Puppy Training Academy Online

14/08/2024

Who are we & What do we do?

https://www.easypeasypuppytraining.co.uk/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEpuexleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHf6pIfBLHe0X1rtnJb8bkKHgPbLwLNvVEKqxUpdGWMSu-l2rVah8ZVmShg_aem_U9WT-6I7L4kTdqtg9v_B1Q

30/07/2024

And we are live

Getting a new puppy, and looking for advice can be overwhelming. Do you want one place, where you can get all the training, socialising and behaviour advice in one place? If so, then you’re in the right place.

28/03/2024

Re sharing old post -

Imagine you’re sat in a pub with friends, and someone comes up to you, starts jumping around you saying

“Come on, come and chat to me, come and play with me, come on, come on, oh don’t be so boring, come on”

They’re not being aggressive, in fact they’re being friendly, but it is annoying.

This is often what happens with our dogs, they’re approached by a dog who doesn’t show aggression, but their behaviour towards them isn’t necessarily polite, they’re not reading the head turns, the dog trying to get away, or maybe even the barking.

We, as humans, like labels, and we often quickly label our dogs, friendly dogs are often labelled friendly as they haven’t shown aggression towards another dog, but it doesn’t mean they are being polite.

It’s important as owners that we work with our dogs to ensure a solid recall, or we keep them on a longline lead we are able to pick up when we see other dogs.

Sometimes the friendliest dogs can cause the biggest issues in dogs. If a dog is slightly worried, fearful or anxious around other dogs then just a dog running into their personal space can really set them back, often these dogs have had a previous incident which causes their worry.

There are also dogs that choose to not be social with other dogs, they would prefer to not engage, even with a ‘friendly’ dog.

I hope this doesn’t sound like a moaning post, just something for us to think about.

06/12/2023

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23967555.healthy-pet-store-totton-hosting-networking-puppies/

Aww we’re in the Echo ❤️

Pups and proud parents headed to Healthy Pet Store in Totton for a morning of networking for tiny tail-waggers

11/03/2023

It’s been a while, but we are looking to get back to it and bring you lots of puppy related content! I’ll do a blog on having a puppy and share tips and advice.

This is our new puppy Missy Mischief, this is her with a egg carton and treats in it, we give her novel items regularly to check out. We had Thai take away last night so I washed out the plastic tubs and she’s been able to investigate these this morning as well as this egg case.

13/10/2022

Fire works

Preparation is key, often being scared by a random firework can create the fear of Fireworks.

From a behaviour point of view, many dogs can feel the impact of Fireworks even if they don’t seem to be phased by the noise, sometimes if they go on for a few days it can impact their sleep, which can have a impact on behaviour. A lot of dogs go missing around this time as well, therefore its important to be aware that our dogs may be more stressed than usual.

If you have a puppy or dog, that hasn't previously been bothered by fire works:

* Do something new with your dog, like a treasure hunt in a box (cardboard) with noisy items in it (cartons, paper, foil) and put treats in there, high value treats, do this 3/4 times over the next couple of weeks, and get out when you hear the fireworks so they have something rewarding to do. You could also create a new toy game of hiding toys, practice over next couple of weeks then play when we have fire works. Have a good chew they can chew on if they start to feel a little stressed.

If your puppy/dog is worried:

* Walk your dog early on in the day, and if they have a toilet regularly in the evening, maybe even think about bringing their food forward a little between now and next weekend when the displays start.
* If you have things you do (shut curtains, radio on etc) start to do this gradually now, so it’s not an indicator of fireworks as such. Have your TV up louder, radio on etc, our extractor fan above the oven is the best way to drown out noise for us.
* Speak to your vet about medication, for some dogs they need meds as it is traumatising for them.
* The Healthy Pet Store in Totton have a number of products that can help them to cope. Pet Remedy spray may help, for some it doesn't touch the sides, but others it does help.
* Build them a comfortable den now, in a safe space, if possible raised up off the ground as they can still feel the fire works. Put a radio near to them. If you do this now, then hopefully by the time firework night is here they will have a safe retreat. If they aren't interested, set it up and put treats in there every so often.If you walk your dog at night, change this now due to chemicals released if they go on a walk the same time each day, if you can walk them earlier, do some training and some nose work so they are more settled by the evening.
* Comfort them if they need you, if they want to be with you, on you then let them, you cannot reinforce fear, if they wish to be in a den hiding, then again I would let them.
* Thunder Shirts are great, as are T-Touch wraps for some dogs, again I would use them now though, not just when you hear fire works, or the sight of the thunder shirt could cause anxiety.
* If you are thinking about or are going to have fireworks this year, please advise your neighbours so they are able to prepare their animals, and for some even organise for them to be away from the home.

It's not until you witness a animal absolutely terrified of them, will you understand how awful it is for them, and once they have heard them, how little you can do. Imagine feeling like you are about to have a car accident, time and time again, that awful feeling that it makes you feel, where your heart beats so fast and you can't think straight, thats how the animals feel night after night. You cannot train them to be ok with fireworks, once they are scared, but can help them to feel more comfortable.

If you can imagine, our dogs often are ok with Fire Works, then one catches them off guard, their brain/body responds as it should and increases arousal, cortisol, adrenalin, then another bang goes off, and same happens again, and again. Then they get a chance to recover, however it can take up to 72 hours to reduce the cortisol, but what happens, they hear another bang the next night, they react the same, they are now scared, and another bang, which then confirms to their nervous system they were right to feel scared, next time something in the environment is similar then they can start to feel anxious again.
Gavins Trained Gundog spaniels, worked around guns all their lives, but were still scared of fireworks.

Animal lovers aren't against people having fun, just terrified they are going to lose their pets to a heart attack (which does happen).
If they have been stressed by Fire Works the night before, walk them on a long line or go somewhere familiar as they are a lot more likely to spook if they hear a bang for a couple of days after, lots of dogs go missing and there are a lot of behaviour changes as well.

02/08/2022

https://vimeo.com/399401501 Puppies and play

This is "Toys & Play-4K copy" by Jeanette Muldoon on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

20/07/2022

07/07/2022

Live video, puppy biting!

06/06/2022

If you'd like to give your puppy the best start in life, then why not join us at the Puppy Training Academy.

A Puppy Course, which teaches you all you need to know when having a puppy, when to train them, what to train them and why.

Everything you need in one place, and with professional trainers on hand to answer all your questions.

Trust me, it will be the best £79 you can spend on your puppy, to make your life and your puppies so much easier.

We teach you

How to toilet train
Why play is so important
How too, and not to socialise
Puppy Biting, how to prevent it
Recall
Sit/Down/Stay
Lead Walking
Equipment
Separation Issues
Resource Guarding Prevention
How to get kids involved in the training
Plus much more.

https://www.puppytrainingacademy.co.uk/puppy-perfection

25/04/2022

Wagging tail

Did you know a wagging tail doesn’t always mean a happy dog, it means there is adrenaline going through the body.

To see your dogs Happy Tail wag notice their tail when you return home or when they see you in the morning. Then see if you can notice how different it can be in different situations, is the wag different when they say hello to another dog, or person, does it speed up, slow down? Does it have a rhythm? We can often put our dogs into situations they’re not comfortable with by looking at the tail.

When looking at body language you need to consider the whole body, is the mouth relaxed? Is the body relaxed, wiggly, comfortable etc.

Every single dog is different, therefore although you can study dog body language, it’s important to study many dogs, as they’re all so different.

Observe your dog when they’re happy, when they may be slightly worried, tired, cold, content you’ll learn so much.

19/04/2022

When you're training your puppy, try, as much as possible to be in the moment, it can make a huge difference to our training, its not to stress about it but before, during and after training:

Notice your surroundings, what can you see?, What can you hear? See if it makes any difference to you!

18/04/2022

When you're training your puppy to do something new, think about what you are giving them as a reward, their reinforcement.

We can want our dogs to do what we ask of them all we want, but for many dogs praise may not be rewarding, or in-fact for some punishing if they're patted on the head or handled when they don't want to be.

When you train your puppy:

Make sure its fun for both of you, think about how you learn yourself, as an adult most of our learning is through choice, we choose to learn something new, we enjoy the process, think about how much harder it is to learn when we're not enjoying the subject, or perhaps have to for work or other reasons. Make it fun, make it enjoyable.

Rewards, again think about reinforcement yourself, would you do your work for nothing. Once our puppies are outside of our home, they have a lot to contend with, to think about, to work out, therefore having a reward thats very reinforcing for them means they're much more likely to repeat that behaviour when faced with a number of distractions. Think about children is Soft Play, would they come away for carrots? Unlikely, a Lollypop, probably.

Also consider if you're consistent, are you using the same words, same body language, are there times when you let them perhaps pull on the lead, but then get annoyed other times. Do you encourage them up on the sofa for a cuddle when you want one, but then get annoyed with them up there at other times? Consistency really helps with training.

Are you meeting their needs? Sometimes we expect our puppies to fall into our lives, to be as social as we are, to want to be around as many others as we do, but for many puppies they can easily get overwhelmed, and you're likely to see this in behaviour, perhaps they're very bitey, or they can't seem to settle, they could have a lot of energy, and/or bark a lot.

I see being able to watch a puppy grow and develop as a complete blessing, to be able to have an influence, whilst getting to know your new family member. x

14/04/2022

We are led to believe, from stories, tv programmes, belief and thought patterns, that everything is about training, and that as long as we train our puppies there won't be any behaviour issues.

Well, this isn't actually true, training and behaviour are separate in themselves, although there are over laps, but you can have the most trained dog in the world, but it is their emotional needs, their fears, their worries, their genetics, past experiences that all determine how they feel emotionally.

This is why some dogs seem to be fine even without any training, and why some of the most trained dogs aren't able to cope in certain situations.

And this is why, for us, socialising (properly) is so very important for our puppies.

Socialising is so much more than meeting other dogs and playing with other puppies.

Socialising is, to us,

Helping your puppy to navigate the big wide world, but at their own individual pace,
To feel safe in different environments,
For them to know they have a way of getting out of situations, that worry them, and that we recognise the signs that it's getting too much for them,
Helping our puppies to have positive experiences around other dogs, to be there for them if its getting too much,
Introducing our puppies to humans that are happy for it to be on puppies own terms if they are to be handled,
Giving our puppies the right amount of rest they need to be able to process what they are learning.

Socialising your puppy is a great chance to get to know them, observe them in various environments, learn their body language, learn the signs they show when things are too much, and have fun with them.

10/04/2022

You know what, the most important part of being a new puppy owner is getting to know your individual puppy-

Get to know what they love, what motivates them.
Get to know when they have had enough, recognise the signs and get them to a quiet spot to chill,
Recognise the signs they are concerned/stressed/worried, and think about how you can build their confidence for them,
Notice how they cope on their own, do you need to build up to leaving them, or are they happy on their own,
Do they have a space in your home, they feel the most safe in? Is there access to this space?
Are they being given the opportunity to learn, to explore?
Are they able to communicate with you that something isn't ok, they feel worried, do you know those signs?
Are you able to see how they feel around other dogs, do they need more time than some dogs?
Are you able to establish when they are feeling worried around other dogs?

We can sometimes spend a lot of time and energy focusing on things such as toilet training or puppy biting, whilst missing getting to know our pups. Getting to know them, being their support and keeping them safe are so important for our puppies.

We will be running online puppy classes in a month or so time, so we are able to reach a bigger audience, this will be in-line with the Puppy Perfection online training course we have, but we will be covering all of the above, as well as training your puppy.

29/03/2022

Having a puppy can seem overwhelming very quickly. You can quickly question what you have done, you didn't realise it would be this hard? No one says about the less sleep, no time to yourself part? Why does my puppy bite me? Why do they not listen?

All of the above are normal, but common questions people have when they get a puppy. It is hard work, you're not alone in how you feel.

Things that can make it easier for you:

Make time in your day for you, see if you're able to get someone to sit your puppy for a while, or work up to leaving them. When they nap, read a book, grab a cuppa and relax.

Practice getting Coherent whilst in their company, when we are coherent our Heart and our Brain waves are as one, research has shown that in the company of our animals, they will also start to become coherent.

Getting Coherent - HeartMath -

Take a few deep breaths, feel into your heartbeat, notice your heart.

Place your hand on your heart, and breath in and our of your heart, no pressure, let go breathe in for about the count of 4/5 what ever is comfortable for you.

Hold this for as long as you can, 10 seconds, 10 minutes, what ever feels right for you.

Take your pup somewhere beautiful in nature, be prepared with a blanket, some treats, a chew and just enjoy some time somewhere if possible. Really feel in to how it feels.

Work with a trainer/professional - Working with a professional gives you peice of mind you're doing the right things, they can help you to determine where to start and what to focus on, plus answer any questions you have.

Do online training - Again, having all the answers you need in one place is priceless, not having to read 3 different articles and make a choice on which one is best.

I hope this helps some of you, Puppy Blues is real, you will feel yourself again, and you will be ok. x

23/03/2022

It's National Puppy Day today! Let us know your biggest struggles, and wins with your puppies x

22/03/2022

We will be here to answer all your puppy related questions. We will have a confidence building area for puppies and dogs too.

A fantastic dog friendly festival for dogs and dog lovers. Amazing arena displays, have a go activities, food and drink and much more

21/03/2022

Let’s see your puppy/dog photos! Tell us all about them x

04/03/2022

When you have your new puppy, its very easy to get caught up in worrying about the toilet training, the puppy biting, where they sleep, eat etc, and we can actually get distracted from getting to know our own puppy -

Get to know your puppy

What do they seem to love?
What seems to worry them?
Do they have changes in behaviour during the day?
Where in your house do they seem to prefer to be?
Are they choosing to be handled?

The first few months of our puppies lives are very important. We give our human babies time to develop at their own pace, we don't expect them to just know how to be, and what to do, how to regulate their emotions, how to ask for something, it all takes time.

We should also think about this with our puppies, it takes time to teach them, to help them feel safe, to socialise them.

Really think about your puppies life, do they have time each day to explore, to sniff, to observe?

Are they in a safe environment where they are able to explore, able to learn?

Every single puppy is individual, its so important to understand the pup we have in front of us, which is why I highly recommend working with a professional, ether 1-2-1 or in class as it can make such a huge difference to you and our puppy. xx

23/02/2022

The awful weather we have had may cause your puppy some stress, therefore you may see a change in behaviour in terms of biting, also having kids home from school often means less sleep, and different routine, which can also impact how they’re feeling, and in turn behaviour x

15/02/2022

Hi Everyone, I will do a live on Friday morning, please let me know if you have any puppy related questions to cover. Thank you

08/01/2022

Do you want to give your puppy the best start in life?

Do you want one place to go to ask all puppy relating questions?

Do you want to know you're on the right path?

Do you want access to qualified trainers to give you advice and help support your journey?

Do you want somewhere you and your family can go to to teach you the best methods to use for your puppy?

If so, we have the Puppy Perfection Online Puppy Course for you - £79, which could save you a lot of money in the longrun.

please let me know if you have any questions.

https://puppytrainingacademy.teachable.com/p/puppy-perfection

08/01/2022

We can often focus on the behaviour of our puppies/dogs rather than the reason behind the behaviour. Behaviour in our puppies and dogs is information that something is going on. In the same way with children, if their behaviour changes, and we just focus on the behaviour, we won't be able to help them sort the problem causing the behaviour, or to assist them with their feelings.

Puppy Biting - Often due to over arousal, stress, anxiety, and most of the time tiredness.

Toileting indoors - Could be that you've missed the signs, they're worried about going outside, something scared them last time, they have learnt to wait until no human is present, or something medical could be going on.

Pulling on the lead - This is very often due to them being in a environment that worries them, adrenalin and cortisol is increasing, they get more energy and therefore pull to get the walk over and done with.

Picking items up - This can get a little complicated as there are a number of reasons, some breeds are bred to pick up and carry something in their mouths, very quickly, we can have issues whereby they seek something to have in their mouth due to having things taken from them. Some dogs also feel safer when they have something in their mouth, and therefore in certain environments may look to pick something up. For others they like to be chased, and for others they may guard. I would get in touch with a professional if they're actively seeking to pick things up, it may be nothing but it could escalate to guarding. Again its information for us.

Digging - For some dogs its great fun, for others it can be a displacement behaviour that makes them feel better when they're feeling stressed. For some its an instinctual behaviour. Having somewhere for them to dig can help with this, but also see if there is any sort of pattern.

Jumping up - This can be due to a number of reasons, for some it is excitement and wanting to get to the humans face. For many its due to arousal, they're over aroused in a certain environment, have a lot of energy and therefore display exuberant behaviour. For some dogs, they're actually more worries than we realise, therefore their nervous system is in over drive, they have lots of energy and they can seem like they really like other people and dogs, but it can be coming from a place of fear rather than confidence. Do they roll on their back? Do they go stiff when being touched? Do they lay down, all of these could be signs they're a little worried.

Barking - Barking is a huge subject and needs a post to itself, but there are a number of reasons why they bark. Excitement (arousal), stress, fear, tiredness, guarding, alerting etc. I will do another post on it, but if they are barking out the window, I would recommend frosted glass stickers or shutting curtains to reduce rehearsal, if in the garden train out there a few times a day to change association, if on a walk get in touch with a professional to work through reactivity.

There are many more behaviours we work with, but just wanted to talk about the most common in puppies. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you

31/12/2021

To help with fireworks x

Original Youtube channel 10HoursOfEverythingSound and music videos for personal growth: https://soundsforhealing.wordpress.com/

31/12/2021

Puppy Biting
Walking pup on lead
Preparing for Fireworks
Reacting to other dogs and people

26/12/2021

With lots of puppies arriving in the last few weeks, I’m sure there will be many questions.

I’ll do a live video this week on Tuesday, please let me know what puppy related questions you have.

I also offer zoom consultations online for £35, and we also have our award winning online Puppy Programme.

20/12/2021

Puppy Tip -

When every your puppy is being handled, meeting someone knew, in a new environment or with other dogs watch for signs that they could potentially feel stressed in that moment:

* Tongue Flicks
* Yawning
* Whites of the Eyes are visible
* They go stiff
* They are turning their head
* They are trying to get away
* They roll over as soon as another dog comes up to them, or a person (not always but often they are appeasing rather than wanting a belly rub)
* They are jumping up at you

All of the above can mean they’re uncomfortable in that moment in time, often we can assume that they are happy based on:

* Being energetic - running over to other dogs and people (this can sometimes come from anxiety)
* Pulling to get to other dogs (sometimes this is due to arousal from anxiety, its about what they do when they get there)
* Tail Wagging - A tail wagging means adrenaline is going, it doesn’t mean they’re happy
* Pulling on the lead - we can sometimes assume they love their walk as they pull on the lead, but often they want to get it over with.

If a puppy is put into stressful situations when they’re younger (which you’re not aware of) they can show different behaviours as they get older, they may react to people, dogs, children etc when they start to mature.

All of the above are super important for puppy owners to be aware of, if you need any extra help please get in touch, we offer remote Zoom Consultations as well as 1-2-1 sessions, where we can help you to understand your puppy. [email protected]

15/12/2021

Puppy Tip 9 -

If your puppy doesn't seem keen on their food, try taking it out the bowl, scatter feed, put into toilet tubes, kitchen rolls etc, or throw one piece at a time. If they're raw fed, put it in different containers for them to seek out, or pop it into a kong.

Snuffle mats are great for puppies, highly recommend them, if they're fed raw just use them for treats.

If you are local to us The Healthy Pet Store in Totton sale the most amazing treats, toys and food, as well as give out expert advice on nutrition for dogs.

12/12/2021

I've been a bit slack so apologies, been super busy -

Puppy Tip No. 8 -

Socialising isn't all about playing with other puppies and dogs, socialising is all about becoming used to being around other dogs, and having a positive experience.

For many puppies, they will feel differently about being around other dogs in different environments, for example if they are familiar with where they are, and the smells etc then meeting another dog is likely to be much more positive for them than if they were in a place they were worried, for example on a path or road. The environment is so important, when we are working with slightly nervous puppies, we first make sure we build up a positive environment for them where they feel safe, before introducing them to dogs that are happy to be around and guide puppies.