We Teach Pets

18/07/2025

I remember filming a training session with Ernie once.

It was all about confidence building but he just wasn't engaging. And I couldn't figure out why.

It was just the two of us (maybe Max was in the background), I'd set things up easily enough and was keeping criteria really low.

What on Earth was going wrong?

One look at the video and all became clear. I was leaning towards/over him. I wanted him to move in towards me but my body language was keeping him away.🫣

Our body language can say so much, and dogs are so much more tuned in to body language than we are. So we really do need to try and be aware of what we might inadvertently be telling them!

16/07/2025

Not into gore? Last post we talked about seeing triggers as Zombies! But perhaps not everybody's cup of tea. 🫖

Maybe seeing your walks as a chance to see what local "wildlife" you encounter is more your style.

🐶 We want to calmly observe the things we see without disturbing them.
🐶Behave calmly when navigating around "wildlife" to keep everyone relaxed.
🐶Teach your dog about safely encountering and observing the local wildlife in whatever way keeps everyone safe and happy.

Think about ways you can have fun with your dog training when out and about.

What other story lines do you think could work well?! I'd love to hear your ideas!

14/07/2025

One day when I was in the orchards with my own dogs and we were having a bit of a tough walk I decided to reframe in a bit of a weird way!🧟

Rather than getting in my head about the difficulty, I turned it into a game! Triggers were zombies and our mission of course was to avoid them. I talked to my dog as a team mate and fellow survivor rather than someone who was frustrating me which helped us both a lot.

Some key survival strategies:

🐶It's important to keep an appropriate distance so zombies can't get too close
🐶We want to avoid making noise which might attract attention
🐶We need to work as a team with our fellow survivors
🐶The understanding that if a reaction does happen, it's because they aren't coping with the distance to the challenge! Very understandable! Move away to safety.

It helped me to deal with what was a challenging walk at the time.

Sometimes thinking of a different way of seeing the problem, and maybe gamifying it, can help us to relax and have a bit of fun!

11/07/2025

Having a dog who struggles in some way with managing their emotional responses is tough!

This is a reminder to give yourself a break.

There's so much advice out there it can feel overwhelming.

And with a new tip or trick can also come a little bit of guilt that there's yet another thing you aren't yet doing, or don't have brain space for.

Just as important is to look after yourself. You will be able to show up so much better for your dog if you are looking after yourself as well as you are looking after them 🌞🥰

I am going to try and take more time to be mindful, light a scented candle and do some reading (no screens!).

What is your human calming enrichment activity to lower your own stress? 💚

09/07/2025

Don't get me wrong, none of us are perfect, non-emotional beings all the time!

We are human!

Just like our dogs are dogs.

Think about some strategies that help to lower your stress that you can implement at times where you suspect you might struggle.

Feeling prepared can be a big stress reliever in itself!

07/07/2025

It can be tempting to pull your dog in close to you so you feel in control.

Of course being in control is really important!

But we need to assess in a situation-by-situation basis. Can we actually increase distance from a potential problem so we don't need such tight control? Is there anything actually unsafe in the environment or are we just used to "being in control?". We need to remember to let dogs be dogs and given them appropriate space to sniff and explore their environment.

Also, when people see that their dog sees a dog, for example, and tightens the lead to pass by, this additional tension on the body can cause problems.

🐶Your dog may learn to anticipate tension when they see a dog.

🐶If they are being pulled back then their body language might look more intimidating to other dogs.

🐶Feeling restrained can also increase the likelihood of defensive behaviour happening.

It takes practice to be able to balance being relaxed and handling in a relaxed manner, whilst also feeling in control.

Practice in areas where you have plenty of space and feel safe, your back garden for example. Think about how you hold the lead, and the tension in your own body. Learn to relax and encourage a smile in the lead!

03/07/2025

It's so easy for us to over-excite our dogs, especially if we are anxious ourselves, or excited about a great training achivement!

Or maybe you are really happy to see your dog when you get home!

Whilst it often comes from a good place, one of wanting to connect with our dogs. It can be received in a way that promotes that high energy response.

That's not always a bad thing!

But think about what type of influence you want to be on your dog at any given time.

01/07/2025

Whilst I am not at all in camp "it's all the owner's fault", there are things we can be aware of in ourselves that may help our dogs.

This doesn't mean the issue is your fault, only that you can sometimes have an influence you might not even always be aware of.

30/06/2025

When is it too hot to be out and about with your dog?

From this video shared by a veterinary practice with some additional info on other factors that contribute to risk in the heat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmR3TQttdR

27/06/2025

Our environmentally sensitive dogs in particular can struggle with even how their environment is set up. And how we move them around it.

Naturally, dogs would be free ranging and be able to meander around, processing things from a distance. They are better able to move away and avoid interactions should they not like the look of someone/something.

Well socialised dogs approach confidently but slowly enough for everyone to feel comfortable. They curve around each other and display nice soft body language.

However on pavements and pathways, and especially if our dogs are on lead, everything is generally coming towards them head on.

This is rude and potentially confrontational for dogs and may lead to an increased chance of reactions like growling, lunging, barking or attempts to avoid.

We can make this easier on our dogs by giving them plenty of space for each individual to feel comfortable with the passersby. This might well meaning coming off the path so you aren't stuck in a channel with everybody else!

25/06/2025