Happy Dogs Walks and Training

10/06/2025

It hurts so much when they leave! The lovely Luna and her family have moved over east for a new job. Luna was very nervous of strangers and many novel things when we started walkies, after a rough start until finding her forever pawrents. It’s been so wonderful watching her come out of her shell over the months; even happily boarding with us during her pawrent’s move out process, which was just going to be too much with removalists, inspectors etc! And such a beautiful gift I received from her equally lovely fur-mum 💐❤️ I hope you all come back soon, you’ll be missed!

11/05/2025

We’re off on a remote trip away! I will have some starlink access for online enquiries and bookings, but will be without phone reception so unable to respond to texts or calls for long periods.

I’ll sign out with the third D, since it wasn’t covered in my last example. From building tolerance to alone time, to holding a sit for more than an instant; gradually building duration is a must in working with dogs!

In routine training of cues, working with a marker - like a clicker or “yes” - is the quickest and easiest way to build this. Just remember, when you’re turning up the Duration be sure to turn down distance and distraction until you’ve established a new baseline.

I’ll leave it there for now! Happy training!

28/04/2025

Do you know the three D’s of Dog Training? They can be applied in most behaviour modification plans too, and every dog owner should know them!

1) Distance 2) Distraction 3) Duration

All three need to be built individually, and incrementally! Trying to skip too many steps at once is very often where owners fall down. E.g. with recall, going straight from a quiet home to a busy dog park and wondering why Fido won’t come when you call! Before trying at the dog park, Fido must be able to show 100% recall success in gradually increasing distractions (build distance in a similar way):

-In the backyard with a stranger working a squeaky toy, throwing a ball or being a general lunatic

-in an empty, quiet but familiar public space

-in a familiar public space with a few far away distractions

-in a new environment

-in a new environment with on leash dogs and people nearby!

I hope this helps!🐾

12/03/2025

Good girl Poppy 🥰 Rescue dogs can be hard, especially when anxiety driven behaviours get involved. While most fur parents understand it typically takes three months or more for dogs to become fully settled and acclimatised in a new home and family, even for top-tier adopters it’s a tricky and nuanced thing to judge when and how to transition from a decompression and adjustment focus, to that of training and behaviour modification - especially around fear related behaviours. The line between jumping the gun and complacency can be fine, and erring too far on either side can lead to hindered progress and unnecessary issues.

It was an absolute pleasure working with Poppy and her dedicated owner. They
made incredible headway, and I look forward to seeing their progress continue!

13/02/2025

Hey! It’s time to book training NOW! ❤️🐾

We often hope that things won’t get “bad”. It’s just the puppy phase, or just the terrible teens. Then, when they do we hope they won’t get worse. Then, when they do we think “things are too far gone, can’t do anything about it now!”

These are all falsehoods. Hopefully, like Rubin’s committed owners you jump in while you fur baby is still a puppy and kick your behavioural goals while the going is easy, and everyone wins 🎉 But, I completely understand that life happens!

No matter how old your dog is, and no matter how far along (or behind) your training and behavioural journey is, I’m here to help! The time is NOW! 🐾

24/12/2024

Wishing all my favourite doggos and fur parents a Pawfect Christmas and a Yappy New Year!

28/11/2024

🚨PSA: Feel up your outdoorsy dog now!🚨
It’s always good to regularly run your hands all over your dog, both for health maintenance and socialisation. But now it’s more important than ever!
These weeds are called Wild Oats. They are dropping their seeds now. These seeds are loose everywhere; in the wind, in bushes, on the ground. They velcro to dogs’ fur - and you can’t see them. Especially for dogs with long, medium and/or double coats, they then proceed to drill into the dog’s skin, often becoming completely buried. I’ve seen cases where the dog is absolutely covered in deep, open wounds; and the owner has no idea. Dogs often don’t show any obvious signs of discomfort. So quick! Feel up your dog!

10/10/2024

I do not spend time “talking trash” about other methods or other trainers.

But this one is important. 20 years later, and more relevant than ever.

Read the full letter here: http://beyondcesarmillan.weebly.com/andrew-luescher.html

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/MaAYXinck7rAMeJM/?mibextid=WC7FNe

BEYOND CESAR MILLAN

20 YEARS LATER.....The following review was submitted to National Geographic by Dr. Andrew Luescher, DVM, Ph.D, DACVB (board-certified veterinary behaviorist).

Dr. Luescher, former director of the Purdue University Veterinary Behavior Clinic was asked to provide feedback on "Dog Whisperer" tapes prior to the show's airing.

In this letter to National Geographic (date unknown), Dr. Luescher writes,

"I think this series, if aired, would be a major embarrassment for National Geographic. It is not stimulating or thought-provoking, since none of the presented techniques are new. They are outdated and have long been abandoned by most responsible trainers, let alone behaviorists, as inappropriate and cruel. I very much hope National Geographic will pull the plug on this program."

Please read the entire letter (It's not long.) and share: http://beyondcesarmillan.weebly.com/andrew-luescher.html

This program and trainers who have mimicked the behavior seen in this program have done so much damage to the dog training industry, dogs, and the human-animal bond.

I have met and spoken to Dr. Luescher personally, and I share his sentiments, as do all other trainers in the evidence-based, best practice camp. Meanwhile, much of the unsuspecting public still looks to National Geographic as an authority and has no idea it has thrown science to the wind, at least in terms of dog behavior and training.

Cindy Ludwig, MA, BS, RN, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA
Canine Connection LLC
Willard, MO

Image copyright Valder Beebe Show, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Cesar_Millan_Mar_2018.png

04/10/2024

It’s not just about hands! If your dog is lunging or about to lunge, you need a practiced body position to ensure you both stay safe.

It’s also important to be solid for your loose leash training. If a dog perceives that they can pull you forward *if I just pull hard enough* - even just on occasion, they will continue to pull in the future. It’s that simple!

There is so much more detail and nuance that cannot fit on an infographic; if you’d like to know more, book in for private training! Many package options available, and you’re always welcome to start with a casual session to get to know me & my methods first 😊🐾

29/09/2024

❓But if you’re caught unaware, and your dog’s about to lunge❓Do this instead! This alternate leash grip is extremely quick and secure. However, it’s not my first choice because 1) You cannot easily adjust the length of the leash from this grip and 2) It doesn’t allow for soft hands when you are loose leash walking. If you’re in the Perth metro area and want to know more, book in for private training!

25/09/2024

❓How do you hold a leash anyway❓
This is my recommended method. It ticks all my boxes: safe, secure and sensitive (once your dog understands leash pressure, you can communicate with the barest twitch!). It’s easy to adjust the length of the leash in a heartbeat too!

Of course there is a lot of nuance and variation, some of which I’ll post more on soon, the rest I go through with my clients one on one as needed. In the meantime, I hope this is helpful!

20/07/2024

Did I mention puppies never stop being cute, no matter how many you work with 🥰 Currently working with some wonderful pups and owners - focusing on many unique fur parent goals. From developing well-rounded, calm cafe dogs to laying the foundations for complex obedience training; as well as learning how to identify and address small behavioural niggles early, before they can develop into “real” problems. I love my job!