Alison Carpenter - In a Spin Dog Training

29/04/2022

The look that tells me the Hairy Womble thinks I’m crazy.
“Why you taking chair for walkies?”

If you have a dog who can lose his cool on lead when other dogs pass-by, having a few ‘defensive’ lead handling techniques in your ‘tool kit’ is a good idea.

Because let’s be honest, you can’t always keep distance.

Sometimes surprises happen, like the man with his ‘doodle’ who suddenly appeared from round the back of a building yesterday (always suspicious if you ask me 🤔)

It’s best to practice such skills before you include the dog – that’s where the chair came in.

And definitely practice the techniques before you actually need them!

25/04/2022

Hard work going on in my office this week!

“How can this possibly be work?” I hear you say. “You’re just hanging out on a (completely empty) white sandy beach in the sun, with a dog!”

True 😀 but in actual fact, this is the MOST important part of the work.

You see ‘The Hairy Womble’ (name changed to protect the innocent) has been working really hard on learning some new behaviours around other dogs. We’ve been hanging around at the ferry port a few miles away, making the most of the start of the tourist season and the visiting dogs that tend to come along with that.

We’re not stalking dogs in an anti-social ‘bark and lunge to scare off all the tourists’ kind of way. Rather working at a distance that allows ‘Womble’ the space and time to make good decisions, learn new behaviours and feel OK about other dogs.

But even though we’re working at a distance where he doesn’t ‘lose it’ – there is still a steady accumulation of ‘stress chemicals’ in his body, so we keep the sessions quite short and then we decamp to the beach.

A little bit of ‘stress’ is not a bad thing. It’s essential in fact.
BUT it’s critical that the body has time to return to a balanced state. And being proactive about the process of ‘coming back down’ is even better.

There’s a reason why we should take holidays, have evenings and weekends off, pursue enjoyable (dog-based) hobbies etc. It’s not just to empty the bank account! Without the opportunity to decompress we end up with a state of chronic stress and that can be extremely damaging to physical and emotional well-being.

The same is true for our dogs. Dogs in a constant state of high arousal struggle to make rational choices and often exhibit lots of unwanted behaviours.

There is also research that shows that learning is most effective when followed by bouts of rest or play, and obviously I want Womble to get the most out of every training session and the empty white sandy beach helps with that too!

You might be thinking this is not relevant to your dog if he doesn’t have aggression issues. Don’t be fooled! The same chemical reaction is happening whether the ‘thing’ is worrisome for the dog or very exciting. Your dog might absolutely love his agility, or wrestling all day with his friends at day-care – but if he doesn’t have ‘relaxation time’ built in, you may well still have a problem on your hands.

Ever had the experience (possibly pre-covid?!) when you’ve got back late from a really enjoyable evening out, WAY later than the time when you’d normally be nodding off in front of the telly, but you’re buzzing and just can’t sleep without a bit of down-time first? If so, that’s what I’m talking about.

So, Womble and me gently bimbling on the beach is THE most important part of the whole training session. If you don’t have an easily accessible, empty, sandy beach – some quiet time on his own with a kong or bone, or a scatter feed in the garden will also help 😉

And yes, this beach is somewhere in Scotland, but I’m not telling you where, or it wouldn’t be empty!! 🤣

22/03/2022

Does your dog like to sniff?

The benefits of harnessing this most ‘basic’ of doggy skills are enormous, and I believe you can never give your dog too many opportunities to sniff either casually as you are out walking, or as a more planned activity.

The video is from a completely informal scentwork session yesterday and sniffing aficionados will probably have to turn away because all the search area is ‘contaminated’ with my scent – but those dogs are enjoying themselves and that’s surely the most important thing?!

There are lots of benefits such as practising calmness and mindfulness; it builds confidence and tolerance for frustration and is known to lower the dog’s heart rate.

Usually when dogs are sniffing they are working in a Goldilocks state of arousal (not too little and not too much) and because we know that dogs prone to over-arousal don’t always make great behavioural choices, opportunities for those dogs to practice thoughtful games and calmness can only be a good thing too.

As well as all of the above, I took it as an opportunity to practise turn-taking and waiting, important in a multi-dog household.

This is a rare video of Millie. Normally the sight of the camera has her heading in the opposite direction to hide in the bushes – but yes, when she’s sniffing, even the camera is forgiven.
Millie likes to cheer Loki on when he’s working and it’s not pleasant on the ears. But she’s totally quiet and methodical when it’s her turn.

You can teach your dog to search for a specific scent or item; or search in a particular pattern. You can get really fancy with what the dog does when he finds the item (We can do that too)...

…or you can just hang out in the sunshine and have some fun.

Surely, it’s far healthier both physically and emotionally for a dog than charging around after a ball until his tongue hangs out?

04/03/2022

Aggression is not a 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵!

It’s a set of behaviours that a dog may exhibit as a response to a perceived or actual threat.

Or put it another way

“𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 dog is an aggressive dog!”

Because every dog has the 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 to exhibit aggressive behaviours in the ‘right’ context/emotional state i.e. if the threat is considered great enough 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘨.

Read more about my thoughts on aggression in dogs in my latest blog:

https://dogsinaspin.co.uk/blog/aggression-not-personality-trait

Happy Friday 😀

28/02/2022

𝘿𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧?

➡️ You’re more than ready to stop hiding in the bushes and address your dog’s anti-social behaviour towards other dogs.

➡️ Or you're totally fed-up of not quite trusting him to come back when you call. (His recall is great until there are distractions, right?!)

➡️ Maybe even feeling a wee bit guilty about spending less time with your pooch now the world is opening up again…

➡️ BUT it’s tough to fit dog training in around everything else that life throws at you AND you are exhausted at the end of each day. Getting out for a walk with the dog is about as much as you have brain-space and energy for most days.

𝙉𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬?

A residential training retreat is just what you need!

Come and work with me on our small working croft on the beautiful Scottish Island of Lismore, a short ferry ride from Oban.

You can stay on site for the duration of the retreat in our dog friendly, off-grid bothy; or arrange your own accommodation if you prefer.

There are a few 2022 dates remaining for my very popular residential training retreats. Giving you dedicated, focussed training time balanced with a chance to slow down and enjoy just hanging out with your dog.

𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪?

The retreats are well suited to dogs who have issues around other dogs (i.e. reactive/bark-lunge)

and are also great for working on things like recall, loose-lead walking or just fun activities such as tricks and scent-work.

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠?

The week long retreats are designed to be a holiday which just happens to include some dog training, so you can relax and unwind and have some focussed time with your dog.

No ‘boot camp' here!

Every retreat is bespoke, tailored to meet your individual needs, with flexibility throughout.

It really is your retreat.

𝙂𝙤𝙩 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙟𝙪𝙢𝙥 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣?

Send me a message and let’s arrange a time to chat so I can find out more about your training goals and what the perfect retreat would look like for you and your dog 😊

14/02/2022

All this talk of LOVE!❤️

Sometimes it’s about actions not words though.

Loki loves me so much that when he saw my gloves didn’t have one of those fancy touchscreen finger patches, he adapted them for me.

He even took into account that I’m left-handed. So thoughtful.

Good job I love him! 🥰

28/01/2022

As some of you know - I don't have a TV, so I am not commenting on this first hand BUT I have seen so many reactions and responses to the treatment of this poor dog this week, I felt the need to share this.

I live with an elderly, arthritic dog who struggles to do all the things he used to, even with great pain management. If that's Pip being a 'diva' then he is very, very welcome to be the biggest, most indulged drama queen in Scotland.

Guys, a bona fide behaviour consultant will do two things:

Take a moment (or several) to consider WHY a behaviour might be happening

ALWAYS work alongside your vet to rule out any pain or medical issues that might be contributing to the behaviours.

Happy Friday, and choose your weekend viewing carefully!
❤️🐾🐾

2024 update -

This post was made two years ago and has recently been getting attention again. The sad thing is that actually nothing has changed. This program is still being made. There is ( as far as I know - and very happy to be corrected if I am wrong) no veterinary involvement with these dogs prior to filming.

How many more dogs are going to be labled as awkward, difficult, stubborn or just lazy when actually there is an underlying pain issue?

We have so many wonderful trainers and behaviourists that could fill this man’s shoes and provide far more valuable advice and training. Stop giving people like this man air time… pick someone who actually cares about the wellbeing of the dogs they work with instead of the cash going to line their pockets…

-

Some phrases used on this particular episode of ‘Dogs behaving (very) badly’ where 8 year old Ruby would only get off the sofa if the rug was over the laminate flooring, and would sit down and stop on walks…

‘being a madam’

‘Controlling the diva’

‘Indulging her with rugs’

‘Thinks she’s in charge’

OR

Is this actually a dog in pain, a dog scared of slipping and hurting, a dog trying to tell everyone that she’s uncomfortable?

It’s not indulging her with a rug, it’s making sure her own home is accessible and safe for her. She’s not ‘being a diva’ and refusing to walk, she’s telling you it hurts and she’s uncomfortable.

I’m very glad that the owners realise that this dogs weight is having a significant impact on her life but there are other things that need addressing here. I have no doubt they absolutely adore their girl, that is very clear to see, but I desperately wish they had the right kind of support for Ruby, not just let’s force her to walk and walk on a floor she’s is scared

Dogs Behaving Very Badly and The Dogfather (Graham Hall)… I’m afraid the blame falls to you on this occasion. You have a massive platform with thousands of dog owners watching every episode. How about talking about signs of pain? Indicators of discomfort? When behaviours actually tell us somethings wrong? Ways to adapt houses for older dogs and those that struggle with mobility? You could educate SO MANY owners but no, it doesn’t happen. Instead we just see an uncomfortable dog being forced to walk when she doesn’t want to, and live in an environment that she is scared of.

Dogs need us to advocate for them, to realise when we need to do more and to learn the ways that they tell us something isn’t right. Owner education is the key to this and this could have been a brilliant opportunity to do just that.

06/11/2021

It’s been ‘fairly breezy’ on Lismore over the last couple of weeks (as you can hear if you have the sound on!)

That always leads to all sorts of detritus on the shoreline – from single flip-flops to fishing crates, and a surprising number of half-chewed dog toys.

Loki was delighted to discover not one but TWO buoys washed up – just for his entertainment 😂

06/10/2021

Imagine you dreamed playing your favourite Beethoven Sonata on a huge Grand Piano in front of an audience at the Royal Albert Hall.

OK – this is your daydream so you can choose your own instrument, music and gig venue but stick with me 😉

In order to achieve that dream, you’re going to have to put in lots of practice including scales and some easier pieces as part of your progress.

You’ll break the music down – line by line, bar by bar. And some of those trickier sections you might even split your practice down to individual notes.

Finally you nail it! You can play the whole piece perfectly.

Well, in the living room, at least.

But you’ll probably want to practice in front of a small audience first until you build confidence and get familiar with how it feels to play in different locations and the effect that has on your nerves and your ability to concentrate.

I’m almost certain that you would NOT do the following:

• Go straight to perform at the Albert Hall after your very first practice session (or without any practice at all) and expect to be note-perfect.

• Call the piano ‘STUBBORN’ when you are not note-perfect in front of that huge audience after one practice session.

• Decide to learn a different piece of music after one or two sessions because you have not learnt the first piece quickly enough.

Now – imagine that the piano is your dog, and the ‘music’ you wish to perform is a whiplash response to your recall despite all the distractions of the local park. (Insert your own 'music' and choice of venue here!)

Guess what? All the same principles apply!

I so often hear dog owners say:

‘We’ve tried that, it didn’t work’ when they’ve done a few repetitions of the training at home, then gone straight to a busy beach on a sunny Sunday afternoon without any practice steps along the way.

Or

‘We’ve tried everything!’ – and usually they have – but they’ve just not stuck with anything for long enough, or not broken it down into achievable steps.

Or

'The dog's just stubborn'...

If you’ve got a particular piece that you and your dog are not performing too well in public (or even in the privacy of your own living room) take your time, build up your practice slowly, and break things into small steps if you need to.

Rapturous applause awaits you. Or just a proud smile to yourself for a job well done 😊

21/09/2021

Usually the only way to make progress is to step outside your comfort zone. Not too far. Just enough to stretch and grow.

So glad Lou - The Dog's Friend and beautiful Luna trusted me to help them make that next step on their journey.

And who says you can't enjoy a wee drink in the sunshine while training your dog? 😉

27/08/2021

Loki says:

"I think you'll find EVERY day is 'International Dog Day' on this end of the sofa. Now stop scrolling and bring me another biscuit"

😉

10/08/2021

Are you a victim of peer pressure?! 🤔

I’m not talking about smoking behind the bike sheds or knocking on doors and running away. I’m talking about peer pressure in training your dog.

I quite often get messages from clients asking for guidance because their friend/Uncle/hairdresser has told them that they need to do X, Y or Z. You know the sort of thing:

"Just let him off lead – he’ll come back when he’s ready"
"Spray water at him - that will stop the barking"
"It’s OK, I’ve had dogs all my life – he won’t bite me!"

I totally understand, because I’ve fallen foul of the “just leave them, they’ll be fine” pressure recently too, and my dog got a nip on the nose for it.

I felt really bad because I would never have been so careless and allowed that interaction to happen with my clients’ dogs and those who have worked directly with me know I go out of my way to protect the emotional and physical safety of everyone.

But on this occasion, I didn’t keep my own sweet dog safe. Fortunately, he just shook it off but that’s not the point.

I know we all want sometimes to be able to take the easy route. Not have to think or work so hard to achieve the outcome. But we also know in our heart or hearts that the quick fix or easy option or the “leave them to sort it out between themselves” approach is usually not the best for the dog.

The ‘helpful’ person does not have the full picture. They don’t know your dog like you do (or their own dog in many cases 😉)

So let’s make a pact. Let’s continue to be advocate for our own dogs. You know what your dog needs and you have the bigger picture. You know where you started and where you want to get to on your training journey.

If you find yourself feeling pressured into doing something in dog training that just doesn’t feel right – by all means, sound me out.

You never know, I might just call on you to keep me on the straight and narrow too!