Wags & Wellbeing

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Wags & Wellbeing

I help pet dog owners achieve happy and calm lives with their dogs and develop their relationship. Force free and concept based dog training. Based in Doncaster.

20/06/2026

What's one of the biggest mistakes I see my clients making?

Timing.

When your dog does the right thing, it is essential to mark when they do it and reward. Getting that marker in (whether it is a word, noise or clicker) at the right time can be tricky and it's often a very small window. If you get your timing wrong, your dog might get confused as to what you actually want so it can delay achieving your goals.

If this is an area you struggle in, try taking a video of yourself training or ask a friend to observe. That way you can see what you're actually marking - you might be surprised!

If you feel like you need an outside pair of eyes to help you improve your training skills, why not get in touch to see how we can help - our DMs are open.

18/06/2026

Urgh, my dog is so stubborn!

Have you ever thought that? I'm not a big fan of that word - I don't think it gives the whole picture and sometimes feels like an excuse for why your dog won't do something.

If you're struggling to get your dog to do something, whether that's every time or only occasionally, there can be loads of reasons and figuring out what the reason is can be half of the battle. I like to start with A- B - C - D - E - Arousal, Bucket, Clarity, Discomfort and Environment.

Arousal - If your dog is overexcited, they might struggle to perform the behaviour you want at that moment.

Bucket - If they've had a lot of stressful events before you asked for that behaviour (and that can be good or bad things), they might be so overwhelmed that they struggle to listen and do what you ask.

Clarity - Are you sure your dog knows what you're actually asking? If you haven't trained your command with enough clarity or proofed it in enough situations, they may simply be confused about what you want.

Discomfort - This is a big one and can be a range of things. Maybe your dog is in discomfort or pain, anything from intestinal trouble or itchiness to joint pain. Or maybe you're asking them to sit in a muddy puddle and they don't like being soggy.

Environment - Some environments can be more exciting than others, dogs walking past or livestock in fields that make it hard to concentrate. If your dog doesn't have a strong skill of disengagement, new environments will really challenge them when asking for certain behaviours.

So next time you think of your dog as being stubborn, have a think about what might be the reason behind that reluctance.

If you need some help figuring out what your dog could be struggling with, send us a DM and we can chat it through.

16/06/2026

Oh the weather outside is frightful!

OK, I know it's not December but you can't deny we've had a lot of grim days recently. The other day, I thought about taking Brego for a walk and saw it was chucking it down with rain. I didn't want to go out in that and get all wet and I knew Brego would be less than enthusiastic too. So I switched plans and did a couple of training sessions instead. But I didn't just go in randomly, I thought about what I wanted to focus on and did some fun things to achieve our goals.

This is what we looked at:
🐾 Flexibility. I don't want Brego to be stuck presenting only one thing all the time, I want him to be flexible in all areas to try and head off the frustration he can be prone to. So we took a stool and did lots of different things with it
🐾 Fitness. Walks aren't the only way to get fit. We did some doggy reps using different positions like sit, stand, bow and down. Plus I added in some cavaleti and jumping (I mixed up the order of jumps too so we could continue working on flexibility
🐾 Drop. We used some toys for toy switch and did a few rounds of bring it and drop to really solidify that cue - a really important one for our little scavenger!
🐾 Calmness. I always like to end sessions, especially sessions with high arousal like jumping and tugging with some calm to bring the energy down and allow Brego to rest and recover

It's important to remember that enrichment and fitness don't have to involve a walk every day. We can achieve these goals in other ways with a plan for what we want to achieve and a pocketful of fun games to get there.

If you need some help with the techniques and games that can achieve your goals, send me a DM and we can have a chat about how I can help.

14/06/2026

Happy National Dog Dad Day! 🐾

Today we're celebrating all the amazing dog dads out there.

The ones who head out for walks in all weathers, hand over the best spot on the sofa, somehow end up carrying the poo bags and insist they didn't want a dog in the first place... only to become completely devoted.

Being a dog dad is about more than treats and playtime. It's about being there through training challenges, supporting nervous dogs, celebrating progress and building a bond that grows stronger every day.

Whether you're the one practising recall in the park, getting up early for morning walks or sharing your snacks when nobody's looking, today is your day.

So let's hear it for the dog dads who do so much for their dogs and probably have far more photos of them on their phone than they'd like to admit!

Give a shout-out to your dog's favourite human in the comments, or share a photo of your dog and their dad below - we're sharing some of Brego's dog dad. 🐶💙

11/06/2026

June is National Microchipping Month 🐾

When was the last time you checked your dog's microchip details?

Many owners assume that once their dog is microchipped, the job is done. But a microchip is only useful if the information linked to it is accurate and up to date.

If you've moved house, changed your phone number or transferred ownership of your dog, now is the perfect time to check that your details are correct.

A microchip greatly increases the chances of a lost dog being reunited with their family, but only if the contact information leads back to you.

While you're at it, it's worth making sure you have recent photos of your dog and checking that your garden gates and fencing are secure too.

It only takes a few minutes to update your details, but it could make all the difference if your dog ever goes missing.

Have you checked your dog's microchip details recently? Let me know in the comments below. 🐶

09/06/2026

Today is World Pet Memorial Day.

So take the time to remember those pets who are no longer with us. All of the sweet moments, the joy they brought and their cuddles. Whether they are dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs or any other pet, they remain with us in our hearts.

Today I'm remembering my rabbit Gaia who joined my family when I bought my first house and moved to two more with me after that. She was with us when Brego joined our family and she was such a big character. She loved to escape and was so greedy, she once ate all of our compost. She used to jump up on the kitchen sides, hide behind the fridge and chewed our internet cable... twice!

I miss her all the time but I'm grateful for the time she had with us.

Comment below who you're remembering today and I'd love to see any pictures you have.

07/06/2026

I love this time of year!

As the weather gets warmer and (hopefully) a little drier, it's my favourite time of year for walking. We load up the pram, get the kids out and grab Brego for some nice time outdoors. All of the flowers blooming puts me in a much better mood.

Comment below when your favourite time of year is for walks.

05/06/2026

How are those New Year’s resolutions going?

Now that we’re well into the year, it’s a great time to check in on the goals you set for yourself and your dog back in January. Have you made the progress you hoped for, or is it time to rethink your plan?

Maybe your goal was to achieve loose lead walking, but walks are still feeling like a battle. Perhaps you wanted better recall, but your dog still finds squirrels far more exciting than coming back when called. Or maybe you promised yourself you'd spend more time training, but life got busy and things slipped down the priority list.

The good news is that there’s no rule that says you have to stick rigidly to a goal that isn’t working. Sometimes progress looks different from what we expected, and sometimes we need to break a big goal into smaller, more achievable steps.

Instead of focusing on what hasn’t happened yet, take a moment to celebrate what has improved. Has your dog become calmer around visitors? Are they checking in with you more on walks? Have they learned to settle more easily at home? Those wins all count.

If your original goals no longer feel realistic, that's okay too. Training isn't about perfection. It's about making steady progress and building skills that make life easier for both you and your dog.

What training goal did you set at the start of the year, and how is it going? Let me know in the comments. 🐾

03/06/2026

Why isn't my dog doing what I want them to? Are they naughty or stubborn?

When dog training, things won't always go to plan. Even with the best laid plans, your dog has a mind of their own and will do something you don't expect. But this is not the time to despair - it is just information! They aren't being naughty or stubborn but they are telling you something and it's our job to listen.

Maybe your cues aren't clear enough or your body language is telling them something else. Maybe we increased the criteria too quickly and they're confused about what you want. Or maybe they've done the same thing perfectly so many times, they think you must want something else.

It can sometimes be a little investigation to figure out what they're trying to say and sometimes it's only a tiny little change that's needed to make things a bit clearer.

If you struggle with figuring out what your dog is trying to tell you, cand us a WhatsApp and we can have a chat about what we can do to help.

01/06/2026

I talk about this skill a lot, but there's a lot to say - let's talk DISENGAGEMENT!

Once upon a time, if I let Brego out in the garden with the laundry on the line, he'd be jumping up, grabbing at the washing and running around with it in his mouth - nightmare.

Disengagement is a skill that Brego was not born with in abundance, he wanted to say hi to everyone, fixated on anything he thought could be edible and constantly wanted to play. So we've spent a lot of time building this skill in a lot of different ways. Now, there still might be some way to go (isn't there always?) but you can't deny these kind of results.

If your dog could benefit from stretching their skills and growing disengagement, send us a DM to have a chat about how our dog training could help.

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Doncaster

Website

http://www.wagsandwellbeing.co.uk/

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