Dog Trainer James

Dog Trainer James Dog Trainer & Behaviourist, based in Tunbridge Wells.

25/07/2025

We don’t want our dog to pull us around…yet we also want them to not stop and sniff as we are always in a rush…

Can’t have it both ways now can we…well…

Human life is dictated by time. We are always on the clock. A clock our dogs don’t understand or know about.

Unfortunately that often means that we nag our dogs on walks as for some reason we have walk in circles; to go round the block, or, around the park. Things that often take more time than we actually have available.

So why not measure your dog walks in time, not distance.

For example if you only have 30 mins, why not walk 15 mins in one direction, turn around and walk 15 minutes back.

That way we’re not rushing the dog and as they’ve already experienced that environment, you will probably get way more engagement and have opportunities for training on the way back!

22/07/2025

Is there such a thing as an anxious dog?

I ask this question as the vast majority of dogs that I work with who have been labelled as anxious, are in pain.

Pain and anxiety are obviously linked but my point here is that if we focus on the anxiety too much, me might miss the cause of it.

The bit about this that really intrigues me is that when I talk to dog guardians and even vets, there is often resistance to investigation into pain, but way less when we mention anxiety.

I have my thoughts on why that is, but I’d be really interested to know what you all think;

- why are people (guardians and vets) more comfortable with the concept that the dog is anxious, than the potential that they might be in pain?

Because I promise you, most ‘anxious’ dogs are in pain.

19/07/2025

When you encounter unusual, and potentially scary things with your puppy make sure you don’t make these common mistakes;

- forcing your puppy towards the scary thing
- using too much food
- short lead- tense lead
- restricting choice
- not listening to the dog

The word itself - socialisation - creates the impression that your puppy needs to actually meet everyone and everything.

Quite the opposite.

Think about normal life and how much you ‘ignore’.

You will want your dog to do much the same.

So approach it like this and you will be on the right path.

Think of it as more about exposure; you want your puppy to experience things in a way that leaves them confident for the next time.

14/07/2025

Barking at the door or at visitors is one of those behaviours I think I hear about every single day; it’s got to be one of the most common problems that dog owners face.

This is a little story of how I dealt with Mac, my dog, barking at a visitor this morning ⬇️

First I utilised some management; so in my case Mac was behind a gate.

Then pretty simply I just kept feeding Mac all the while that the guest was there, along with ensuring the guest didn’t leave which could potentially reinforce Mac barking.

Also importantly Mac had space; he had freedom to leave the situation if he wanted to. But eventually he started to calm down and offer me some behaviours that I wanted to reinforce.

Initially I was using the food as an interrupter to the barking and laterly I was using the food to specifically reinforce more desirable behaviour.

Did the food change how he felt about the visitor? I don’t know for sure because I can’t access that, however what I can access is what I can see and the behaviour was changing; his breathing was slowing down, his movement was less frantic, and eventually he was offering me behaviours like lying down that I can reward, but that also indicated to me that he felt vastly different about the presence of the visitor.

So the moral of the story is don’t be too afraid to use food in these situations, because the barking is not about acquiring food.

10/07/2025

I often feel like these posts are completely unnecessary; everyone knows that when it’s this hot our dogs shouldn’t be out in it…Right?Well every time I go out the evidence would suggest otherwise; people are still walking their dogs in this heat. So please do me a favour and share this, as if just one person reconsiders walking their dog in this heat, it’ll have been worth it. Thank you.

08/07/2025

Are there more ‘reactive’ dogs than their used to be?And if so why?I think there are a lot of factors that contribute to the potential of their being more reactive dogs - I’ll talk about them through a few videos - but let’s start at the start; breeding. Breeding is now a commercial enterprise, often driven by selecting dogs for factors other than temperament or function. This can lead to dogs that are born in sub optimal circumstances, which can significantly impact their ability to live comfortably in the environments they are most likely to end up in. For example dogs born with an inherited suspicion of humans, are going to find life a challenge. These dogs are often facing an uphill battle and are tricky to train, they may have pain that goes undiagnosed, they may start life eating poor quality food or have parasites that impact get gut health throughout their life. I don’t have the answers to this ongoing problem, but in the - admittedly very unlikely - event that someone reading this has not yet got their puppy; pick your breeder very very very carefully.

05/07/2025

Do you have a ‘reactive dog’?

We love to label stuff, but that can be harmful…

Reducing anything down to one word, one thing, doesn’t tell the whole story. Nobody, no dog is just one thing.

And if we allow our vet, friends, dog trainers, random people on the internet, to label our dogs as ‘reactive’ it can effect how we view our dogs, how we interact with them.

Everything they do comes behind that label, it’s hard to see all the other amazing traits they have because it becomes all about their reactive behaviour.

Mac would meet most people’s definition of ‘reactive’, but I don’t see him that way; he loves dogs and sometimes that gets the better of him.

But not all the time and he’s actually great with dogs - one of the most socially adept dogs I know in fact. So beware labels - in all parts of your life - because they don’t tell the whole story.

And remember to try and understand the reactive behaviour because that’s what it is; it isn’t a personality trait.

02/07/2025

Got a dog that barks for attention?

I bet that’s annoying 😃

And I bet your gut feeling is to ignore it right?

Well…

This kind of behaviour is often rooted in a need that isn’t being met. That need is sometimes obvious, and sometimes not (that’s where I come in…).

If we ignore the dog and don’t meet their need, are the behaviours designed to express this going to increase or reduce?

In other words don’t ignore your dog when they’re trying to communicate with you. In fact if you respond more quickly you will get less of the unwanted behaviour in the moment, and potentially less over time.

Think about what you’re like when your needs haven’t been met…

Yes we need to teach the dog other ways of expressing this if barking is challenging, and yes we need to be mindful reinforcement, but, you might be surprised by the results if you actually listen to your dog and meet their needs.

21/06/2025

‘My dog is protecting me’

I hear this a lot. I’m not sure why we say it or want to believe it so much, but it’s not what’s happening.

Your dogs reaction is based on many things - mostly how they feel about themselves - but they’re not protecting you.

Often that is challenged by people telling me that their dog will only behave this way with them, and not other people.

That is probably just your dog learning through association.

If you are there when they react you become part of the picture for that behaviour; you’re there when they react so they react when you’re there.

Or another way of looking at it is that when you change something (the human holding the lead is a pretty significant thing) you change something.

Hopefully this helps you reframe your dogs behaviour, stop blaming yourself and start to notice what is in the environment when they react and what might actually be causing it.

18/06/2025

The truth about force free dog trainers…

We are human to.

And as humans we will sometimes loose our temper with our dogs, or tell them ‘no’.

And that is ok.

It’s not a core part of our training, but to expect a human with our learning history and under the pressures of modern like not to sometimes lose their cool is unrealistic.

Verbal corrections and punishment are things we use on each other every day. So it’s no wonder that at times they slip into our interactions with our dogs.

We also establish boundaries and structure with our dogs.

The difference is that those corrections are exceptions, we know that when they happen it’s on us and the boundaries we put in place are done so with kindness.

So if you’ve ever felt intimidated by ‘force free’ training as you sometimes lose your cool with your dog, that’s ok. We do it to.

Putting constant pressure on ourselves to be perfect is not going to help anyone.

15/06/2025

Play with your dog.

This post triggered me this morning; I have no issue with this lady and I’m sure a lot of what she says is great advice, but telling people not to play with their dogs is not the one.

Playing with your dog is one of the very best ways to strengthen your relationship, your bond and behaviours such as recall.

If your dog is getting all of their social play needs met away from you, recall could get tough and you will run the risk of becoming the boring person who just puts the lead on and takes them away from their mates…

I’m sure this was shared with good intentions but I’m sorry I can’t agree; play with you dog.

30/11/2024

“I’ve tried that, and it didn’t work.”

Dog trainers hear this all the time.

But every time we do, we’re thinking:
• How long did you try it for?
• How did you go about it?
• Where and when did you practise?

Basically, how consistent were you?

Training your dog takes time, patience, and repetition. Sometimes, a lot of time. Progress isn’t instant—it’s built step by step.

So, fall in love with the process. Work with a trainer whose ethos resonates with yours, and embrace the small, daily efforts.

Don’t give up because you tried once and didn’t see results. Change takes consistency and commitment. Your hard work will pay off, one step at a time.

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Tunbridge
Royal Tunbridge Wells
TN1

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