Hatch Canine Behaviour

02/09/2026

Loose lead walking isn’t a behaviour problem, it’s a symptom of a larger behaviour problem

If you’re sat here thinking, I need to train my dog to walk nicer on the lead, you should zoom out, and start thinking, is my dog fulfilled? Does my dog sleep well? Are they on a high protein diet, and not a high carb diet? Does my dog get to be… a dog? Or are they stuck in this human world full of restrictions and living a frustrated life?

Your dog may not be reactive, yet, but these early signs may be there and prevention is better than cure!

Get your dog off lead safely, hire a field or buy a long line. Allow them some freedom, to be a dog, and ensure they rest and eat well, you’ll find loose lead skills becomes a lot easier to train and other symptoms like barking out the window or destroying toys at home may just disappear completely without tackling those directly

Watch until the end for a bonus clip

26/08/2026

15 years ago this August, I went on a 10+ hour round trip to collect the cutest dog I’d ever seen. I was new to Akita’s, and he was so different to other ones I’d seen. I knew I was going to get one as I found myself constantly scrolling the pet selling websites. Even though I said I wouldn’t, I surprised my mum one night when turning up with a cute puppy that she refused to look at 😬 I was in big trouble to say the least. We already had a 7 month old Akita and a 12 year old Jack Russell in the house. And here I’d brought JayJay.

He changed all of our lives, made us all very happy and got me through some of the darkest times. He was always with me and he was my priority. I used to get moaned at by my friends for walking him first before I’d go out and play football 😂 but he took priority and he was my world

We started our journey of reactivity together, although he was super friendly with people, he had been attacked enough times to realise that he was a big boy and didn’t have to put up with s**t from these other dogs. Well that’s what I thought at the time, he was actually a little unsure of them and he took charge of situations because I didn’t know how to make him feel confident that I could protect him and command the situation. Not only that, our communication system was leaky at best, he was well trained but we were missing so much, it’s crazy to look back. It’s so easy to look back and feel you failed your dog but that’s wrong. We both learned the hard way and spent years struggling and avoiding situations and areas. We went through the ringer together but we came out of it together too, I was beyond happy when we finally cracked it and you were socialising with dogs again. From Labs to Spaniels to your nemesis Staffy’s. Funny thing is, I have a Staffy cross now who has so much of JayJays personality and I know you would have loved her

It was a pleasure to be your owner, and I was honoured to experience life with you. I am now helping to change lives of people and dogs who were in our situation, struggling, feeling like there’s no way out. It was only right to name the business after your nickname

Here’s to Jay-J

26/08/2026

24/08/2026

You have a reactive dog. Now what? Where do you start? What do you do first? I have listed the first four tasks to tackle

16/08/2026

If your dog is reactive, you need to know who you’re trusting to help you

16/08/2026

Thor, Fern & Nessie

We may or may not be holding food above the camera for a focused shot of all three dogs 🐕

Thor ⚡️

04/08/2026

Dogs can be so smart.. yet so…..

02/08/2026

From pulling me over… to not wanting the walk to end

One of my favourite things to hear from owners is:

“I used to dread our walks… now I don’t want them to end”

That’s what it’s all about

29/07/2026

The smile you make when the owners change from “she pulled me over” to “I didn’t want the walk to end”

Proud of your progress Lottie

28/07/2026

Mastering play isn’t about getting your dog hyped up. It’s about controlling the energy

A start cue means, “Let’s play”

An end cue means, “We’re done”

Without that communication, many dogs believe play is available whenever they want it. They start bringing toys over, barking, nudging you and demanding engagement

Use an end cue, then send them to place

You’re not stopping them having fun. You’re showing them there’s a time to play and a time to switch off

That clarity changes everything