Aspire Dog Training

01/11/2026

31/10/2026

30/10/2026

I don't care how well trained your dog is. Put it on a lead near roads.

This morning I watched a dog chase something across a road while its owner desperately tried to call it back.

Thankfully, I didn't witness a collision, but it could so easily have ended very differently.

And increasingly, I'm seeing trainers posting videos of their dogs walking beautifully off lead alongside roads, apparently to demonstrate their training.

But what exactly are we proving?

Even the best-trained dog is still a living, thinking animal. No recall or heelwork is guaranteed in every situation.

One unexpected distraction or frightening noise could have devastating consequences for the dog, the driver and anyone who witnesses it.

And when trainers showcase this, they risk encouraging owners with less experience to try the same.

A lead isn't a failure of training. It's a simple safety measure.

Give your dog freedom where it's safe. Near roads, clip the lead on.

It's really not worth the risk. 💙🐾

22/10/2026

There's something really special about watching a dog enjoying the freedom to explore, sniff, run and just be a dog. 🐾

I know off-lead freedom isn't possible or appropriate for every dog, and that's absolutely fine.

But I do think it's sad when dogs who could enjoy that freedom miss out simply because the time hasn't been put into building the skills to make it safe.

Reliable recall doesn't happen overnight. It takes patience, practice and consistency.

But for those dogs who can safely enjoy it, the reward is so much bigger than having a dog that comes back when called.

And seeing them out there, having the time of their lives?

That's one of my favourite things in the world. 💙

18/10/2026

Sometimes the best thing you can do after calling your dog is… shut up! 🤫🐾

We can be terribly impatient with our dogs.

“Come… COME… COME HERE… WOODY!”

And when they don't respond immediately, we assume they're ignoring us.

But sometimes, we simply haven't given them enough time to process what we've asked.

I caught a lovely example of this with Woody today.

He'd spotted a squirrel ahead of us and was very interested in it.

I blew my recall whistle. Once.

And then I waited.

And waited a little longer.

Believe me, when you're standing there waiting for your dog to respond, a few seconds can feel like an eternity!

But Woody eventually disengaged from the squirrel, turned around and came back beautifully.

No repeated whistles. No shouting. No escalating frustration.

Just one clear cue and an opportunity to respond.

Now, that doesn't mean dogs will always come back if we simply wait long enough. Recall needs to be taught, reinforced and practised, and the environment needs to be appropriate for the dog's current abilities.

But when your dog knows what you're asking, constantly repeating the cue isn't necessarily helping.

In fact, it can teach them that the first cue doesn't really matter.

Sometimes our dogs need a moment to disengage from something interesting and make a different choice.

Say it once. Give them a chance. Reward the decision.

And remember, good training isn't always about getting a faster response.

Sometimes it's about giving your dog the opportunity to succeed.

🐾 Fulfilment First — informed by breed, shaped by the individual.

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17/10/2026

17/10/2026

Your dog doesn't have to be a working gundog to enjoy gundog training. 🐾

Got a Cockapoo, Labradoodle, Spaniel, Labrador or another gundog breed or mix?

There’s a whole world of activities your dog might absolutely love — and you don't need to shoot, compete or have any ambition to work your dog to enjoy them together.

Gundog-style training isn't just about teaching a dog to retrieve.

It can help develop so many of the everyday skills we want from our dogs:

🐾 Impulse control — learning to wait rather than immediately chasing after something exciting.

🐾 Recall and responsiveness — choosing to come back and work with you, even when the environment is interesting.

🐾 Focus and teamwork — learning to communicate and enjoy activities together.

🐾 Confidence and problem-solving — using their nose and brain to search for something.

And perhaps most importantly, it gives dogs opportunities to express some of the natural behaviours their breeds were developed for.

That's fulfilment. Not simply trying to tire a dog out, but giving them something meaningful to do.

This is Woody, my Cockapoo, completing a memory retrieve across a field full of interesting rabbit scents, in the pouring rain.

He's not a working gundog. He's my pet dog.

But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy gundog-style activities together.

More than obedience. More than exercise. It's about understanding the dog in front of you.

🐾

Fulfilment First — informed by breed, shaped by the individual.

Aspire Dog Training

16/10/2026

🐶 **Puppy Foundations at High Elms — starting Saturday 14 November**

Have you recently welcomed a puppy and found that life now involves rather more biting, jumping, pulling and general chaos than you expected?

My next five-week Puppy Foundations course starts at High Elms:

📍 High Elms
📅 Saturday 14 November
🕘 9:00am
🐾 Maximum of just four puppies
💷 £165 for the full five-week course

The small class size means you and your puppy receive plenty of individual guidance in a calm, supportive environment.

We’ll build practical foundations for everyday life, including:

🐾 Engagement and focus
🐾 Recall
🐾 Comfortable lead walking
🐾 Appropriate greetings
🐾 Handling and cooperative care
🐾 Settling and making good choices

This isn’t simply about teaching cues. You’ll learn how to understand your puppy’s behaviour and support their individual needs as they grow.

Classes are force-free, reward-based and led by John Monksfield, an ABTC-registered Animal Training Instructor and owner of Aspire Dog Training.

To ask a question or reserve a place please send me a message, you can also book directly through our website.

Fulfilment First — informed by breed, shaped by the individual.

10/10/2026

Sometimes the best dog training happens before your dog even gets distracted. 🐾

During a recent Puppy Foundations class at High Elms, we were outside practising some real-world skills.

Other dogs were approaching along the main path, so rather than waiting for our puppies to get excited, start pulling towards them or become frustrated that they couldn't say hello, we did something very simple.

We moved further away from the path.

Then we used a little game called 1-2-3, where the puppies could predict when a reward was coming and had something familiar and enjoyable to focus on.

The result?

Other dogs walked past, and our puppies remained happily engaged with their owners.

No barking, lunging or frantic attempts to get over and say hello.

And here's the important bit.

That wasn't because we'd taught these young puppies incredible self-control.

It was because we'd set them up to succeed.

We gave them enough distance, made the situation manageable and rewarded the behaviour we wanted to see.

As their confidence and skills develop, we can gradually make things more challenging.

But we don't have to start with the hardest version.

Good dog training isn't about constantly testing whether your dog can cope. It's about creating the conditions in which they can learn.

🐾 Aspire Dog Training

Fulfilment First — informed by breed, shaped by the individual.