The GSD Hub with Jenny Gould

20/04/2025

🇮🇪Im in Dublin today to judge their "Green Star" class which is the WTCI (Working Trials Club of Ireland) equivalent of our UK Championship class🏆.

I love travelling to different countries to judge their obedience classes and always feel incredibly honoured to be invited.

Looking forward to judging everyone and hopefully we get to see some sunshine later☀️.

19/04/2025

We are coming to this time of year ..

Everyone should be able to remove ticks from their dogs. These tick twisters are so easy... you just need a do to understand to stay still for you.

The online GSD club has a whole section dedicated to handling training. Kind proactive handling training will make your life as a dog owner so much easier!

🦟HOW TO USE A TICK TWISTER ✅
DO NOT DELAY removing the tick. Prompt removal reduces the risk of contracting Lyme Disease and other tick borne diseases.
Remember to disinfect the bite area and wash your hands thoroughly after removal.
It is advisable to have some sellotape ready to put the tick in so you can easily inspect to and check you have safely removed the entire tick.
❗️ BEWARE OF MISINFORMATION ONLINE ❗️
DO NOT do any of the following:
• burn the tick
• smother the tick in Vaseline
• rub around it with a cotton bud
• squeeze the tick
• stick tape over it
• try to pull it out with ordinary eyebrow tweezers
If you do anything to it while it is attached and feeding other than removing it as described above you will be distressing the feeding tick which will make it more likely to regurgitate it’s blood meal back into the dog and therefore spread tick born diseases such as Lyme Disease (Borreliosis) Babesiosis, and Ehrlichiosis and bacteria into the dogs body.

18/04/2025

Less is More!

Nowadays society seems to want to 'fix' everything! Anything we humans do not approve of in a dog's behaviour needs 'fixing'! Now do not misunderstand me there is definitely a place for 'doing' and 'training'....after all I am a massive advocate of proactive training right?

However through adolescence our GSDs will go through many sensitive phases and this is NOT the time to try to fix anything! A classic example is when your GSD has always been confident in a certain situation and all of a sudden they seem terrified of it! This could be unfamiliar people, unfamiliar dogs, traffic, noises, or even the litter bin at the end of the road. All of a sudden there are monsters everywhere!

This is the time to NOT act! Pushing your dog to 'face his fears' or "make him more sociable" can be hugely detrimental during this time. Remember during fear or sensitive phases LESS IS MOST DEFINITELY MORE!

18/04/2025

🎉🎉🎉 Massive congratulations to The Sports Edition & GSD club member Sophie with the lovely Cobba!!

Last weekend@they won their ABC class qualifyjng them for the final later this year!!!

14/04/2025

Buying a puppy?

It is an exciting and expensive time!

You have bought the toys, the puppy pen and the new collar.

In the excitement of welcoming your new puppy it can be easy to forget the bigger picture.

The bigger picture that is your puppy's education.

Do not scrimp on this investment!

We educate children throughout the whole of their lives right through to adulthood.

Surely we should afford our dogs the same comittment?

If you cannot afford to invest in your puppy's education right up until adulthood... DO NOT BUY THE PUPPY!

Preventing problems is so much cheaper than solving them!

13/04/2025

🎉🎉🎉 Massive congratulations to Sports Edition & GSD Club member Sue Martin and her beautiful Lara on winning Pre Beginners at Sherborne show today!!!

She is such an awesome girl and I am loving watching you both in your obedience journey❤️

Totally and completely chuffed for you ###

09/04/2025

Buddies in the bluebells!!! My girls love their whippet boys. Do your dogs have special friends? 😍

09/04/2025

Picking Your New Puppy

This is something many new owners really stress about. How do they know which puppy is the right puppy?🤯

If there is only one thing I could advise then it is to be guided by your breeder.🖌I spend 24 hours per day with my puppies. I know them better than anyone. I know their characters and I have learned about the homes in which they will be living.

This weighs the odds in favour of a fabulous journey ahead where hopefully we are placing a round peg into a round hole so to speak!💘

I watch the puppies when the owners visit. I may make conscious decisions about the puppies but if the pairings I am considering show a lack of interest in their potential owners then I note that too. I may have ideas but the puppies get a say too!!!

This video is of lovely Miss Pink 'Skip" where I discuss what I am looking for and why.This is the final stage of the jigsaw puzzle. Who will pair with who????

07/04/2025

Being a professional dog trainer is a huge advantage when it comes to rearing puppies.

I have witnessed countless times all the potential problems likely to arise in future. This enables me to take proactive steps to help the puppies go off to their new homes with only the very best of starts.

Understanding how to modify behaviour in my every day job enables me to be proactive in my rearing.

Many puppies experience their first ever car journey going to the vets for ear/eye testing/microchipping/health checks....and many puppies have no issues with this first journey.

Right from this very first journey the puppies are building associations.

I prefer to take things step by step.building positive associations BEFORE they are subjected to a journey.

So first stage is for the puppies to play in the van. Not in a cage and most definitely without motion. Just exploring time in the van.

For this I pair them. I ensure they receive a variety of experiences but also with a variety of company. Some individual, some paired and some small groups.

As always all of the sessions they are popped into my journal. I love keeping a journal. Not only does it help assess the puppies for choosing their homes but I can look back in retrospect to ascertain if my observations were in fact traits carried through to that puppy as an adult.

03/04/2025

It's bluebell time!!! Let's see those pics 📸

30/03/2025

❓❓❓Do you have a GSD who likes to nip and herd? Fence run? Guard? Chase traffic?

🐑Hardly suprising when you consider what your GSD was bred for....herding! Now GSD do not herd in the same way as border collies for example. They were bred to be a 'living fence' and one of their roles is to prevent the sheep from leaving the herd.

🐾It is so important to understand the genetics behind our breed and work with them rather than against them. We cannot eradicate those years of genetics and breeding. We cannot stop our GSD from wanting to herd. We can however manage them and provide an outlet for this innate instinct. In face we owe it to our GSD to do so.

If you are experiencing any of these problems first understand that they are normal. They may not be appropriate in our human world however and therefore we need to teach alternate behaviours or manage them.

⚽️In this video you will see my girls Queenie and Tove waiting in the paddock for Tao to join them. They all have a ball in their mouths. Why? Because when there is movement they may want to nip. This is a natural behaviour therefore I manage... mouth is full to provide them with an alternate job.

NEVER FORGET WHAT YOUR GSD WAS DESIGNED TO DO! THOSE INSTINCTS RUN STRONG

28/03/2025

Subtle Social Skills and Appropriate Etiquette

I am a big believer in utilising sensible chaperones to help young dogs pave their way through to maturity.

Dogs learn from dogs therefore it is imperative that they learn from appropriate dogs.

Here is a small video clip of my adolescent Tove with 4 months old whippet puppy Mo. These two have met several times before but always with the security of 2 sensible adults.

Tove's mum Queenie is an expert diffuser. She quietly steps in any time she feels that either youngster may need instruction. It is incredibly subtle as is most dog language.

Without Queenie to referee the youngsters had to figure things out for themselves. There was a moment where I felt Tove was not listening to Mo and I stepped in. Tove is very responsive to me and stopped immediately. She is still learning and was flying solo today without guidance from her Mother.

Tove is incredibly social but is still mastering her social skills and polite etiquette. Mo lives with Tove's big sister so is used to GSD play however their natural play styles are worlds apart.

A whippet wants to run and a GSD wants to chase. Not the most ideal of playmates.

In the absence of Queenie it was my responsibility to ensure my youngster behaved appropriately.

These two had a fabulous time together. Tove learning to listen and Mo becoming more confident that Tove will listen to his signals.

Do not just throw dogs together and hope for the best. If you have a sensible chaperone who will teach then happy days. In the absence of such a teacher to educate it is your responsibility to ensure your dog is learning appropriately.

27/03/2025

Does your GSD chase wildlife?

When you consider that GSDs were bred to herd it is hardly surprising that your dog is likely to want to chase.

Some individuals will have a much stronger prey drive than others. A strong prey drive can be incredibly useful for dog sports but it can be incredibly frustrating in a pet dog.

I have learned to try to ensure that my dogs are never given the opportunity as young dogs to discover the thrills of chasing inappropriate animals or objects such as traffic.

When they are young their response to me is likely to be weaker than it would be as an adult with several years of training under our belts. To complicate matters sometimes the prey drive will not really kick in until the dog is in adolescence and can also be influenced by hormones.

Owning GSDs means I am never complacent. I am always on the lookout for the beginnings of interest and take steps accordingly.

What do I mean by the beginnings of interest?

Lets consider the basic predatory sequence...

Orient (This can be scent, sight or sound)
Stalk
Chase
Bite
Dissect
Consume

Many owners are oblivious of their dog's early signals and only notice when the dog has actually hunted out an animal and run off in full chase.

This is particularly true when that person's dog is on a lead. Just because the dog cannot physically chase that does not mean we should allow them to practice the first steps of the sequence.

Learn to recognise that first step and work at that stage initially because the chances of succeeding later in the sequence will reduce the further you go. If you cannot illicit a response at the first stage you will have no hope by the time your dog has progressed.

As always with anything dog training start at zero and build up to 10.

This little video below was an opportunistic one made for my club members whilst I was out walking just after sunrise.

26/03/2025

Puppy Privileges

People often talk about puppy privileges. A well known "license" afforded to puppies by well balanced adult dogs. A license which allows them to behave in ways that would be inappropriate in an older dog. No different than in humans where we hold different expectations for a 2 year old compared to a teenager.

However we as humans are not so good at affording puppy privileges. We see normal puppy behaviour as something that needs to be trained, changed or dissected and analysed. This is a trait I see often amongst experienced dog owners and most especially amongst us trainers.

For sure we need to be mindful and proactive in encouraging appropriate learning but let them be puppies first and foremost! Whether you are rearing a sports dog or a family pet just let them be.....let them be the babies they are, let them take in the wonders of the world without us putting expectations and pressure on them. Just let them be.

It is not a race! Your puppy may need more time in some subjects than other puppies, so what? Do not rush integration with your other dogs if any party is unsure. Do not rush teaching them manners if your puppy is naturally polite. Do not rush to teach them sit and stay or retrieve or heelwork. Just let them be. Find out who they are first and start to build YOUR relationship. The other stuff will come and you will do a better job of it for letting them be puppies first.

Stop stressing about what you should or should not be doing with them. Just let them be.

This was my puppy Tove on a training course at just 11 weeks old and in the middle of a ring with sendaway cone .....just being a puppy.

25/03/2025

This so needs another share. I can relate... can you?

So yesterday morning I went out to do some sports training with my dogs....and it went completely and utterly wrong! Each time I got one of the dogs out of the van, the whole thing fell apart for one reason or another! I won't lie. It was frustrating as hell!

Learning is not linear. Things never progress nicely in a gentle upwards curve. Having a poor session when things do not go according to plan is perfectly normal. In fact I would go so far as to say if things NEVER go a little bit wrong in training then you are not advancing.

However all 3 of my dogs had poor sessions.....so I have to look to myself. I was the common denominator in the training sessions. I needed to look inwards.

We are intrinsically linked with our dogs. Do not underestimate the role our emotions and states of mind play in our dogs lives.
It is why we love them so much and why we choose to have them. One of the traits I absolutely love about this breed is their deep emotional connection to us. GSDs are such sensitive souls and so in tune with us at all times. This can be both a blessing and a curse but I would not have it any other way.

I knew I was tired and stressed. I had hurt my back that morning and I have been working endlessly for far too many days in a row. To add to that my husband and I have been dealing with some pretty emotional situations with elderly parents over the last couple of months. Was it really surprising that everything was out of whack?

When things go wrong do not blame your dog. Look inwards and be honest with yourself about your part in it all. Remember this is a partnership that ends all too soon. Look for the joy in each day with them and let the other stuff go.

23/03/2025

Greetings!

I always recommend puppies learn not to expect to meet and greet everyone and everything. This can often create frustration and lead to reactivity further down the line.

However never being allowed to meet and greet is also not ideal and this is where having a greeting routine is incredibly useful.

Check out my live video from when baby Tinsel was first out and about and learning all about appropriate greetings.

17/03/2025

Looking for a puppy???? Check out my live from the whelping box discussing exactly this!