Pupmeister

Postive reinforcement training shaped around your dog’s breed traits and individual needs.

Using play, motivation and clear communication, I focus on building solid foundations, reducing frustration, and helping dogs thrive in everyday life.

06/08/2026

What looks like a simple game of hide and seek is really Ziggy using her nose to do what it’s designed for. A dog’s sense of smell is their primary way of reading the world, and letting her problem-solve through it is genuinely satisfying for her in a way a walk on its own often isn’t.

You’ll spot me using a few treats in the video, but that’s just for demonstration. Over months of play the fox toy has built up its own strong scent, so you can absolutely do this without treats at all. She’s tracking the fox itself, not just the treat. All you need to do is gradually make it harder: in plain sight, then out of view, then properly hidden. Go at your dog’s pace and let their nose do the rest.

05/08/2026

misconception that force-free reward based training means a free for all with no manners proper boundaries. Ziggy would beg to differ. The science is clear that positive reinforcement gets you reliable, lasting behaviour, and it holds up better under pressure than anything built on fear or force. A dog that chooses to listen because it pays off will do it when it counts, not just when it’s worried about what happens if it doesn’t. That’s not soft. That’s boundaries built properly.

04/08/2026

I’m constantly surprised by what clients tell me about puppy training advice they’ve heard elsewhere - some of it should have gone out with the Ark! I heard a couple of particularly special ones recently so I thought I’d share them as as examples of what NOT to do.

As for what TO do here’s what the evidence actually supports: dogs learn through repetition and reward. They repeat the behaviours that pay off for them, which means the best way to teach a puppy is to show them what earns the good stuff, then reward it every time until it becomes habit. Behaviours that stop being rewarded gradually fade.

And if you’re ever tempted to give your puppy a cuddle ‘just the once’ when they jump up, I’m afraid that’s all it takes - you’ve rewarded the behaviour and you’re going to have to start all over again!

02/08/2026

If you follow along here, you might have seen my vid on this a little while back. Sorry to bash you over the head with it, but it’s such an important one to get right.

The “five minutes per month of age” rule is one of the most repeated bits of advice in the puppy world, and there’s no evidence behind it. What actually protects a growing puppy isn’t a number on a stopwatch, it’s the kind of movement they’re doing, and whether they’re free to stop when they’ve had enough. Full breakdown in the carousel, and the whole thing (the evidence, the breed differences, what to do instead) is on the blog - link at the end.

01/08/2026

Last time was about burning off energy and managing arousal. This one takes that a step further and shows how play can also teach patience.

The flirt pole a great tool for practising the three Ds, and here I’m stacking all three at once. Duration, distance and distraction, the sit held while I move away and wave the toy about like a lunatic to make it as tempting as possible.

And the reason it works is the reward. She holds that sit through all of it because she knows the toy is coming. The calm gets rewarded, so the calm gets stronger - no telling off, no pressure, just a dog choosing to wait because waiting pays.

-E-Nuff

31/07/2026

Dogs don’t understand words the way we do. They’re reading your body language far more than they’re listening to what you say. A Collie working sheep responds to small movements and shifts in the handler’s position, not spoken commands from across a field. That’s what dogs are good at.

So when you teach something like a sit, start with a hand signal, not a word. Show the gesture, and when your dog follows it, mark and reward. Repeat that until the hand signal reliably gets you the sit every time.

Only once the behaviour is solid do you add the verbal cue. Say the word just before you give the hand signal, so the word starts to predict the gesture. Over time your dog connects the two, and eventually the word alone will do it.

If you rush the word in too early, before the behaviour is there, it just becomes noise to them. Get the movement working first and the rest follows.

30/07/2026

One of the most popular dogs in the country, and one of the most misunderstood.

French Bulldogs get written off as stubborn, lazy or comically fragile. The truth is more interesting. They’re a companion breed to their bones, bred for your lap rather than a job, and once you stop expecting them to behave like a working dog, a lot of the “problems” make sense.

The catch is the health side, which is real and worth going in with your eyes open about. Swipe through for the honest version, and the full breed guide is on the site.

29/07/2026

Kicking off a little flirt pole series, because it’s a hugely versatile bit of kit for everyday use and are range of specific and invaluable training exercises

First up: burning off energy. A flirt pole is brilliant for a quick, proper burst of physical exercise on the days you’re short on time and can’t get out for the walk you’d planned. Rubbish weather, a gap between meetings, or one of those mornings where everything overruns. Ten minutes in the garden and you’ve got a dog who’s genuinely ready for a rest.

One thing I’d always say though: this isn’t a stand-in for their walks. Dogs need to get out, sniff about, potter and take the world in, and a flirt pole can’t give them any of that. Treat it as a handy extra for when life gets in the way.

I’m keeping this one purely about the exercise side. The flirt pole’s also a great tool for prey drive, impulse control and a fair bit else, and I’ll come to all of that in the videos ahead.

28/07/2026

Bit of a soapbox moment today, bear with me.

There’s a lot of trainers slagging each other off online at the moment and I just think it makes the training community look a bit foolish. And the part that actually gets me is what it does to owners, someone sat there just trying to find honest, professional advice for their dog, who instead gets a load of pros bickering and no clue who to trust.

So I’m keeping my corner of it positive. Stuff that actually works, and a healthy dose of Ziggy looking pleased with herself

And on that note, as Aretha spells it out for us, ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive. 🎶

27/07/2026

Dogs come wired to sniff, forage and use their mouths to work things out. Give them a proper outlet for that and a lot of the restless, fidgety behaviour we tend to complain about settles down on its own.

The Tug-E-Nuff Clam is one of my go-tos for this. Pop some food inside and let them figure out how to get it out. That’s it. Cheap, easy, and it keeps the brain busy, which is especially important when the body can’t be! 🥵

I’m a Tug E Nuff ambassador. Comment “Ziggy” below and I’ll DM you a code for 10% off.

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