Focus Dog Training

Focus Dog Training Focus Dog Training offers an unrivalled choice of puppy & dog training options.

We are passionate about using modern, reward-based methods to help you and your dog. Book a free consultation https://calendly.com/focusdogtrainingleeds/initial-consultation

Is fitting your dog into your life much harder than you anticipated?Living with a young dog, or a dog with behaviour cha...
13/05/2026

Is fitting your dog into your life much harder than you anticipated?

Living with a young dog, or a dog with behaviour challenges takes a lot of physical and mental energy.

Whether it’s analysing your dogs behaviour, and your own reactions to it, or constantly making decisions about where to walk them, what to do on that walk, what to feed them, how to feed them, etc etc. And that’s before we’ve even started training!

Then if we add in juggling work, meeting your own needs, and maybe also meeting the needs of everyone else in the household too, you’re probably not left with much time to just enjoy hanging out with your dog.

If this is you, you're not alone
This is something clients tell us they’re struggling with all the time. And this is exactly what we’ll be discussing at our next Spicy Social on Tuesday 9th June.

Our panelists will be talking about balancing meeting your dogs’ needs with the unique needs of your family and your household.

Book your ticket here: https://bookwhen.com/focusdogtrainingleeds/e/ev-s7okl-20260609180000

Ruby finished her one to one Puppy Package with us last week and it was a pleasure to see her able to focus so well out ...
11/05/2026

Ruby finished her one to one Puppy Package with us last week and it was a pleasure to see her able to focus so well out on a walk!

We've covered a lot in our sessions together, from sleep, and reducing puppy biting, to appropriate play, loose lead walking and recall foundations.

Raising a puppy can feel really overwhelming at times and our puppy packages and puppy training classes are designed to help take out the guess work and reduce the overwhelm!

If you've recently added a new fury family member, or have one on their way to you soon, drop us a message to find out how we can help set you and your puppy up for success!

Super excited to announce our panel for the next Spicy Social. These three fabulous humans will be kicking off the socia...
09/05/2026

Super excited to announce our panel for the next Spicy Social. These three fabulous humans will be kicking off the social with a panel discussion on how we build a plan for our spicy dogs that helps us thrive together.

We'll be talking about balancing work and family, multiple dogs, neurodivergence, dogs with complex needs, and so much more with meeting the needs of your spicy dog!

If you live or work with dogs with a little extra spice, this social is for you!

Come and join us at the Brownlee Arms in Horsforth on the 9th of June. We can't wait to see you there!

Book here: https://bookwhen.com/focusdogtrainingleeds/e/ev-s7okl-20260609180000

Last month I set our training members the challenge of spelling out their dogs name in treats while their dog stayed in ...
07/05/2026

Last month I set our training members the challenge of spelling out their dogs name in treats while their dog stayed in one position.

But what was the point? It had nothing to do with 'impulse control' 'food manners' or 'patience', I set this challenge as it's an excellent exercise for growing the human's training skills!

They were allowed to give their dogs ONE cue and then had to keep silent, no 'ah ah's no repeating cues, and no blocking the treats with their hand. They were, however, allowed to reward their dogs for staying in position as frequently as they needed to.

Because they couldn't repeat their cues or add additional verbal instructions, they had to be thoughtful about their rate of reinforcement and proactive about helping their dog stay in position before they moved.

To do this errorlessly and without repeating cues isn't easy but it's always good to test our own training skills!

Do you wish your dog could just relax in the garden this summer?If they spent the bank holiday barking at the neighbours...
05/05/2026

Do you wish your dog could just relax in the garden this summer?

If they spent the bank holiday barking at the neighbours, digging the flower beds and causing chaos, you’re probably wondering how on earth you’re going to enjoy the garden together this summer

Start by changing the association. If going in the garden always means fetch, chasing birds, and barking, they’re going to struggle to settle.

Spend five minutes a day doing something calming in the garden. Sniffing, chewing, practising settling on a mat.

Need help? Drop us a message!

Are you ready for our next spicy social?Come and join us on Tuesday 9th June for our ever popular spicy dog support grou...
03/05/2026

Are you ready for our next spicy social?

Come and join us on Tuesday 9th June for our ever popular spicy dog support group!

It takes a village, and these evenings are designed to help you build your village

This time we have a fabulous panel of speakers coming to talk to you about

🌟Thriving together: Building a plan that works for your dog and your family🌟

Grab your spot here: https://bookwhen.com/focusdogtrainingleeds/e/ev-sfy3-20260806183000

This is the best picture I've taken all year! Strap in for the story, I won't be able to keep it brief!Mungo the labrado...
01/05/2026

This is the best picture I've taken all year! Strap in for the story, I won't be able to keep it brief!

Mungo the labrador has a lot of worries and we have suspicions that pain might be a contributing factor to these worries. Unfortunately, one of the things that caused him most stress was going to the vets, being handled by strangers, and having people in the house. As you can imagine, this made it really challenging to check for pain.

We decided an assessment with Louisa Purkiss Veterinary Physiotherapy would be a good place to start getting some answers for him. So we got to work on a plan, the first step was to reduce daily stressors, particularly things that triggered his sound sensitivity.

Then we worked on helping him feel better about having visitors over. The first time I went to the house he was anxious whenever I spoke, moved, or looked at him, and found it really hard to settle. His humans dedicated lots of time to practising, roped in some friends to help, and he even made some new friends in the process.

Once he was more comfortable with people coming over, we got to work on some co-operative care skills. This involved teaching Mungo to opt in and out of hands on contact which helped build his confidence.

His family then practised 'fake physio sessions', touching him all over his body, lifting his legs and getting him used to everything Louisa would need to do to assess him.

Then we practised with me, and finally we were ready for Louisa to come and assess him.

We weren't sure if she'd be able to do everything on her first visit, but planned for her to at least watch him move and see how he responded to handling with his family.

Well yesterday was the big day and not only was Mungo comfortable enough for Louisa to touch him, he was comfortable enough for her to do a full assessment! This is huge for a dog with feelings as big as Mungo's! We've now got lots of information to forward to his vets and are several very big steps closer to helping him feel better.

I'm so very very proud of the hard work put in by this team, there was a lot to work on and a lot of steps to get him to this point. It really does take a village sometimes ❤

Advocating for your spicy dogThis isn't always easy...Often our dogs need us to speak for them and this can feel uncomfo...
29/04/2026

Advocating for your spicy dog

This isn't always easy...
Often our dogs need us to speak for them and this can feel uncomfortable.

Awareness gear can be helpful but sometimes, we need to verbally ask for space or set boundaries.

We find having pre planned stock phrases super helpful.

You can explain as little or as much as you like but it’s also okay just to say ‘No thank you’ and move on.

Here are some phrases you can use if your dog struggles with dogs or people:

If this is something you struggle with, our spicy social is likely the place for you https://bookwhen.com/focusdogtrainingleeds/e/ev-s7okl-20260609180000

A big part of my role is being your biggest cheerleader. I'm genuinely invested in your success and you can bet I'm goin...
25/04/2026

A big part of my role is being your biggest cheerleader. I'm genuinely invested in your success and you can bet I'm going to celebrate you doing a fabulous job!

Meet Bohdi! He's come to us for some help greeting dogs a little more calmly. He's very social and loves to greet people...
23/04/2026

Meet Bohdi! He's come to us for some help greeting dogs a little more calmly. He's very social and loves to greet people and dogs but in typical teenage fashion, gets himself a little over giddy when it comes to saying hi!

Helping him keep his cool starts far away from other dogs, we first have to make sure we have the right balance of sleep, exercise, and mental stimulation. Then we need to develop responses to cues and disengagement skills. Only then do we start to add dogs into the mix! Those foundations are the most important part of out training plan.

And this isn't just the case for dogs who get giddy with other dogs. Before we take our dogs into any situation, particularly one we already know they find hard, we need to make sure we have taught them skills that will help us navigate that situation. If we wait until we get into the situation to start teaching new skills or responses then everyone is set up for frustration and failure

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