So we're walking along and out pops a deer from the hedge and starts walking down the track. They do this a lot here 🤦♀️🦌
I've always worked on my dog's behaviour around wildlife because I want everyone to enjoy a peaceful existence together. I can't complain about her recall at all. It is, without wanting to sound too boastful, pretty amazing and I'm very proud of it, but I'm also a BIG believer in adding more strings to the bow wherever you can.
Now, I do tend to want to get a recall really solid first before working on what I think are more advanced skills around the really tricky situations you come across on walks. With a really solid recall, you always have a backup plan.
I've taught my dog, on the sight of deer to stop, wait and return to me of her own accord and without me having to ask her or instruct her to do anything. The deer have really become her cue to do all of this in their own right.
I have my recall as my backup and in the training phase of all this I've used LOTS and LOTS of management to help the learning process. What I'm aiming for is for things to remain calm for everyone so that the deer can go on about their day without having too much of a panic that a whistle just blew and my dog makes sudden movements.
This kind of thing isn't trained overnight, that's for sure. But when you continue working on your dog's skills, they definitely keep developing and blossoming into something you can be truly proud of. That's why I love getting into the more advanced sessions with dogs once they've learnt their strong foundations. I hope that deer went on to have a lovely day 🤎
Want help with dog training? See LINK IN BIO for details and follow @progdoguk
#wildlife #peace #dogtraining #deer #goodgirl #effort #worthit
When you introduce Kongs to the old boy's daily routine and he becomes an addict 🤣🥰
If training your dog ever feels tough, don't forget to take time out just to be together without pressure or expectation 🤎
It's such an exciting time! But raising a pup isn't quite as simple as getting all the equipment, bedding and food you need and hoping for the best. Is it worth it? 100% YES! But....
There are a few things you will experience that are good to know and be prepared for so that you don't feel too overwhelmed in the first few months:
- Puppies bite. Some more than others. They bite you, clothes, things. It's a very common puppy behaviour and it's unlikely you won't experience it. Most puppy biting is very normal and yes, it can hurt at times!
- you're likely to have interrupted sleep for a bit and you'll have some days where you feel shattered.
- it can feel a lot at first. Once they stop sleeping quite so much, most of your attention is going to be on them and there can initially be little downtime for you.
- you'll need to socialise them to the big wide world once they've settled in the family for a couple of days. If not fully vaccinated, this means carrying them in your arms (or a puppy sling or pram if they're a large breed!) outside to get them used to the environment and the sights, sounds and smells of everyday life.
- they need training and nurturing. They aren't born with an instruction manual on how we need them to behave in a human world. They need help to learn what we need them to do and training with kindness so they love doing it.
Are they worth all this? ABSOLUTELY! Am I saying this to put you off? HELL NO!
Knowing what kind of experiences you're likely going to have can really help you prepare for your pup and plan the time you have to be able to cope. It also can help you choose the best time to actually bring your puppy home.
Get help with training your pup and grab help from friends and family when you need a little break. It's really OK to have a little break from your puppy.
Need help with puppy advice, bringing your puppy home, what to get to plan for your pup, what to do in your first few weeks and essential puppy training? Contac
I don't think it's her vibe 🤣
We said goodbye to the family for Christmas break today but got treated to this little send-off before we left 🕺 I love the history behind this with roots in a custom undertaken before plough Monday historically. Either way, nice of them to throw us a party before we go 👌
Who else feels the same about their dog? 🤎
Nearly time for our Christmas holiday to be over and I've soaked up spending every second with my girl. We've made some lovely new memories and plans for the future these last two weeks 🐾 I just wish there were more seconds in the day to spend with her 🥰
I've completely lost track of days 🤦♀️
Is this the bit they call betwixmas?
I hope everyone celebrating had a lovely Christmas and, if you're not back to routine yet, are enjoying not knowing what day of the week it is anymore 🥰
Just a reminder that I am back on 8th Jan and I'll be getting back to everyone who has messaged then, thank you for all of your enquiries 🤎
Anyone with plans for New Year's Eve? We tend to have a quiet one these days. I still won't know what day it is then either 🤣
We all have different goals and dreams with our dogs.
We all have different lifestyles and different ways we need our dogs to fit in with those.
What's right for one family, isn't right for the next. We are all different.
But the one thing we ALL have in common is that to achieve those dreams, you have to work for them.
You HAVE to show up for your dog. You HAVE to be disciplined to train, do rather than dream, practice skills AND patience and show up for them. That dream dog comes with work. But it's SO worth it. Simply hoping something will happen is usually a sure fire way to ensure it won't. Keep on training your dog!
Want the dog of your dreams? DM @progdoguk for help 🤎
If you're not doing this already, you're going wrong! 👇
When recall training your dog, train them to the whistle!
And no, I don't mean just buy a whistle and use it on walks in the hope your dog will magically 'know' it means to recall to you.
I don't know how many times I see 'that person' blowing their whistle a million times before the dog bothers returning 🤦♀️
It should be ONE cue of the whistle and your dog returns. And you achieve that by TRAINING the whistle.
Whistles work so well for recall outdoors. They cut through all the 'noise' your dog is experiencing perfectly (scent, sound, sight and so on). It's SO much better than using their name.
Want to know how to train your dog to recall to a whistle? Comment RECALL to get started 😃
Comment WHISTLE to get a link to the amazing whistles I use 👌
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🐾 ProgDog Puppy & Dog Training
Everyone has that one friend or family member 🤦♀️
You know, the "why are you doing it that way?" and the "I've had dogs all my life" brigade. They're the ones who generally learnt from dog trainers from the olden days 😬
🐾 You've got your plan.
🐾 You've got your goals.
🐾 You've got your dog.
Don't give up training just because others want to stick their oars in! Your dog is cheering you on 🤎
FOLLOW, LIKE & SAVE ProgDog dog training
Does your dog bark at everything out of the window? 😬
Is it something you want to stop?
If so, I certainly wouldn't be encouraging or letting them continually practice this behaviour. Practice makes perfect (and habits) and, for some dogs, it probably feels pretty good to them to do this. So it's going to keep happening, over and over 🤦♀️
What to do?
✨️ Start with blocking their view from the window (stop the practice). Think blinds/curtains/window film/moving the sofa away from the window
✨️ Train them to settle on a bed or mat (away from the window)
✨️ Add in distractions to the settle training so they get used to staying in place whilst things happen around them
✨️ Place the mat at the furthest point from the window and practice your distraction work, working gradually up to things moving outside of the window (and noises outside of the house)
✨️ You can move the mat closer to the window over time, or leave as is
✨️ Practice, practice, practice!
Identifying the cause of your dog's barking is crucial and it might be that your dog needs a different course of action to the above (think breed specific behaviours/anxiety related behaviours). But this isn't a bad place to start for a lot of dogs 👍
🐾 FOLLOW, LIKE & SAVE @progdoguk for more dog training tips and advice
This really happened 👇
I love to teach dogs amazing recalls as well as emergency stops. Both are essential life-saving skills as far as I'm concerned.
A recall is where your dog comes back to you no matter what. An emergency stop is where your dog stops immediately where they are and waits in place until you catch up with them.
Why train both? Here's a story. My client's dog was in a park and two other dogs started fighting next to her. A big fight. Panicking out of sheer fear, she runs. She's running for safety as far as she is concerned. She leaves the park, crosses a main road and is now running to who knows where.
My client knows a recall isn't going to work. Their dog won't want to return to the place they were running away from. And crossing back over the main road would obviously put her life in danger.
But we'd trained an emergency stop 💪
So they stopped her on the pavement on the other side of the road. And she stopped and waited for them to get over to her. She didn't keep running and she didn't cross back over the road.
And we've all never been so grateful we trained the emergency stop 🙏
For me, there are some skills that are essential. Along with recall, emergency stop is up there.
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Want help with dog training? DM me HELP to get started 🐾
Be clear with your cues! 👇
How many of you have trained your dog to "sit"?
How many of you have trained your dog to lay "down"?
How many of you then ask your dog to "sit down"?
So I always ask, which ONE of those TWO behaviours do you actually want your dog to do? 🤔
I hear it all the time! 🤦♀️
Be clear with what you've taught them and ask them to do. Really think about what cues you are giving your dog and whether you are actually confusing things for them. They muddle through generally despite our faults, but life is a LOT easier for them when we are clear 🥰
Need help with dog training? DM me TRAIN to get started 🐾
FOLLOW @progdoguk for more dog training tips 🤎
It's Mag's 7th Birthday today 🥳
She's been my sidekick for five years since we rehomed her. We've travelled together mentally and physically and we've had the most incredible few years 🥰
She didn't start out as an easy dog. She had a lot of unpicking and learning to do for a long while. She's an extremely sensitive girl and that came with a lot of barriers at first for her.
So we dug in together, promising that every Birthday from now on would be with us. We loved, trusted, trained and grew as a family. As a team. And wow, what a dog she is now. Everything I dreamed of. I don't know who we are without each other. And I've told her I don't want to know for many more Birthdays to come 🫶
Happy Birthday Mags. My shadow. My best mate. My life 🤎
It couldn't be more important 🤎
It's felt like an early Christmas being on holiday this last week! We've explored, spent time with family and friends and we've had an amazing time 🤎 Now we're back, I'm so excited to see all of my clients again! 🐾
I don't care what the weather man says if the weather man says....it's blowing a hooley out there! 🤣👌🐾🤎
Good Morning sunshine! 🌞 Out early before the heat sets in 🤎
