Setting up your dog for training success

How to create a good dog training environment:

🐾 To begin with, train in a non-distracting environment to help your dog stay focused, then generalise the behaviours to more distracting environments.

🐾 Train when your dog is motivated.

🐾 Break behaviours down into small easy to learn steps.

🐾 Always allow your dog to opt out of the training when needed. For example, you may find your dog starts to sniff the floor suddenly, that’s her asking for a break. 

🐾 Minimise opportunities for your dog to choose an incorrect response, providing you with repeated opportunities to positively reinforce all of your dog’s correct responses (mark & treat).

Loose Leash Walking Tips

Leash Walking Tips - whether you are starting from scratch with a puppy, working with a bouncy adolescent or adult dog or even a rescue dog who’s not used to a leash.

🐕‍🦺 Good equipment is key: I’d opt for a well-fitting harness but there are, as always, exceptions to the rule. Get a long leash and/ or a training line (3m - 5m, depending on your long leash handling skills).

👩🏻 Understand that you, the human, are a bit boring when it comes to walking. You walk in straight lines, probably a bit too slow or fast (depends on how your dog sees the world), you never stop to sniff or wee. Look at it from your dog’s perspective and allow for all the sniffs and exploration they need. 

🌭Get your dog used to good things happening when moving with you (NOT by your side but moving with you). You can use pattern games for this, capturing (mark/ reward) check-ins and more. 

🐾 When outside; start practicing in an area where your dog has the option to move more freely. 

🩺 Don’t forget that underlying medial issues can feed into leash walking behaviours. 

Things I tell my clients to make their puppies’ and adult dogs’ day to day the best they can be

1. Everything starts with and is influenced by learning to ‘talk dog’ and understanding your dog’s needs (both physically and emotionally).

2. Good quality socialisation and habituation, working at your dog’s pace, is so much more important than teaching traditional behaviours such as sit, down, etc. 

3. On that note, a ‘sit’ isn’t as important as you think it is. And can matter of fact become an aversive for a dog with physical ailments. Don’t make it a default part of other behaviours you teach your dog.

4. Be your dog’s safe place and provide as much choice and agency as you can for your dog. 

5. A happy tummy and gut makes for a happy dog! 

6. Be more dog, you fur friend will love you for it.

Why a trusting relationship with your dog is worth a million times more than any ‘obedience’ training

Yesterday, Wolfgang got a special, big treat (‘cause she’s the best!) in form of a sausage. And whenever she gets too big a piece and it needs dissecting, she usually finds herself a quiet spot to attend to it.

But we were all cosy on the sofa and I saw in her little face how she was ‘debating’ over whether to pop down or how to go about it. 

So I offered my cupped hand and said ‘Do you want Mami to help?’. And she immediately dropped that juicy sausage on my hand and sat back, looking at me in anticipation while I broke it up into bite-sized pieces for her. Patiently waiting for me to feed her every delicious bit. 

And these moments of trust are what it’s all about (for me, at least).

For a dog to let go of such a high value food without a worry in the world (and no, I’m not in her head but she looked blissfully zero bothered). 

I use the ‘can I help’ cue for all sorts of situations including:

• When she stepped into something and can’t get it out of here paws (I walk to her or she hobbles over to me).

• When there is a little poo stuck and she can’t bum-shuffle it off (and gets quite freaked out over it).

• When she tries to get to the end of the Kong but can’t quite get that last bit right at the top out.

• If she tries to get to something but can’t quite reach….and much more

A few tips on how you can build a trusting relationship with your dog:

• Learn to talk dog so you can understand and communicate with your dog, and within this….

  • Allow your dog choice and control over their environment

• ALWAYS be your dogs safe place

• Don’t mess with your dog’s resources, AKA what’s important to them.

  • That includes simply letting them eat their meals rather than making a whole song and dance around waiting for five minutes, then reciting the alphabet before they can dig in.

• Accept your dogs personality: teach them cues so you can easily navigate this human world together but also accept that they might not want to allow strangers to pet them and that they, too, have crappy days where they might react to the environment.

• Don’t use aversive methods!!!!

Wolfgang's Way in the Telegraph

The wonderful Lauren Libbert has written a feature for the Telegraph about how her Cockapoo Freddy has been coping with life under lockdown. Slowly morphing from a chilled and fun loving dog to an often irritated, growly, then suddenly over the top active furry noodle, she’s asked for advice on what the reasons behind his behaviour may be as well as how to help him, and other dogs, through these challenging times.

And I was of course so very excited to be have been able to contribute.

Saturday Telegraph 16/05/2020

Telegraph online 15/05/2020

What To Do When You're Hold Up With Your Hound

I spoke to author and journalist Kate Spicer about how to keep your furry friends happy during the COVID19 lockdown. I’ve known Kate for many years (from my years working in PR) and I’ve always loved her work and writing style so jumped at this opportunity.

And if you haven’t already, check out Kate Spicer’s book Lost Dog.