Darwin Dog Training

Darwin Dog Training Providing training classes for puppies, dogs and their humans in Martlesham, Suffolk.

12/01/2026

Remy is a typical, energetic Vizsla - he's always raring to go at 100mph and can certainly be a handful!

I worked with his wonderful people when he was a puppy to build strong training foundations, so Remy is now thriving as an adolescent.

As a sociable, busy dog, Gareth decided to bring Remy along to our adolescent classes to fine tune his advanced training, particularly his recall around other dogs.

It's been clear to see what an advantage all their ongoing training since puppyhood has been now he's reached this challenging stage in his development. The bond and communication between this team is just delightful to see! ðŸĨ°

Our comprehensive and personalised approach to training means Remy and his guardians have all the building blocks and tools they need to excel at anything they want to do together, and can have fun doing it!

Together, we've worked on life skills, such as lead walking and recall, as well as invaluable behaviours like the 'emergency stop'. We've developed Remy's engagement around distractions, and his humans have gained an understanding of what motivates Remy as well as ways to elevate their training through varied reinforcement strategies and breed-specific enrichment.

As he matures, Remy is learning to regulate himself around the many exciting things the world has to offer, so he can make appropriate choices himself and his humans can relax and simply enjoy their time with him.

13/12/2025

Today was our last class before Christmas (one left before NY)! These guys all absolutely smashed it! ðŸĨ° Wishing all my lovely clients a wonderful break and looking forward to our last class of the year. 🙌

Here are my top tips as a dog trainer for teenage dog guardians!ðŸĪ“ Learn to understand your dog! It's easy to feel frustr...
30/10/2025

Here are my top tips as a dog trainer for teenage dog guardians!

ðŸĪ“ Learn to understand your dog!

It's easy to feel frustrated with our adolescent dogs - but they're going through a tough time in their lives and many unwanted behaviours are really just signs that they need our support. Working with a trainer who can help you learn why your dog is behaving a certain way and what you can do to meet their needs and set them up for success can prevent problems developing & make adolescence easier for everyone.

☝ïļ Get back to basics.

As our dogs' brains rewired during these development phase and the world becomes wayyyy more distracting, many things we thought we'd mastered and which they used to find easy, start to become a lot harder. We can absolutely make progress even during adolescence but, if our dogs are struggling with something, going back to basics to refresh and rehearse those foundations will keep us on the straight and narrow!

ðŸĪ Remember that you need support, too!

We're all humans, and we all benefit from the right support. If you're feeling overwhelmed, frustrated or lost - you need help. You don't have to struggle through it all alone, so find a trainer you click with so you can get through this with someone in you (and your dog's!) corner.

ðŸķ Group classes!

Studies have shown that attending group classes for the first year of their life can reduce the likelihood of dog to dog aggression. Socialisation during puppyhood is important, but we can't forget to keep teaching our teen dogs those invaluable lessons. Get them into regular, well-managed classes so both you and your dog can build the confidence and skills you need to succeed out and about.

Book classes with us now via our website: www.darwin-dogtraining.co.uk

27/10/2025

This is one of my favourite things to teach a dog who loves to chase. It's no good teaching our dogs to come back and stay still by our side when they have the opportunity to chase something - a much more exciting and intrinsically rewarding thing to do! This exercises lets us dogs chase, but safely redirects them.

As with anything, it's important we practice this lots and build a big reinforcement history for recalling from a chase before we start messing with it. But, we won't always have a toy to hand, or we might be in a situation where we do NEED our dogs to come back and stay close to us. So how do we make sure we still reward our dogs, so we don't undo our training?

Here are some ideas for different reinforcement strategies when you can't throw a toy like you do in a planned training session:

ðŸū run away yourself so they can chase you!
ðŸū throw treats for them to catch
ðŸū toss treats short distances for them to dash/pounce and sniff for them
ðŸū interactive play such as tug
ðŸū if your dog has another established behaviour they find fun, like a hand touch, you can throw a few of these in for high energy, feel-good interaction followed by whatever you'd usually use to reward those behaviours

24/10/2025

If you're living with a wild child ðŸĪŠ of a dog - I feel you! 😂 We've all been there. Whether puppyhood was a rough ride or a breeze, now adolescence is here and the real game begins. If you're wondering where it went wrong, or worrying you've left it too late with your adult dog - we're here for you.

Just a few spaces left on our adolescent and adult course starting in November - so book online today via our website at the top of the page. See you there! 💜

www.darwin-dogtraining.co.uk

This can be one of the toughest times of year for dogs and their humans. Even if your dog is okay with fireworks, I high...
22/10/2025

This can be one of the toughest times of year for dogs and their humans. Even if your dog is okay with fireworks, I highly recommend taking these steps anyway as noise phobias can arise at any point in a dog's life - it might be because they get a fright one year, or they could develop them due to health issues (eg pain is associated with noise phobias). Having a familiar routine that reduces the likelihood of startling events and helps your dog feel calm and safe can never hurt, and could prevent fear developing.

Working on noise desensitisation and/or counter conditioning are both great ways to prepare our dogs for firework seasons, but both of these take time that we don't have if we're worrying about supporting our dogs during the 2025 firework season. They also don't guarantee that our fearful dogs won't need additional support, or that our dogs couldn't develop fearful behaviour if they have a particularly frightening experience with unexpected, loud fireworks.

If you have internal rooms like en suite bathrooms, these can often be the quietest place to set your dog up. Some owners also report benefits from things like pressure vests and homeopathic remedies (always check manufacturer guidelines and speak to your vet if you're unsure what's suitable for your dog) but this is limited.

It's also important to check that your leads and harnesses are in good condition and fit well, and that your home and garden are secure, as many dogs go missing at this time of year due to bolting out of fear due to fireworks. Make sure your dog is away from external doors when they're not secured, and that your fences and gates are all safe and secure.

And perhaps most importantly - it is 100% okay to comfort your dog. You cannot reinforce fear, it always feels bad to be afraid and allowing our dogs to seek comfort and reassurance from us is absolutely okay. 💜

The last one is definitely the most interesting fact to me!So often, we stress ourselves out or feel guilty about not tr...
20/10/2025

The last one is definitely the most interesting fact to me!

So often, we stress ourselves out or feel guilty about not training often enough. Consistency and regular training is important - but it doesn't take as much time as you'd think.

Studies show that dogs can actually learn something more quickly with a single training session 2-3 times a week, rather than training multiple times a day. They can also retain their learned skils for at least four weeks without practicing, so a holiday or life event shouldn't derail your training.

I'm not saying it's bad to train every day - if you have the time and you enjoy it, go for it! Training is great for bonding and enrichment, so there's no need to skip it if you have the time. You can also vary what you work on, too, so you still give your dog time to consolidate what they learned the day before, ahead of the next time you work on it. But you don't need to stress or panic over not grinding every day.

Amazingly, recent research suggests our dogs' memory and learning is improved by chewing after a training session. This might sound bizarre - but there are also studies showing humans learn better if we rest our brains immediately after working on a skill, so this makes sense!

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Dan's Meadow
Martlesham
IP124RW

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