Kaleidoscope K9 Training and Life skills

04/06/2026

Ollie had a fabulous weekend at the Dog Training Holiday. He loved the scent and seeking games we played. Such a good spaniel nose to seek out the hidden "treasure". Well done Ollie. Photos: Sue Wilson

02/06/2026

Another fabulous Dog Training Holiday at Best Friend Holiday Retreat. Lots of learning, fun and great company. The dogs had a ball. Watch this space for more photos. Photo: Thanks Sue Wilson

29/05/2026

Guess where Lucy and I are???? Looking forward to welcoming 5 clients with 7 dogs to the Kaleidoscope Dog Training Holiday Best Friend Holiday Retreat this afternoon.

25/05/2026

Lucy and I attended the Volunteer afternoon tea at Bairnsdale Regional Health Service last week. Whilst Lucy has now retired from active therapy work she switched into work mode as soon as her bandanna went on!!!! Thanks Susan and all the BRHS team for a lovely afternoon. Thanks also to the residents and staff at Maddocks Gardens aged care for the lovely floral arrangements made as gifts for the volunteers.

24/05/2026

Are you sabotaging your dog's training? Very often we unwittingly either reinforce behaviour we don't want ( eg. making a fuss over something "cute"); or we are not consistent in the behaviour that we reinforce (eg. we don't want the dog to beg at the table, but occasionally we reward the dog at the table!!!); we are not clear in what we want from our dogs (eg. different words for the same thing or too many cues in a row). Have a look at your behaviour around your dog - Are you Clear; Consistent; Calm? How you behave around your dog influences their behaviour.

20/05/2026

Maggie has come back to us for some top up skills training. We are going to be working with her to help her with action prompting, settling, staying calm and chilling a bit more. She is such a beautiful girl and I am delighted to be spending some more time with Maggie and Kate.

18/05/2026

Jagger is such a clever boy. He has done so well and successfully completed his Life Skills program. By building his confidence, focus and loose lead walking he has shown his love for learning. He even conquered his anxiety about novelty and managed to Run through the tunnel. Well done Jagger and Lee.

15/05/2026

Our dog’s bodies speak to us all the time. Learn to read yours so you can get the messages.

LISTEN TO THE WHISPERS

“Whispers” are soft, subtle and so easy to miss, but paying attention can prevent them turning into “shouts” and prevent situations from escalating.

I believe dogs would be so grateful if we made the effort to learn their language. So many dogs spend their lives trying to communicate through “whispers” - subtle signals that are overlooked, misunderstood, or corrected. When we learn to notice those signals, we create a world that feels safer and more predictable for them.

Body language is one of the only ways that dogs can let us know how they are feeling. When we know how they’re feeling, we can intervene, help them feel safe and prevent emotions from boiling over.

Body language can be subtle and fleeting, but with careful observation and knowing what to look for most of us can learn to recognize and understand what our dogs are saying.

It’s always important to look at the context, the situation and especially what the rest of the body is doing when understanding their language.

Being able to understand a dog’s emotional state through their body language helps us to predict behaviour, prevent potential problems or simply allows us to just enjoy observing what they are feeling.

Although dogs each have their own unique personalities and distinct way of communicating, there are many common signs that can provide valuable insight. We just need to take the time to learn and notice.

We owe it to dogs to really understand them. They spend their lives learning our words, our routines, our expectations and living by our rules. Making the effort to learn their language is one of the most meaningful ways we can improve their wellbeing.

Here are some links for more information about body language –

Preventative Vet:
https://www.preventivevet.com/dog-training-recommended-resources-dog-body-language-decoders

Rescued by Training - Introduction to Dog Body Language and Communication:
https://rescuedbytraining.com/product/intro-dog-communication/

Doggie Language by Lili Chin:
https://academics.lmu.edu/media/lmuacademics/cures/urbanecolab/module09/Dog%20Body%20Language.pdf

Canine communication: recognizing stress in your dog
https://bit.ly/4309ykr

Eileen Anderson
https://eileenanddogs.com/dog-body-language/

13/05/2026

Badger is a sprightly Border Collie x. At his first session today we worked on settling on a bed - and he rocked it. He is also a star at recall. He is a beautiful boy with lots of energy and we will be working with Badger and Peter to redirect some of that by playing games that stretch his BC brain. Well done Badger and Peter.

11/05/2026

Gorgeous Kip has not only successfully completed his Life Skills Program, he has aced 2 Paws up!!!!! Kip has struggled with anxiety for some time and we have worked with him to show him that the world is OK. He and his mum, Camilla, have done such a fantastic job. Kip is now ready for the big move to the city. Good luck with the move and Congrats Team Kip.