Reach For The Stars Dog Training

08/07/2023

Tomorrow will be week 4 of our Life Skills Course.
This week we will be looking at building confidence and optimism!
Click the link to book your space, for message me for more info 🐾😊

https://calendly.com/reachforthestarsdogtraining/life-skills-course-week-4?month=2023-07

01/07/2023

There are still some spaces available for tomorrows lesson 😊 click the link on the original post to book on.

We are back this weekend with our Life Skills class!
In weeks 1 & 2 we looked at calmness and boundary work 🤩
Sign up today for week 3 where we will be looking at leash skills! 🙌🏻

For more info, feel free to send me a message 😊

https://calendly.com/reachforthestarsdogtraining/life-skills-course-week-3?month=2023-07

28/06/2023

We are back this weekend with our Life Skills class!
In weeks 1 & 2 we looked at calmness and boundary work 🤩
Sign up today for week 3 where we will be looking at leash skills! 🙌🏻

For more info, feel free to send me a message 😊

https://calendly.com/reachforthestarsdogtraining/life-skills-course-week-3?month=2023-07

19/06/2023

Boundary baseball! ⚾️
Once you teach your dog a good level of boundaries, it’s important to switch up your boundary. This teaches your dog to be more flexible and makes the behaviour more real life!
This weekend we had a crash course in boundaries as part of our life skills course 🤩 It is important to get the basics right with boundaries, for a good solid foundation. The students this week now have an arsenal of games to play to build their boundary games 🙌🏻
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18/06/2023

Good morning 😊
We still have space for a couple of pups on our Life Skills Class today! If you’re interested send me a message and I can get you booked on 🐾🐶

12/06/2023

Yesterday we began our Life Skills course!
In week 1 we concentrated on calmness (which was just as well in this heat 🥵).
Our clients learned about the importance of growing calmness as a concept and how it can help with a variety of behaviour struggles.
Well done to everyone who attended week 1! You did great 🙌🏻
Registration is now open for week 2! Spaces are limited so book today to secure you place.
If you’re interested but would like some more information, please feel free to send me a message 😊

https://calendly.com/reachforthestarsdogtraining/life-skills-course-week-2?month=2023-06

12/06/2023

Some great enrichment ideas from Bridge Paddocks Secure Dog Walking
Perfect if you’re aiming towards “ditch the bowl” too 😉

27/05/2023

🩷

We often have a tendency to judge dogs purely based on their breed.

Isn't this similar to how people are judged based on their nationality or ethnicity?

Essentially, isn't this a form of discrimination?

I understand that breeds have general traits, but these are broad characterisations and not rigid rules. Dogs have genetic inheritance and knowing that is extremely useful.

Yet, just like humans, every dog is an individual, with a unique personality and behaviour, moulded by their environment, upbringing, and personal experiences.

We shouldn't make blanket judgements about people from a certain country and we shouldn't assume all dog behaviours arise from their breed. We shouldn't assume that the individual dog will display all potential breed behaviours.

It's undeniably crucial to remember that behaviour isn't only about breed - it's also about learning, environment, socialisation, love, and care.

So let's take time to understand our dogs as individuals and challenge our preconceptions about breeds. Let's educate ourselves, spread awareness, and strive for a world where every dog is treated with the respect they deserve.

27/05/2023

We are also looking to add another positive puppy workshop!
We were hoping to squeeze one in before the course starts but I wanted to see if there would be enough interest first 🙂
Would anyone be interested if we put one on next weekend? June 4th.

27/05/2023

Good morning 🙂
Let’s start the bank holiday off with some big news!🥳
We will be running a brand new course starting in June 🙌🏻
Book today to reserve your place. Inbox or email me if you would like to save and commit to the whole 6 week course 🐾

https://calendly.com/reachforthestarsdogtraining/life-skills-course-week-1

10/03/2023

🪣The Arousal Bucket🪣

How often has your dog had an episode of over excitement, barking, lunging, or just switched off listening?
How often has this been seemingly out of the blue?

We use the bucket analogy to represent our dogs arousal levels. Every dog has a bucket and all events (good or bad) can pay into that bucket. Once that bucket reaches its limit and overflows, that’s when we see these over-arousal episodes. So when you hear the phrase “oh they have never done that before”, that’s because it isn’t that particular event that has triggered a specific reaction, it was just the last drop that tipped the bucket.

Each bucket is different depending on the dog.
🪣The size of the buckets vary. Some dogs may have a very small bucket which doesn’t take long to overflow.
🪣The hole in the bottom that empties the bucket varies in size. Larger hole means faster recovery and a longer period before that bucket overflows.
🪣What pays into the bucket may vary. For some dogs a visit to the vets may be equivalent to 5 cups of water, for others it may just be 1.

This is something to consider in day to day life. It can take some dogs up to 72 hours for their arousal levels to come back to normal after a period of overflow. So management is key! Do you have to take your dog on that family picnic if you know it’s going to really pay into that bucket? Maybe add a day of rest between walks if you think it’s topping up that bucket.

Learning about your own dogs bucket is very important.

📚Story time 📚
A few weeks ago I took Luna to her usual Flyball training, and oh my did she have the sassy pants on. She said ”Work? Today? I think not”.
She proceeded to do the most half hearted turns, followed by a parade around the room to hand out kisses to everyone. If she could have laughed in my face I think she would have.
After, when I thought about it, that week we had really upped her fitness training at home, and I had been taking her on longer walks. The day before training, I took her out with her sister who she hadn’t seen for a long time. While these were all things she enjoyed, they clearly topped up that bucket, and her over flow is shown though sass. She just gets hilariously cheeky.
So going forward, I make sure that we have lots of calming activities and down time on the run up to Flyball.

🌟Now it’s time to consider your own dogs! 🌟
What does their bucket look like?
How big is it? How big is the hole? What pays into it? And what does their overflow look like?

05/03/2023

💛 Positive Puppy Workshop 💛
After the success of our last workshop, we will be running it again this month!
A fun introduction into teaching your puppy how to be confident, optimistic and focused.
Throughout the workshop, you and your puppy will take part in activities that build skills to help them become a well rounded pup!
You will learn about concept training and how we train dogs so that they are ready for whatever life brings their way.
Spaces are limited, so sign up today to avoid missing out.
Where? Bridge Paddocks, Coven, WV9 5BF
When? 1pm 26th March
How? £9 for the session.

19/02/2023

After the success of todays Positive Puppy Workshop, we have booked another date!
The next workshop will take place on the 26th of March.
Spaces are limited, so click the link below to save your spot :)

https://calendly.com/reachforthestarsdogtraining/puppy-positive-workshop-clone?month=2023-03&date=2023-03-26

22/01/2023

Big news!
We are running a Positive Puppy Workshop next month. Spaces are limited.
Feel free to message me if you have any questions.

https://calendly.com/reachforthestarsdogtraining/puppy-positive-workshop?month=2023-02

12/01/2023

✨Proximity✨
This concept determines whether your dog has value in being close to you! Value in proximity means;
⭐️Off lead freedom
⭐️Loose lead walks
⭐️Recall
⭐️And focus on you!
You can build value in proximity by providing great experiences for your dog that happen close to you. The more you build on this concept, the more your dog will actively choose to hang out with you.
You can do this through games based training!
Want to find out more? Why not hope on you our Power of Proximity online course 🤩
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29/12/2022

I hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas 🎄
I want to say a hello 👋🏻 to all our new followers! We seem to have gain a few newbies after our games advent calendar 🎉

If anyone is interested in booking in a 1-2-1 session or wants to find out more about our training or services, feel free to message me here or send me an email at [email protected] ☺️
Don’t be shy! 👋🏻

13/12/2022

🎄 Who is enjoying our games advent calendar? 🎅🏼
Well we have a competition up and running for those of you who are getting involved!

I have noticed, a few of the games didn’t upload to Facebook when I shared them on Instagram. Here is the link to our Instagram so you can see all of the games!

https://instagram.com/reachforthestarsdogtraining?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

16/11/2022

Did you know we are on tiktok too? 🤩

Do you want more focus from your dog?Wish they would be a little less interested in the environment and more interested in you?Then this is a great game for you!You can learn more about this on our household manner course that starts soon! Check out the online courses for more information.. ...

16/11/2022

🥣 Ditch the Bowl 🥣
We have talked about the relationship bank account and what pays into that. One big portion of value that we have but don’t usually utilise every day is your dog's daily food allowance.
Most commonly we dump that daily food allowance in a bowl and that’s that.
But! What if we used that valuable resource throughout the day while playing the games? Or used it to give your dog a passive calming activity? Instead of putting that value into a bowl, you’d be using it to top up your relationship bank account or to help empty your dog's bucket!
Not only that but by removing those set meal times, your dog no long has that routine. How many dogs go crazy at the same time every day around dinner time? Or jump on you the second you’re up in the morning ready for breakfast? If they no longer have this routine that will lower their arousal.
There are so many ways we can ditch the bowl! I would recommend doing it gradually at first. Why not split that daily food allowance in half; half goes into meal and half into training. Then maybe have 1/3 for meals 1/3 for training and 1/3 for a calming activity.
I know in the real world it’s not always possible to ditch those meal times completely. So why not use those meal times to incorporate some enrichment instead. You could play a game like cardboard chaos, scatter feed, have a puzzle feeder or a snuffle mat! Anything that’s going to engage your dog. Making meal times interesting also helps with food drive which will make playing games even more fun for your dog!!

15/11/2022

🎉The Cone Game 🎉
This is a great game to help build optimism! Once your dog is down with the game, you can switch out your cone for other items to level up and teach your dog to be cool with novelty 🥳 Win Win! AND! This a great way to muzzle train 🙌🏻
(Ps make sure you clean out your make shift cones first 😉 there were no chocolate crumbs left in my tub!)
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06/11/2022

The Relationship Bank Account

Now that we have learnt about concepts and how they work as the building blocks of your dog's brain, it's time to learn about what holds all of that together. Your relationship with your dog acts as the cement. This means that, by having a strong relationship, you become their default go to in the face of uncertainty. It is not possible to prepare you dog for everything life can throw at them. We want them to look to you for input in those unexpected scenarios.

When considering your relationship with your dog, we use the relationship bank account framework. Just like any bank account we have a balance. We can add to that balance with investments. This is any positive interaction with your dog. If you are working with us, you are already a step ahead! Playing our games is a great way to invest in your account. Some dogs require different types of investment. For example, my dog Luna loves a cuddle. The closer the better! If she can get right up in your personal space, that's a huge investment for her. However, my other dog Nova would not find that as rewarding. He would prefer to sit close by with a chew or work for some treats. Food is a huge investment for him.

Relationship withdrawals are any negative interaction between you and your dog. Much like our own bank account, some withdrawal are unavoidable, such as a trip to the vets or applying medication. Again, what withdraws from your dog's account may be different to others. If your dog values freedom, popping them on the lead at the end of a walk can withdraw from that account. Nova loves going to the enclosed field, however going in the car can be a withdrawal from our account.

It is important to find balance, and ensure we take time to make investments. We need to be purposeful about it. Take time out just to play with your dog. Find out what lights them up and how you can super charge those investments. If you know there is going to be an unavoidable withdrawal, make sure you're investing!

Can you name three withdrawals and investments for your relationship bank account with your dog?

25/10/2022

Calmness is King! 👑
Our dogs become more of what they do every day. This is why growing calmness can be a real game changer. Calmness is the biggest gift we can give to our dogs, it should be their default state.
😴Calmness gives our dogs the opportunity to make better choices. They will choose a calming activity or contented independence over separation related behaviours, barking and lunging.

So how do we grow calmness?
I give you.....
The Calmness Triad!
1) Passive Calming Activity - This is an engaging activity that is calming for your dog. This can be anything from a long lasting natural chew, to scatter feeding. These are great to pair with Boundary training. Why not give them a frozen kong on their boundary while you are working in the office, or cooking dinner.
2) Active Rest - Your dog needs rest! This is so important. It gives them the opportunity to empty that arousal bucket. Sometimes we need to remove choice in order for a dog to choose rest. This might mean popping them in their crate (if they are happy with it!), or in a separate room.
3) Calmness Protocol - Now this is the key! You have to capture moments of calmness. Put your ninja skills to the test, when you catch your dog in a moment of stillness or making a great calm choice, deliver some of that daily food allowance. Your delivery must be slow and calm.

💫Growing calmness in your dog can really change your life! It's not just about your dog chilling out on their bed. It means a lower base line state of arousal, making it harder for that bucket to overflow. It means less bark, less jumping, less reactivity. Calmness can translate to loose lead walks, a quieter household when visitors arrive, and much more.

If you want to learn more about growing calmness, message us today! :)

22/10/2022

✨✋🏻✨Magic Hand ✨✋🏻✨
This is a great game to build value in proximity and to grow focus. If you dream of loose lead walking and focus on you rather than the environment, this is a game for you!
First of all, your dog needs to know how to catch.
Once you have developed some catching skills, see if they can catch in a heel position.
When they are comfortable catching in that position, turn that magic hand palm up! Feed the food through your fingers. This makes it a little more difficult as your dog can’t see it coming.
Once you have built a good foundation for this game you can start to use it on the move! On lead initially for that loose lead walk, then off lead for some heel work focus.

Click the link below to check out our video on Instagram.

Reach for the Stars Dog Training shared a post on Instagram: "Let’s play.. Magic Hand ✨✋🏻✨ . This game is great for building focus and value in proximity. Which can lead to awesome loose lead walking and listening to you in a distracting environment. - ...