We take great pride in producing a well rounded and well trained dog to be your shooting companion or test and trial winner.
Huge thanks to The Ladies Working Dog Group for an amazing weekend in Wales. So much fun to work alongside the incredibly talented Jemma Whistle and Wag Dog Training, Claire Family Dog Services, Sue Field and Fireside, Charlotte and .
Thank you to all the ladies who attended, listened to our lectures, and provided encouragement and laughs along the way!
Big thanks to Mr P for keeping us (and the technology) going all weekend đ
This weekend we ran a Scurry Experience Event for The Ladies Working Dog Group in Oxfordshire.
We had a fabulous group of ladies from up and down the UK who, along with their beautiful dogs, learnt the inâs and outâs of scurries.
After a morning of introductions to the most common scurries found at country shows and game fairs, an afternoon of practice and learning how to knock a few precious seconds off the clock, we concluded the day with a fun competition.
We all had so much fun! Thank you to Amanda & Tony at South Oxon Pet Services for allowing us to use your grounds and for arranging some delicious treats!
Thank you Sue at Field and Fireside for providing amazing goodie bags for the participants, and to Beth Payne for organising prizes for the competition!
Thank you to my husband Alex Thorneycroft-Taylor for your expert training, and to our children for assisting all day with dummy throwing, timing runs, a lemonade stand, and generally helping with any job required.
Planning is already underway for our next event, and we canât wait!
We had an unusual visitor come along for his âbrotherâsâ training session today; he must have enjoyed himself though as he stayed to participate in the next few sessions too.. đ
This evening saw the last of our in-field evening training sessions for the winter months; weâve had a brilliant time training until sunset (and weâve been treated to more than a few spectacular ones (though I have to be honest - this evening was more âfog and rainâ than sunset so I pinched a photo from a month ago)).
One to one sessions are still available during the day, and online sessions in the evenings.
Remember that just because the daylight hours are getting shorter, the darker evenings at home are a perfect opportunity to practice good behaviours such as âsettleâ or a send to bed, or to brush up on your positional skills or to increase your dogs attentiveness in a lower distraction environment - every interaction with your dog holds an opportunity for training.
Come along and see us at Mole Valley Farmers, Berkeley (Gloucestershire) this afternoon. Weâll be on hand to answer your questions and thereâs a fun dog show too!
Sometimes you just have to accept that you make a good pillow.. đ
Our eldest lad has been suffering from Vestibular so his daily happenings have been different of late; today saw some rare sunshine so in amongst his solo mooch we had a little rest, some cuddles, and watched the world go by. With our souls restored, I headed back to work and he caught up on some more sleep đ„°
What is socialisation?
Contrary to popular belief, socialisation is not about teaching your puppy to play with every dog it sees or to jump up at every person it passes.
Correct socialisation should be exposing your puppy to anything that it may experience during its life, but also to become âindifferentâ to it, and to want to be with you more.
This week I recorded a podcast with my good friends Jo Perrot of the and Jemma Martin of
The podcast, âDonât worry, my dog is friendlyâ, is all about why we shouldnât allow our dog to run riot as it pleases and also why we shouldnât have to put up with being bombarded by every other dog on the planet.
You can find the LWDG Pod Dog podcasts on most mainstream platforms. Happy listening!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0RHsgmZsI0ahxISxIvBnBG?si=Wur4P-3oS4ui_S9oG8qN0g
In this weeks The Ladies Working Dog Group podcast, I talk with Jo about the importance of body language and understanding both the dogsâ use of it, and ours too.
You can listen to the LWDG Pod Dog on Spotify, Google, Apple, and Amazon with a new podcast released every Friday.
We all want to have great relationships with our dogs. They are furry family members that bring us joy, comfort, and companionship.
In order to have the best possible relationship with our dogs, it is important to understand their needs and how they communicate with us.
This week's podcast and blog with LWDG Group Expert Samantha Thorneycroft-Taylor of explains more about your dogâs Body Language.
LWDG POD DOG is a free podcast for working dog handlers and trainers.
The podcast is released every week on Fridays and covers a range of topics related to working dogs.
Ladies - for more free content, visit www.ladiesworkingdoggroup.com/threedayfree
Today I was asked what is meant when we say âto have a bond with your dogâ.
For me itâs so much more than just fulfilling your dogs physical and mental wellbeing needs, and your dog knowing that youâll do these things for them.
When I say physical and mental wellbeing needs I mean providing appropriate nutritious food at regular intervals, fresh water, and (age appropriate) regular exercise & training.
For me, having a proper bond with your dog should be fulfilling for both of you. It should mean that you have trust and confidence in each other - you trust your dog to not make silly decisions on a whim (we have, of course, taught our dog the difference between right and wrong as he grew up), he has confidence in you enough to know that you wonât ask too much of him or place him in situations that are inappropriate for his age/stage of training/emotional state.
It means that your dog is confident and has faith that when you go away (be that for 5 minutes, an hour, or an extended time away (for example on holiday)), you will return and he has no need to panic or become anxious. He is comfortable in his own presence and doesnât need to follow you everywhere for every second of the day.
Itâs about willing the working day to hurry up and finish so that we can get home to our faithful companion, itâs about enjoying their company, and wanting to be with them. Itâs having a fulfilling relationship and a âwarmâ feeling when in each others company.
Itâs having a dog who stares into your soul when they look at you.
When we bring our new puppy home it is our obligation to teach them all manner of things and to ensure they are mentally stimulated as well as well socialised and shown the appropriate behaviours for various situations. If we rehome an older dog, we have the same obligations but we may also be helping them through various issues that may have arisen from events in their past.
Sometimes, a bond can be fractured; maybe something happened that lessened the trust, maybe we havenât educated our dog to an appropriate level for the situation weâve found ourselves in. In almost all circumstances, with time and effort any fracture of the bond can be healed.
In short, having a âproperâ bond with your dog is nourishing and rewarding for you both.
Languedoc Gundogs HQâs pumpkin đ
Rest in Peace Maâam.
Having a dog that will drink on command is especially useful when we experience unusually high temperatures.
In the UK we donât need to worry about this too frequently but given that when our temperatures do rise, they tend to do so without much gradual increase (it can be cold and wet one day and then high 20âs the next), it can catch many dogs and their owners by surprise.
I train my dogs to drink on command in the same way that I toilet train them (when they are puppies and they go to the toilet, I will pair a command (in my case âquicklyâ) with the action/behaviour). Over time and with multiple repetitions I can then take my puppy/dog outside and give the âquicklyâ command and they know what is expected.
With âdrinkâ, I add my command when my dog is already drinking - either when Iâve seen them moving toward their water bowl, or Iâve âweighed it in my favourâ and am offering a drink after exercise/training and therefore can pretty much guarantee theyâre going to require a drink.
Again, through consistency and after many repetitions, I can then take my dog to the water bowl and give the âdrinkâ command and theyâve learnt what is required.
This command could be used if you know youâre going to be apart from your dog for a while and would like to know theyâve had a good drink before you separate, or if you have a dog who doesnât tend to drink much but itâs unusually warm, or if you need your dog to have a drink pre exercise/training as a few examples. There are many other opportunities and uses where it can be a helpful command to have âin your back pocketâ too.
Remember to ensure that you avoid exercising your dog during the heat of the day at the moment; try to walk/train early or late, or avoid outdoor/strenuous exercise altogether and find some mental stimulation exercises/games for your dog indoors.
Todayâs training companion(s) - there were a couple more in the bushes. I love the relationship that has developed between myself & my dogs, and these wild animals - they know that we will not cause harm or chase, and as a result they donât run away when we are near.
I have finally got my head around needing to get my new Ridgeline fleece in the work environment - it is going to get muddy and covered in hay/straw but it was picked for itâs abilities to keep me warm when out in the cold weather!
Designed by Red Shepherdess in collaboration with Ridgeline of New Zealand - UK, it is truly amazing, and Iâm totally toasty!
Itâs hugely important for all dogs (not just working dogs) to learn to calmly sit, or lay down, and watch the world go by.
For a working dog it could be that the beating line has been held after a large flush of birds, for a picking up dog we expect them to sit and mark birds as they fall. For a family companion, we may need them to sit in a cafe or a pub whilst we take a breather.
Very often, we are so caught up in training the dog how to do âsomethingâ that we completely forget how to train them to do ânothingâ! After all, itâs not the most fun thing to train, but it is equally as important as training a specific activity, behaviour or skill.
When training a dog to do ânothingâ, we must start at a level that is easy for the dog - itâs no good taking them to a busy dog park, or a heaving shopping mall and expecting them not to get mentally aroused by all the comings and goings around them.
This morning, the big lad and I had a nice relaxed, no pressure walk, and then just stopped at the top of the hill watching the world go by. A few weeks ago, the birds fluttering in the hedge behind us would have tipped him over the edge - heâd have been a bouncy, completely un-calm, dog who was unable to control his emotions and would âact upâ because of this.
By slowly increasing the time frame, but still keeping the environment at low level stimulus, he was able to keep calm and simply take in the view.
Set your dog up for success; if youâre increasing the duration make sure you decrease the distraction, if youâre increasing the distraction make sure you decrease the duration and slowly build up from there.
Really looking forward to being one of the featured experts on this webinar from The Ladies Working Dog Group this evening. Thereâs still time to register to join us!
Learn how to plan a month of effective 10-minute dog training sessions in just 1 hour!
The LWDG is bringing you another jam-packed free webinar to help you train your working dog! After this webinar, you will know exactly how to fast forward your dog training using short sharp planned-out sessions.
Register now and we will send you login details for our forthcoming live webinar on November 4th at 7.30 pm UK Time.
https://ladiesworkingdoggroup.com/effective-dog-training-planning-webinar/
REGISTER HERE TO Get Access To Our upcoming webinar on planning dog training sessions that workOnce registered, we will immediately send you important login details.Please check your inbox/spam for email from The Ladies Working Dog Group. Learn how to put together a month of effective dog training ...
This weeks podcast is now live!
Myself, Claire, Emma, and Jemma are talking with Jo Perrott about the importance of teaching your dog to settle and do nothing, as well as discussing enrichment and mental stimulation.
Search for LWDG Pod Dog on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, and Google and have a listen đ
Listen to this episode from LWDG POD DOG on Spotify. "Please dog, can you just do nothing!"Join Joanne Perrott and LWDG Group experts Samantha Thorneycroft-Taylor, Emma Stevens, Jemma Martin, and Claire Denyer as we discuss the use of distraction, enrichment, and downtime in a dog's training.If this...
Team Languedoc Gundogs were on to a winner with the weather this morning!
Half term helpers and fabulous lessons completed - wondering when theyâre going to expect a pay packet.. đ€đ€Ł
Another great session with this evening!
Had a blast last evening recording another podcast for The Ladies Working Dog Group with the amazing Jo Perrott Claire Denyer Jemma Juju Martin and Emma-louise Stevens
You can find the podcast library on Spotify, Amazon, Google and Apple by searching LWDG Pod Dog
Letâs talk grass seeds!
Most dog owners will know that grass seeds are the âenemyâ - itâs good practice to check for them after each walk, especially at this time of year, due to their ability to âcrawlâ into a dogâs skin (between their toes or into their ears for example) and then continue to track inside their body.
Grass seeds are a common cause of infection and can be really quite nasty!
I recently learnt about the benefits of a nit comb! They really do speed up the post walk/training session check over and groom. I love it so much that I really wanted to share it đ
In less than 3 minutes we went from the first photo to the second - that would have previously taken me over 10 minutes picking them out by hand!
For the second year running, the The Ladies Working Dog Group has made the regional finals of the The Rural Business Awards in the Best Rural Innovation category!
So proud to be a part of this amazing group and absolutely love being one of the featured experts alongside other fabulous trainerâs. đ
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When youâre trying to simultaneously handle your dog on retrieves and get some nice photos.. đłđ€đ€Ł May need a rethink! #gundogtraining #dogtrainergloucestershire #springerspaniel #gundog #imnophotographer
Grabbed 20 minutes with this handsome chap between lessons today; he may be 10 but we still put play in between the more serious elements of training, and itâs always good practice to practice settling and relaxing even if youâre out & about. #gundogtraining #gundogtrainer #springerspaniel #dogtraininggloucestershire #wherestheoffswitch
Conditioned responses and environmental distractions. When out with our dogs we cannot control every distraction that we will encounter but we can train a conditioned response to certain stimuli. Starting from the ground up, I teach dogs to not chase (unless itâs something Iâve thrown for them in play), but this sets the foundations for teaching them to ignore certain environmental stimuli - in this case, deer. When I started filming this it was to show my âcheck inâ command (give me some attention but I donât require a full recall), however if you look closely the second check in had a 1/2 a second delay - being able to read a dogs body language and how they respond gives you vital clues as to what may come next in a sequence of behaviour. This very short delay told me there was likely some form of distraction up ahead and so I needed to pay more attention to my surroundings. As you can see there were two deer about 10 feet from the track we were walking and, whilst they themselves didnât run, the âno chaseâ rule and the conditioned response to ignore wildlife/livestock were both utilised in this instance resulting in a pleasant stroll for us all. đ #dogtraining #dogtrainergloucestershire #gundogtraining #conditionedresponse #leavethedeeralone #dogbodylanguage #understandyourdog
Having a dog that will drink on command is especially useful when we experience unusually high temperatures. In the UK we donât need to worry about this too frequently but given that when our temperatures do rise, they tend to do so without much gradual increase (it can be cold and wet one day and then high 20âs the next), it can catch many dogs and their owners by surprise. I train my dogs to drink on command in the same way that I toilet train them (when they are puppies and they go to the toilet, I will pair a command (in my case âquicklyâ) with the action/behaviour). Over time and with multiple repetitions I can then take my puppy/dog outside and give the âquicklyâ command and they know what is expected. With âdrinkâ, I add my command when my dog is already drinking - either when Iâve seen them moving toward their water bowl, or Iâve âweighed it in my favourâ and am offering a drink after exercise/training and therefore can pretty much guarantee theyâre going to require a drink. Again, through consistency and after many repetitions, I can then take my dog to the water bowl and give the âdrinkâ command and theyâve learnt what is required. This command could be used if you know youâre going to be apart from your dog for a while and would like to know theyâve had a good drink before you separate, or if you have a dog who doesnât tend to drink much but itâs unusually warm, or if you need your dog to have a drink pre exercise/training as a few examples. There are many other opportunities and uses where it can be a helpful command to have âin your back pocketâ too. Remember to ensure that you avoid exercising your dog during the heat of the day at the moment; try to walk/train early or late, or avoid outdoor/strenuous exercise altogether and find some mental stimulation exercises/games for your dog indoors. #dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #hotandsunny #gundogtrainer #dogtraininggloucestershire #lwdg #lwdggroupexpe
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