Solway Dog Training Centre, Cumbria

06/09/2024

Why it is better to teach your dog the "Take it" cue rather than the "Leave it" cue.
The dog in the photo is my much loved dog Mirk, who is no longer with us, having crossed Rainbow Bridge just before the Covid pandemic.

Mirk had a habit of picking things up, he would "collect" anything, from items of clothing to a full size dustbin lid !
Mirk would pick up absolutely anything, he once picked up and chewed a packet of paracetamol which he found in the car, and had to spend the night with the vet.

After this traumatic experience (more traumatic for me than him apparently!) I taught Mirk the "Take It" cue using a wide variety of appropriate (none toxic!) Items from empty medicine containers to dustbin lids!

The "game" taught Mirk to check in with me and indicate that he had found something of interest, before he approached it.
He loved the game, the anticipation and delight of waiting to be told to "take it" is evident in this photo.

A few years after the photo was taken, Mirk showed interest in something on a flat rock in the long grass on the same walking route in North Yorkshire.
He loved the "take it game" and was keen to indicate his find.
It was an Adder (venomous snake) peacefully basking in the sun, l calmly called Mirk to me and put him on his lead before rewarding him with his ball, then l had a complete melt down just thinking about what might have happened.
Remember, "leave it" might be too late.

29/11/2023

There's not a town or a park without a pack leader in it is there? Even now, in these times of easy information and free science, it still falls out of peoples mouths "Dominance, leader, alpha' and so on. Let's take a closer look at the urban legend that says dogs must be below people in the pack. T...

27/11/2023

We are receiving lots of emails from people looking for kind, fair and effective training for dogs and puppies of all ages.
Unfortunately, all classes have been suspended until further notice, due to illness.
We will notify everyone via our Fb page when classes are able to restart.
The unit which we rented at Hensingham has been permanently closed since June, but it appears that the landlord, Whittle Jones / Northern Trust have still not removed the dog training club signs from the premises, which may be adding to the confusion.
We will notify everyone via this page when classes are able to resume.

12/11/2023

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12/11/2023

30/06/2023

Puppies are not clean slates !
You often hear people say 'get a puppy they are a clean slate'

As a behaviourist and breeder I can confidently tell you this is not true. Both nature and nurture has a huge impact.
A puppy will inherit genes from its parents and these genes will impact the puppies genetic potential to behave in a particular way.
Such as :
Using aggression as a strategy to deal with difficult situations
Sociability towards people and dogs
Fearful responses
Strong instinctive behaviour to hunt, chase, grab and hold.
Trainability including the ability to learn self control as humans desire it
When people breed dogs they sometimes select for specific traits and sometimes not. If someone is breeding for a particular look or just money then these traits can become altered becoming stronger or weaker or unbalanced.

Then the puppy is born and the first 8 weeks learning with the breeder will have an huge impact on the development of all these genetic traits.

My six puppies have all come from the same parents and been reared in the same environment. They have very individual personalities. The training and socialisation they receive in their new homes will only influence the genes and first learning, it won't change their personalities.

So if you are looking for a puppy
Firstly learn about breed traits and instincts and make sure you pick a puppy that will suit your lifestyle. For example there no point getting a breed that is 'aloof with strangers' if you have 3 young children and lots of friends visiting.

Secondly meet the parents or (genes), see what they are like. Make sure you are meeting the actual parents, some people buy in puppy farmed litters and then 'hire' an adult of the same breed to pretend the puppies were bred there!!

Thirdly make sure the puppy has had plenty of early neurological stimulation and learning before it leaves the litter. Ask these questions.
1) What have the puppies seen?
2) Who and what have they met?
2) What have they learnt?
3) How have they learned to play?
4) What do they do if they get frustrated?
5) What do they do if they get bored?

A professional trainer can help support and guide you on the process of looking for a puppy. Don't wait till afterwards for help.

Prevention IS better than Cure. This goes for training and socialisation too, get a professional to help and guide you.

Puppies are building neural pathways with every experience, every day, make sure they're building ones you like.

First Learning is the strongest, make sure you get it right first time.


Written by Jane Ardern BSc (Hons) Dip.CABT
WaggaWuffins Canine College
Bury Lancashire

*Permission to share this post. No cutting and pasting please.

27/04/2023

Giving Your Puppy A Great Start In Life.

When you bring a new puppy in to your home, in those first few days you are shaping your puppy's behaviour for the rest of his or her life.

Things you should know;
Sleep / Rest
Puppies need rest, but unfortunately they don't know when to switch off!
Ensure your puppy has plenty of quiet time, to prevent him / her becoming over tired or over stimulated.

Diet
Some breeders will provide you with a particular brand of food which your puppy has been weaned on, it is advisable to use this to prevent your puppy getting an upset tummy from any sudden change.
BUT please look at the compostion of the food before going out and buying a years supply of it!
Look at the list of ingredients on the packet.
The first thing on the list should be the source of protein (meat or fish) NOT wheat, cereal, or "meat by products" which consists of all sorts of nasty stuff.

If you feed your puppy dried food (also known as kibble) feeding him or her from food dispensing toys, or scatter feeding, can provide much needed mental stimulation, encouraging puppy to use his or her sense of smell to forage for the food.

Play
Playing with your puppy builds a great bond between you, but keep sessions short to prevent your puppy becoming over stimulated and over excited which can encourage "Piranha Puppy" behaviour, also known as play biting!
Playing with your puppy with a toy instead of your hands will help your puppy understand that hands are not chew toys, and will also define when play starts, when you get the toy out AND when it ends, when the toy is put away. You can't do that with your hands !

Habituation

Puppies need to be habituated to this new world gradually, so please DO NOT be in a hurry to take your puppy out for "proper walks" as soon as they have finished their vaccinations.

In the first few weeks it is much more important to expose them to the sights, sounds and smells of this new and sometimes scary world, from your arms or while sitting on a bench with them, than to take them for "proper walks".

After all, we would not expect a very young child to walk to school with his or her siblings, cope with a busy street, or walk beside a busy main road, would we!

Please follow this page for more information and advice about giving your puppy the best possible start in life.

June Lambie, Solway Dog Training Centre, Cumbria.

08/09/2022

Another lovely group of people, and their pooches, completed their puppy course last night.
Richard & Bella, Rebecca & Margo, Jade & Koda, Julie & Oscar, Adam, Alice & Pablo, & Susan & Milo, have trained outdoors on a busy industrial estate for the first three weeks of the course, so they have learned to ignore lots of different distractions, from birds, cats and rabbits, to traffic and people, as well as a few interesting sounds and smells!
Rain meant that last nights sessions were held indoors, so we worked on food manners, polite greeting, advanced recall to owners side, and off lead walking.
Puppies and owners were fabulous and we all enjoyed our training session.
Due to lengthy waiting lists, it may be the end of October before we can welcome them back for their Kennel Club Good Citizens Puppy Foundation Award courses, but remote input via email and Fb messenger, is available to help them stay on track until we can welcome them back.

07/09/2022

Congratulations to Honey the Spaniel, Nell the Yellow Labrador, Benny the Golden Retreiver, Fern the Springer ,and Cooper the Spaniel (and their hoomans Clare, Eleanor, Ryan, Linda & Sharon) on passing your Kennel Club Good Citizens Puppy Foundation Award last night.
You have all made great progress over the past four weeks, and it has been a pleasure to help you on your training journey.
My sincere thanks go to Belinda, for helping with the teaching over the past two weeks, enabling us to offer individual support where needed.
Unfortunately Raven the Spaniel wasn't able to complete the course at the moment, because Cheryl, (her hooman) has injured her ankle, but l have no doubt that she will sail through the test as soon as her Mum is back to full fitness.
I am really looking forward to seeing you again in October for further training, wether that be in a class of three, paired sessions or on a one to one basis.
Happy dogs and happy owners here Solway Dog Training Centre, Cumbria.