![We’re all back after a very relaxing birthday weekend! Will be getting back to all messages today. The next 5 weeks or s...](https://img4.voofla.com/280/257/793059652802574.jpg)
28/05/2024
We’re all back after a very relaxing birthday weekend!
Will be getting back to all messages today.
The next 5 weeks or so are super busy for me so please get in touch with plenty of notice if you’d like to book any sessions 🧡
I am a Dog Behaviourist and Trainer working in the Essex/ London area. I specialise in restoring harmony to the dog-human relationship.
(3)
We’re all back after a very relaxing birthday weekend!
Will be getting back to all messages today.
The next 5 weeks or so are super busy for me so please get in touch with plenty of notice if you’d like to book any sessions 🧡
It’s giveaway time! 🎉
To be in with a chance to win all these amazing prizes make sure you follow all the steps on this post 🤎
Follow all 3 accounts (we will be checking!)
UK winner only on this one sorry guys 🤍
This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Instagram.
How important really is it to play with your dog everyday?
There are a billion posts on Instagram telling you to play with your dogs so let’s just look at the science instead:
Affenzeller, 2020
Memory of training was stronger in dogs that played with their dog just after learning.
Rooney and Bradshaw, 2001
Dogs scored more highly in ‘obedient attentiveness (sitting when asked to) after playing
Yoo et al., 2024
Playing with a dog positively affected humans concentration and relaxation
Bradshaw et al., 2015
A high me el of play between owner and dog is thought to strengthen their relationship
In conclusion, you should play with your dog today 😏♥️
Insta VS reality…
The stomach scratching was BAD.
Whilst this is just a funny, huge reminder to everyone that everyone on Instagram is showing you a hugely curated version of their lives. Their dogs mess up too, their training isn’t perfect and sometimes they get mum guilt just like you do. I love this app but it’s so important to remember the bigger picture 🙌🏻🤍
Adventure Boys ♥️
They boys hiked through underground caverns and then all the way up Win Hill today! Extra dinner tonight.
Back to work Friday!
I am away 25th-28th!
Please send all enquiries to [email protected] as I will miss DM’s. I will get back to urgent enquiries and reply to anything else the weekend after!
I am away 15th - 17th (tomorrow) 🤎
My online booking system is linked in my bio & any other questions can be emailed over. Please note I will loose DMs sent on Instagram very quickly and you may be ignored this way.
Have a fab weekend all, can’t wait to share some of what we get up to when I’m back next week 🙌🏻🥰
Thank you guys for all the help with this one (in particular !)
It’s such a tricky one because there are so many arguments to be made on all sides. I’ve tried to summarise the main ones but if I’ve missed anything or you have a different perspective I’d love to hear it. As always, keep the comments section kind please 🤍
Let me know what you think!
Warm your dogs up!
We know it’s common sense for us to warm up before exercise. I keep seeing clients who are heading straight out the car into a park and getting their dog sprinting around. You are SO much more likely to get injuries this way.
Start with some on lead time if you have to, scatter feed or do some detection work. Get your dog thinking and walking before they’re sprinting around. This will probably help with your engagement too!
PS look at Olives face in the background 😂
The snuggliest sack around 😍
This double like Sherpa fleece is SO soft your dog will never want to leave (well Olive doesn’t want to anyway).
Not Just A Dog Bowl…
Did you know ceramic, metal and plastic bowls all allow more bacteria build up than stainless steel bowls? This means that our food-grade stainless steel bowls keep your pets water far fresher for longer!
Does your dog know the word ‘stay’?
Mine do! Crazy for a dog trainer I know.
I decided to teach sit means sit (aka don’t move until your release cue) but I was actually SO inconsistent with using a release word that I was messing up the dogs training. I know this goes against normal dog trainer advice BUT you’ve got to adapt the rules to both the dog in front of you and you yourself. If you’re going to forget to use a release or be inconsistent with it, just use the word stay/ wait! There’s no ‘right’ way of doing things, just do what works for you and the dog 💪🏼
‘I am speed’
Shot by the wonderful
(Rumour has it Holly has some mini canine shoots available in February still if you ask really nicely)
Otis Boatus keeping me company in bed today whilst I have a big day of nothing (ok I might be doing some admin work). Do you ever have those days where you’re not fully ill but know you need to have a day off or you’re going to be really bad the following day?
I’m not sure if any of you have noticed this little change…
I’m officially CFBA accredited! This has been a long process but I’m so proud to be able to share this with you all now. I’m a huge fan of what this organisation promotes for dog trainers AND I am now accepted by most pet insurances.
I cannot thank you all enough- without the forms you filled in, the lovely reviews and the wealth of experience you have given me over the last 6 years this wouldn’t be possible.
If you’d like to find out if canine behaviour therapy is covered by your insurer, give them a call and confirm they accept CFBA (and the terms of this) or give me a call for more info ♥️✨
Is there anything better than a heated bed? Olive thinks not.
Manually set the temperature through our app on your phone, or set it to automatic and it will gauge the right temperature for your room! Pair is with a snuggle sack or your dogs favourite blankets and you’ve got a match made in heaven 😍
How important is it to you that your dog trainer has experience with the breed of dog you have?
How much experience is enough? Aka, would you feel most comfortable if they had owned one, or is having worked with a few enough?
Do you think this is only applicable for the more ‘niche breeds’ that have more unique behaviour?
Would love to know your thoughts!
I used to get SO worried when one of my dogs had a less than ideal interaction with another dog. I’d think about it for weeks- the potential fall out, what I could have done differently, what I should have said to the owner etc.
We had one on todays morning walk (poor nixy) and I can honestly say within 2 minutes I was over it. If Nix started to struggle to ignore dogs or became reactive I will deal with it! In the meantime I know that 90% of his interactions are neutral or positive and so I don’t sweat the 10%. Pick up your dog, walk somewhere different, use bright yellow kit or take out pet corrector spray. Do what you’ve got to do but try not to let the 10% cloud over how great your 90% is ♥️
Our Snuggle Sack is now live 😍
Handmade bedding inspired by Olive and her need for snuggly bedding.
Double lined lovely soft fleece material designed to keep your pets cozy in any weather. Snuggle sacks are 55cm across and 40cm in length (olive’s one in this photo is smaller) perfect for small breeds and cats 🥰
Shop via the link in my bio, and for a limited time use the code ‘SHIPIT’ for free shipping! 💛
Body Language
There are so many photos of Olive where you could pull apart her body language and present a case to me that she is an anxious wreck. The problem is, body language is super context specific, it’s not as simple as lip lick= stressed.
Whenever I am teaching on body language I massively emphasis how important context and the dogs whole body is in informing our conclusions.
The best way to learn about body language is in observing dogs interact. Go to your local park and watch dogs meet, play and aggress. They’re fantastic teachers!
Dog Neutrality
One of the most sought after behaviours from my clients!
Ultimately it comes down to two things:
Good handler engagement
Correct exposure to dogs
If you nail both of these you’ll never have to proactively work on dog neutrality- BUT that’s easier said than done, and it’ll look different for every dog.
For example, if I had a collie that was super focused on me from day one but not interested in other dogs, my training would centre around providing the collie with great dog- dog experiences.
If I had a cockapoo that was Uber excited about other dogs but forgot I existed when we were outdoors I would make my training all about becoming that dogs source of everything good and fun outdoors, whilst limiting exposure to other dogs.
There is no special secret to this. Look at the dog in front of you, assess what their lacking and build a plan to tackle it. Better yet get a dog trainer to help you work it all out!
Built to last, our scratch and rust resistant bowls can join you on all your big adventures 🌳
My giant baby ♥️
I can whole heartedly say Nix has made me a better dog trainer. He is always keen to work, always watching and waiting. Whilst ridiculously switched on, he is also the softest, most gentle dog you’ll ever meet.
Thank you for the amazing photos
Also wearing here!
We want to see your New Years Goals ✨
Let’s get them in writing! What are your goals for your dog(s) in 2024?
Olive: I want to do more shaping! She loves it. Watch out for some new tricks.
Otis: more meet ups with big darker colour dogs & frenchies. Such a pattern to him struggling to keep focus around these more triggering images, time to do something about it!
Nix: wean him off of some patterns. Nix is getting too dependent on morning play, walk then breakfast. Time to start mixing this around and asking for some patience (without whining)!
Your turn!
Want to get started in January with a structured training plan and 121 support? DM me or comment ‘plan’ for more information 💛
Please note, this is an example plan and NOT something I suggest following.
We have less than 3 weeks til the New Year! It’s prep time.
How to set good training goals:
S- SPECIFIC. Have you really quantified it?
M- MEASURABLE. How can you track this goal?
A- ACHIEVABLE. Have we made this goal realistic?
R- RELEVANT. Is this an important goal? Why does it matter to you?
T- TIME BASED. Give this goal and end date!
SMART is an acronym you can use to set any type of goal but it’s something I try to remind clients of often! We need to set good goals for our dogs to both keep ourselves sane and motivated. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed with how much there is to do and end up just doing nothing! Break it down, make a list, make a goal or two.
Christmas Time 🎄
I will not be working December 25th or 29th-3rd January. Other than this I am working (some half days) every other day! If you need a last minute appointment, walk & train etc send me a message and I’ll do my best to squeeze you in! 🎄
It’s Olives favourite day- delivery day!
We love feeding FRESH.
Use code Annie207 or the link in my story for 60% off of your first box & 30% off of your second ♥️
*** MANAGING DOGS WITH HEATSTROKE - SOME FAKE NEWS AND SOME REAL NEWS ***
Posts like the one below with this image are being widely shared! This is very poor information. Heatstroke in ANY species is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY and requires URGENT action to reduce body temperature!
THE APPROPRIATE TREATMENT FOR HEATSTROKE IN DOGS IS IMMERSION IN WATER at 10-16°C (50-61°F) OR CONTINOUS APPLICATION OF WATER ALL OVER FROM A HOSE OR BUCKETS OR BOTTLES! Dogs will tolerate cooler water if not being immersed in it (eg cold drinks or water from a fridge at 5°C.
A dog that has HEATSTROKE and which is UNRESPONSIVE is 37x more likely to DIE! YOU NEED TO COOL THEM TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE OF SURVIVING!
Postscript…
Cooling methods used in dogs with heat-related illness under UK primary veterinary care 2016-2018.
"Lots of myths get shared about cooling hot dogs"
The following information is from Emily Hall's clinical abstract presentation for the British Small Animal Veterinary Association’s annual Congress 2021, link below.
• Rapid Cooling Saves Lives!
• Don't be afraid to use Cold/Ice Water..... it is effective!
• The sooner we can cool these patients, get their temperature below that critical threshold, the less damage is being done and the better the outcome is likely to be
• Use Water, Air, Immersive Cooling, Evaporative Cooling..... use whatever you have available
• Dogs are waiting to be cooled because people are worried about the temperature of the water
• We need to dispel cooling myths that are harming patients
• Empower Owners so they know how to cool their dogs
Emily Hall MA VetMB PGCAP SFHEA MRSB MRCVS
Nottingham Trent University,
Hot Dogs UK Research Team.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR1VZvfN3ZdMTU60N0X1VB9meAzGHsEH_CHqiy3jqaQKhs7q5MDk15fY8mM&v=y8TzwXnjGYc&feature=youtu.be
Church Hill
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SO many of you responded to me asking why you train your dogs. And we had a ton of different answers. Most of you said: to keep them safe, to enhance our bond or to make your own life easier. I think most of you though would agree it’s some sort of combination of all three of the above. It’s easy for people to assume we train our dogs to have control, to dominate them, to bend them to our will but that’s 100% not the reality I see everyday. So, on behalf of your dogs, I want to thank all of you for taking the time each day to push on with their training. They are SO worth it ♥️ Note: if your dog can’t cope with the situation in this video then ‘facing them head on’ will look different for you! Neutrality work is the first step 💙
Shaping Olive’s ‘climb’ cue! To me this is a pretty boring video but if you’re new to shaping this will hopefully really help you get a feeler for how it works. I used to be all about luring but with Olive we shape the vast majority of her behaviours and I’m a covert!
Confidence Building Exercise! Vet edition. Do Tag me in videos of you starting this! Let me * shape not free shape
How I want your loose lead walking to look! 🤍 Are you trying to train LLW at the moment? What are you finding most tricky?
Baxter was walked once a week at most when I first met him. His owners were completely unable to go outdoors with him due to his huge size & strength coupled with his reactivity and prey drive. He was rescued at a year old. After working with another trainer for a few months he still refused to take food outdoors. He was to be an ‘untrainable dog’ and his owners were loosing hope. Baxter was given absolutely no hard corrections during this session. He was taught how to turn off prong pressure by moving towards the owner. He did fantastically and is learning how to loose lead walk for the first time. His owners are finally able to walk him and in this session said they’d ‘never seen him so calm outdoors’. I tend to avoid writing too much on the tools I do or don’t use through social media as there are a lot of assumptions that are made as soon as you advocate for or against use of a tool. Yes I occasionally will train with an e collar. Yes I occasionally will train owners how to appropriately use a prong. I completely understand that both tools evoke strong emotions in lots of people. I used to be dead against them both too and swear there was never a place for them in a proper training plan! These are both tools that I believe shouldn’t be legal without some sort of licensing (ideally a short course you need to take to educate you on ‘ethical’ use, or working closely with a trainer). I do however believe that in some cases they are the kindest choice for both owner and dog, and when used appropriately can be a invaluable tool along side training.
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