Friendly & professional puppy & dog training Inc gundog training. Behavioural training. 1-1 & classes
(66)
Full Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers - MAPDT 01512
AODT - a lifetimes passion for Dog Training! Experienced, Practical, Qualified, Passionate, Knowledgeable and Proven. We love what we do, and we could not be more driven about producing well trained, happy dogs, fabulous bonds & understanding. The AODT Story
Alicia was lucky to be born into a dog owning family. As a child she kept
various animals from fish, to guinea pigs, and even a pet duck. Her love of animals, forming a bond with them & inevitably spending a huge amount of time with them shaped her outlook on life, animal care and compassion. At the age of 9 she joined her Father training the family dogs at a local obedience school. She had already been training her pet rats on agility courses (in lieu of being allowed ponies), and the rabbits to come when called - but dog training took her on a whole new journey, & her enthusiasm to a whole new level. Always the child who would question everything she found herself both enthralled and disappointed. There was nothing better than training a dog to get something right and the level of teamwork that was required. But the ways in which she was tutored by dog trainers of the time, and the methods they suggested she use on her ‘friends’ left a sour taste. Like a sponge she soaked up experiences and advice, watched closely & took great delight as a teenager in rebelling against the norm, and introducing play, fun and huge amounts of praise to her training. She was rewarded & encouraged to realise this slightly ‘odd’ approach paid dividends. The dogs she worked with learnt quicker, were more reliable competition dogs and were eager to please. During this time she worked as a Kennel Maid, a stable hand and attended many courses and events. She went on to work with Adults with Learning disabilities and qualify as a Certificated Advocate with a specialism in Learning Disabilities. From her mid twenties she shadowed and was mentored in various training schools while embarking on Instructing qualifications and starting to teach. Fast forward to 2011 & Alicia realised she could no longer instruct under programs dictated by others, and that struggled to keep pace with both scientific evidence and her own ethos and growing determination to change the way people trained their dogs. Alicia’s Obedience Dog Training was born - and going back to her own roots Alicia started with young handler classes, hoping to inspire the next generation, before embarking on companion obedience classes later the same year. Since then Alicia has grown the areas she serves, the services she provides, her own knowledge even further and the team around her. Whilst initially named as a person ‘Going Solo’ AODT is now so much more than that - it’s a family, a format and a growing ambition to change the quality of life for dogs, and their owners. When you entrust AODT with training you and your dog, you benefit from years of experience, backed up by the latest available information & studies, combined with a super supportive structure to help you both succeed.
🏃♀️ Lots of fun was had and super supportive parents played an active role (some even crawling in tunnels 😂)
🤗 Their goody bags included treats for 2 & 4 legged participants, some educational reading & a rosette to display with pride
Our next children’s workshop will be in October - let us know if you’d like to be the first to know when it will be!
02/09/2024
🤩 Monday Motivation
Our latest Beginner Gundog Graduates are here to remind you to do something with your dogs 🐶
Our Gundog classes are open to ALL breeds and we’ve loved watching non gundog breeds thrive alongside their gundog counterparts 😍
🏵️ The end of our Gundog courses are a mini working test - all elements have to be completed to the required level to secure a pass. These guys did just that!
🎉 Our congratulations to;
Rachel & Arlo, Jo & Snoopy, Andrea & Fergus, Laura & Milo, Jodie & Missy, Gosia & Daisy and Jo & Rune 👏🏻
👉🏻 Out next Beginner course is already full, but we will have another later this year.
Gundog training is also available on a 1-1 or small group basis.
31/08/2024
🍂 What’s coming up next month
🥉 4 Week Bronze KC Good Citizen course Mondays evenings, Bulphan 8.15pm from the 9th - £55
🤩 Confidence Building workshop 🫢 FULL
Waiting list for next session now in place
🐶 Pup & Beginner 6 Week course Mondays, Bulphan 11.15am from the 23rd - £99
🐶 Pup & Beginner 6 Week course Saturdays, Belhus 10am from the 28th - £99
📣 Intro to Whistle Training workshop, Saturday 28th 11am Belhus - £18
Drop us a message or email [email protected] for more info or to book.
30/08/2024
🥺 Old Ladies
There is something about a Grey face that just gets us in the feels.
🥰 This week we had the pleasure of being reunited with 11 year old Lulu & Sylvie - these little Boston girls came to us for their puppy training many moons ago, and we’ve visited them on the odd occasion over the years for additional training.
🤝 This week it was to help with a little reactivity. The truth is there is some cognitive decline, possibly a little creaking and there have been a lot of big changes in a short space of time.
We’ve popped in lots of support for the girls and a few tweaks to routine. Once these are well established we will move forward at their pace to help them lead as stress free a life as possible 🫶🏻
29/08/2024
New Gundog courses coming to Chelmsford soon!
Contact Essex Dog Training direct to enquire.
This morning I got to spend an hour with Nairobi in Alicia's Obedience Dog Training gun dog shooting stars group, as part of her prep for winter shoots.
During the summer competitive agility season training with Alicia has just been on a private adhoc basis and with the season coming to an end I’ve upped her shoot work and she needs to work around other dogs. So thanks to Alicia for allowing me in.
She absolutely smashed it in the cool shade of the hedges, calmness and steadiness was the name of the game and I only had one bout of barking when Alicia spoke 🤣 (thank heavens she won’t be on shoots with us🤣)
Looking forward to winter 🐾🐾
We will be preparing dates for gun dog work shops run by Alicia soon for winter so to register your interest please contact me on 07742 432441
26/08/2024
🦴 The best things come in 3!
No, we’re not trying to convince you to get more dogs 🫣
🐶 The rule of 3 may be an old writing technique, but we happen to know it works pretty well for dog training too!
🙌🏻 That’s why we offer discounts on our 3 session 1-1 bundles.
🐕 Whether it’s a puppy, adolescent, older dog, issue specific or basic training bundle we know that training your dog over 3 sessions is much more effective for achieving your goals.
⭐️ With bundles starting from just £135 why not take advantage and get booked in for Autumn now!
*Behaviour training & bundles plus one off sessions are also available.
24/08/2024
📣Calling all puppy parents! 📣
Tug-E-Nuff have a BRAND NEW phenomenal puppy play guide and you can get your paws on it for free!
Here’s what’s inside:
🐾 Why play is so important for puppies
🐾 How to play with your puppy (& how long for!)
🐾 The dos and don’ts of puppy play (to save you from mistakes)
🐾 How to find the right toys for your puppy
🐶 3 bonus games your puppy will love
Simply hit the link below and get your free phenomenal puppy play guide here;
We’ve gone Blue again! And it can only mean one thing - we need your help to find this lad his forever home 🥰
🧙♂️ Meet Merlin! He’s a two and a half year old Lab and he is BUSY!!
📝 His New home is going to need to invest his energy in a dog sport or two! We think he would excel at scentwork in particular, this would also help him to switch off a little better when at home.
He can live with other dogs, but ideally is looking for a role model in his new brother or sister.
Get sharing and let’s see if he can have his ideal home in time for Autumn walks! 🍂
21/08/2024
Will you look at those lugs 😂
We’ve had the pleasure of meeting Winnie and her family while working through her 3 visit puppy package.
🧠 We’ve been able to include basic training, advice on behaviour as well lots of helpful tips & tricks.
She is now joining us on our 6 week Beginner course and we’re excited to see if she grows in those ears 😜
20/08/2024
⭐️ Daycare with a difference!
Our friends over at Day Care At The Play Barn Ltd have some rare availability from September.
💕 So if you would like your dog looked after, loved, rested appropriately, played with and trained as well as guided and grown then these are your guys!
📍 Belhus woods country park (enclosed paddock)
⏰ 10am
🗓️ This Saturday! (17th August)
We still have a couple of spaces available on our course perfect for pups & beginners
☀️ Families welcome
Message us or comment below for more info 👇🏻
14/08/2024
🤔 How to know if a trainer is right for you
Finding the right trainer can save you a whole heap of money and time.
But did you know that dog training is an unregulated industry?
😮 This means anyone can claim to be a trainer, or practise as a trainer.
You want the following as a bare minimum:
✔️ Experienced & Proven; Look for trainers with a proven track record and years of hands-on experience.
✔️ Qualified & knowledgeable; Check for formal qualifications in dog training & accreditation by regulatory organisations that represent today’s modern dog trainers. These set the standards for knowledge & practical skills. Check they’re insured!
✔️ Ethics; Ensure their training methods align with both your expectations and the most up to date evidence & research.
Choose wisely and don’t be influenced only by flashy marketing or Instagram videos - some of us are too busy training dogs & supporting people 😉
Massive thanks to our friends at Paws & Play Gundogs for allowing us to follow their lead with this post 😘
13/08/2024
📸 Say Sausages!
One of the workshops we like to offer to the people training with us is a Guided Walk.
✅ These dogs have all worked on a foundation of behaviours that will help them to succeed in the real world prior to joining the workshop.
The guided walk works on both handler & dogs confidence and proofing skills learnt in a class setting, at the same time as giving the opportunity to work through real life scenarios with a Trainer present.
💝 This is our group shot from our most recent walk, calm dogs hanging out in the woods together but as individuals
I think we can safely say that Dylan, Penelope, Xena, Derek & Phoebe make fabulous models 🥰
12/08/2024
🥵 It’s gonna be a warm one!
We’ve cancelled all classes today due to the spike in temperature.
😎 Share with us below your favourite ways to keep your dog 🆒
11/08/2024
⭐️ Silver Stars
These two teams have come away triumphant after completing their 6 week training course.
🎊 Passing their Silver Kennel Club Good Citizen award in style we congratulate Suzanne & Chester and Beverley & Murph 👏🏻
If you want to get involved in the Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme drop us a line.
07/08/2024
🎓 Our latest Graduates
We ❤️ delivering our Pup & Beginners courses, watching the dogs learning & gaining confidence and their humans trying hard to get things right & enjoying the benefits training.
👏🏻 Congratulations to Olivia, Kate & Lynn with little Nelly - great team effort guys! Deb & Molly, Lucy and April and Denise & Ruby. Very well done to you all 🎊
Our next courses still have limited availability;
Mondays at Bulphan hall 6.30pm from the 12th of August
Saturdays at Belhus Woods 10am from the 17th of August
06/08/2024
❓Is this my best side?
We visited sweet little Lilo and her family recently to help unpick some unwanted behaviours, mainly barking.
🧩 All of our behaviour visits are holistic, this means we use all the information available to help us build a picture and work out the answer to our overriding question; Why?
📋 We’ve left her family with information, training & a plan of action.
Dogs bark; FACT but we can help lower what causes the need to bark excessively which is better for everyone 👏🏻
03/08/2024
👋 Meet our smallest Gundog
Dylan the Shih Tzu is not letting his size or breed stand in his way. Plus he has all the character and tenacity of a much larger dog anyways 😂
🥰 When we say our Pet Gundog classes are open to all breeds we really mean it.
New courses available from Autumn, 1-1 training always available (pre booking essential)
01/08/2024
Meet Darcy the cutest little Doberman pup going!
Darcy’s family are brand new to the world of owning dogs and want to get it right from the off and this is being achieved with team effort and collaboration from a few of us.
Between myself, Alicia, Carley (Carley's Pet Services) and Jo who are already a team with Alicia's Obedience Dog Training we have done training visits and family support visits with little Darcy!
Luckily for us all Darcy is incredibly smart and equally as sweet and we’re all excited to watch her grow up with us.
We all love what we do and working with stunning puppies, brilliant pet owners and alongside friends makes it even better!!!
26/07/2024
🌟 Rehomed! Thanks to all that shared 🥰
🐾 Seeking new Mum or Dad
There’s only one reason we’d turn a post Blue, and that’s to support Battersea 💙
📞 They’ve let us know that they are still seeking the perfect home for Diggery, the working cocker - just look at his face! 🫣
ℹ️ At nearly 3 he’s considered an ‘older’ dog and being overlooked 😞 We know we have some spanner fans in our midst, and we know that Diggery will benefit from the type of people who are going to give him plenty of outlets.
Please give him a share, contact Battersea direct to apply x
25/07/2024
🥰 Rave Review
Thank you so much Anna & Nick, it’s a pleasure working with you guys & lucky little Lofty ❤️
23/07/2024
🔔 New Training courses!
Our popular Pup & Beginners courses have new start dates.
🗓️From Mid August;
at Belhus Woods Country Park (nestled between Thurrock & Havering with great access from both. Saturday Mornings
at Bulphan Village Hall (Rm14 3ru) just off the A128 with great access from the A127 and A13
Monday Evenings (and Monday mornings from mid September!)
Jam packed with learning & information these courses are a bargain at £99!
#
22/07/2024
🎁 Happy Birthday Jackie!
Just in case you thought dog training with AODT was all work and no play 😉
This morning to celebrate turning 21 again Jackie brought us all cake 🥰
What better way to end class then with some settle and self control training (the humans were shocking, I mean look at those shovel spoons 😂)
20/07/2024
🐾 4 sets of paws 🐾
Our latest gang to graduate their Beginners course (we missed you Tilly!)
🥰 A lovely mix of ages the dogs all embraced learning and had lots of fun.
🤩 Congratulations to; Aron & Subagarey with Milo, Ben & Aurora, Gosia & Daisy and Anna & Nick with Lofty 👏🏻
17/07/2024
‼️ Update
Our Beginner Gundog course is now FULL
We are now building a waiting list for our next Saturday course Autumn time, if you’d like to be kept informed when the date is set let us know!
The Novice course does still have a couple of spaces available, this course starts next week.
If you are waiting for a Saturday, let us know!
🐶 Pet Gundog Courses - weekday evenings!
💼 Need to give your dog a job? Then the Beginner course could be the perfect introduction. Open to all breeds!
🏅 Completed Beginners and ready for the next challenge? the Novice course is exactly what you’re looking for!
🗓️ Our next courses start on the 24th of July and we still have a couple of places on each remaining. Drop us a message or comment below for more info or to book
17/07/2024
♥️ Puppy love
This cute little face is Winston, currently attending Monday evenings at Bulphan.
Papped here while completing his ‘dog on a log’ homework 👏🏻
🥰 So here is your Wednesday Winston fix to keep you going (Nearly Friday!) you’ve got this!
14/07/2024
🤗 Sunday Sermon
Let’s talk about consent; giving permission for something to happen.
😔 Far too often we’re seeing dogs put in situations where they find themselves uncomfortable at best, terrified & forced to defend themselves at worst.
This can be caused by some of the most well meaning people, even those that profess to be dog lovers. Only when considering an interaction they haven’t given the dogs feelings or emotions a second thought.
🫶🏻 When we saw sweet puppy Rex, the Black Russian Terrier this week we were disheartened to hear that he’d already had some poor interactions. Within the homework we packed him off with was some for his lovely parents; to advocate for him more.
So on Rex’s behalf let us give you a quick reminder;
❌
Not all dogs want to be touched by you, your children or your dog.
Some dogs only want brief interactions on their terms.
They’d prefer that you didn’t push your hands over their head or lean over them.
Don’t assume, ask!
✅
They would be grateful if you give them time to make a choice.
If they did agree to an interaction you need to check they are still OK with it a few seconds later by stopping and seeing what they do, they’re allowed to change their mind.
Let them approach you in their own time. If they move away, take the hint.
If they are eating, drinking, sleeping, toileting, sniffing, licking - they almost certainly aren’t able to consent to an interaction!
🙌🏻 Remind yourself that looking is listening. Let’s start open & frank discussions with children that help them understand for themselves too. Speak to other people honestly if you see them forget.
♥️ We can all co exist happily while helping one another feel safe.
13/07/2024
🐶 Pet Gundog Courses - weekday evenings!
💼 Need to give your dog a job? Then the Beginner course could be the perfect introduction. Open to all breeds!
🏅 Completed Beginners and ready for the next challenge? the Novice course is exactly what you’re looking for!
🗓️ Our next courses start on the 24th of July and we still have a couple of places on each remaining. Drop us a message or comment below for more info or to book
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Alicia's Obedience Dog Training posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Contact The Business
Send a message to Alicia's Obedience Dog Training:
Videos
⭐️ Saturdays Stars
We have so much fun in our enclosed space at Belhus Woods Country Park
Please meet the stars of Saturdays Intermediate & Advanced class 🥰 🍿 🎬
👻 Spooky Stuff
Food & Retrieves? It must be Black Magic 🪄
🐶 Is it always our dogs fault?
5 month old GSP Kona is struggling with loose lead walking……. Or is she?
🔴 When we break down the first half of this video we see a tense handler, all a little fingers and thumbs. We see a tense puppy struggling with her environment, unable to focus and on top of that being asked to ‘perform’
🟢 Instead of piling more demands and pressure on her we took our foot off the accelerator. We rearranged her Mum’s handling, helping to identify the areas where she could add clarity for Kona. We changed Mums body language into ‘relaxed, but confident’
🚨 Breaking news!
We didn’t work on ‘loose lead walking’ once
🥰 We worked on connection, understanding & clarity of purpose.
Just what Kona needed to be able to walk beautifully with her Mum 🙌🏻
💁♀️ Yes, the human end of the lead really does matter!
☀️ Fun in the sun
It was chilly 🥶 but it was glorious 🌞
💕 The calm that is Week 3 Beginner pups with Dionne and Week 3 Beginner Gundogs with Alicia, in the enclosed events paddock at Belhus
⚠️ Ohh it’s a windy one
You know the drill!
📍 Check gates & fences before letting dogs out
📍 If your dog is easily spooked keep them on lead
📍This is your reminder to make sure your chip & Tag details are up to date and in place
📍 Use music, TTouch wraps and food games if they struggle with the noise
📍 If in doubt, stay safe indoors
🥰 We train too!
Agnes has been working hard on her hold on delivery.
Sounds easy maybe, but she did not naturally enjoy retrieving (apparently she didn’t realise ‘retriever’ was also in her breed title of ‘Flat Coat’ 🤷♀️)
We’ve worked hard on building up retrieve and hold through shaping, back-chaining and LOTS of positive reinforcement 💕
🍒 The cherry on the cake has been taking these skills to the local park, with all its distractions and adding in a physical interaction. She is waiting for her ‘Ta’ cue - this means give to Agnes. Until she hears that her job is to keep hold of either the toy (top right) or her dummy.
She knocked it out of the park 😉🥰
#cooltobekind #raisethemright #barkuptherighttree #postitivegundogtraining #buildlingpartnerships #shapedwithlove
♥️ Loose lead walking done right!
Meet 15 week old Roxy who started with us online as a pre vaccination perfect puppy and now is enjoying her in person follow on sessions.
Roxy has been introduced to nothing but positive reinforcement and ethical training from the moment she arrived home, and it shows! 🥰
Just look at her bobbing along next to Mum, full of attentiveness with her tail happily wagging away as she enjoys her training - what’s not to love!
Keep up the great work team 🙌🏻
💞 Smarty Pants!
Our Friday shout out is to the amazing Emily and her little Frenchie, Missy
Who in just a few days nailed their ‘Tidy your toys’ training 🙌🏻
Breaking this exercise down into steps before building it back up, combined with Emily’s super understanding of clicker training has seen this pair smash their homework with huge success 💥
Have you clocked her little tail wagging away the whole time?💕
Check out comments for the other use Missy found for her toy basket 🧺 😆
Experienced, Practical, Qualified, Passionate, Knowledgeable, and Proven.
We love what we do, and we could not be more driven about producing well trained, happy dogs and fabulous bonds & understanding.
We are delivering friendly, professional pet dog obedience classes, 1:1 home & location visits, behavioural consultations, Agility, Scent & Trick Training - across Thurrock & Havering.
The AODT Story;
Alicia was born into a dog owning family. As a child she kept various animals from fish, to guinea pigs, and even a pet duck. Her love of animals, forming a bond with them & inevitably spending a huge amount of time with them shaped her outlook on life, animal care and compassion.
At the age of 9 she joined her Father training the family dogs at a local obedience school. She had already been training her pet rats on agility courses (in lieu of being allowed ponies), and the rabbits to come when called - but dog training took her on a whole new journey, & her enthusiasm to a whole new level. Always the child who would question everything she found herself both enthralled and disappointed. There was nothing better than training a dog to get something right and the level of teamwork that was required. But the ways in which she was tutored by dog trainers of the time, and the methods they suggested she use on her ‘friends’ left a sour taste.
Like a sponge she soaked up experiences and advice, watched closely & took great delight as a teenager in rebelling against the norm, and introducing play, fun and huge amounts of praise to her training. She was rewarded & encouraged to realise this slightly ‘odd’ approach paid dividends. The dogs she worked with learnt quicker, were more reliable competition dogs and were eager to please.
Fast forward to 2011 & Alicia realised she could no longer instruct under programs dictated by others, and that struggled to keep pace with her own ethos and growing determination to change the way people trained their dogs. In 2011 Alicia’s Obedience Dog Training was born - and going back to her roots Alicia started with young handler classes, hoping to inspire the next generation, before embarking on companion obedience classes later the same year.
Since then Alicia has grown the areas she serves, the services she provides, her own knowledge even further and the team around her. Whilst initially named as a person ‘Going Solo’ AODT is now so much more than that - it’s a family, a format and a growing ambition to change the quality of life for dogs, and their owners.
