The Twins

25/11/2023

Tonight it was get dressed up and go to the Kinrara Distillery. Obviously the twins don’t drink gin. But Venice nicked a sandwich and Jasper laid some 💨💣. Serious red neck 😂😂😂
I’m sure the other guests enjoyed their experience 😂😂😂

25/11/2023

A holiday together at Cairngorm Mountain Resort.

Coire an t-Sneachda! Better in the snow.

Hurtta keeping them warm. The only jacket that gives flexibility on movement and keeps all those African vitals cosy.

BullyBillows collars for style.

Love the twins 💖💙

22/10/2023

Love is…..running on the beach. ❤️

09/03/2023

Just to let you all know.
We still love one another 😂😂
V & J

23/12/2022

23rd December

Behind number 23 of the Twins tips is following on from yesterdays post and today we will talk about building a formal recall.

So before you begin the training decide on what you want that recall to look like, what will you use? A word a whistle? I personally prefer a whistle it’s consistent and the tone remains the same in every situation. Think reinforcers, go high value or go home, dry biscuits won’t cut it. I tend to use liver, roast beef, chicken you get the picture.

We are simply building a response to a sound wave, it’s basic conditioning. To begin this start at home with your puppy right beside you, blow the whistle and drop half a dozen treats at your feet. The reason we drop at our feet is this is exactly where you want your puppy to come back to when they hear the whistle. Repeat this lots before you start to add any distance. Shifting a gear we want to begin to add in a little distance. Wait until the puppy is a little away from you, even another room and blow the whistle, drop half a dozen treats at your feet. fast response? Great!!

So we have added in distance now it’s time to add a distraction. Wait until your puppy is playing with another family member or having a tasty kong, blow your whistle and again drop those treats at your feet. Repeat this until you have built up a good history in distractions.

Now that you have a fast reliable response indoors it’s time to change environment, take this to your garden and repeat distance and distractions. Going well? If no go back a step and begin where you were successful previously. If it’s a yes, move up to another environment. Choose your environment carefully so that you set your puppy up for success, somewhere that isn’t too distracting, you want to work up to more distracting environments. Keep your puppy on a longline whilst teaching this, for safety and to stop your puppy creating bad habits.

Recall is certainly one of the most important things you will teach your puppy so investing the time is worth it’s weight in gold.

Happy training 🎄

22/12/2022

22nd December

Behind number 22 of the Twins tips is Recall and how to begin to building it.

So before we look at building the recall we want to build up focus on our walks, without this your foundations are missing. A reliable recall is so dependent on your puppy’s choices when out on a walk, so we want our puppies to check in with us. How do we do this?

Start with having your puppy on a longline, let them explore the world around them even if this is ahead of you. Communication on your walk is vital, so every time puppy sniffs something acknowledge it, “ ooh what’s that , good boy”. If your puppy looks at you BINGO, mark and reinforce, this will build up a nice history of your puppy checking in with you. Make it fun to be with you, lots of verbal feedback. If you are not fun your puppy will simply stop doing it and will find their own fun. Note at no point did I ask you to call your puppy back, I am more than happy to toss my treat out to them, if they come back great - have a party.

The theme here is allow your puppy to explore and encounter the world but reinforce everything they offer you. Choices and more importantly good choices.

More on building a formal recall tomorrow, in the meantime work on the foundations.

Happy training!

21/12/2022

21st December

Behind door 21 of the twin tips for puppies we are staying on simple training tips.

Play! You can’t really do enough of it. Play releases all the good chemicals. Like a cocktail of joy. Be your dogs cocktail partner.

But when it comes to play you have to play the games your dog loves.

Tug. Some dogs love it. Some dogs don’t really. Use an appropriate toy for this, or it’ll end off shredded. Start by making the toy interesting, hide it behind your back, make it come alive like a squirrel, through your legs, over your shoulders. You’ll have fun too, then reach it out and have your dog tug. Now here’s where you have options. Don’t stop tugging too quickly, and don’t put on too much pressure (that mouth can be sore). There are times you can practice your drop it here but the majority of the time- let your puppy win! Just let it go, let them parade around their prize. Continue playing and congratulating them on their victory. This is great for confidence. I bet they come back stuffing the toy at you. Then you can repeat the tug or repeat from the beginning. If the puppy loses interest then the game isn’t interesting anymore.
Either up your squirrel skills or find something else to do.

Chase. Dogs love to chase. They can chase you or an object. Don’t do chasing a ball for too long and please don’t throw the ball as far as you can with a ball launcher. This isn’t good for their joints. You only need to throw it a few feet!
When it comes to chasing a note of caution. You can use this opportunity to bring in “chase whilst you keep four paws on the floor” and if your dog looks to be getting over the top stop it. Or every jogger this side of the equator will be next. So this game is down to the dog. Also remember some dogs love to be chased! So switch rolls. And incorporate practicing stand, stop or sit here.

Sniffing. A dog’s ultimate skill.
Hide food toys. Let them find them. And you don’t need to help them. Their nose is unreal. It might take longer than you pointing it out, but the process of finding it is the fun part!

Merge your training with play.
After all, if everything is a game it’s learned faster!

20/12/2022

20th December

Behind number 20 of the Twins tips is Lead work.

A nice loose lead is a complex behaviour and way too difficult for a puppy to master. However we can start by breaking down the behaviour and start off by teaching elements of it.

Dogs have an opposite reflex just like us, so pulling them back when they pull will only make them pull again. Remember if a puppy pulls and it gets them where they want to go it’s being reinforced. We want to teach that a loose lead gets them there not a tight one.

Let’s take a bite size chunk and start to lay those foundations for later on. When your puppy pulls towards things simply stop and wait, as soon as the puppy takes a little tension off the lead give them feedback “good boy” or “good girl” and start walking again. Whether it’s to sniff that lamppost or bin the loose lead has earned that environmental reinforcer. Please don’t look for too much here, you are not looking for the puppy to come back to your heel, just that little tension off the lead. This may happen accidentally to begin with, take it and run with it.

It’s much better to set the bar now than six months down the line when your puppy has had six months of pulling. Think how difficult that is for your puppy, we have six months of walking on a tight lead now we want the opposite! The twins are rolling their eyes.

19/12/2022

19th December

Behind door 19 of the twin tips for puppies we are staying on simple training tips. This follows on from yesterday’s post.

Make sure you’ve charged up your drop it cue.

Let’s get one thing straight, High value objects, if your puppy has “stolen” something and you chase them, the value of the object rockets to a lottery win for your puppy. Would you give up £100 million just because someone said you had to? Thought not.

The harder you try applies here! So invest time in being trusted around things your puppy values. Don’t be the person they can’t trust. And sticking your fingers in their mouth….try sticking your finger in a socket first (disclaimer don’t actually try that!)

So you’ve charged up your cue, play with your puppy with a toy, then say “drop it” and stoop down next to them and drop a wee handful of treats. Don’t try taking the toy, just leave it. Wait until they start playing with it, and repeat. Only do this a few times per session.
Next repeat above but this time pick up the toy then give them it back.
Then go again and take the toy following the drop and exchange that toy for another. This shows your puppy that sometimes the thing they had they don’t get back, but keeps you in the circle of trust by giving them something else.

Make this part of your daily training/play. It then becomes normal!
You will graduate through time & practice to those emergency objects. But keep up with controlling environment. Keep your house in order so to speak.

Happy training

17/12/2022

17th December

Behind number 17 of the Twins tip is a nice easy hand target.

This is a wonderful behaviour to teach your puppy, nice little puppy recall when you have added distance. Also useful for husbandry work once you have duration on the “Touch”, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

I love this one. Simply hold your hand flat out and the puppy will naturally move toward it, make sure it is at around head height. Just before your puppy’s nose touches your hand you mark and reward with a treat from your pocket using the same hand you had held out. Repeat this a few times. Marking just before their nose touches your hand. The reason you mark just before is that your puppy is intending to touch your hand with their nose, it is the intent we are looking for currently.
After a few times hold your hand out then wait until the puppy’s nose just touches your hand, mark and reinforce again using the hand you had held out to give that treat. This solidifies that the target hand is good. You can now add your cue to to the behaviour so, cue “ touch” mark and reinforce.
Simple but very effective.

16/12/2022

16th December

Behind door 16 of the twin tips for puppies we are staying on simple training tips. Remember, good training is the basics done well.

Take a small step, like the one in the picture. Sit with it close to you and the puppy on the opposite side. When your puppy shows interest in it give them a treat, placing it on the step. As they recognise looking at the step = a treat start placing the treat closer to your side. This should encourage them to put a paw on the step, or two! Then start to just give them the treats as you would, feeding into their mouth.
Four treats, one after the other, one treat tossed so they hop off. Now wait, do they come back and immediately step up? good! Repeat four treats to one off. Don’t worry if they don’t just go back to the start & go again, they’ll get there!

Once they are confidently stepping up, start to wait a second at a time before reinforcing them. A second between each treat, still sticking with four on, one off. Then two seconds between, then three.
You’re building duration here!
Add a cue, “paws up”, this is a neat little behaviour for vet work & to get the perfect photo.

*tip* keep the sessions short. Too much up and down will be exhausting.

15/12/2022

15th December

Behind number 15 of the Twins tip is Leads, we covered harnesses, let’s look at leads.

A puppy has never encountered a lead until they come home, let’s make it super easy for them and start before they actually need to go out and walk with one.

We all have several weeks before we can take our puppy out for a walk which requires a lead. That gives you time to work on your puppy being comfortable with it.

Super easy tip today, pop down a little food scatter then pop the lead on, puppy finishes the scatter remove the lead and repeat.

Once the puppy is happy with that, let’s start to take steps. Start in your hall, you can encourage your puppy with treats. Puppy is happy in the hall, change your environment so maybe your garden.

Now you are ready for when you can go walks - voila!!

14/12/2022

14th December

Behind door 14 of the twin tips for puppies we are staying on simple training tips. Remember, good training is the basics done well.

Take your harness, pop some treats in your hand, let your puppy put their head through the harness and eat the treats, take the harness back over their head and repeat loads of times. Start doing this before they even go out! Between vaccinations and walking you have a good few weeks.
Once they stick their heads in with enthusiasm, drop a few treats on the floor right in front of them then fasten the harness. Take it off and go again.

Do this a fair few times throughout the day, and you’ll start to see your puppy happily popping into their harness. Then you can let them wear it for a while whilst you play. A couple of minutes then take it off again.

That’s all you need to do.

*little tip* get a good fitting harness but before you attach a leash and whilst your building up the work above, make it a little loose. Plenty time to adjust the fit when you need to. Make it fit at first and they may find it restricting, having the opposite effect from what you’re trying.

13/12/2022

13th December

Behind door number 13 of the twins tips is puppies jumping up.

This can easily become a habit for a puppy if it’s not addressed quickly. Remember you get what you reinforce, so patting and talking to your puppy when they jump up simply reinforces the behaviour.

The best way to avoid this happening is to always have some little treats in your pocket and as soon as your puppy approaches you, toss out a treat. This means reinforcement is happening when we have four paws firmly on the floor.

Easy to nail this in the first few weeks at home, just don’t allow it to start. Get ahead of the game.

12/12/2022

12th December

Behind door 12 of the twin tips for puppies is a super easy one, but has huge benefits.

When out with your puppy, take some really high value treats and a toy with you. Pop them on a long line and every time they check in with you have a party!

Easy, peasy

11/12/2022

11th December

Behind number 11 of the twins tips is a little bit more on socialisation, but with noises and other stimulus in the environment.

A new puppy is soaking up everything around them like a sponge, associations are made whether it’s positive or negative. It’s really important that we observe our puppies when encountering new experiences.

Does your puppy look scared of that particular noise or visual whether that’s a child, car, lorry, skateboard, motorbike…… you get the picture. Things to look out for is your puppy’s body lowering, ears back, tail tucked or simply running behind your legs. If they do you must ask yourself how you can help to make it easier for your puppy. Can you add distance, break it down for them.

I advise pairing up the scary or new thing with favourite treats, helping to build a positive association to the noise or the stimulus that your puppy is unsure of. So the Twins love liver, liver paste, cheese …… there’s not much they don’t like to be very honest. But go high value, make it count.

I am a huge believer that many owners struggle to read their dogs body language, educate yourself with this. Your puppy with thank you tenfold.

You may be thinking that we use lots of food, something we will cover in the Twins advent of tips.

10/12/2022

10th December

Behind door 10 of the twin tips for puppies is about other dogs.

This may challenge your belief somewhat.

We’ve said it before and will repeat it again today, “socialisation means exposure not interaction”.
With this in mind I do think the best way for your puppy to learn how to meet, greet and introduce themselves to other dogs is by using older dogs. I don’t mean seniors, a hyper puppy can be too much for them! Adult dogs is where I’ll lay my chips.
Pick them! We all know someone who has a dog or a few people who do that is adult. Select the dogs you trust, you’ve admired their behaviour in the past. These will be your wave one. Don’t be put off if the adult dog is a little standoffish with your new to the wide world bundle. Learning to greet appropriately is a skill. But don’t sit back here, take plenty treats and continue to call your puppy to you reinforcing them heavily for leaving the dog, then let them go back again. If they chose to leave the dog and check in with you, reinforce that choice! Don’t just stand a natter to your mates. Be part of it!

Try and repeat this as often as possible, a 20-30 minute date is more than enough. If your puppy is overwhelmed and being overly shy or overly excited take them a short distance away and let them watch. Don’t wait until the other dog “corrects” them. Especially in the first few meetings. You want to have good positive Associations.

Other puppies, now the twins are lucky. They have one another. They know one another more than we know them! They do play rough, they love hard too! They go from snarking to cuddling up in the blink of an eye.
So, a well run puppy play date is brilliant for their play skills. Just watch that all the puppies are well matched, the same age and again not hiding (take them away if they do) or the court jester running mad, like a kid on red bull (again take them away).

For strange dogs you meet day to day, keep your puppy on a leash in the early weeks and graduate to a long line. Don’t let the behaviour of running to every dog take root. Instead, work on ignoring those dogs by standing back, letting your pup watch and again reinforce them heavily with a high value treat (I’ll add an S on treat as this is go big or go home).
We use liver paste from Trusted Dog Products for this.

Go have fun. But don’t let bad habits establish.

09/12/2022

9th December

Behind number 9 of the twins tips is a little bit more on socialisation, this time with strangers.

There is two sides to this coin, some puppies are pretty bold and confident and others can be shy and pretty timid. However slow and gentle exposure is the way to go regardless as to whether your puppy is bold or shy.

A shy puppy can be easily overwhelmed when meeting strangers and can become a negative experience for them. These early interactions can mould how your puppy feels about strangers so let’s make them as positive as possible. You can start before your puppy is able to go out walks by staying behind the safety of your garden gate and giving the puppy some tasty treats when people pass. Carrying your puppy on little outings and doing the same, just allowing them to simply watch without interaction. That can all come later. If you do have that shy little one, don’t allow people to just approach and ruffle their heads. Allow them to feel safe with strangers not scared.

The bold puppy that’s happy to see everyone. I would be following much the same as above but for different reasons. People have a tendency to gravitate to puppies and spark excitement in the puppy, and also happy for the puppy to jump up on them. I can hear it now “ it’s okay, I love puppies “. The problem being puppies grow very quickly and the publics attitude towards them shifts, and dirty paws is no longer acceptable. Again exposure from a distance is key, allowing a puppy to repeat jumping up on people is creating a rod for your own back. Slow and appropriate greetings are far more desirable.

We all want that confident well behaved dog that we can take anywhere, these early experiences count and you only get one chance.

07/12/2022

7th December

Behind number 7 of the twins tips for puppies is the use of Dog gates or baby gates.

One of the main reasons is definitely safety. Puppies in particular can be very mischievous and they will explore your home wherever they can. To stop a puppy navigating your stairs we recommend fitting gates at the top and the bottom of your staircase.

This is not only to just simply restrict where your puppy goes but also to ensure that there is no accidents that can lead to long term complications.

Puppies growth plates do not close until maturity which slightly differs by breed. Damage to these is the early stages of development can have a huge affect ranging in severity depending on the injury. These injuries can occur from stairs, jumping off the sofa or a high bed. The injury may just heal with no issues or it may leave a lifelong limp or angular deformity depending on where the growth plate is damaged.

When your puppy is safe to be using the stairs and is able to gain a little more freedom the gates can be fitted on other rooms. The kids bedrooms so that no toys are chewed and swallowed. The kitchen so that you can manage counter surfing, puppy cannot eat anything he shouldn’t from worktops or bins.

They are super useful for at the very least a good year of your puppies life. I tend to allow my puppy to graduate from pens and crates and allow them the freedom of the sitting room when left alone. I still manage the new found freedom with a gate.

Great investment!!

06/12/2022

6th December

Behind door 6 of the twin tips for puppies is about being left alone.

Dogs are highly social animals that aren’t meant to spend hours alone. Preparing them to be left should not be taken likely. Our personal recommendation is at around 18 weeks old they should be ok to be left for 3-4 hours. Before that, a serious note of caution.

Now some puppies are fine, they are quite happy to have you depart. However you are best to go with worse case scenario and take it from there.

Encouraging your puppy to leave you, not the other way about is what I look for. Are they happy to leave you and go into their crate? You can encourage this by using a kong on a rope tied to their day pen.
Milestones I look for, can I eat my dinner and puppy is happy alone? Can I take a shower and puppy is alone? Can I work in the kitchen for an hour and they’re in their pen in another room?

Then Build up to leaving the house. Can I go out to the garden for 5 minutes, then 10 and so on. Remember you are looking for no signs of distress. If they do appear to be stressed then that’s a red flag. Go back a step or two. Very rarely do they “just get used to it” and leaving a puppy howling is traumatic for them.
Then you can try a short supermarket visit, gradually building on the time.

Separation issues are heartbreaking. Damage can be costly. And the emotional damage can remain for a long time.

So, if you’re considering getting a puppy but can’t put in the time for the above then perhaps you need to wait until you can organise some time off, can afford a sitter or have a relative or friend who can do it for you.

04/12/2022

4th December

Behind door no 4 of the advent is the Twins tips on the use of Puppy pens.

Its important not to just close the gate and leave the puppy crying. This can cause Separation Anxiety, which is a difficult behaviour issue to resolve, and heartbreaking.

Hopefully your breeder has started crate training off with your puppy most do.

Let’s talk puppy pens or day pens. Make these comfortable with a little bed some toys( never leave your puppy unattended with toys) and puppy pads. In the beginning stages just leave the door open so your puppy chooses to go in and out by themselves, never force it.
I tend to feed meals and give tasty kongs and chews in here in the beginning, to build up a positive association to the pen. Lots of good things happen in the pen.

Stay with your puppy, sit down beside the pen whilst they are in it to help them feel secure. Do not close the door until your puppy falls asleep in there by themselves several times.

Why??

It’s a great way of building your puppy up to being left alone, by first teaching them it’s okay to play, sleep and eat away from you.

Helps massively with toilet training, stopping your puppy having accidents all over your home.

Safety!! It keeps the little ones safe when you have to leave them even if it is just to have a shower. Having a puppy is much like having a toddler in the house, they are into everything!!

It can be tempting to have the puppy fall asleep on you constantly but it does come at a price. Set your puppy up for success from the word go.

03/12/2022

3rd December

Behind door 3 of the twin tips for puppies is those crucial first few nights sleep.

We can’t shout about co-sleeping enough!

Let’s be clear, we are clean freaks! So usually the first thing we hear is “a dog in my bed!?”.
Yup take the puppy into bed with you.

They’ve been used to sleeping with their mum & siblings. This will help them get a good quality sleep, they need that! Puppies need a ton of sleep. So do you! So we’re saving you being up during the night a gazillion times.
No they don’t p*e when they’re asleep and you’re more likely to wake quickly when they do. Bang on your slippers and get them out!

Also, this begins to help create a bond between you and your new addition.
We will also add there is a load of evidence that it’s good for you too!

They don’t need to be there forever, this will also give you time to ensure that a crate doesn’t make your puppy feel like they’re suddenly alone. Crate training deserves its own post! So we’ll get back to that.
But for now, and for the first few nights get them in with you. Inhale that gorgeous smell and both of you will have a better sleep. And importantly, your puppy won’t feel like they’re alone.

02/12/2022

2nd Dec

Behind door number 2 of the twins tips is centred around the time involved in welcoming a puppy into your home.

Do you have Pawternity? Yes it’s a thing! Can you spend weeks, not days at home to settle in a puppy? If the answer to this is no, it may be worth reconsidering and waiting until a time where you can juggle your lifestyle.

Firstly a puppy leaving it’s Mum and siblings is a hugely stressful event for a puppy. Lots of time, love and patience is required to help that little puppy feel safe and secure in the new home with the new family.

I think it’s fair to say that it is hugely underestimated just how much time is required with a new puppy. It’s constant so be prepared to feel exhausted. But be prepared to fall in love.

Really search your soul before you make that jump.

01/12/2022

Time to share the advent tips.

1st December.

Behind door 1 of the twin tips for puppies is centred towards those thinking of adding a puppy to their family.

Do your research!

Look at breeds that suit your lifestyle. Obviously you will have a look in mind, or maybe you know someone who has a breed type you like, but continue your research from there.
Then select where you get the puppy from. Not every breeder is equal. Don’t just run a search and go for who has puppies available or who’s closest. The puppy market can be an exceedingly dark place, and this looks to be getting worse, not better. With supply to demand and demand being high right now, you not only want to ensure the health of your puppy but also the early experiences they have.

It’s not all “how you raise them”. Both parents personalities influence your puppy, and again those crucial first 8 weeks shape them a considerable amount.

So take your time! And don’t be put off if you have to wait. It’s definitely worth it!

18/11/2022

See how we taught the twins!

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10/09/2022

A big happy first birthday to the twins!

Now into the hardest period training wise so over the coming months we will share how we are navigating hormonal challenges, teenage minds and bringing their teaching up to ease them into adulthood.

08/08/2022

Venice bagged her first Munro.

Cairn Gorm ❤️