Dog Matters

Meet Envy, the #Malinois with the most lovable smoosh face! 😍 I adore this dog so much—it’s impossible not to fall in love!

Flare is doing an amazing job with her training in public, even around distractions. She nailed recall, heel, and down commands on the beach. Well done, Chloe and Flare! This team is putting in so much training time, and it’s really paying off. If you're looking to enhance your own dog's training, check out our Training Matters eBook for more tips and guidance. Comment any emoji to learn more.

Leash pulling is influenced by many factors, and when I help clients stop their dogs from pulling, I break it down into steps, layering each one over the next. We cover how to hold the leash, timing rewards, when to change direction, and how to correct pulling. But the most crucial rule is simple: never follow the dog when the leash is tight. If your dog pulls and you follow, even for a step, they learn that pulling works. They think, "Pulling gets me where I want to go," and their behavior is reinforced by forward movement. Often, owners subconsciously reward this behavior by giving more leash or taking a step in the direction the dog wants to go. This confirms to the dog that pulling works. Instead, you need to teach them that a loose leash is the way to move forward. This small change can make a big difference. It may be frustrating at first, but dog training will definitely test your patience! For more tips, check out our free workshop, "Stop Barking & Lunging At Other Dogs On Walks," and don't miss our FREE reactive dog video series. Leave a heart to access our FREE workshop. Video: Chloe and Flare working on heel training in public today at beautiful Bargara.

It's fun and beneficial to take time off work to bond with your new puppy and help them settle in. However, it's crucial to teach them to be content when left alone, which many people overlook. If you're always with your puppy and suddenly need to leave, they might struggle with the abrupt change, leading to stress and anxiety. This often leads owners to arrange constant companionship for the puppy, making it harder to leave them alone later on, potentially resulting in separation anxiety. Healthy socialization involves exposing your dog to various sights, sounds, and situations they need to handle in the human world, including being comfortable when left alone. Be cautious about giving your puppy another dog as constant company, as this can prevent them from learning true independence. If you have an older dog, ensure your puppy also learns to be completely alone, as this is a valuable skill they'll need to avoid stress and anxiety later. For help with these challenges, check out our "Raise The Woof! Puppy Program," a short course designed to guide you through this crucial phase. Video included for the cuteness factor only. Comment "PUPPY" to know more about our program!

Here we have Baxter (chocolate border collie), Bailey (red border collie), and Bear (GSD). Baxter is reactive to dogs, especially German Shepherds. Coincidentally, Bear had been working with me nearby on reactivity, and his nemesis breed is border collies. Now that all dogs had progressed to a safe level, we decided to get together to practice to everyone’s advantage. This walk may not look like much, but it was a great session. It’s hard to believe that only 1-2 sessions ago, Baxter was SCREAMING at a calm GSD we saw on a walk. And the first time I met Bear? He nearly pulled me off my feet lunging towards another dog. Well done to all involved here. This is great progress! Want to learn more about effective training techniques? Dive into our Training Matters ebook for expert tips and techniques that make a difference. Comment to grab your copy today and start your journey towards a calmer, more focused pup!

Here's some snippets of sessions with Bear. I have been really impressed by Hayley's handling skills and the amound of effort she puts into practicing with Bear. Due to this, their training with me is paying off immensely. "Before working with Tenille I had altered the path of our walk and was scared to leave the house due to Bear’s reactivity towards other dogs. I had only had Bear a short amount of time and was working on our foundations such as loose lead walks and basic commands. Bear was excelling in this area however was very reactive whenever we saw other dogs, cows and motorbikes. "After just one session I had seen a massive change which has only improved with continued practice of these techniques. Thank you so much. Although Bear and I aren’t yet perfect, you have given me all the tools and confidence I need to succeed through any challenges we may face."

Moose is such a good boy! He tries so hard and succeeds. He has been working on performing his new commands even around big distractions, and he’s never met a cat before this session! Want to see similar results with your dog? Join our Frantic to Focused Reactive Dog Course and see the transformation yourself. Comment YES to know more.

Struggling with a dog that barks and lunges at others? Like Bella’s mum said, “it feels like freedom.” That’s the goal of training and learning how to understand and read your dog, and how to communicate effectively with them. Ultimately, training leads to more freedom for you both. Want to know more about how I transform walks from stressful to enjoyable, with your dog focused on you. Ready for a change? Leave a dog emoji to access my free video series!

A simple change creating a new habit that has immediate effects. Can you see the difference? Like Bella’s mum said, “it feels like freedom.” That’s the goal of training and learning how to understand and read your dog, and how to communicate effectively with them. Ultimately, training leads to more freedom for you both. 💕

Moose learning to stay and relax in public around many distractions, including my distraction specialist, Skeeter the Bengal.

"I never thought this would be possible." Coco and Buster both used to pull hard be difficult to manage on walks, especially toward other dogs. I wish I'd kept filming because right after this we walked calmly passed barking dogs. If you need help walking your dog, message the page or visit the website to book a session online.

Penny used to bark uncontrollably whenever she saw people, dogs, or anything new. By the end of our training, she was able to visit many new environments that were busy with strangers, while staying calm. With her owner's training skills now in place, she is well-equipped to continue training on her own. The more exposure and practice Penny gets, the more adaptable and chill she will become. Say goodbye to unwanted behaviours and hello to a well-behaved dog 🙌 I've just had several spots open up for this month. Book a private lesson now!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Attention dog owners! I'm releasing some new amazing training programs for 2023. To celebrate, I have an exciting promotion for you. For a limited time, I'm offering 20% off on select private dog training programs when booked and paid in full by January 9th. Not only does this offer you savings, but you will also secure your spot for the new year training intake as I have limited availability. Don't miss this opportunity to give your furry friend the training they deserve and set them up for success. With 12 years dog training experience, I will work with you in the comfort and convenience of your own home to teach your dog essential manners and obedience, and solve problem behaviours. Imagine being able to take peaceful walks, have a well-behaved dog at home, and build a stronger bond with your furry companion. With my help, you can make this a reality. Don't wait, secure a spot now by sending me a message to the page, and take advantage of this amazing offer. In your message, let me know what type of training you need help with and a bit about your dog, and I will assess which program would be the best fit and whether your case is eligible. Your dog will thank you for investing in their training (and their happiness)!

It’s fun and helpful to take some time off work to bond with your new puppy and help them settle in. But there’s something super important to teach them during this time that a lot of people miss - how to be content being left alone. If you are constantly with your puppy and then you need to go back to work or go out, there’s a sudden and stark contrast between what they’ve got used to and being alone. This can cause them to really struggle and feel very stressed and anxious alone. Next, the owner often panics and arranges for the puppy to always have someone with them. But the longer this goes on, the harder it is to ever leave puppy alone, and you could end up with an adult dog with separation anxiety. Part of healthy socialisation is learning, sights, sounds, smells, environments and situations that a dog needs to be able to deal with in the human world. Part of that is learning to be happy left alone. Another thing to be careful of is giving your puppy another dog for company from a young age meaning the puppy can become overly dependant on needing the other dog to be around and not truly learning independence even if the owners can go out. If you have an older dog, teach your puppy to spend time totally alone without any other being around. You never know when you will need to do this and you don’t want a stressed out and anxious dog later. Video for cuteness factor only. #dogmatters #dogmatterstraining #Dogtraining #puppytraining #puppysocialisation #balancedtraining #springerspaniel #springerspanieltraining #springerspanielpuppy

It’s fun and helpful to take some time off work to bond with your new puppy and help them settle in. But there’s something super important to teach them during this time that a lot of people miss - how to be content being left alone. If you are constantly with your puppy and then you need to go back to work or go out, there’s a sudden and stark contrast between what they’ve got used to and being alone. This can cause them to really struggle and feel very stressed and anxious alone. Next, the owner often panics and arranges for the puppy to always have someone with them. But the longer this goes on, the harder it is to ever leave puppy alone, and you could end up with an adult dog with separation anxiety. Part of healthy socialisation is learning, sights, sounds, smells, environments and situations that a dog needs to be able to deal with in the human world. Part of that is learning to be happy left alone. Another thing to be careful of is giving your puppy another dog for company from a young age meaning the puppy can become overly dependant on needing the other dog to be around and not truly learning independence even if the owners can go out. If you have an older dog, teach your puppy to spend time totally alone without any other being around. You never know when you will need to do this and you don’t want a stressed out and anxious dog later.

One of the first things puppies learn about walking on a leash is that when they pull on it, they get to move forwards. This is a form of reward and reinforces the behaviour of pulling. It might not seem to matter much when your puppy is small, but by the time they grow up they could be making walks unbearable for you, not to mention the damage they can do with the constant pressure on their neck or chest (pulling on harnesses isn’t ideal either and pulling on any dog equipment can cause damage in various areas). With this in mind, here’s what I recommend to prevent your young pup from growing into a strong puller - because walks should be enjoyable for both of you. Never follow the puppy when the leash is tight. If only we could all be 100% consistent with this, we would have a lot less pulling dogs. Remember that moving forwards rewards the dog for pulling. So teach your pup from day one that pulling simply never works. No forward movement for pulling, ever. Teach your puppy to respond towards you when they feel gentle leash pressure. Practice the leash pressure exercise. Like we mentioned, if puppy puts pressure on, they won’t get anywhere. Teach them next that when you put pressure on the leash, the next thing to do is to move towards it instead of away from it. You can reward puppy for moving towards the leash by immediately dropping the tension in the leash. You can also add in a food reward or praise if you like - but make sure they feel that release of tension! Reward your puppy for being next to you or looking at you. Both of these behaviours contradict pulling ahead of you and whatever you reward will happen more often - so reward the heel position and eye contact a lot! Remember your puppy is a baby learning all of this for the first time so give them lots of encouragement and celebrate all your little wins. They add up! If you need help with puppy training, check out the resources at dogmatters.com including my online puppy course that g

There are many factors that influence leash pulling. When I’m helping a client to stop their dog from pulling on the leash, I break it down into steps and layer each step over the top of the next. We work on how to hold the leash in the best way, the timing of rewards, when to change direction and how to correct the dog if they’re pulling. But above all, there is one number one important rule to stop and prevent a dog from pulling on the leash. I am repeating this line all of the time because it is so crucial. It’s this: Never follow the dog when the leash is tight. If the dog pulls and you follow them for even one step, the belief is confirmed in their mind: pulling works. The dog thinks, pulling gets me to where I want to go. It is worth it. If I want to get somewhere, I pull and I get to go there. Their pulling is rewarded by the forward movement (or whichever direction they are trying to go). What often happens is that I’ll be talking to the client, and we are just standing in one place. The dog is impatient or distracted by a smell, and starts to pull in the direction they want to go. Subconsciously, the owner begins to give more leash to the dog. They might just reach their hand towards the dog to give them more leash. Or they take a few steps to allow the dog to go where they want. All of this rewards the dog for the act of pulling and confirms to the dog that pulling works. This is why we never follow a tight leash - we need to change the dog’s belief that pulling works into, “pulling never works. A loose leash does.” This one small change can make a big difference. And yes, it can be frustrating in the beginning - dog training will teach you patience for sure. Try it and see how you go. For more dog training tips and tricks visit dogmatters.com Video: Chloe and Flare working on heel training in public today at beautiful Bargara.

Creating engagement and handler value with Ella and her owner Amanda. Ella is very reactive to other dogs and so when she’s out she is hyper vigilant. Ella’s best reward is the tug toy but she also works for food sometimes. Her focus has improved so much already thanks to Amanda’s dedication and hard work with her. After this video we walked back to their home. A small dog ran out of its property barking at Ella and I had to act as a human shield and block the dog while Amanda and Ella retreated. Please, control your dog even when they’re friendly. Rushing up to say hello can set us back. The intention doesn’t change the impact.

Harvey is doing great with the escalator! He was a bit worried about it at first but he’s handling it like a pro.