De Witte Woef Hondengedrag en Training

07/05/2023

What a lovely week I've had 😁 Got to see most of my regulars and meet some new clients that I can't wait to work with in the future! 💕🐕
Now to make myself finally learn to code and get a website up and running, perhaps 🤔

29/04/2023

It's time again for our yearly weekend away with Luna. This time we're in Germany 🇩🇪 in a nice little airbnb with a lovely, though sadly not enclosed garden. Shortly after I took this photo we attached the long line so that Luna was a bit safer whilst we ate.
I find it important to take Luna away every so often since we live in the middle of the city now, just to give her a break from the hustle and bustle. Safe to say, she always loves going into the countryside and exploring new forests and national parks

28/04/2023

What an absolutely fantastic development for England 🎉
Raising welfare standards is so important and will result in better trainers and education 💕🎓

In a historic moment for animal welfare, we’re welcoming news today that the Government is completely banning the use of remote controlled electric shock collars in England, as of 1 February 2024, following our ten year campaign. To find out more, visit thekennelclub.org.uk/shockcollarsbanned

28/04/2023

I love seeing research about the cognitive functions of dogs. This paper is from 2021 but I have only just seen it today; it really makes a lot of sense when I think about how Luna in particular responds to certain phrases and conversations. Dogs are really much smarter than we give them credit for 🐕🎓

Researchers in Hungary used MRI and EEG technology to understand how well a puppy understands human words.

28/03/2023

Looking after these daft lads all day can be hard work but so much fun!
You wouldn't believe the amount of mischief they can get into the moment I stop looking 🙈

13/03/2023

Been a bit of time since I posted as I had a busy month; just on my way back to the Netherlands from the UK after my trip to Crufts!
Had a fantastic time and managed to curb my spending and only buy a few things 😉 Couldn't resist getting some new dog toys, of course. Even shared a few with my parents' dog, Wednesday 💕🐾

It's always refreshing seeing so many talented trainers, owners, and their dogs and I feel very motivated to try some new things this year! Both with clients and my own dog 🐺🐕

Back to it tomorrow and I cannot wait to get started on some new tricks with Chefke 😎

08/02/2023

Chefke is a little sore today so we're focusing more on brain games and mental stimulation.
Starting simple with this easy activity game and then we will work on some tricks👨‍🎓

06/02/2023

Today I had a training walk with gorgeous Texas the collie ✨️
He is currently very unsure of the environment and finds people overwhelming but he has made massive leaps in progress since I started seeing him and his owner in October. She is so committed to his development and it really shows in his behaviour 🥰

31/01/2023

I've been working on improving Chefke's response to the verbal cue for "Spin" today. He is currently a lot fonder of the visual cue (which is a flick of the wrist in a loop) 😂🙈
Hopefully, he will become as passionate about the verbal cue soon! 💕

27/01/2023

Just look at that tail wagging 🥰
Last week I got the chance to dogsit Frida for a few hours and she was an absolute pleasure 🐾

24/01/2023

I'm in Milsbeek today with my weekly regulars, Chefke and Kobus 🐾
These two have kept me on my toes since last summer and it's been such a pleasure to watch Chefke grow from a tiny pup to a large and confident adult

01/01/2023

Happy New Year!

Here's to a productive 2023 and to meeting lots of new dogs and clients looking to achieve their goals together! 💕🐾

On that note, if anyone has dogs that struggle with the noise of fireworks and found last night to be overwhelming, that's something we can work on and I would be over the moon to help make next new year as stress-free as possible 🎉

27/12/2022

Merry belated Christmas! 🎄
I hope everyone had a wonderful time and that you're prepared for lots of new adventures in 2023 🎉
I've definitely neglected my social media this year, which was largely due to an injury making it harder for me to work but, despite that, I have met some wonderful new dogs and people 🥰 Unfortunately, I have also had to say goodbye to my first ever clients this year. Ella sadly passed away this summer and Stokes has headed back to the US. I will miss them both so much in the new year but I'm beyond grateful that I got to meet them and learn so much from them 💕

19/01/2022

It's always nice to get out when the air is so fresh. And walking with each dog is so different, it's refreshing to see how they take in the environment as individuals.
Stella really enjoys sniffing her whole way through the walk, whilst Luna is more of a physical explorer, choosing to climb on and under everything she can 🐕

And for Luna, after a walk is always a moment of high excitement, so a lickimat is my weapon of choice for helping her calm down and mellow out 😊

25/12/2021

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has had a wonderful day, Luna certainly has 💕 Wishing everyone a lovely Boxing day tomorrow too. 🎄😊

11/11/2021

Finding a happy place for your dog can be so important for their mental health. As for where such a place can be is very much dependent on the dog.
For Luna, she loves quiet places with lots of smells, like the forest. It helps to give her a bit of a reset from the walks that she finds more stressful, such as the street walks in the city we often do now.
Even if your dog isn't reactive or anxious, it is nice for them to have a change of scenery every so often (as long as your dog isn't afraid of new environments). Try to explore new locations together now and then, you'll both benefit 😊🐕

06/11/2021

Today we celebrated Luna's 8th birthday! 🥳💕 So happy to have been able to spend so much time with this wonderful girl. She's taught me so much over the years and I'm looking forward to growing with her even more in the years to come ❤

31/10/2021

Happy Halloween! I'd love to see some spooky themed photos of your dogs if you have them 🧟‍♀️

30/10/2021

Hi all!
Long time, no see! I had a wonderful time in the UK last month and I've spent this month settling Luna in to her new environment.
She's been great and has been making massive progress with her reactivity. Which is very impressive as there are a lot of potentially triggering stimuli in the area, especially when you consider the amount of bikes and scooters.
She has been ill recently but is recovering now and I will be continuing to represent Yellow Dogs with her to raise awareness for the respect reactive dogs deserve.

Anyway, I am ready to get back to it and take on training and behavioural clients, so if you need a hand with your dog or puppy, feel free to get in contact. 😊

22/07/2021

It was a refreshing change of pace getting to dogsit Ella and Stokes for an extended weekend. I miss them already!

15/07/2021

Following on from yesterday's post, I am currently scheduled to travel back to England from the 9th of September to collect Luna (the white woof herself)!
I will not be available for in person sessions for the duration of September, however, if you would like an online training session you can contact me and we can try to arrange a video call session. 😄

14/07/2021

Long time no see! Sorry for the lack of updates, I have been working on figuring out an action plan for collecting my own dog in the coming months and it has been more than a little bit draining (the current regulations for entering the UK are dire to say the least).

Thank you to all of the clients that I have worked with over the past few months, you and your dogs have really helped me enjoy my time here without my own girl.

For now, here is a photo I took of Stokes on our walk today and I look forward to seeing more of you, old and new, in the coming weeks!

19/03/2021

I have been doing weekly puppy training sessions with Mochi for a while now and she is coming on in leaps and bounds. Can't wait to see her today to see what progress her and her family have made this week! 🥰😍

11/03/2021

Today I had the pleasure of meeting the gorgeous black abyss that is Beertje! She's a very quick learner and I am confident that she will be making swift progress with the exercises we worked on in the session. 🥰

21/02/2021

It's so surreal that we had snow last week and now it's lovely and sunny; it was definitely nice to appreciate it whilst out walking Ella and Stokes this afternoon ☀️ They both seemed more than pleased to bask in a bit of Spring sunshine 🐕

20/02/2021

It was the last puppy training session for Leo today and I'm going to miss seeing him and his family every week. It's so fun getting to know people and their dogs, and helping them on their journey.
I wish them the best of luck for the future and hope they (especially Leo) love their new home 💕

07/02/2021

Hope everyone in the Netherlands is having a wonderful snow day!

If you have any pics of your dogs in the snow feel free to post them in the comments. I'd love to see them as this picture is actually from the UK a few years ago!
My girl would adore the snow here today, can't wait for her to experience it in the future though. ☃️

03/02/2021

Yesterday I had a session with Leo and his family where we looked at brain games, loose leash walking, and impulse control. He's been making lots of progress every week with a wide variety of exercises to help him develop into a well rounded puppy!

Isn't he cute as a button? 😍🥰

01/02/2021

When going for a walk with your dog how often do you encourage them to climb and sniff?

Sometimes we get a little bit in our heads when walking our dogs and only allow them the briefest sniff at the walls they pass, as we may feel like we just want to get the walk over and done with but this is not particularly enriching to your dog.

Why is this a problem?

A dog that does not feel enriched from their walk is more likely to return home and still be full of energy! Being full of energy can then further lead to them being destructive!

So what do we do?
We start to offer the dog more on their terms when out walking, when time allows. Let your dog lead the way, train tricks whilst you're out and about, and encourage them to sniff spots they take an interest in whenever they find them. Furthermore, you can encourage them to climb on trees and benches, which adds an additional fitness element to their walk (without you needing to exert any extra 😉)!

All in all, giving your dog more things to do on a walk will mean that they are far more tired when they return home and should make them and you feel all the more satisfied. In addition to this, a dog allowed to explore and experience lots when out walking can be tired even just after a half an hour excursion as they are using their brains more too!
So, next time you walk your dog, give them a little bit more freedom to sniff and consider adding new elements like training to your excursion! 🐾🐾🐾

24/01/2021

Last week I had an interesting session with beautiful Nora and her family over how to teach her to mellow her excitement about life, the universe, and everything.
With young dogs, especially Shepherds and Collies, it can be difficult to keep them below the threshold of overexcitement as they are intrigued and thrilled by so much in their environment. Teaching calmness and developing disinterest in certain actions (such as preparing to leave the house) can work wonders for lowering a dog's excitement levels.
I am looking forward to updates on her progress 😊🐕

07/01/2021

As I'm sure I've said plenty, I miss my dog a *lot* and sometimes I just get the urge to train. My options at the moment are a bit limited at home, I have the choice of a cat or a hamster to work with, both of which require a lot more patience than training my shepherd.
Regardless, I bought this toy for my hamster the other day and realised that it would actually be a great introductory toy for Moos (the cat) too. So, I took it slow with him and after 4 small sessions (got to keep them short as cats get bored of an activity far more quickly than most dogs), he's beginning to understand how to use the toy to get his treats from it!

02/01/2021

Visited Ella and Stokes this morning for some walks and to give Ella her meds. She managed to bamboozle me the first time and left the pill so that she could get more chicken, such a clever clogs 😂 Will be back to see them later for cuddles and another wander around the block 🐕

01/01/2021

Gelukkig nieuwjaar!
Happy new year!
I hope everyone has lots of fun dog related plans for 2021, I know I do! Although Brexit is a bit of a spanner in the works, I will be bringing my dog here sometime later in the year. Can't wait to be reunited with her 🥰

25/12/2020

Fijne kerst!
Merry Christmas!
I stayed in the Netherlands for Christmas with my partner's family, and Moos, the cat, thoroughly enjoyed the wrapping paper 🎁 A little bit different than opening presents with my dog but he provided plenty of entertainment by attacking the strings wrapped around each present 😂
Hope everyone has had a lovely day!

06/12/2020

02/12/2020

A walk for Stokes again today! As he has been so anxious walking in the streets around his home lately, we decided that a change of scenery would probably be good for him. He was way more relaxed walking in the forest and spent some time familiarising himself with the smells of the undergrowth 🥰🌲

01/12/2020

Yesterday I had an interesting experience helping out my friend, and dog trainer in-training, Kelly with her three foster pups in Amersfoort.

Now, one puppy is a hard enough feat to take on and three is something else entirely!
Sometimes you may assume that purchasing two puppies (either from the same litter or of similar ages) is beneficial to them and you. However, this is really not the case. Puppies need individual time in order to develop social skills and confidence in themselves. When constantly in the company of another puppy they may become deeply attached to them.

Why is this a problem?
Because any attempt to separate them may result in the distress of one or both of them, and any training that you want to do with one will need to be set aside to work on their confidence alone first. Just imagine, you need to take one to the vets but not the other, but they can't be separated. Now you must either handle two dogs in a small veterinary examination room or someone must sit and calm the other puppy down.

Despite this being a risk, there are things we can do to try and set puppies in these situations up for success!
Yesterday, Kelly and I separated for a short while in her apartment and I began working on a settle with one pup at a time, whilst she worked on loose leash with two. This really helped us to gauge where each puppy was at emotionally. One puppy, the male, seems to be coping very well and is relatively confident on his own without the other two. However, one of the bi***es is already very attached to her siblings and found it difficult to be without them.

So, what will we do with this information?
More alone time with a human for her! She needs to learn to relax when separated from the other two and this can be worked on by doing fun activities with her, away from her siblings.

It was very interesting observing the differences in the attachment levels of the puppies and just goes to show that even puppies from the exact same scenario possess differing traits based in their own character.

25/11/2020

Another walk with Stokes today. He seemed a lot more settled today and enjoyed lots of good sniffs. His family are going to be trying out a brain game toy this week and I can't wait to hear how it goes

18/11/2020

Today's walk was with gorgeous Stokes! He's been feeling a bit anxious lately due to fireworks, so we let him lead the way and decide on our route. He's such a lovely boy 🥰

15/11/2020

Yesterday I had a consult with a lovely couple about choosing the right first dog for them! We discussed the size, temperament, and energy levels amongst other things and I now have a lovely shortlist of dogs I believe would be a perfect fit for them. If you feel that this service would also be beneficial to you, then please contact me to schedule a consultation.
This is an accessible service and I can do this long distance via Facebook or videochat too if you do not live in Nijmegen or the Netherlands.