CotswoldK9

CotswoldK9 Professional, experienced, insured dog trainer covering Cotswolds, West Mids, Oxfordshire, South West

27/05/2026

Meet Shadow

This big lad is only 6 months old and already 36kg. His owner has asked for some guidance on loose leash walking, and understanding him better. There are some clear signs of frustration creeping through as well as hyper arousal. Today’s lesson was about play, threshold training, marker training, loose leash walking exercises, appropriate outlets, building food drive, setting boundaries and maintaining them.
You can’t correct what the dog doesn’t understand especially with frustration, you’ll just push them further into it.
I have also suggested a medical check given his gait and size at such a young age.

23/05/2026

I’ll never tire of these moments… social pack walks with a few of our graduate clients 😊 from dog and/or human reactive to appropriately social ❤️

16/05/2026

Alice

Buckle up folks… rant incoming.
If you don’t know what you’re doing, then just pass the job on to someone who does.

First issue - This dog was rehomed with a lovely but native couple, who adore Alice but don’t truly understand the breed of dog they have. But they’re trying!

Second issue - Dog trainers and dog behaviourists… is where the dog has been truly let down.
Behaviourist: don’t walk her, medicate and play scent games only
Compulsion trainer: poorly fitted prong doubled up with a slip lead the wrong way around meaning she couldn’t escape pressure. Short leash with tight firm grip, constant leash pops and hard corrections…”put all your weight into it” literally feet off the ground. Not allowed to play with toys, never talk to her only commands, can’t look at dogs etc

Results - reactivity has escalated, she’s extremely close to redirecting, she has no outlet and no freedom, she’s literally a pressure cooker about to blow. And when the client said it’s getting worse… just correct harder!?!?!

Let’s be clear, avoiding dogs doesn’t work, drugging them into oblivion doesn’t work, extremely hard yanking and cranking doesn’t work, not letting the dog enjoy things like toys doesn’t work! The more you restrict, the more they’ll get frustrated and the more they’ll react.

With a few simple but effective strategy changes, we have some much needed clarity and clear but fair communication. Alice shall be enrolled into our day time programme next month… stay tuned for her upcoming journey with us….

14/05/2026

Thursday night classes…
- progressing the formal retrieve
- basic obedience
- strength and conditioning work
- building confidence

Now consider all of these dogs were dog and/or human reactive upon a time. All have completed their behavioural modification programmes with us prior to group work. Watching them all grow into exceptionally well behaved doggy citizens has been an honour.

11/05/2026

Is your dog frustrated and reacting impulsively—Pepper, a Yorkshire terrier Maltese mix.

Pepper gets quite worked up around dogs when he’s on a lead, which leads to pulling on the lead, whining, barking and more. Sadly, his owners have received very mixed messages about how to socialise, and now he’s really fixated on other dogs. To make matters worse, his previous training wasn’t less than helpful, being told to wave treats at the dog, but when that didn’t work, they were just handed a leaflet!

To really sort this out, we need to understand why Pepper is reacting this way and then teach him what he should do. Our goal is to have him calm and focused on us when he’s on a lead and to have a perfect recall off lead, so he can socialise properly and learn how to communicate appropriately with other dogs.

This is just the beginning of his journey with us

09/05/2026

Malvern Hill Social Pack
What a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning, scaling the Malvern Hills with a small group of clients and their dogs that used to react to other dogs! 😊

Life after reactivity is truly beautiful, and if you think moments like this aren’t possible, please reach out to us via DM to learn how we can help you and your dog.

05/05/2026

Early May Bank Holiday Weekend

Fortunate enough to be able to take a couple of days off to recreate
Humble enough to know that hard work makes these moments possible.

Live in the moment, for tomorrow is not guaranteed

01/05/2026

Baby steps towards the bigger picture

26/04/2026

One of the best classes ever
- problem solving frustration through movement
- building fancy feet moves
- dynamic and static motions
- building engagement through teaching new skills
- having fun!

All with a group of my graduate clients with their former dog and/or human reactive dogs in a public park in the sun 🌞

25/04/2026

We really do find the best spots for a pack walk…

Miles of countryside, rivers, lakes to splash around in and plenty of opportunities to practice recall from distractions such as wildlife, birds, other dogs and passersby. We love hosting these walks for our graduate clients, seeing them progress from hiding behind bushes, walking at anti social hours, never letting them off for fear of them not coming back, to enjoying off leash walks with others without a care in the world

Life after reactivity… it really does exist and it’s wonderful

Address

WR12 7AB
Broadway
WR127AB

Telephone

+447946671727

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