29/10/2026
🐾 FOLLOWING ON FROM YESTERDAY… LET’S TALK SOLUTIONS! ❤️🐶
Yesterday, we shared a post from Impackt Behaviour that really resonated with us here at Blue Ridge Doodles. Today, she’s followed it up with something just as important, what we SHOULD be doing instead! 👏
And honestly, we love this, because recognising a problem is one thing, but understanding how to prevent it and what to do differently is where the real learning begins.
We say this time and time again to our puppy families, and we will continue to shout it from the rooftops! 📣
A well-adjusted adult dog doesn’t happen by accident. The foundations start from day one!
We can give our puppies the very best start before they leave us, but once they come home, their ongoing development is in YOUR hands. ❤️
🐾 Consistency is key. Everyone in the household needs to follow the same rules. If something isn’t allowed today, it shouldn’t suddenly be allowed tomorrow!
🐾 Teach the behaviours you WANT to see. Don’t wait until your puppy is pulling like a train, jumping all over visitors or struggling to settle before you start teaching them what you’d prefer them to do.
🐾 Reward the good stuff! Calm behaviour, walking nicely, checking in with you and settling on their bed are all worth encouraging. Don’t just focus on your puppy when they’re doing something wrong.
🐾 Socialisation isn’t about meeting everyone! It’s about helping your puppy experience the world positively, at a pace they can cope with. Learning to observe calmly without having to greet every person or dog is an incredibly valuable skill.
🐾 Teach them to switch off. Doodles can be clever, playful and full of beans, but they also need to learn that life isn’t one big party! Rest, calmness and settling are skills that need to be practised, too.
🐾 Walks aren’t just about distance. Sniffing, exploring, training, appropriate play and mental enrichment all have a place. Their needs will change as they grow, so tailor activities to their age, health and individual temperament.
🐾 Ask for help early. If you’re struggling with pulling, barking, separation difficulties or reactivity, don’t feel you have to muddle through alone. A suitably qualified dog trainer (not one that will recommend harnesses and throw cheese on the floor 🤣🤣)can help you find the right approach for your dog.
And please remember, using a harness, food rewards, enrichment toys or medication when genuinely needed isn’t a failure. These can all be useful tools! The important thing is understanding your individual dog and using the right tools alongside an appropriate plan.
❤️ Here at Blue Ridge, we don’t just care about producing beautiful puppies. We care about the dogs they become.
We want our babies to grow into confident, happy, well-mannered adults who can enjoy life alongside their families. That takes patience, commitment, appropriate training and boundaries that are fair and consistent.
We will always be here to offer advice and support to our puppy families, but we cannot do the daily training for you once your puppy goes home. That’s a partnership, and your part matters enormously! 🐶💕
So, if you missed yesterday’s post, please go back and have a read, then check out today’s follow-up from Impackt Behaviour for some practical advice.
Remember: don’t just tell your dog what NOT to do. Teach them what TO do instead. ❤️🐾
⚠️I told you my top 10 hates I got triggered…You got triggered. Now here's what to do instead, because hating isn't training 😂😂😂
HARNESSES - WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
A harness doesn't teach a dog to walk. TRAINING does.
Go back to basics… off lead in the garden in the house teach them to walk with you by luring and rewarding when they walk by your side! Add a cue word like HEEL or CLOSE -loads of rewards when they walk with you make yourself high value!
On lead Teach pressure and release. Once your dog can walk properly and respects the lead, you can use whatever lead collar combo you want!
The tool doesn't fix the problem, training does.
BUMBAGS FULL OF CHEESE - WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Your dog should work for YOU, not your fridge. Use food as a REWARD, not a bribe. Keep food in your pocket, out of sight. Call your dog, reward AFTER they come. Ask for a sit, reward AFTER. Food appears because they did well, not to make them do it. And start using play,game of tug. Your value has to be bigger than the bag! But if you’re freefeeding your dog there’s no value in reward! They get food for free anyway!
LICKY MATS AS BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION - WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
A licky mat is an activity, not a behaviour plan. Separation anxiety? Teach place, teach independence, build crate confidence, stop letting your dog follow you to the toilet 24/7. Reactivity? Teach engagement, lead skills and corrections for bad choices. Stop distracting your dog from their problems and start TRAINING through them.
MEDICATION FOR EVERYTHING - WHAT TO DO INSTEAD?
ANYTHING DO ANYTHING before medicating them!!
Are theygetting 1-2 hours of proper exercise? Does they have clear boundaries at home? Do they have a job? Are you consistent? 9 times out of 10 when we fix those 4 things the "anxiety" disappears… funny that eh!!
BALL THROWING OBSESSIVES - WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Swap obsession for calmness and control. No more mindless chucking. Use the ball as a REWARD for calm behaviour. Dog must sit, wait, look at you, then get it Teach a solid OUT and a place command after. Teach your dog that NOT having the ball is just as rewarding as having it. A dog that can lie calmly while a ball is on the floor has real impulse control. Try hiding the ball for them to sniff it out and voila… but of scent work and mental stimulation too!!!
ONLEAD MEETINGS - WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Your walk is not a social club. Teach your dog neutrality. See another dog? "Let's go”keep walking…reward eye contact on YOU. If you want your dog to have dog friends, do it offlead in a controlled way with stable dogs you know, not with random stressed dogs on tight leads on a pavement. Advocate for your dog. Say NO my dog doesn’t say hi on lead
CHEESE THROWING FOR REACTIVE DOGS - WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Stop paying your dog for exploding. When your dog kicks off you need to give information, not snacks. A firm lead correction, a clear "No" or a direction! create space get focus back on you, then reward the CALM choice. Reactive dogs need leadership and consequences, not a cheese trail on the floor. Teach them that reacting makes life harder!!!!being calm makes life better.
BLAMING THE DOG - WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Take ownership. Every behaviour your dog does is because you allowed it, trained it, or didn't prevent it. Stop calling your dog stubborn and start asking "What have I NOT taught him?"
Get a trainer who will tell you the truth, not what you want to hear. When you take responsibility, your dogs gets better overnight.
LACK OF EXERCISE - WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Match the breed to your lifestyle…or match your lifestyle to the breed you chose. A working dog needs WORK. Not just a walk. Structured heel walks, sprints, tug, scent work, obedience under distraction, tricks parkour, agility, a new environment . 30 mins of hard work is better than 2 hours of mooching around the park on a long line dragging you like a piece of meat behind them 😂. Tire their brain as well as their legs.
S**T FOOD - WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Read the ingredients. If the first ingredient isn't meat, if it's full of colours, sugars, and animal derivatives (whatever that is 😂)bin it. Feed a high meat content kibble or rawor fresh cooked. Good food means less poo, better coat, calmer energy, better focus. You can't outtrain a bad diet. What you put in is what you get out. Literally.
Stop looking for gimmicks
Stop looking for shortcuts.
Stop trying to buy your way out of training.
Train your dog. Exercise your dog. Feed your dog properly. Give tgem rules.
Do the basics brilliantly and you won't need any of the crap I hate.
Want help with it? You know where I am… ask questions for me below 👇
