Tails of Success - Labrador Training

Tails of Success - Labrador Training Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Tails of Success - Labrador Training, Dog trainer, Minety.

šŸ¾ - Labrador Training Specialists
šŸŒŽ - Online Training - Worldwide
šŸ¦® - 1-1 Training - Cirencester, UK
ā¬‡ļø - Want to discover more?
šŸ’» https://linktr.ee/tailsofsuccess

30/08/2026

When we bring a puppy home, most of us have a picture in our minds of what life together will look like.

Long walks, adventures, a dog thatā€™s healthy, confident and ready to take on the world with us.

But life doesnā€™t always go to plan.

For some, itā€™s a health condition like Oscarā€™s elbow dysplasia. For others, it might be behavioural challenges, injury, anxiety or something else entirely.

One of the things I loved most about my conversation with Mairi is that she talks honestly about learning to let go of the life sheā€™d imagined, understanding Oscarā€™s limitations, and building a different life around what he can do.

Thatā€™s exactly what our dogs need from usā€¦ the opportunity to enjoy the life they can.

šŸŽ™ļø Episode 42 of The Labrador Podcast: Elbow Dysplasia, Surgery & Rehab | Mairi & Oscarā€™s Story is available to listen to, or watch now wherever you get your podcasts.

This video is from a conversation between Vikki from Tails of Success - Labrador Training and Mairi Babb on the_labrador_podcast

šŸ¤Ž Oscar is the Labrador at the heart of Episode 42 of The Labrador Podcast.When Mairi brought him home, she was looking ...
28/08/2026

šŸ¤Ž Oscar is the Labrador at the heart of Episode 42 of The Labrador Podcast.

When Mairi brought him home, she was looking forward to everything sheā€™d imagined life with a Labrador would bring.

Walks, hikes, camping trips and plenty of adventures together.

Then, at just five months old, Oscar started limping.

What followed was a diagnosis of elbow dysplasia, surgery on both elbows and months of rehabilitation.

In our conversation, Mairi talks openly about what it was like to receive that diagnosis with such a young dog, the worry and guilt that came with it, and the huge amount sheā€™s learnt while helping Oscar through surgery and recovery.

But this isnā€™t a sad story about everything Oscar canā€™t do.

Itā€™s also about adapting expectations, finding out what he can do and making sure that, despite his diagnosis, Oscar gets to be a Labrador and enjoy his life.

And from listening to Mairi talk about him, one thing is very clearā€¦

Oscar absolutely loves his life.

šŸŽ™ļø Episode 42: Elbow Dysplasia, Surgery & Rehab | Mairi & Oscarā€™s Story

You can watch the video, or audio version of The Labrador Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode 42 of The Labrador Podcast is a conversation between Vikki from Tails of Success - Labrador Training and Mairi Babb

19/08/2026

Your pet Labrador can really benefit from doing the things they were bred to do.

They donā€™t need to be brilliant at it, and you donā€™t need to be good enough to win competitions.

But many working-line Labradors that are kept as family pets could really benefit from using their naturally occurring breed traits.

We can easily fall into the trap of thinking they need more exercise to calm them down, when often what they actually need is more appropriate outlets for the behaviours we have deliberately bred into them for generations.

Vikki from Tails of Success - Labrador Training and Pete talk much more about this, and life with Bonnie, in Episode 41 of the_labrador_podcast.

Listen to, or watch the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.

Have you listened yet?

15/08/2026

Youā€™ve got to be more interesting than the rest of the world. And that doesnā€™t simply mean filling your pockets with better treats.

For a lot of Labradors, particularly busy working-line dogs, the environment can be incredibly rewarding. There are smells to investigate, things moving, dogs to watch, people to meet and places to explore.

If you want your Labrador to choose you amongst all of that, you need to become part of the fun too.

Play with them.
Move with them.
Give them jobs.
Use their natural instincts and traits.
Make interaction with you something they enjoy.

And then thereā€™s timing.
Some busy-brained Labradors give you a tiny window to get involved before their attention has already moved on to the next thing.

Thatā€™s why training shouldnā€™t just focus on what food treats you have in your pocket. It should focus on your relationship, your timing and the value your dog places on being with you.

This clip is taken from a conversation between Vikki from and about life with Bonnie in Episode 41 of .

You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the full video episode on YouTube.

Alan is a new puppy Iā€™ve started working with, and his family were keen to get things right from the very beginning.Our ...
15/08/2026

Alan is a new puppy Iā€™ve started working with, and his family were keen to get things right from the very beginning.

Our first training session took place after heā€™d been home for just two days.

Starting this early is about showing Alan what life with his new family looks like, helping him understand whatā€™s expected and building good habits before unwanted ones have a chance to creep in.

For those of you who have worked with me before, youā€™ll already know that puppy training isnā€™t just about training the puppy... a big part of my job is training the humans too!

Helping them understand what Alan needs, how to communicate clearly with him and how to make training part of everyday life.

Our training sessions are for the whole family!

Yesterday, we started teaching Alan to settle.
Weā€™re teaching him that when his humans say ā€œsettleā€, he goes to his mat, lies down and relaxes there.

Right now, that might mean settling while dinner is being prepared or while everyone is sitting together at home.

Eventually, it can become the same skill he uses when he goes to a cafƩ, pub, restaurant or anywhere else his family want him to calmly relax alongside them.

Heā€™s tiny at the moment, but weā€™re already starting to build the skills heā€™ll need as an adult Labrador.

Good puppy training is about laying really good foundations from day one.

And finally... who else thinks Alan is the best name for a little puppy?

13/08/2026

šŸŽ™ļø Episode 41 of The Labrador Podcast:
Pete & Bonnie | What Every First-Time Labrador Owner Needs to Hear is AVAILABLE NOW.

Listen or watch wherever you get your podcasts.

Pete talks so openly in this episode about life wth Bonnie, including how her love for other dogs became a challenge.

It was just one of the challenges they had to work through, particularly when Bonnie was younger, and I think itā€™s something a lot of Labrador owners will recognise.

Peteā€™s really honest about the expectations he had before getting Bonnie, the difficulties they faced, trying different approaches to training, and eventually finding what worked for them.

Itā€™s a great reminder that the Labrador you see now isnā€™t necessarily the Labrador someone started with.

Have you listened yet? Let me know if you enjoyed it.

Bonnie is the Labrador x Golden Retriever at the heart of Episode 41 of The Labrador Podcast.When Pete brought Bonnie ho...
12/08/2026

Bonnie is the Labrador x Golden Retriever at the heart of Episode 41 of The Labrador Podcast.

When Pete brought Bonnie home, heā€™d done his research, found a breeder, signed up for puppy classes and was determined to give his first dog the best possible start.

But Bonnie had other ideas! šŸ˜‚

A young dog with plenty of working-line energy, a strong prey drive and LOTS of enthusiasm for other dogs, life with Bonnie wasnā€™t always as straightforward as Pete had imagined.

In our conversation, Pete talks really openly about those early months, the pressure he put on himself to get everything right, the points where he wondered whether he was failing her, and the change in approach that eventually helped them become the wonderful team they are today.

Itā€™s a story I think a lot of Labrador owners will recognise themselves in.

šŸŽ™ļø Episode 41: Pete & Bonnie | What Every First-Time Labrador Owner Needs to Hear - OUT NOW

Available now on The Labrador Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or watch the full video conversation on YT.

Just search for Tails of Success - Labrador Training, or The Labrador Podcast and you should be able to find episode 41.

I hope you enjoy getting to know Bonnie šŸ¾

Does your Labrador take things and run away?You chase them.You shout.They run faster.You eventually corner them, wrestle...
08/08/2026

Does your Labrador take things and run away?

You chase them.
You shout.
They run faster.

You eventually corner them, wrestle the shoe away and think youā€™ve dealt with the problem.

Sound familiar?

Your Labrador probably thinks youā€™ve just played a brilliant game together.

Remember, you bought a Labrador RETRIEVER.
Picking things up and carrying them around is natural behaviour.

Weā€™ve bred Labradors for generations to use their mouths to pick things up.

So rather than fighting against that natural instinct, teach them what you want them to do next:

šŸ‘‰ Bring it to me.

I want my Labrador to have complete confidence that coming to me with something in their mouth is always a good decision.

So I donā€™t chase.
I donā€™t sn**ch things away.
I donā€™t tell them off for bringing something to me.

I encourage them towards me, praise the return and calmly take or exchange the item.

And if itā€™s something theyā€™re allowed to have, Iā€™ll often give it straight back.

Because if coming to you ALWAYS means losing their prized possession, why would they bring you the next thing they find?

This is why retrieving games are so valuable for Labradors, teach them:

Go and get it.
Bring it back.
Give it to me.
Celebrate together.

Practise that routine with toys and safe objects and make bringing things to you rewarding.

One day it might not be a shoe or a sock.
It could be something dangerous theyā€™ve found on a walk.

Donā€™t fight against the Retriever in your Labrador.
Teach them what you want them to do with it.

If youā€™d like help teaching your Labrador the rules while giving them appropriate ways to use those natural retrieving traits, you can join me for 1:1 training in person, book a home visit anywhere in the UK, or work with me online from anywhere in the world.

Send me a message and letā€™s put that Retriever instinct to good use.

ā€œI think I left it too late to train my Labradorā€ is one of the saddest things I hear, because itā€™s NOT true.If your Lab...
04/08/2026

ā€œI think I left it too late to train my Labradorā€ is one of the saddest things I hear, because itā€™s NOT true.

If your Labrador is three, five or eight years old, and youā€™ve lived with pulling on the lead, poor recall, jumping up, barking at visitors or getting overexcited for so long that youā€™ve started to believe itā€™s just who they areā€¦

It doesnā€™t have to be!

It surprises people when I tell them that working with an adult Labrador can have big advantages.

Youā€™re no longer trying to train through the challenges of puppyhood or adolescence.
Youā€™re working with a more mature dog, and that can make learning much easier than expected.

Some of my most memorable Labrador training success stories have involved older Labradors.

In fact, the oldest Labrador Iā€™ve worked with was 13 years old, and we were teaching loose lead walking.

Of course, the earlier you start training, the easier it can be because youā€™re building good habits from the very beginning, instead of changing existing ones.

But older Labradors are still very capable of learning.

The difference is that weā€™re not starting with a blank sheet of paper.

Weā€™re working with behaviours that have been practised hundreds or even thousands of times.

That means we need to understand why your Labrador is doing them, what theyā€™re getting from those behaviours, and then replace their habits with something more desirable.

That takes patience, loads of consistency and a realistic training plan.

Whilst youā€™re unlikely to change a well rehearsed behaviour in a single training session, the goal is to stop your Labrador practicing the old habits every day, while giving them countless opportunities to practise the new behaviours that you do want.

So if you have an older Labrador and youā€™re wondering whether things can improveā€¦ the answer is YES.

You havenā€™t left it too late.
But you do need the right plan, the right support and the commitment to help your Labrador change for the better.

If youā€™d like help, I offer Real-World Training across Cirencester and Swindon, home visits throughout the UK, and online training worldwide.

How old was your Labrador when they did their best learning?

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