The Holistic Hound Dog Training

25/04/2025

Another puppy class done and dusted 🤎😍

Lenny, Ritter, Hera, Kuromi, Maggie, Bambi & Crisis

25/04/2025

Baby Z 6 months

I've been involved in Zelda's training since her owner brought her home - she attended puppy class & I used her to create some new puppy class/basics video content. Now she has started a full program.

I am mainly a behavioural trainer who specialises in rehabilitation of already established problems, and I love helping people & dogs with that... but how cool would it be if instead, everyone came to me when the dog is young to create amazing habits before the pup even gets a chance to make the wrong choices and rehearse them?

Dog training is something that people don't tend to spend money on until there's a problem... and they "have" to.

Which is why I love it when people book with me with young pups with the intention being: let's avoid any problems from now, and ensure she's living her best, safest, most free life as soon as possible so she can enjoy her life to the absolute fullest (and so the owners don't need to cry every day lol).

As soon as you get your pup home, between then and 2 years old is the most crucial time for training and where you should be spending the most time & energy on creating good foundations, ensuring your pup knows how to deal with the world they're going to live in for hopefully the next 10 years.

Once you get through that, the rest is gravy...

24/04/2025

Love this little team! Meet Tajjy

24/04/2025

I'm generally not a confrontational person **cue laughing from people who know me well**

But you'll see me get PISSY AS S**T if you don't immediately come over and try to grab your dog in this situation, or if you give attitude after being asked to remove your dog.

I will call you out & tell you to be better.

Don't tell me "it's an off-leash area," don't tell me "your dogs friendly," don't tell me "he DOES have recall" when he clearly doesn't.

Just respect the person asking and as quickly as possible come and restrain your dog.

This is the number one cause of stress when training or walking a dog in a public space. Owners with no recall on their dogs that have no business having their dogs off lead.
I've heard it all when being rushed by off lead dogs, even on lead dogs. I ask them to grab their dog, most of the time politely because I didn't want to make a stressful situation worse (now I'm just blunt because being nice got me nowhere) and I would get some of the most horrible responses:
'Don't bring your dog out of they're not friendly.'
*yells profanity at me and the dog I'm working*
'There's always dogs off lead here.'
'They're friendly!'

One time I had someone tell me to muzzle my dog if he's not friendly.... he WAS muzzled...

Anyway I'm sick of it, so because a lot of people don't seem to know what 'Can you get your dog?!' means, here is a nice, simple infographic to really dumb it down.

If your off lead dog rushes a dog, on or off lead, you are completely liable for whatever the outcome may be. Your dog is rude and has no recall, work on that.

23/04/2025

That's my boy 🖤

22/04/2025

A v cute post written by a lovely and very dedicated client of mine, Sam with her rottie pup, Hera

21/04/2025

I get my clients to fill out progress forms so we can monitor progress through a program.

This one got me in the feels 🥹🥹🥹

19/04/2025

Can pose ✔️
Can wear costumes ✔️
Can look happy about it.... ❌

Glory wishes everyone a Happy Easter 💚

18/04/2025

Luckily, even when I'm not 100% and can't do much of a walk, my springers can run circles around me and still get the walk they deserve 🤎🖤

Off-leash reliability is one of the biggest reasons my babies are able to live life to the fullest.

It's also why I'm so lazy with their leash work 🤣🙈

Ps. An update - I am starting to finally and slowly head back to work and I am starting to feel better. Thanks for the messages and the worry. I'm keen to get back to work. If you haven't heard back from me you will shortly and if you don't feel free to msg again.

17/04/2025

100000000%

Its the school holidays here at the moment & in the past two weeks alone, I’ve seen four posts in local groups about children walking dogs that ended in dog attacks — one of them tragically resulting in a death.

Children should not be walking dogs solo. Yes, the bond between dogs and kids is beautiful — but that connection doesn’t equip them to handle high-pressure or dangerous situations. The reality is, most adults don’t even know how to safely break up a dog fight. A child definitely doesn’t.

We have to remember: a child’s brain is still developing. The prefrontal cortex — the part responsible for impulse control, planning, and decision-making — isn’t fully mature until around age 25. So how can we expect them to make split-second, life-saving decisions when another dog rushes theirs with aggressive intent?

Over 50% of dog bite victims are children under the age of 12, and kids are more likely than adults to suffer serious injury when a bite occurs. Many of these incidents happen when a child is unsupervised or tries to intervene in a fight.

It’s not safe. It’s not fair.

If your child wants to walk the dog, please walk with them. Not because you don’t trust them — but because you can’t trust unknown dogs or their owners. It’s our job to keep both our dogs and our kids safe.

I’d love to hear your thoughts —
Do you let your children walk the dog? What safety measures do you have in place if you do? Let’s chat in the comments.

12/04/2025

Reciprocal Play - what does it look like?

**Lots of videos on my Patreon are going to be continue to be free to access for a few months yet. Just sign up to view.

A common concern with my clients is knowing when play between dogs is ok.

I always answer the same - look for reciprocal play. Meaning, both dogs have equal turns of giving and taking, and one dog isn't dominating the interaction entirely. You're also looking to make sure one dog isn't consistently trying to leave the interaction/seek refuge from the environment or their owner.

The last thing I'll mention here (not videoed) is that the play isn't becoming too over the top. You know when kids play, and things become out of control, and one kid ends up crying because someone gets hurt? It's similar with dogs. But they have teeth 🤣 play that gets too intense is generally play that should be interrupted with a recall and a little break before allowing the dogs to play again. Sometimes, the dogs will deal with it on their own with one of the dogs making it clear that the intensity has increased past their threshold and the other dog accepting that and dialling it down. But - if the dogs aren't capable of this (the dog can't correct the other dog well enough, or will escalate the correction, OR the other dog doesn't accept being told to dial it down), us owners should interrupt it.

**ignore V's tail behaviour as he has injured it

Get more from The Fast as Fk Co. on Patreon

12/04/2025

PSA

If you're trying to get in touch with me to book an evaluation or are newly enquiring with me, I'll get back to you as soon as I can, but sadly my covid symptoms are hanging on after last week and I'm not able to manage my normal workload.

I'm currently still catching up on work I missed with current program clients while sick, and as soon as I get on top of that I'll open up my diary to newbies.

I do apologise if you've been waiting on me and I'll get back as soon as possible, I just have to put current clients first.

Lorri

Ps. Cute photo of Kuromi from puppy class for tax

11/04/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/12JVSuwn2Aa/

10/04/2025

Next round of Puppy Classes June 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th

Sign up here (or via Linktree in Bio on Instagram)
https://forms.gle/aF9eMsjrpWwXWfbr9

We put a large focus on raising confident, well-rounded pups...
> Proper socialisation with other pups and my balanced helper dogs
> How to create focus on handler around distractions
> Basics of obedience & creating recall
> Playing with your pups & how to fulfill their genetic needs
> Lots of interactive items to play with & a course for your pup to run through & conquer

The Details:
5 week block of classes - Sundays 9:30am from June 1st
$220 inc. GST
ROLEYSTONE Location - easy access & parking available, shed available for inevitable rain
Small Class - limited numbers to ensure 1 on 1 time where needed
Any breed from 10-22 weeks old (must have second booster vaccination)
45 min class + questions answered at the end
Puppy Passport booklet to be sent out prior to class commencing so you can get a head start at home
My helper dogs available for socialisation
Chickens & Ducks available on the property to watch/experience
​
INCLUDED: Puppy Passport Booklet (everything puppy related you need to know) sent out prior to class commencing so you can get a head start at home + online support through the duration of the course PLUS entry to interactive Facebook group where extra content is posted & I discuss common questions in more detail. You can also find it on my Patreon.

10/04/2025

Slowly getting everything uploaded to Patreon - it's time consuming as hell!

If you have a new pup and didn't get a spot in puppy class with me, or just want to know what I teach within a puppy class, you can get it all here

Patreon is empowering a new generation of creators. Support and engage with artists and creators as they live out their passions!

09/04/2025

Ferris & Vandal did their second walk together last week. V is looking awesome and is slowly coming around to accepting (or... tolerating) Ferris. Vandal is pretty worried about Ferris and has had a crack at him in the past - to be fair Ferris isn't an easy dog to deal with. He's not "rude" and certainly knows when to back off when interacting but his movements are fast and erratic, and he is also confident when approaches in majority of cases which can worry some dogs.

V is a highly trained dog already and is owned by a friend of mine ❤️ the only thing he struggles with is interacting with some dogs - mainly entire males but just in general we are working on strange new dogs.

We are putting a focus on real life training or just "being" - V is not "reactive" - when he is focused on working with his owner he couldn't care less about other dogs, strangers or not, and will happily walk right past them in a focused heel or hold a down-stay while one passes.

We are just trying to refine his behavior when he isn't being managed and when he isn't actively given a job to do.

Could his behaviour be managed by a down-stay and his owner running to the rescue to fend off the other dog? Yes and this is a great tactic that I often teach. But is it also worth taking the time to teach him that a) other strange dogs aren't so bad and *this* is how you get through an interaction, and b) if you ever get caught in a concerning situation or feel worried you never need to show this outwardly, just run to mum for help? Also a big ass yes.

The solution is a lot about teaching alternate habits; creating new reflexive responses within these behaviours: "when you feel like this... do this" for example "when you feel nervous around a new dog who is showing social interest in you - run away back to mum" and this new behaviour is repped over and over until it becomes the automatic go-to response.

Rather than: V thinking he has to approach, has to puff his chest out, has to interact, has to overcompensate and then cause a potential incident.

It's less about placing the dog in a structured behaviour to manage the issue and more about teaching the dog what to do "if" some real life scenario surprises him.

The exposure to socialisation with different types of dogs then also helps him build his social confidence and resilience so that the root issue (being nervous of strange dogs) is also being targeted.

I wouldn't say its feasible with some serious aggression (particularly fear) cases to be able to handle a social interaction (ESPECIALLY when the context is 'rude off leash dog runs towards you') but it certainly is attainable with many.

Anyway - during this walk he actually showed interest in Ferris when he zoomed past rather than solely keeping his blinkers on, so yay! 🙌🏼

Ps. Then Ferris & I went to visit my mama at work. We ate banana bread. It was a good time. 🤣😘❤️

06/04/2025

Puppy Socialisation (it's free to sign up to watch these)

More social videos on their way.

(No sound - just watch the dogs body language rather than listening to me yap haha)

Watch a break down of some examples of good social interactions for puppies at my puppy class, as well as one pup who doesn't really want to be involved (and that's ok!).

Get more from The Fast as Fk Co. on Patreon

06/04/2025

Using methods other than positive ONLY, purely positive, "force free," "fear free" or whatever you want to call it, does not mean you're unethical. And I'm sick of these trainers insinuating that it does.

🙃 Qualifications: No, I'm not qualified, and I don't hide that either. As this infographic notes, the dog training industry is unregulated. It's a good and a bad thing... it means that "non qualified" (yet highly experienced) trainers like myself are able to work. But it also means literally anyone can step onto the scene and call themselves a dog trainer. The best thing you can do is look at
- Reviews
- Training Content Posted
- Results Content Posted / Results seen in person with a rehabilitated dog
On top of that, find a trainer you vibe with. I'm not everyone's cup of tea and that's ok. The human is just as important as the dog.

Insinuating that my 12 years of experience working hands on with dogs, 8 years of those actively in a training space, is redundant because I don't have a piece of paper to say I did a course, is ridiculous. If the laws changed tomorrow and I needed a certificate, I'd go out and do it. But my lack of "qualification" does not mean I am a cowboy. I have researched canine behaviour endlessly without someone to walk me through it, of my own volition, and have thousands of hours of practical experience under my belt. Qualifications do not automatically = a good trainer.

🙃 I use positive reinforcement heavily within my training, in fact I use it as a first priority wherever I can, and I also place "teaching the dog the better behaviour" as a top priority too, above all else. I also use prong collars, e-collars and if I need to use punishment I will do that too, especially if the behaviour is dangerous. Using positive reinforcement does not mean you cannot use other tools, or vice versa. Good trainers use whatever the dog needs to move forward, and whatever the dog needs to improve their quality of life in the long term, in a fair manner. This does not equate to "using treats only" in many cases - but if it did, I would happily do so.

🙃 Wait! Now I'm confused. According to this information positive reinforcement, clicker training (tbh any secondary reinforcer should be fine though... it doesn't have to be a clicker) and "comprehensive training" is a green flag. I use these! Does that mean I'm an ethical trainer now?

🙃 Apparently if you call yourself a mere "dog trainer" (which I do) you should only be tackling things like loose leash walking, recall and life skills. Someone call the dog trainer police because I have been helping people with aggression, anxiety and fear-based issues for years. I guess I didn't get the memo? Maybe I should stop offering these services because clearly I'm out of my depth.

🙃 A "red flag" is a trainer without a qualification - I already talked about this. But personally I think a red flag is a trainer that spends their time discrediting other peoples methods rather than focusing on their own. Maybe that's just me. 🚩🚩🚩

🙃 "Balanced Trainers" use dominance theory.
That's a blanket statement if ever I've heard one. I know some "balanced trainers" stuck in their ways who still alpha roll dogs and think that's ok (it's not) - and I know heaps of "balanced trainers" who use food, positive reinforcement and confidence building in 90% of their training... it seems there's a spectrum, no?

I think every single one of my clients can attest to the fact that even though I refer to my training style as "balanced" I've never suggested you need to be dominant over your dog to have them behave for you... ever.
In order for your dog to do the things considered as desirable and safe, you need a dog to be motivated to work for you and feel safe and protected by their handler. You don't get that via domination tactics ;)

🙃 Apparently a focus on using training tools automatically means you're not addressing the root causes of issues.
Again, why does one have to cancel out the other? I use modern training tools in a fair manner. They are tools, that help you to rehabilitate the dog as part of a wider program. The goal of that program is to get to the root cause of the issue and address it.

These things can be used together very successfully.

🙃 Apparently by using these tools and not restricting myself to using food as my only training tool means I'm doing more harm than good.

Again, memo has been missed, I guess you should tell that to all the chilled out dogs sitting at my group classes every week, kicking goals and overcoming their behavioural problems.

Is there fallout with using tools incorrectly? Yep. Is there fallout from using food/reinforcement incorrectly? Also yes... education is key and that's all there is to it.

I'm not the best dog trainer out there, not everyone is going to resonate with how I do things, but I'm open minded to what the dog needs (rather than being stuck in a cookie cutter, 1 method box that realistically only helps a small percentage of dogs) I strive to be better every day, I'm helping people every day, and my #1 goal is always be fair to the dog.

YES, I realise I'm being a hypocrite because I spent the time to write this out (you caught me on a sick day it is what it is) when I really have better things to be doing. And I genuinely do believe that most dog owners in Perth are not rigid in their thinking nor does everyone see a post like this and immediately take it as gospel.

But I also feel like this is really toxic and unnecessary behaviour that should be called out. The dog training industry doesn't need to be like this - you do your thing and we will do ours. There's a small percentage of trainers who do the wrong thing, and that sucks, but half of the s**t on this list does not automatically mean you're one of those trainers and it's detrimental to the dogs of Perth to suggest that it does.

We are all doing this because we love dogs and the best thing we can do is spend time on ourselves, honing our craft so we can help even more dogs and owners to the best level possible in the future.