Oracle Dogs

17/09/2024

Puppy Classes and Basic Obedience will be moving to Saturday mornings in October due to the darker evenings. They are now available to book along with the November dates on bookwhen.com/oracledogs
The next Mantrailing Introduction on the 20th October is available to book there too!

Positive Dog Training - classes, workshops and 1:1 Specialising in Scentwork - Mantrailing, Tracking, Open Search, Scent Detection and Trail Hunt International. Other fun workshops and activities including Fun Agility, Hoopers, Trick Training and more!

16/09/2024

Dave might be small but he is stunning. Who says you can't get good photos of black dogs? It's all about the light.

15/09/2024

Still learning new things. I love the tracking almost as much as I do the mantrailing. It's similar but different. A bit more compact and you don't need another person so it is easy for anyone to do. There's a lot of overlap as well so it was very interesting to see how they can be integrated yesterday at the Scent Imprint for Dogs Workshop with Elliot Connor and in a recent webinar by Wesley Visscher. I'm looking forward to finding out more about this method and how we can use it to help the mantrailing dogs become even better at what they do. It really makes a lot of sense.

08/09/2024

Great news, Rascal who came and did the Mantrailing Introduction with us last weekend has got a new home 😁

Rascal settling in beautifully to his wonderful new home♥️🐾

07/09/2024

Gorgeous spaniel Riley came to do a Trail Hunt International Foundations 1:1 today but after we did the first few exercises we could tell he wasn't really into it and was more interested in the sheep in a field in the distance. We switched over to Tracking Foundations instead and he loved it (and was very good at it too). The tail was wagging, he was raring to go and just listen to all the lovely snuffling he did (turn the sound up!). Us scent sports addicts love hearing that sound when our dogs are working 😁. He was exhausted by the time he left, I reckon he will sleep well tonight! Well done Riley! The grass is longer than I would like because my ride on mower won't work and it's a big area to tackle with a strimmer but I'm hoping to get it sorted before winter.

01/09/2024

This is Rascal and he's looking for a new home. Andrea and Caitlin who volunteer with Mayo Society For Prevention of Cruelty to Animals MSPCA LTD were kind enough to bring him along to the Mantrailing Intro today.
He seems pretty low maintenance, calm and quiet, he likes people - even strangers, and would be a lovely lap dog or companion for an older person.
He's not really a Rascal at all or if he is then he is hiding it well. Anyone who meets him won't be able to help falling in love with him.
He had a lovely day out today getting to meet new people, smell new smells, have some tasty treats and some cuddles. Oh yeah he did do the Mantrailing too and was very good at it and earned his certificate for the Introduction level. I hope he enjoyed his day out and we all loved having him be part of the day. I think he might sleep well tonight.
If you think you could give this "little man" a home of his own please contact the lovely people at Mayo SPCA and let them know you would be interested in meeting him.

01/09/2024

Mantrailing Introduction
Congratulations to Conor and Ruan, Linda and Ficko, Chris and Sorrel, Monika and Nitak, and last but not least lovely Rascal who joined us today from Mayo Society For Prevention of Cruelty to Animals MSPCA LTD - thanks to Andrea and Caitlin for bringing him . Ruan (was Atlas) and Ficko (was Gromit) are both former Mayo SPCA dogs who have a fantastic new home together and they spent most of the day snoozing in the car together between turns after a big weekend away. They really were meant to be together. Little Sorrel the lab is the youngest puppy we've had at just 3 months and was brilliant despite being so young. As was Nitak who is 7 months old, he's a show boy and you can see why. As for Rascal well everyone loved him and we hope he gets a new home soon. He is so calm and lovable we all thought he would make a perfect little lap dog or companion for an older person. Thanks to everyone who came today and hope to see some of you back for Level 1 soon!

30/08/2024

30/08/2024

27/08/2024

PUPPY CLASSES !!!!
Starting next Tuesday 3rd September at 6pm
4 week block of 1hr classes - €100
Hollymount Co Mayo

Booking at www.bookwhen.com/oracledogs

Suitable for puppies from when they have had their vaccinations up to 6 months (over 6 months are welcome in the Basic Obedience Class)

Includes help with common puppy issues like Toilet Training, Biting, Settling at night

Training includes Sit, Down Stand, Recall, Walking on a lead (early stages), Wait, Leave it, Drop It and more

Fun tricks including Nose Touch and Spin

Being around other puppies and people helps to build confidence, socialisation, social skills.

26/08/2024

Happy International Dog Day!
I'll show you mine if you show me yours 😁
Here's Aussie, Possum and Billie ❤️

26/08/2024

Congratulations to Valerie and Yoshi, Chris and Amber and Eilise and Dave who all completed Tracking Foundations today.

25/08/2024

Canine Principles have a sale on with 30% off all courses until midnight today (Monday) with the code BH30

There are a range of great online courses at different levels including a couple of free ones and some Scentwork ones.

They have a number of scentwork courses including Enrichment through Scentwork Certificate (£99 full price) Scentwork for Fun (£199 full price) and the Search Dog Handler Diploma (£299 full price) with a significant saving if you use the code.

I have completed both courses and am currently the scentwork tutor for them.

https://www.canineprinciples.com/link/8Ghu4F?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.canineprinciples.com%2Fcourse%3Fcourseid%3Dsearch-dog-handler

9 Modules - Train Dogs For Professional Scentwork and Understand The Operational Role Of Search Dog Teams Accredited, CPD, Diploma, Positive, Professional, Scent, Scentwork, Search Dog, Nose, Training, Coaching, Enrichment, Behaviour

25/08/2024

The Advanced Mantrailers looking like an album cover.........actually it was a test to see if the dogs could select the right person to match to the scent article. Can you guess who it was????

24/08/2024

Mantrailing Introduction
Sunday 1st September
10-4pm
Hollymount, Co Mayo
€80

Booking now open www.bookwhen.com/oracledogs
Places Limited

Qualified and Experienced Instructor.

Opportunity to progress through Levels 1 (Rural) and 2 (Urban) to Advanced. Component based training so you will always be learning.

Come and try the fastest growing dog sport in Ireland and have a fun day out with your dog!

24/08/2024

Congratulations to Caitlin, Andrea and their 3 dogs Seamus, Sky and Lark who all completed Tracking Foundations today.

22/08/2024

Basic Obedience/Life Skills classes
Next block of 4 x 1 HR classes starts Tuesday 3rd September at 7pm in Hollymount, Co Mayo
Booking via bookwhen.com/oracledogs

mayo

21/08/2024

Funnily enough we were talking about these two exact same topics at classes last night. If your dog likes to dig or to shred things then give them an appropriate outlet for these behaviours so they don't destroy the garden up or disembowel your cushions 😁

So many of the things that people consider 'behaviour problems' in dogs are in fact perfectly normal and instinctive canine behaviours that stretch back over their evolution. The problem is that these behaviours can be inconvenient and potentially problematic in human homes.

Understanding dogs, where they came from and the traits that were vital to their survival in the past, lets us see that we need to provide ways for our dogs to carry out these behaviours. It is a vital part of ensuring their welfare and mentioned in the Five Freedoms - the freedom to express natural behaviour.

Of course we don't want them chewing the furniture, shredding the cushions, digging up the flowerbeds etc. The key is to find ways to let them carry out these behaviours that both they and we find appropriate and acceptable.

A child's sandpit filled with dirt or sand makes a great digging spot, and you can hide things in there for them to find. Alternatively, select a specific spot in the garden and direct the dog there if you find them digging elsewhere.

Make sure they have plenty of appropriate chewing material and redirect them to a chew if they start nibbling on the sofa or the chair leg.

Provide soft toys to be eviscerated to save the cushions. The great thing with soft toys is that you can restuff them and sew them up - often several times before they are beyond repair. Charity shops can also be good sources of budget friendly soft toys for this purpose (always making sure they are safe with no bits the dog may swallow).

Shredding dogs often also love cardboard. Use the household recycling to fill a cardboard box with things like egg boxes, other pieces of cardboard, packing paper and so on, anything that is dog safe. Scatter their food or some treats through the box contents and let them hunt the food out and then have a great time shredding the box and contents. Yes there is a little clearing up that needs to be done, but it saves the furniture or other items from destruction.

With a little imagination it's simple to come up with ways to fulfil these natural drives and your dog will definitely thank you for it. 🧡

20/08/2024

This is absolutely fantastic news. Ruen (formerly Atlas) who came to the last Mantrailing Intro was going to come to classes this month with Mayo SPCA volunteers but he got a new home and his humans booked him into the classes so Gromit got the SPCA space instead. Turns out they were besties at the shelter and after they hit it off together Ruen's lovely new owners have now given Gromit a home too. They must have been destined to be together ❤️

20/08/2024

This can apply to all dogs and I'd certainly add Collie in here too as I think they are the breed we see this in the most here.

Scentwork activities like the Mantrailing, Tracking, Scent Detection, Open Search and Trail Hunt International are all examples of ways you can provide your dog with an outlet for those working behaviours.

People who do those activities with me have reported calmer, happier, sniffier dogs. Increases in confidence and decreases in reactivity.

Do your dog a favour and give them the chance to be a dog. You'll probably enjoy it too!

Mantrailing Introduction on Sunday 1st September - find out more at
bookwhen.com/oracledogs

Tracking and Trail.Hunt Intro Dates for September will be out soon.

12/08/2024

Kindness towards dogs and their people, knowledge and understanding, hours spent learning, aversion to aversion, books, courses, thousands of pounds of studies, CPD, ethics, collaboration, empathy.

Heroes!

11/08/2024

I met this little one today and she is gorgeous. Even better she is coming to our Mantrailing Introduction on the 1st September! Puppies can start Mantrailing when they have had all their vaccinations and are allowed to be out and about. We have a number of dogs who are now Advanced Mantrailers who have started at 16 weeks and are all excellent so starting at a young age really helped. If you want to come to our Mantrailing Introduction (and possibly get some puppy cuddles) then you can book at bookwhen.com/oracledogs

10/08/2024

We had our first Tracking Club this morning and it went really well (except it was a bit warm so we had to make sure the dogs got breaks, water, and rests on a cool mat where needed). We did some footstep tracking, practised indicating on articles, directional tracking, back tracks and some 90 and 45 degrees turns. Tracking club will be on some Saturday mornings and is for people/dogs who have completed our Tracking Foundations Workshop. Tracking will help our Mantrailing dogs (and Missing Pet K9 Search Team which Yoda here is a member of) become more accurate as well as being a stand alone scent sport.