Mad4Mutts

08/09/2025

We received some very sad news this morning that Tyson was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and has crossed the rainbow bridge. Four weeks ago he was a happy healthy boy but he had been displaying unsteadiness on his feet and started bumping into things which led to the diagnosis. We worked with Tyson some 2 years ago for his severe reactivity, and due to the love and dedication of his Mum & Dad Tyson had made incredible progress and even spent time off lead. I personally fell in love with this boy, such a sweet soul, and he will be terribly missed but fondly remembered. Love to Dave and family at this tough time x

06/09/2025

Why I don’t and will never identify as a force free trainer.

“Force Free Dog Training” is an amazing marketing tagline . It’s up there with “Black Lives Matter” Who could contradict either? Both are difficult to refute. Of course black lives matter, any form or racism is unacceptable and of course using force against an animal is also unacceptable. But what do we mean by “Force” in this context? Does it mean beating the dog? causing pain? or being “heavy handed”? Because that’s what the term force free implies,- that anyone not ascribing to the label “Force Free” is obviously abusing dogs right? Wrong.

Other terms used along side Force Free are “Reward Based” or “Positive Reinforcement Training” or “Positive Only” or “Science Based Training”. Force Free sounds fluffy, and gentle and unicorns, and bunny rabbits and rainbows and is designed to give you a warm fuzzy comfortable feeling inside, that helps you part with your money but what does it actually mean?

The vast majority of trainers of any repute in the UK use positive reinforcement around ninety five percent of the time they are working with dogs. Positive reinforcement is adding something (reward) when the dog does what we want or complies with a command successfully.

SIT – you sat, well done, here’s your treat, Good boy!

Great! So why isn’t every trainer in the country describing themselves as “Force Free” “Positive Only”?

There are two reasons. Firstly Force Free isn’t a training method, it’s an ideology which states that
no other method must be used outside a strictly defined set of parameters. For example, a verbal correction must not be used. The use of the word NO is outlawed, as is any form of lead correction or introducing and exposing the dog to things that may trigger it. In fact anything that they perceive the dog may find even mildly unpleasant is banned.

Nope, your only options as owner are to ignore the bad behaviour until it stops, and wait for the dog to do something good to reward it (yes you got it, you’ve just rewarded exactly what you don’t want) or just avoid any situation that may upset your poor bunny fluffy wrapped in cotton wool poochy.

Yes of course reward the dog for good responses, but if that doesn’t work and you’re still getting bad behaviour what do you do? Hmmm?

What is wrong with a loud hand clap? Or a firm but emotionless NO? That’s not allowed in force free, but it’s certainly not abuse, and if you think your dog can’t cope with that you are disrespecting an amazing species. Some force free trainers would say that’s very unkind and you dog doesn’t like it. I don’t like speed cameras but because there’s an uncomfortable consequence for speeding, I stick to the speed limit. Why is the fellow mammal at your feet going to respond to consequence any differently? Humans respond to reward, and avoid consequence. Your dog is no different.

No, the term “force free” can be very deceiving and here’s why. A lovely lady approached me after consulting a vet and two force free behaviourists, (and spending thousands) The dog had been assessed as aggressive and dangerous and they were advised that the kindest option would be either euthanasia or isolating her away from anything that could trigger her (people dogs, the world in general) and walk her on industrial estates at midnight. On meeting this dangerous beast, I realised that she wasn’t innately aggressive but just insecure and confused. Once we provided some minor consequence, structure, and boundaries for her to operate safely in and slowly introduced her to the things that triggered her, she completely transformed and is happy healthy and STILL ALIVE.

I love dogs. I’ve loved every dog I’ve ever worked with (even the one’s that bit me) and it’s my belief that not challenging the dog to push out of its comfort zone and leaving it in a perpetual state of unnecessary and fixable insecurity, uncertainty, and anxiety is downright cruel

In my view, Force Free is a management technique. It excludes, confines and restricts opportunities for the dog to grow through discomfort, in fact, their mantra appears to be “death before discomfort” and in my, and many of my clients experience, in many cases it doesn’t change or modify difficult behaviour it just stops the opportunities for the dog to practice them, and they don’t go away. That’s no way to live for you or your dog.

So, if you have a dog displaying difficult behaviours, ignoring the bad and rewarding the good may work for you, I hope it does, but if it doesn’t we have to think in terms of making that behaviour undesirable or uncomfortable to repeat (speed camera), and if you truly love your dog, leading it out of its comfort zone, even through a phase of discomfort and challenge is probably the most loving thing you could ever do.

While I wait for all the toxic trolls to kick in, before you comment, I am currently working with a dog that one behaviourist refused to work with and a second failed to resolve. He has a bite history and doesn't like humans so rather than be a keyboard warrior, you are cordially invited to join me for his next session and lets put force free training to the test! Good luck!

05/09/2025

Momma Bell says “Happy Friday Everyone”!

03/09/2025

I’m not blowing my own trumpet here, but I’ve lost count of the amount of potential dog trainers and newly qualified trainers who have asked for mentorship or to shadow us over the years, and that’s generally because we can show proven consistent success in behaviour modification when it comes to reactivity and aggression. I’m always happy for trainers to ride shotgun because it’s the best way to learn. I have had some awesome mentors. I still do, and that’s how I learned, by getting in the trenches and gaining a huge amount of valuable practical hands on experience that has made our business what it is today.
Most new trainers very often arrive in the industry unprepared through no fault of their own. It’s not uncommon to gather swathes of certificates and “accreditations” that are largely theoretical that doesn’t equip them to practice core handling skills or to “read” a dog, and in my opinion there is a huge disconnect between academic knowledge and application, and its causing huge problems for dog owners both emotionally and financially. It can take a good ten years of hands on experience to get good in this industry which is why I’m such a huge advocate of mentoring new talent.
The dog training industry is a toxic messy space created by a clash of two ideologies and caught in the middle is a deeply confused dog owning public that needs help. Certificates and accreditations are great but we need trainers with good technique who can handle dogs, and read dogs and situations with real “wisdom”. How is wisdom acquired? Through doing, failing, learning, experiencing and that can never be acquired in a classroom. Wisdom means success, wisdom means creating positive outcomes and not just managing them. Wisdom means coaching the client to set them up for success, not lecturing them to the point of confusion.
I am a huge fan of mentoring. Why? Because it puts competence first and creates confidence through achieved results. It helps trainers coach a client to succeed, and most importantly of all it delivers results that matter, because our clients deserve us being the best we can be, and so do their dogs. Steve@mad4mutts

03/09/2025

As times get tougher we know how important it is to offer the best possible value for our clients, and our focus is always on producing the very best results for them. We also are constantly striving to make our services as affordable as possible. With that in mind, we can now offer Klarna, and paypal pay in 3 to help spread the cost of your training needs via our website. We are committed to providing the best possible service, and to achieve consistently successful results for you while keeping prices as affordable as possible. Every little helps as they say

Dog training specialists: We have a thorough knowledge of canine behavior, dog safety, dog training, and empowering you.

06/08/2025

Very often, clients will give us a wish list of things they would like to achieve with their dogs, and one of the most common wishes is to just be able to take the dog out for a coffee to a nice cafe, or have a relaxed pint in the pub in peace without the dog kicking off. With Chester, it wasn't about being reactive, he's a very nice boy, but he would just refuse to walk anywhere and if he did it was on his terms, and at his pace and if he found something he liked to sniff, Chester wasn't going anywhere. This meant that just going for a simple walk would literally take hours, and the walk would be where Chester wanted to go. We did two sessions with Chester, and after setting some rules and structure it helped him understand that both his life and Mum and Dad's life would be so much bigger and better if he walked on their terms and not his. We received a lovely email this morning from Chester's Mum, and we are really thrilled at his rapid progress. Chester's Mum wrote, " I would just like to say a massive thank you for the help you have given me with Chester. All the things I wanted to do and couldn’t, walk to my Mums, daughters and the seafront. And my husband just wanted to walk him to the Chelston Manor for a pint. Well in the last couple of weeks since your visits we have achieved it all.
Chester still has a stubborn moment every now and again but we put our training into action and carry on.
I wish we had have found you sooner, but thankfully through your expertise we got there in the end.
Thanks again
Gill
Attached is the photo my husband proudly sent me as he had gone to the pub for a pint, first time in 5 years he managed to get Chester to walk there 😂 Well done everyone! Well done Chester! What a superb result! Enjoy your pint! After 5 years of waiting you deserve it!

28/07/2025

If you met Luna you wouldn’t believe for a second that she was seven and a half years old. To say she’s still got her puppy head on is an understatement and although she’s the loveliest dog her constant barking and jumping up excitedly was becoming a problem. We caught up with Luna on her second training session today and had a glowing report from her mum. Big improvements in the space of a few weeks means she's top of the class in our book. Today we polished her greeting skillls and recall to stop her going off on her own little adventures and she did amazingly well. Well done Luna and well done Mum. What lovely progress!

26/07/2025

When we first met Marley he was a highly reactive boy and his size meant he could be very intimidating. Reactivity can shrink life down for both dog and owner but these days Marley is a completely transformed character and a real poster boy for our “finding neutral” training. Marley can be taken anywhere and will remain calm in all environments and in the presence of other dogs which would previously trigger a severe reaction Here’s Marley in Exeter city centre saying Hi to Big Chief the Exeter Chiefs mascot. Well done to Dave and Laura. Their dedication to Marleys training is amazing and it shows in the new Marley. What a good boy! Exeter Chiefs Official

23/07/2025

Quick update on Molly, and a lovely review from Molly's Mum Jess. Sometimes we can be too quick to jump to anxiety as the root of many problem dog behaviours especially behaviour that on the surface can present as fear or anxiety. Having said that, even with fearful dogs structure, routine and boundaries really do help them build confidence and resilience, and I think this sweet review sums that up! Molly's Mum said "Steve was great with Molly and helped us to manage her ‘needy’ behaviour. She has made incredible progress in just three weeks and will now stay at home alone without barking for a few hours. I was doubtful that teaching her the basics would make any difference, but she is like a different dog - it’s incredible. Thank you Steve for your help, it has been invaluable!" Well done Jess! Structure helps dogs thrive and it wins every time! Just goes to show that simple usually works out for the best.

21/07/2025

Six months ago, Wendy was dropped at Martin & Sally's home in the early hours of the morning all the way from Romania, but it soon became apparent that all was not well. Wendy was very withdrawn and shutdown, and made a beeline for the nearest bolthole whenever a human was around. They thought that given time she would acclimatise and relax once she had settled but months later Wendy was still running and hiding and refusing to engage, avoiding any physical contact completely. Wendy was quite happy to stay behind the sofa if it meant not having to be near humans. Wendy was quite a challenge as she refused to be handled, and even putting a collar on was an impossible task. So the first step in our strategy was to take away her options to hide with a few strategic moves of the furniture, and to get a collar and house lead on so that we could have some control of her running away, and gently ease her out of her comfort zone so that she wasn't trapped in the little safety bubble she had created for herself. Yes it was a little stressful for Wendy but we've started to see the beginnings of trust building and this is the result. Martin and Sally are a very special couple whom we greatly admire, and all credit goes to them for their love patience and commitment to help Wendy to be the dog she is capable of being. Quite a way to go yet, but the difference between the Wendy you see here and the Wendy of a few weeks ago after months of running away is nothing short of astonishing. Huge congratulations, you're doing a great job!

21/07/2025

Do you have a reactive dog? Are you struggling with your dogs behaviour? Stressed? Feel you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work? Join our FREE group call on Monday 28th July at 7pm and let’s see if we can help. Our WhatsApp group offers friendly help and support. Just text your name and number to 07979758149 and we will add you to our call list. Look forward to chatting with you!

16/07/2025

Molly is the sweetest girl but struggles with being alone in the room on her own, and when Mum & Dad go out even for a short time Molly can be heard barking and howling excessively. We did our second session with Molly yesterday and she is showing some really pleasing improvement already. Well done Team Molly. We’ll keep you posted on her progress!