Beech Behaviour Centre

19/02/2024

Feeding our dogs is a subject often talked about . Being creative with their meals is a great way to make mealtimes more interesting and stimulating for our dogs . Making it fun but we must be careful we don’t build frustration with puzzles that are too hard for younger dogs or older dogs even . I love boxes like those pictures below with their dry food or a few treats sprinkled in . Easy to make up and reuse so gets easily part of everyday life .

Tomorrow I will look at ‘taking food away from our dogs’ to teach them not to be possessive ! In fact the opposite outcome is more likely …….

16/02/2024

There's still time to book onto our Kennel Club Bronze Class starting Saturday 2 March 11.00 - 12.00.

16/02/2024

Friday happiness !

Love this photo and it makes me smile as all puppies starting their journey with us are super cute 🥰

With puppies it is really important to remember TWO THINGS

1. Dogs are always learning and being trained . Whether we are reinforcing their behaviour or punishing it unconsciously , they are still learning. The behaviour I see most that dogs are learning from us , is when we lean over and stroke them when they jump up ! Jumping up ‘pays’ really well so it happens again !
2. Training that happens throughout a day becomes an easier activity for us so more happens every day . A 1 minute session or longer or less it makes a difference to life with them and for them. They learn why is expected of them in real life moments .
Little mini training sessions make it easier for us to do and dogs enjoy these mini learning moments with us . Having a cup of tea and waiting for the kettle to boil and doing some sit and down cues or sitting watching the lunchtime TV news and training a settle cue or making a sandwich is a good time for a nice sit behaviour in presence of food !

14/02/2024

‘WHAT GETS REWARDED GETS REPEATED’

Easy to understand when we ask for it , say a sit . We like it and want more of it , so we give a treat to say well done pup and the behaviour strengthens . We practice it in different locations and happy days usually !!

But not so easy to understand when dogs do behaviours we don’t want and they strengthen too . We use verbal reprimands to try and stop them . These behaviours are self reinforcing ( generate high levels of dopamine the feel good hormone) so they strengthen and our human interventions are reinforcing too . Like barking out the front window at people or dogs passing , pulling us to the park as they often get there faster, spinning on the lead in excitement , barking when the post or Amazon parcels are delivered , often lunging in frustration to play with a dog and many more .

Be aware that dogs only continue to perform behaviours , whether we like them or not, when they are rewarding . So something in it for them!!!
Become a detective and work out what is rewarding them for behaviours we don’t want !!!

13/02/2024

The muffin tin game with the gorgeous Sorrel and her Mum . Wonderful relationship between both canine and human but a great brain exercise too
You don’t have to walk miles to have a calm dog ! Use both their brain and body every day whatever age and breed . Keeping it simple but rewarding is your goal 😊

12/02/2024

This is the wonderful Rori and his owner who adores him .
They sought my support 3 months ago. Rori has experienced trauma in his past life which has resulted in both emotional and behavioural disruptions in his young life. This had led him to feel insecure and worried when he was walking out on a lead towards other dogs .
Working together with the lovely owners and them recognising that traumatised dogs need empathy not control , changed lives for both human and canine . They have worked so hard with the added support of their vet and myself to offer Rori the safety and security he needed when walking on a lead .
We stopped , we listened and we learnt from Rori ‘what do we need to do to help you feel safe’ .
This video is a reflection of the love support and security Rori now feels when walking on a lead . It is not perfect but it speaks volumes about the understanding between dog and handler . The movement towards the hedge boundary to increase his safety shows the deep relationship and understanding these two now have. That empathy is for all of us to learn from and a proud moment for me too.
Rori your new life outside with your caregivers has just begun ❤️

12/02/2024

1 Hour Zoom consultation with Sandra Raw to discuss any training or behaviour concerns you might be experiencing with your dog.

08/02/2024

* Are you at the end of your tether but don't know where to turn?
* Are you frustrated and on the verge of rehoming your dog, even though you know it will break your heart?
* Are you upset, confused or exhausted by your dog's behaviour?
* Would you like to get a better understanding of why your dog is behaving in a certain way?
* Perhaps you need advice on the options available or ask for support to make a difficult decision for you and your dog.
* You may want to ask training methods, whether you should attend classes with your dog or if 1:1 training might be more beneficial.
* Or perhaps you just need reassurance that what you are experiencing is 'normal'

Contact us to arrange a 1 hour Zoom consultation

07/02/2024

This is Sandy the Mali from the anti poaching team I work with in South Africa . A beautiful soul and a special girl to me as she is named after me too .
She is AMAZING and the team have worked really hard with her training .
Sometimes in dog training we are so focused on ‘fixing’ something we don’t like we forget to acknowledge all the behaviours they do offer us that are great . Dogs who bark a lot to warn us someone is coming get told off to stop barking but we miss the moments that they don’t bark! It might be just a delay or a couple of seconds to begin with . Or even moments of unexpected calm or waiting for you to take them out that is calmer than usual .
Get out that toy as we did with Sandy when we see behaviours we love from her or give lots of praise to your dog with a tasty treat for not barking or racing around madly !
Seeing and marking those moments of behaviour from your dog you want to see more of works . We often miss them because we are focused on the ones we are trying to stop 😍

06/02/2024

Our dogs need as much mental exercise as physical and this is an excellent example of a dog I am working with . Using his brain has been a large part of our behavioural plan and he is doing super well overall . He loves using his brain and has a wide array of mental tasks throughout the day . They should be easy for us to do so they can easily incorporated into our day too !! Coffee and lunchtimes are great opportunities for our dogs to enjoy an enrichment opportunity whilst we eat or drink . Watching TV too offers us what I call ‘armchair training’. It fits into our day so it becomes a habit much more easily for us .
These wonderful owners have done a brilliant job of offering canine enrichment to Atticus throughout the day as walking was a challenge for him presently .
A muffin tin, lots of balls and treats underneath it . What could be easier!!

05/02/2024

This is the amazing team Rory who have been working super hard on his behavioural response when on a lead to other dogs !

Me and his owner could not be more proud of him as he has been performing this behaviour for nearly 6 years

03/02/2024

03/02/2024

At Beech Behaviour we recognise that dogs and people learn best when using positive reinforcement; food, play, praise or a combination of these, as a reward. Evidence supports the use of reward-based methods for all canine and human training. If someone asks you to do something, you are much more likely to do it if there is a reward from doing it! ‘What gets rewarded gets repeated!' You never need to bully your dog into doing what you ask them to.

03/02/2024

Behaviour Support For You & Your Dog
We can't wave a magic wand or offer quick fixes, but Sandra Raw at Beech Behaviour Centre is a Clinical Animal Behaviourist who can work with you and your family every step of the way. It is a partnership and we help you build long term behaviour change that works for you and your pet.

Choose one of our behaviour packages but if your pet has multiple issues and you are unsure of which package is best for you ​just ask us and we can create a behaviour package for you.