Dog Know How

21/07/2025

You know the mat settle training is working when she lays on her mat just to have a nap rather than to get treats 🤗

04/07/2025

Ruby regularly helps out with dog assessments and is generally very good. Although she can get a bit frustrated when the client's dog is getting cheese for being calm and she isn't!
Today we had a follow-up with a lovely girl who gets very excited when she sees other dogs and has an impressive high pitched scream to demonstrate her frustration at not being able to meet them.
Instead of being the brilliant stooge dog that she usually is, Ruby's behaviour was worse than the dog I was trying to help 🙆
She jumped up at me to block my movement forward, she mouthed my hand, she barked! 🫣
In that moment I couldn't understand why, yes I was disappointed, but there was no point being angry with her. She was trying to tell me something even If I didn't know what it was.
Yes I felt like sacking her as chief stooge dog, but gave her a break instead.
On reflection, we were working at a location that Ruby has only ever been to before for ball/Frisbee play. I set her up to fail, by expecting her to walk nicely round the field on her lead instead!
Ruby didn't fail me today, I failed her and she taught me that her frustration levels,that we have worked so hard on improving, still can't cope with unmet expectations. I need to spend more time practicing what I preach 😄
I hope my clients felt reassured that even the doesn't have a perfectly behaved dog all the time.

17/06/2025

More fun for pups with our free puppy socialisation class, led by behaviourist Gemma!

Learn and play with your puppy in the company of others🐶

Call us on 01507 602828 or send us a WhatsApp on +447897017626 to secure your place - you must be signed up to attend and spaces are limited!✅

Don't forget, all eligible pups must be:
⭐️ Registered at James Street Vets
⭐️ Have had their first and second vaccinations
⭐️ Be under six months old

See you there!

08/06/2025

Some lovely lead walking in today's workshop 😃
We had some very excitable dogs at the start and it's distracting training around other dogs and people, but they all made real progress.
Their owners have gone home with lots of tips to help them continue to improve 😊

05/06/2025

Just a teeny little girl figuring out the big new world 🤗
How cute is Mabel? 😍
Her mum asked for some help with crate training so the family could get some sleep at night, as well as advice on how to integrate a new puppy into a family, with an older resident dog, who doesn't like other dogs.
Prioritising your existing dog's needs is difficult when you get a new puppy, but it's essential if you want them to build a bond and have a good relationship.

30/05/2025

How beautiful is Luka?!
He's only 9 months old, but he's a big, strong boy, so when he gets worried by things and barks and lunges to make them go away other dog owners have been judging him badly and saying some unhelpful things.
Luka's wonderful owner has come to me for help building Luka's confidence. I also found during our initial assessment that Luka, like lots of adolescents, is showing high levels of frustration when on the lead so we're working on that too.
I can't wait to see this stunning oy for his follow-up to see how he's getting on 😍

12/05/2025

Things that WON'T solve your dog's reactivity:
🐾Choke chains
🐾Shock collars
🐾Slip leads
🐾Harsh words/shouting
🐾Tugging on the lead
🐾Physical punishment
🐾Pinning them down
🐾Hanging them by their lead
🐾Picking them up
🐾Throwing food randomly on the floor when YOU see a dog/person/car/cyclist
🐾Force feeding them treats when they see a person/dog/vehicle/cyclist
🐾Off lead socialisation
🐾Avoiding people/dogs/traffic for the rest of your dog's life
🐾Castration
🐾Banning them from the sofa/your bed

Reactivity is caused by emotions, it's not a lack of training, obedience or an attempt on your dog's part to dominate you.
The emotions can be fear, frustration, pain or a combination of these.
To solve the reactivity you first need to find which emotions your dog is feeling. The way we change the behaviour depends on the emotions.

03/02/2025

03/02/2025

Our second attempt at 'Doing nothing'
This was definitely more of Ruby's usual behaviour and what I expected in attempt one. Jumping on the seat to put her cold nose in my ear and barking in an attempt to get me to do something.
She worked through the initial frustration and settled a little.
much easier to ignore the barking and let her work through it, when there is no one else around. It was much harder in a 'real life' situation outside the local supermarket on Sunday 🙆