Dedicated to Dogs

Molly 🤩

Good Golly, Miss Molly!! 🤩 Molly's Mum Margaret was convinced she wouldn't work independently as she's very attached to her. Well her she is!! Allowing her Mum to move away from her, as well as her leaving her Mum behind to go get her reward 👏 This is what our Foundation Agility Course is all about. Building confidence and independence 😁 Our next foundation agility course is FULL. The next available course is going to start in April. If you are interested and want to get first dibs, comment below 👇

Elfie's

Santa's little helpers at this week's Christmas classes 🎅🧑‍🎄🎄🎁 We had a blast teaching Christmas classes. Plenty more videos and pictures to come 😊 #Christmas #dogtraining #santashelper #elf #elfie

Emma called in to help Ralph with loose lead walking - they sent a message saying “Did you swap him out when we weren’t looking!” This is what it's all about 👏 You can still book a free discovery call to book training or behaviour modification for next year. Start 2025 off right!

Martyn 💙 I've worked with Mr Martyn for a few months now. When I first met him, we took him for a quick walk from the house. Straight away, he was very anxious. Scanning the environment the whole time. He caught sight of a few dogs in the distance and he reacted strongly to them. It was sad to see him feeling so stressed. We've spent time reducing his stress, improving his focus and recall, as well as improving his confidence and changing his association to other dogs. This is the second time he's met my dog Hope. If Martyn was left to his own devices, he would go in all guns blazing and Hope would definitely tell him off! We managed the situation to calm everything down and prevent Martyn from making poor choices, hence the trailing long line just in case we needed it. Once things had calmed down after the initial meeting, we let Martyn off and eventually Hope too. We had them both recalling away from one another. Martyn could watch Hope running and barking and not react 👏 It showed that Martyn does have good social skills and he can interact with dogs appropriately. This can be a huge relief to owners who feel like they will never get their dog near others. Reactivity isn't simply due to fear or frustration. It's so more complex than that and every dog should be treated as an individual. During Martyn's next session, we will be out tackling the world again. I'll give you all an update then 😊 If you are struggling with your dogs behaviour around other dogs, why not book a discovery call to see how we can help you 😊

Rory 💙 I was called in to help with Rory's chronic light chasing habit. It was becoming unmanageable, Rory was constantly on the look out for reflections and getting quite distressed. We worked on this first and drastically reduced Rory's reaction, when he does react, they are able to redirect him easily, something previously impossible! As with most dog's I work with, Rory had multiple 'problem behaviours'. Out on walks he would lunge and scream, and I mean SCREAM, at dog's, people, children, cats, in all honesty most things! We worked on reducing his reactions, being able to manage Rory's behaviour and improve his confidence. We were then able to allow Rory to interact with other dogs. Something his owner's never thought possible. They would have never dreamed of taking him to a park and here he is on our third session there. Interacting with unknown dogs 🙌 Yes, there is still a little anxiety, note the jumping up at his dad after he spots the Labrador running. There is also tension when the black Cocker goes to pick the ball up, as it approaches Rory head on. After all it's still early days. During this video you see him make some beautiful choices, checking in with both me and his owners, as well as disengaging from the other dogs. Don't judge my waffling or my longline handling. It's not that easy trying to film and manage a longline! Rory had seen two other trainers prior to working with me. One who cornered him in his kitchen and scared him and another who made the owner's feel judged and unsupported. Unfortunately the dog training and behaviour world is unregulated and anyone can be an 'expert'. When picking a trainer/behaviourist make sure you ask plenty of questions. Anyone saying they can guarantee to fix your dog in one session.....run for the hills!! If you are struggling with your dog's behaviour, why not book a discovery call and learn how DTD can help you. Totally free and no obligation to book 📞 #behaviourmodification #positivereinf

Peggy 💜

Muzzle training isn't just for big dogs! 🐕 Meet the lovely Peggy 😍 She's a rescue who I've been working with to improve her confidence around being left. On our first session, I noted Peggy's behaviour, her gait, and posture, and I believed pain was playing a part in her behaviour. Her mum, Joanne, was super on it and got her to the vet where they agreed with my suggestion and diagnosed luxating patellas. Peggy is now on pain medication and is doing really well. She's starting hydrotherapy in the new year too. Joanne was keen to muzzle train her to keep her and vet techs/vets safe. Peggy is a very sweet girl, but when pain is at play, dog's can decide they need to react. We worked on muzzle training her to the tiniest muzzle, as you can see, she smashed it! #muzzle #muzzletraining #dogtraining #dogbehaviourmodification #positivereinforcement #vetexam #painandbehaviour #rescue #rescuedog

Stan the Man 😍

The cutest roll over! 😍 Well done Isla for teaching the adorable Stan this trick 👏 Want to teach your dog some tricks, as well as build their obedience behaviours? Or Rainbow classes are for you. Like to know more? Drop a comment below 👇 #bestfriend #puppytraining #positivereinforcement #dogtraining #rainbowclass #dedicatedtodogs

Roy 💙

Meet Reactive Roy! 🐶 🗣 When I first met Roy he would scream and lunge towards other dogs. When I say scream....I mean scream!! I've been working with him and his wonderful Mum Chloe for the past few months and here is the result. Roy choosing to say hello to another dog calmly. Is there tension, yes, but he made some beautiful choices during that session. Meeting and greeting multiple dogs. It's going to take time to take time to build both his and his mum's confidence but I'm so chuffed with this little lads progress 👏 #borderterrier #behaviourmodification #dogtraining #calm #confidence

Jim Update 💙 I was called in to help get Jim comfortable being in the car. His Mum Carolyne had previously put in a lot of work trying to build a positive association to the car, but it all fell apart after a thirty second journey and Jim was back to refusing to go anywhere near the car. When I met Jim, we talked through his behaviour and I observed his gait and posture. I was concerned their was a pain element to his behaviour. Luckily Carolyne listened and took everything on board. Even getting a second opinion and a home visit from the vet. Jim has since been diagnosed with hip dysplasia and is currently on pain meds and under going daily physio, We worked on building a positive association to the car and after a few sessions we could ask him to get in the car, but it certainly wasn't calm and he would immediately want to get out. We continued to work on this and improve his confidence, allowing him to make the choices. On his most recent session I was very happy with this progress. Not only did he decide to get in the car, no cueing, he did so in a fairly relaxed manner, even with the beep worrying him before Carolyne approached the car. We have also been working on building the duration of Jim staying in the car, which is going really well. This is why it's so important to look at the bigger picture when dealing with dogs. Even if something looks like it may be a training issue, quite often there is a behaviour element which needs investigating. I can't wait to see Jim's progress at our next session 😊 #BorderCollie #PainAndBehaviour #HipDysplasia #PositiveReinforcement #BehaviourModification

🐾 How to Build a Rock-Solid Recall for Your Dog! 🐾 I think it’s fair to say everyone had fun at ours last Rapid Recall workshop of the year. Calling your dog and having them return joyfully every time is a dream for every pet parent. Here’s how to make it a reality: 1. Pair your Recall Cue with Something Positive: Start off saying your dog’s recall word and make sure something good follows! Use treats or their favourite toy. This builds a strong, positive association with their recall cue, making your dog more likely to respond eagerly. 2. Start in low distraction environment: Begin training in a distraction-free environment like your living room. Call your dog with an enthusiastic tone, using their name followed by "come" (e.g., "Bella, come!"). Reward with high-value treats and lots of praise! 3. Practice, Practice, Practice: Gradually increase the challenge by practicing different rooms in your house, in your garden, then a quiet park, and eventually more distracting environments. Consistency is key! 4. Mix It Up: Occasionally call your dog to you for a treat and then let them go back to what they were doing. This could be sniffing, exploring an exciting area or playing with another dog. This way, they won’t associate "come" with the end of their fun. 5. Management: Use a longline (5-10metres long) during training sessions to give your dog freedom while still having control. It’s perfect for practicing recall in open spaces without the risk of them running off. Gradually reduce the length, allowing it to trail behind them as they improve. Always use with a harness. 6. Cheerlead: If they don’t come right away, don’t chase them. Try moving away from them even running in the opposite direction, clapping your hands, making funny noises or using a favourite toy to catch their attention. Building a reliable recall takes time, patience, and lots of positive experiences. Keep it fun, and your dog will love coming back to you every time! 🐶

Food, glorious food!!! 🍗🍕🌭🍦🍰🍫 In our puppy classes, we do more than just teach commands like sit and down; we focus on preventing potential behavior problems, such as resource guarding. The outdated approach of removing a food bowl to "show who's in charge" can actually increase a puppy's anxiety, potentially creating or worsening the issue. Think of it like being at a restaurant—if someone kept taking your food, you'd eventually get annoyed and defensive. Dogs feel the same way. Instead, we teach puppies that when people approach them while they have a valued item, it means something good is coming their way. You can see in this videos puppies even start wagging their tails or looking up in anticipation when their owners approach, expecting a reward. Now there are other elements to preventing resource guarding and I wouldn't suggest doing this if you do have a resource guarding, please bear that in mind. In the previous week, we covered how to read our puppies' body language to recognise when they're uncomfortable. Our classes empower owners by educating them, enabling them to better support their dogs. We have just two spots left on our Puppy Life Skills course starting at the end of August. Grab your spot while you can via our website. #resourceguarding #calm #puppies #learning #positiveassociation #puppytraining #ilkley #silsden #skipton

Friends 💜 I started working with Victor a few months ago. He was a barking, lunging, nervous wreck!! After lots of hard work, understanding, management and training, here we are 😁 Victor playing with one of his pals. Nice soft body language. Victor instigating play but not being too over the top, breaking off and calming things down. This made my heart so happy! 🥰 Now, onto cafe and pub training! ☕️🥂 #daschund #behaviourmodification #reactivity #stressedtochill #hardwork #positivereinforcement #ilkley #silsden #skipton ##burleyinwharfedale