Minds Alike Animal Training & Behaviour

23/08/2024

This is a lovely balanced and well researched article (which I found is rare in today's cluck bait focused journalism).

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/22/is-it-time-we-stopped-riding-horses/

20/08/2024

The power of 'find it'

Following our post yesterday discussing the power of play, I would like you to consider the power of simply doing a 'find it' game.
From this your dog may learn:

🐶Patience
🐶Don’t jump even if there are treats/toys while you get ready
🐶Be calm
🐶Impulse control - Sitting to be let out of the door, or holding the sit/stay - and wait to be released calmly
🐶Focus - to find the food/toy (and getting tired!)

Scent-work can involve structured training where you teach the dog to find a target odour (i.e. dog sports), or it could just be finding their kibble in the garden which takes no effort to learn and two minutes to set up.

19/08/2024

The power of Play:

Next time you play with your dog, think about all of the skills that your dog is learning and all the good stuff that you are reinforcing.

For example, with a simple 1-5 minute retrieve or tug of war exercise you may reinforce:

🐶Don’t jump
🐶Regulate your energy/excitement
🐶Drop when asked
🐶Sit and wait patiently while the human picks up the toy ready for the next go
🐶Listen (to recall and sit command throughout).
🐶When the toy goes away/the human changes their behaviour/location it means play has ended - read the cues.

Now surely those are all things worth reinforcing, while your dog is having fun and thinks you are awesome! Happy playing people!

19/08/2024

🌟SCENTWORK CLASSES🌟

Scentwork is great fun and fantastic mental stimulation for our wonderful dogs. Beginner course will start you learning about your dogs body language when scenting, build their confidence and improve focus all while showing you how to aid your dog in the scenting world around them.

We have new Scentwork classes coming September and October for Starters and Progression levels.
https://www.mindsalikeanimaltraining.com

Chalfonts Captured

12/08/2024

LOL 😆😆

09/08/2024

This group is pure GOLD! 🌟🐶🌟

This lovely group has finished their Gold course and it has been a pleasure to have them with us.

31/07/2024

🌞🥵 Wow it is hot! In this weather our furry friends need cool and calm activities.
1 - lots of shade and water.
2 - tasty chews or frozen kongs are always a good go to.
3 - Like the below maybe a paddle in a river or a paddling pool at home if they like water.

Whatever your pooch likes to do, be sure to stay safe and cool with this heat.

💦

20/07/2024

Look who was the best and most handsome doggo at his big brother's graduation. 😍

We love seeing our beautiful furry friends out and enjoying their best lives.

11/07/2024

Throw back to . A lovely demo where our super sniffer dog had to find a small jar with a scent in it from one of our lovely volunteers pockets.

03/07/2024

Thank you Jane Ardern for making this point so well.

Puppies are not clean slates !
You often hear people say 'get a puppy they are a clean slate'

As a behaviourist and breeder I can confidently tell you this is not true. Both nature and nurture has a huge impact.
A puppy will inherit genes from its parents and these genes will impact the puppies genetic potential to behave in a particular way.
Such as :
Using aggression as a strategy to deal with difficult situations
Sociability towards people and dogs
Fearful responses
Sound sensitivity
Strong instinctive behaviour to hunt, chase, grab, hold and guard.
Trainability which includes the ability to learn self control as humans desire it.

When people breed dogs they sometimes select for specific traits and sometimes not. If someone is breeding for a particular look, colour or just money then these traits can become altered becoming stronger or weaker or unbalanced. This can make a dog dangerous for example breeding a dog with gameness and reducing human sociability.

Then the puppy is born and the first 8 weeks learning with the breeder will have an huge impact on the development of all these genetic traits.

My five puppies have all come from the same parents and been reared in the same environment. They have very individual personalities. The training and socialisation they receive in their new homes will only influence the genes and first learning, it won't change their personalities.

So if you are looking for a puppy
Firstly learn about breed traits and instincts and make sure you pick a puppy that will suit your lifestyle. For example there no point getting a breed that is 'aloof with strangers' if you have 3 young children and lots of friends visiting.

Secondly meet the parents or (genes), see what they are like. Make sure you are meeting the actual parents, some people buy in puppy farmed litters and then 'hire' an adult of the same breed to pretend the puppies were bred there!!

Thirdly make sure the puppy has had plenty of early neurological stimulation and learning before it leaves the litter. Ask these questions.
1) What have the puppies seen?
2) Who and what have they met?
2) What have they learnt?
3) How have they learned to play?
4) What do they do if they get frustrated?
5) What do they do if they get bored?

A professional trainer can help support and guide you on the process of looking for a puppy. Don't wait till afterwards for help.

Prevention IS better than Cure. This goes for training and socialisation too, get a professional to help and guide you.

Puppies are building neural pathways with every experience, every day, make sure they're building ones you like.

First Learning is the strongest, make sure you get it right first time.

Written by Jane Ardern BSc (Hons) KCAI (WG)
WaggaWuffins Canine College
Bury Lancashire

*Permission to share this post from this source. No cutting and pasting please and pretending you wrote it yourself 🙄

02/07/2024

If anybody has young children in their lives, I would highly recommend this book to help them learn about dog behaviour.

PRE ORDER - purchasing is by pre order only for shipment mid June 2024 - you will receive notification of when your book has been shipped This...

30/06/2024

We had a great day at Chalfont St Peter Feast Day & Fun Night yesterday! It was lovely to see so many familiar faces and paws 🐾 Thank you to everyone who came to see us.

28/06/2024

Tomorrow the Minds Alike Team will be at the Chalfont St Peter Feast Day & Fun Night!

We will be doing an Agility and Scentwork demonstration at 12.10pm. Please come along and say hello 👋🏻 🐾

27/06/2024

26/06/2024

Some kind words from an appreciative dog owner who recently completed a Reactivity Program.

Can’t tell you how much we’ve appreciated these sessions and how much they’ve helped us be better, more supportive owners to X. I’ve also really appreciated these write ups too, so thank you for these - they’re a great reference point for us. We also really appreciate your kind offer to keep in touch too.

Finally, X also says thanks very much as his treat consumption has gone up magnitudes since we started seeing you, haha!'

If your dog is behaving in an anxious or reactive way - why not get in touch at [email protected] or visit https://www.mindsalikeanimaltraining.com/reactive for more info.

Help for reactive dogs - dogs who are reactive, aggressive or anxious around people or other dogs. Get help from Clinical Animal Behaviourist, Laura Ward. Available Gerrards Cross, Amersham, Chalfont St. Peter, Chalfont St Giles, High Wycombe, Chorleywood or Aston Clinton, Berkshire/ Hertfordshire.

25/06/2024

Our lovely land owners who keep our Welders Lane venue so beautiful are also a bit mad for running!
Kevan Jones will soon have raced over 630km - that is 15 marathons with hills, river crossings and mountains!

I know this is a little off topic from dog training, but Kevan and his wife Gillian have become part of our team and community, so it is relevant to us!

This is all for Prostate Cancer UK.

The message is:
1. Gentlemen, if you're approaching or in your 50’s - GET TESTED REGULARLY, early detection can make all the difference and there are now very simple blood tests (and potentially a saliva test).

2. Awareness is key, please think of eight friends and send them this email - one of them might be forever grateful.

3. Please sponsor me, so we can collectively make progress in treating prostate cancer.

If you feel like donating - please see the Just Giving page below.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/kevan-jones-1715244995281

Help Kevan Jones raise money to support PROSTATE CANCER UK

25/06/2024

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our NEW website! It's now more user-friendly, making it easier than ever to find the services you need 🌟🐾🐕
https://www.mindsalikeanimaltraining.com/
Chalfonts Captured

Qualified and experienced dog training and behaviour support in Buckinghamshire and West Hertfordshire. Offering: behaviour consultations with Clinical Animal Behaviourist, Laura Ward, one to one dog training and group classes with Sam Allnutt and her team. Chalfont St Peter, Amersham, Chorleywood,

21/06/2024

Pippi is proudly showing off her Rosettes as she runs towards her next training class.

For Pippi it's not just about the training in the class, it's about building her confidence in a safe environment while being around other doggos.
We love to see her develop and grow, especially the very special bond with her adopted mum.

15/06/2024

The factors that influence people’s choice of dog training method, according to a new study shows.

13/06/2024

How gorgeous is this little one? Showing us how beautifully she does her 'reading' in Tricks class.

07/06/2024

How beautiful are each of these pups in their Agility class? 😍

03/06/2024

This epic group has just finished their puppy foundation course and we couldn't be prouder of them.
Chalfonts Captured

27/05/2024

One of our Super Silver group showing their loose lead walking while passing their class mates.

24/05/2024

Flat-faced Dogs and Cats with Dr. Dan O'Neill and Dr. Rowena Packer - Thank you Zazie Todd (Companion Animal Psychology

We talk about the health issues faced by flat-faced (brachycephalic) dogs and cats and why these breeds are still so popular.

We start by talking about what we mean when we talk about brachycephalic dogs. Pugs, Bulldogs, and French Bulldogs are the poster children for these breeds and get the most attention, but we also get some surprising good news about Shih Tzus.

When dogs are bred for flat faces it means they can struggle to breathe. Dan and Rowena talk about the health issues these dogs can face and the effects it has on their lifespan.

We talk about their co-edited book, The Health and Welfare of Brachycephalic (Flat-Faced) Companion Animals: A Complete Guide for Veterinarians and Animal Professionals. The book covers a wide range of information and we talk about how the intended audience is not just vets but anyone who cares about these dogs.

And there's a note of optimism as we talk about what would make a difference to the welfare of flat-faced dogs.

We talk about the health issues faced by flat-faced (brachycephalic) dogs and cats and why these breeds are still to popular with Dr. Dan O'Neill and Dr. Row...

17/05/2024

We love seeing our pups progress as they go through our courses. Isn't this one such an adorable chap? 😍

Our next set of Puppy Classes starts Wednesday 22nd May. Join us if you want to learn all about your pups and make a start on their training journey. Our Puppy Classes are specifically designed to help you and your puppy learn and grow together!

For more details including booking please visit our
website or email
[email protected]
www.mindsalikeanimaltraining.com/book-a-class

16/05/2024

Look at them go.... 🤩 The brilliant Emma and Dizzy showing off there impressive Agility Skills.

Agility is a fantastic way to progress your training and it's also great fun!!

If you fancy joining our next Agility course we have spaces on our Beginners and Progression courses starting on the 24th and 25th May.

To book your place please visit our website
https://www.mindsalikeanimaltraining.com/book-a-class

Chalfonts Captured