Poppet's Dog Training

03/06/2026

03/06/2026

The ability to engage and work together…

When you can get your pup pal to engage with you, training gets much easier.

A simple way to do this is with a ‘find it’ game. Toss a food reward in the grass, as your pup pal is searching for it, take a step or two away from them. Once they have found the food, they will likely move towards you, this is then praised and rewarded by continuing the game.

Just a few repetitions of this will get your pup rushing to you. 😊🐾

02/06/2026

But my dog is naughty, they steal….chew……ignore me……etc etc.

Dogs don’t behave out of spite or revenge, they aren’t stubborn or ignorant….

They just behave, well…….like a dog.

It is us that perceive their behaviour as ‘naughty’ to our standards.

Any behaviour our dog performs is because it is beneficial to them.

If we don’t like a behaviour our dog is repeating, it is on us to show them something more appropriate (to us), and that doesn’t mean we need to reprimand them. How could you feel if you were reprimanded for being you?

Don’t want your pup chewing your furniture? Provide it with a dog safe wood chew and limit free access to furniture.

Don’t want your pup stealing socks? Provide it with regular hunting games and don’t leave it unsupervised around your socks.

Feel like your pup is ignoring you? Ensure it actually knows what you are asking and can complete that behaviour.

Understanding your pup is the best path to get the dog you dreamed of. 😊🐾

01/06/2026

Your pup just needs to be more obedient right? …..

Not necessarily…

An obedient dog isn’t necessarily a well rounded dog, it’s just one that will follow instructions.

When we only focus on a dog that will ‘do as it’s told’, we can end up masking issues that could surface in other (unwanted) behaviours.

Dogs that are always told what to do are also less likely to problem solve when in new situations, which in turn can knock their confidence.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t teach our dogs basic skills, we absolutely should. What we shouldn’t do, is rely on them as a cure for behaviour challenges.

Drop me a message if you would like some support for you and your pup pal. 😊🐾

31/05/2026

I’m back, refreshed and ready to go!

After a much needed break I’m ready to get back to helping and supporting you in your training journey.

Drop me a message to see how I can assist you, be it basic training, or help with your current challenges, I’m here for you. 😊🐾

29/05/2026

A skill without a being asked…

I teach this skill by rewarding a pup for thinking. When I stop, what do they offer?

When we reward a behaviour, it is repeated, so rewarding calm behaviours will encourage the settle.

The reward is whatever that pup finds rewarding, fuss, praise, food, it’s their choice.

28/05/2026

He’s just being naughty…right?

In this short clip this chap shows 3 different displacement behaviours, can you spot them?

So what are displacement behaviours, and why do they happen..?

When placed in a situation they find hard and are trying to work through what they need to do, it is common they will offer a different behaviour to the one wanted.

This will be through a mixture of confusion, frustration and conflicting thoughts.

It will never be them being deliberately ‘naughty’.

This clip shows the start of a trail hunt for this chap, problem is…. He can’t find the trail. He knows what he needs to do but is frustrated that he can’t find the start point.

What are the displacement behaviours he shows?
- the play bow/ stretch
- full body shake
- commando crawling

What do we do when we see behaviours like this?

Acknowledge our pup pal is finding the situation hard, help them out by making the task easier, or revisit what you are asking another time.

Next time you are working with your pup, keep an eye out for what displacement behaviours your pup shows. 😊🐾

25/05/2026

Wanted, the cute, the quirky and the funky!🐶

Photos and short videos for use on social posts.

Pick your best and send them this way!😊🐾

24/05/2026

Dogs don’t speak English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿….. or any other human language.

When we are constantly verbally cuing them to perform a task before they know what the task is, we get an unreliable task.

You will know if this is the case if you ask for ‘sit’….’sit’…….’siiiiiiit’ and your pup just looks at you.

You will work together more efficiently with your pup if you teach the task first by giving your pup the space and time to think through its actions….. and then add the cue.

This little cutie is doing just that. She is learning that if she ‘leaves’ the piece of food placed on the floor, she will get a different reward.

Leave can be used to prevent your pup approaching people, dogs, or the piece of food you just dropped off the worktop. 😊🐾