride at how well he is doing. Out of shot was a dog running around after a ball and there was one that came very close during the session and each time he chose to focus on his lovely guardians.

The difference in the house with barking has greatly improved. But the most important thing of all is that, both, the guardians and Jude feel comfortable and are so in tune with each other. Relationship goals! Well done team Jude! 🐶👏🏼❤

01/05/2023

I'd like to welcome the gorgeous Jude Paw to the Wiser Dogs family!
His lovely guardians reached out for support for a variety of training and some behaviour issues with him such as recall, high levels of excitement and resource guarding.

We started our journey today by teaching him focus, how to decompress and resetting his recall cue amongst other things. His guardians were also supported to see things from his point of view and the importance of body language. I so look forward to our next session.

06/04/2023

Tala and I loved episode 1, can't wait to see episode 2 tonight. 👏🏼🐶❤

25/03/2023

I can't wait to see this! I am proud to say I was taught by 3 of the people on this when I went through my training and assessment. It will be good to watch some science backed dog training in action! 🐶❤

The Dog Academy changes lives for the better! Watch some incredible transformations in this fantastic new series which starts on Thursday 30th at 8pm on Channel 4! Hope you enjoy it x

24/12/2022

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to everyone! Thank you for working with us. May you have a marvellous holiday with your loved ones. Looking forward to 2023! 🎄🎊

31/07/2022

We went on a fabulous slow walk where my girl got to sniff as much as she wanted and she chose where to go (the only time I redirected her was for safety reasons). It is so important to remember that the walk is for them to gather information, explore the world and work their brain and body.

On the way home, we saw a lovely lady with her newly rescued dog, she clearly didn't want us to meet and that was absolutely ok! I don't like my dog meeting every dog and I respected her wishes so we took slightly different paths- as it turned out we were about to end up on the main path out together! So I called out to confirm her route and told her we weren't going to move any closer.

I scattered a handful of treats, she thanked me and we all moved off separately with distance between us.
This is one of the reasons I still take my training pouch out on walks, even though I rarely treat my girl for walking, unless we are doing a training walk recap- you never know when you might need some treats.

Have a great weekend!

11/06/2022

On my day off today I had the absolute privilege and pleasure to see the fabulous Queen and Adam Lambert in concert! My first proper concert! 😱🥳 I could easily go again tomorrow.

We danced, sang at the top of our voices and had a blast! Even dog trainers need to decompress! Hope you all have a great weekend!

07/06/2022

Let's talk about recall!

It can be a real challenge, after all we have to compete with many things in the environment or they might be in the middle of a 'conversation' with another dog or busy replying to a p*e mail and so on!

Whatever the reason it is not working, there are a few key things that need developing to get a good recall and none of them need force, intimidation or pain.

In the videos below you will see one of the reasons a recall might not work (bad timing by me) and then what happens when I pick the correct moment!

If you need help, get in touch for a chat!

01/05/2022

Had my final session with the lovely Buddy. At the start Buddy struggled with walking down the road and meeting dogs on lead; he made his discomfort known by barking and lunging!

Over weeks, we worked on his ability to disengage while growing his ability to make choices (where appropriate), growing calmness and confidence. In these situations it is important to deal with the underlying emotions and not just what you can see or we risk putting a plaster on an arterial wound!

Change takes time! Buddy's journey in this will continue but Team Buddy now have the skills to support each other. I was so proud of them all as he walked away from a number of things that would have set him off in the past, including a cat and barking dog.

11/04/2022

Had a session with beautiful Tilli today, it was sheer joy, and a tinge of sadness (as it was our last session), as she has absolutely smashed her loose lead walking!

Tilli is a gem at home but finds walking on the lead challenging and used to pull very hard, this does not help her loving guardian as she has back issues.

Tilli has learnt to focus on her walks, walk as part of a team, realise she can go wherever she wants to go but just can't drag her guardian there and to stop when her guardian stops. She is now also able to walk past a friend's house where she would practically drag her guardian to! She is a little superstar!

10/04/2022

Yesterday we looked at teaching the lovely Buddy to carry out emergency turns so when it is needed it doesn't come as a surprise. It is ok for our dogs to not meet every single dog!

It is a joy to see how much more sniffing Buddy does on a walk, rather than being hypervigilant of his surroundings, and how much more relaxed he is walking past some of his old triggers.

Often, it is better to take lots of little steps to a goal rather than trying to run and fall.

04/04/2022

Today is a day of study (and recovery too). I am a firm believer that learning should never stop! The more I learn the better I can support my dogs and their guardians.

27/03/2022

Buddy's session yesterday saw us developing his ability to greet dogs and understand that he has the choice to move away. We started with a stuffed dog (covered in my dog girl's scent) so guardians and dog could practice before applying it to real life situations and to see if he was ready.

Buddy knocked it out the park! He was fantastic at have some very short greetings and moving on. There was only 1 occasion where he ruffed at a dog chasing a ball and 1 grumble at a dog barking in a house.

This training is going at a slow and steady pace as it should! When working with dogs like him, addressing the reactivity isn't the first thing to do (though management must be put it to ensure everyone's safety if needed)- instead it is more important to understand the emotional response that is causing the behaviour! This underlying issue needs to be addressed so the dog feels capable and secure, we can do this by teaching choice and skills to develop calmness, etc.
I am so proud of him and his guardians! Go team Buddy! 💪🏼🥳

21/03/2022

Today I got to work with this lovely Tilli and her doting guardian! Tilli is such a fab girl all round but she struggles walking on the lead.
This is not great for her or her guardian and it has led to her guardian hurting her back.

We started by ensuring Tilli had the right equipment to support her and her guardian. When I started her guardian was using a figure of 8 lead. We switched this over to a 2 point harness and a double ended lead- this allows her guardian to have more control and avoids any pressure on Tilli.

Then we started training in the low distraction environment of her driveway and then around it. We worked various skills needed to best support Tilli and her guardian and then we began to apply it. The second picture shows how well they both did. By the nd of the session Tilli's guardian was so happy, relaxed and most importantly she felt confident and was pain free!

07/03/2022

Beautiful Maeve and her super guardian completed their package today!
Maeve has come so far and it filled me with pleasure to see how much more relaxed and confident her guardian felt by the end of the sessions. Here Maeve is showing off one of her favourite things to do, unwinding with a chew!

Are there still things for Maeve to learn? For sure! But isn't there always, learning should never stop-no matter where you are on your journey.
I am proud to have been a part of their training and bonding journey and I wish them the very best! 💪🏼💕🐾

07/03/2022

A big Wiser Dogs welcome to Buddy! He finds walks challenging when other dogs are around. We have started work on building his confidence, management and training.

When we build confidence in our dogs it has a knock on effect on other areas too and builds security. When paired with training, it gives our dogs alternatives to old behaviours and management is very important to ensure unsuitable behaviours are not rehearsed.

Buddy and his guardians so far have explored the importance of calmness and how to grow Buddy's confidence.

28/02/2022

This beautiful girl finished her training package and she has grown so much! Her guardians (adults and children) have started to read her signals and are doing so well in growing her calmness and key skills like loose lead walking and recall. I love being able to support dogs and people!

23/02/2022

The lovely Maeve and her fab guardian started on some games today involving learning patterns. Teaching our dogs patterns gives them the ability to predict; this comes in handy when we need to encourage them to move away from sticky situations which might overwhelm them!

Whenever we start on a new skill, it is important to rehearse it in a low distraction environment and then gradually add distraction, duration or distance.

If you need support with your dog get in touch for a chat!

14/02/2022

Maeve and her guardian absolutely knocked it out of the park today (pun intended)! 👏🏼👏🏼

Maeve will often get distracted by other dogs, etc in the park and will run off to investigate. Now as a rescue she has to relearn about staying close and checking in with her guardian so we can keep her safe and ensure everyone can enjoy their time at the park. We worked together to create a tailored recall toolkit that Maeve's guardian can dip into as needed to help support her and make the walk fun.

In the video you can see how Maeve clocks dogs (just off screen) but chooses to engage with her guardian instead! Did you spot the long line trailing? It wasn't held at all, Maeve had the choice to run off but didn't. We did keep it on for management as we don't want her to self-reward.
So proud of them both! 💪🏼🥰💪🏼👏🏼👏🏼

If you need help, get in touch!

14/02/2022

Such an important message! Our dogs are sentient beings and part of our family. It is important we find out how to support them on a physical, mental and emotional level!

Stubborn, belligerent, being a diva, lazy, trying to be the boss, difficult, naughty. These are all really harmful labels that gloss over or ignore the dogs physical and emotional needs. Our dogs are just not capable of trying to wind us up or make life difficult for us. There is always a reason for a refusal or unwillingness to whats being asked. As a canine guardian, this is the time to pause and consider what is missing. It's our job to protect and support our dogs not chastise them for our failings to provide them with the tools and support for their specific needs.

12/02/2022

Today saw Oscar learn so much! Oscar finds it challenging to focus on his guardians during a walk or in the park when there are other dogs around.

Dogs pull/run off towards other dogs or scents not because they being difficult, dominant, annoying, etc. They do it because it holds some form of reward or value for them! A bit like we do things that we find rewarding- whether that is going to the gym, yoga or having chocolate (as in my case 😂)! The same applies for our dogs.

However behaviours like running off can be frustrating, embarrassing or dangerous for us our dogs and others around us. So how can we help our dogs?

Teach them that you are just as exciting, if not more exciting, than their distractions. Put in time and effort to build a relationship and recall that is fun and exciting for them! While they are learning we need to support them with suitable management- this can take different forms so they don't end up self-rewarding!

By the end of the session, Oscar was starting to ignore dogs around him and focus on his mum, even when a couple of very excited dogs decided to run near him (playing ball) and around him. I can't wait to hear from Team Oscar how he does after a few more practice sessions! 👏🏼👏🏼💪🏼🐶❤

08/02/2022

Beautiful girl Maeve is a rescue who has settled into her home and is doing really well but she finds the environment outside very stimulating. She gets very excited by people and dogs which makes her pull hard on the lead. This causes her guardian pain (most likely Maeve too) and could put her in danger!

Yesterday's session looked at teaching Maeve to focus on her guardian and walk nicely on the lead. For now the expectation is to be able to do this for a short amount of time and with little distraction. Why you may ask? This is to build success, we want to set her up to succeed so she gets lots of reinforcement so that eventually more distraction and time will be added. Then it will become the norm for her to walk without pulling, etc.

She did so well yesterday, as did her guardian, even when multiple people appeared in quick succession, her guardian was able to apply the skills taught to keep Maeve calm and focused! 👏🏼🐶❤

07/02/2022

Got to work with this beautiful girl again this weekend.

Tsuki is only going to get bigger and stronger so we have been work on important skills out and about. This is really important as she has young guardians who also play a role in walking her (under supervision) and they too have been learning skills like how to getting her moving and turning without pulling on her or dragging her.

Teaching these skills makes walking fun and less painful for humans and dogs.

31/01/2022

A big welcome to Maeve, who has joined the Wiser Dogs family!

This delightful girl has landed on her feet with the guardian she has. Maeve has been settling into her forever home for a while and her guardian has done a marvellous job at letting her find her feet. Now, it's time to develop her confidence and focus to help her go from strength to strength!

I so look forward to watching her grow! 🐶❤

30/01/2022

I had the absolute pleasure to work again with gorgeous boy. As an older Teen, Oscar needs support in controlling his excitement in certain situations!

It can be hard being a teenager, human or dog, all those hormones zipping around causing chaos in the body-is it any wonder our dogs find things challenging!

Oscar loves learning so I know he will rise to the challenge!
💪🏼🐶

26/01/2022

Even as a qualified dog trainer, learning never stops. Nor should it!

Pain influences so many behaviours in dogs and it often goes unnoticed!
Soon I will be diving into a course that will help me serve my dogs and their guardians even more.

It's going to be challenging, I have really bad exam anxiety but I'm working on that too 💪🏼but I know that it will help me to support so many more people and dogs. 🐶❤

23/01/2022

This beautiful girl, Tsuki, and her lovely guardians have joined the Wiser Dogs family.

Here Tsuki is learning two important concepts- just because food might fall on the floor doesn't mean she eats it and just because a door opens doesn't mean she has to go through it. We are putting these things in place to keep her safe, in a kind, positive way and will continue to build on it. She smashed her training, she is one bright cookie!

Including the whole family is important so everyone builds bonds and enjoys training. It also means there is consistency which is very important for our pups.

Positive training doesn’t mean permissive! It means we create a strong, positive bond with our dogs so we can be their guides, companions and family as they are ours.
🐶❤

16/01/2022

Got to work with this gorgeous pair again yesterday! They have completed their bespoke 121 training package.

As littermates the support I put into place started even before they arrived home. It is important for any puppy (and guardian!) to have clear training goals, none moreso than for littermates. It is so important to get the right balance of training alone and together, this allows them to develop their own personalities and avoids conflict- while nurturing their love for learning. Keep learning paw life little ones. 🐶❤

16/01/2022

Got to work again with this lovely boy yesterday, he has come on leaps and bounds in his confidence and barking in the night.

Sometimes teaching our dogs different ways to calm themselves and build their confidence is the key to working with certain behaviours.

Henry will now take himself off to bed or to have a chew and by equipping his guardians with various skills they can help in and around the house and on walks. Happy dog, happy guardians! So proud of them all! 🐶💕

24/12/2021

Happy holidays to all. I hope you have an amazing day with your loved ones, humans and dogs. All the very best for 2022.
Lots of love,
Dilnaz ❤🐶🎄