The Doggie Diplomat

10/11/2025

Setting your dog up for success is an important element of training.
Train in a low distraction environment first. Gradually build to more distracting environments and general increased difficulty.
Training should feel fun for you and your dog. This will help build motivation, a love of learning, and a love of training. It will also strengthen your bond with your dog.
Last of all, remember that training needs to get more difficult as your dog's ability builds.

If you would like to learn how to work through your dog's behavioural issues, contact me and we can work through your dog's problems together.

&Ralph

07/11/2025

I think it's instinctive for some people to coax a dog over with food and then try to pat it. There is no ill intent, but this can be harmful to the dog in question. Introductions should be slow, building trust over many interactions, with the dog dictating the pace of the exercise.
If an anxious dog does approach you, they are probably just wanting to sniff you to gain more information. Let them sniff and remain neutral.

&Ralph

See that long neck stretch?
They're elongating it to reach you
It can be a sign they're a little unsure of getting closer but they still need information to make them feel safe.

It's not a green light to touch.
They want some more info about you and need to get quite close (or even touch) to get it. So should you let a dog just sniff you up close?
That depends.
How would you feel about that?

Dogs do this to feel secure and assess us.
However, we need to feel that same security and take the time to assess them.
Safety goes both ways here.

If you're nervous or anxious, then having a dog approach and bury their nose into you wouldn't be a wise idea.
The second they have sensed you are not comfortable with them, they can react.

The vast majority of dogs are not aggressive at all, but a small number can react when they feel unsure or unsafe.

If you don't want them to approach, speak up and tell the person.
Get a feel for each other at a distance, where the pressure is off both of you. You may need a visit or two until some trust is built and then you may decide a big ole wet nose on your hand or smelling your leg is something you would be more comfortable with.

Everyone's comfort and safety matters.

05/11/2025

I saw this photo of me, with a gorgeous Cavoodle puppy, and I thought "oh my goodness, I think we have the same hair colour" 🤣
&Ralph

02/11/2025

Christmas giveaway

To enter:
Fill in my client request form on my website: www.thedoggiediplomt.com

Please note on the form that you are entering/applying for a
Christmas gift/free training session.

The first 3 people to submit will receive a free training session (travel fees apply).
Valued at $175.

If you are not successful, you will go into the draw to receive a 20% discount. The first 10 entries will receive the discount.

If you have already booked your training session, you are still welcome to enter 😊.
All you have to do is email or text your entry.

Merry Christmas, Everyone, and Happy Training.

&Ralph

24/10/2025

HALLOWEEN

Halloween is a time for decorating your house and dressing up in a spooky fashion. We have the incentive of lollies and dressing up fun.

I would like you to consider how your dog might feel about seeing these festivities. For most people, I suspect that training your dog on Halloween is what you want to be focused on.

Finding your dog a nice place to rest away from the action might be the best idea, and if your dog is spooked by the decorated houses, choosing a different walking route or at least not walking close to the house.

I meet many dogs that are afraid of the world, dread visitors, and that is not taking into account the dogs that have severe reactions to the doorbell.

Consider how you would feel walking in February and seeing someone dressed up in a scary horror movie costume running around the street. Far more scary without the Halloween reference.

The doorbell
You could put up a sign asking people to text instead of ringing the bell.
Bowl of lollies
We leave out a bowl of lollies and the children help themselves, no bell ringing required.

Happy Howl..oween Everybody :)

&Ralph

20/10/2025

Sound sensitivity can add to anxiety for many dogs. It is interesting meeting dogs that are reacting to a slight sound, which we often can't hear in another room. Understanding sound sensitivity will help you to better support your dog on its training and behaviour modification journey.

&Ralph

It’s launch day!

Some dogs don’t just notice noise—they panic. Not only at fireworks or thunderstorms, but at everyday sounds: a phone notification, a microwave beep, even a sneeze.

Understanding Your Sound-Sensitive Dog looks beneath the surface to what’s really happening inside these dogs—the way fear, genetics, pain, and experience shape how they move through the world.

What looks like “overreacting” is often a complex system doing exactly what it was designed to do. Through clear science, real case stories, and deep empathy for both dogs and their people, I wrote this book to help you understand what your dog is feeling and how to help them feel safe again.

It’s about understanding, patience, and the quiet, steady work of helping a fearful dog find calm in a noisy world.

If you struggle with your dog's sound-sensitivity or you work with dogs who do, this is for you!

Available now in paperback and Kindle: https://amzn.to/3LleuL2

19/10/2025

So far, this Spring has surrounded me with puppies :)
Working with puppies and pet parents, we tend to be working through similar issues and goals.

Mouthing

Chewing on inappropriate items

Whining

Toilet training

Socialisation

Manners

Understanding the goals of adult behaviours.

If you want support training your puppy and working through your issues, feel free to get in touch. I would love to hear from you.

&Ralph

19/10/2025

Why do we continue to push them?
Distressed barking in carparks because they would be "bored" at home.
Sitting in bars while they cower under a table to "help them become exposed to life".
Walking around busy hardware stores where they're confronted by machinery, people, dogs and smells and they're completely overwhelmed.
So why do we persist?
We've seen (or think we have seen) a glimmer of relaxation in that chaos.

We crave fast results and visible “progress”.
We take the smallest piece of calmness and stillness as a positive.
Those glimpses of coping aren’t always comfort.

Far from it for many.

We've often misread just how comfortable they are and we think that's enough of a signal to push them far more.

It's not.

So how long do you have to do the bars, cafes and stores before they just accept new environments?
For many in just those scenarios, pushed that much, they may never accept them.
You'll be doing the same in 2 months and still doing it in 2 years.
Or, their world will quickly become much smaller because their reactions will be stronger to the point they will screech, lunge or feel they have no choice but to use their mouth.

We need to stop throwing them in the deep end when they can barely cope "paddling" around.
They need careful exposure, not just exposure.

It's the old "they can, but should they" debate.
Not much of a debate for me.

17/10/2025

More thought is required for your walking routes, times and vulnerable circumstances when you have a reactive dog.
Pooing
If your dog needs a bathroom break, avoid stopping close to a corner, as you can have another dog in your space without warning.
If you see a walker with their dog approach, get moving as soon as you can and return to do the cleanup.

Tight spaces
Avoid tight spaces, particularly during busy times.
Having the ability to increase distance from a dog in your environment is important when working through reactivity.

If you would like to learn how to work through your dog’s reactivity, get in touch.
Felicity

&Ralph

08/10/2025

Working dogs fascinate me. Their drive, endurance, quick responsiveness to their handler, their ability to problem-solve and most of all their true passion for the work.

What is your dog passionate about?

&Ralph

What is your dog's passion?

&Ralph

04/10/2025

I love getting updates; it gives me great pleasure to know how clients and fur babies are doing.

If you would like to learn more about my training sessions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. I would love to hear from you.

&Ralph