Ben Griffith Canine Training

Ben Griffith Canine Training ●Puppy training, 1:1 dog training, structured walking service
●Helping to understand our dogs better

If you want your dog’s obedience to be reliable, then you HAVE to train everywhere! It’s all good and well if your dog c...
09/09/2025

If you want your dog’s obedience to be reliable, then you HAVE to train everywhere!

It’s all good and well if your dog can do all their obedience in the kitchen while you have a packet of ham in your hand……

But in reality, the main reason we teach our dogs most of the commands we do, is so we can safely navigate the world and control them off a word if need be…..right?

So then why don’t we train our dogs obedience commands in random, high distraction environments?

Well you should be……

Now I’m not saying to try teach your dog something new in the park when it’s crazy busy full of dogs and kids running around, we should teach the foundations of a command or behaviour in a low distraction place where it’s easier for our dogs, then move on and progress to more difficult places as they progress.

Let’s be honest, in reality how important or useful is it for your dog to do a ‘down’ command in your kitchen? It’s great that they can, but really the situation in which that beautiful ‘down’ command would be more useful is in the park when you’re picking up their p**p, or in the coffee shop after a nice Sunday walk, or even as a safety measure while you wait to cross a road……

So to me, I like to teach behaviours in boring low distraction environments, but as soon as possible I want to push these into the more realistic environments and more distracting places so as we have the confidence to use the obedience in a more real life situation.

30/07/2025

Elmo:
I’ve been minding Elmo for about a week now while he is between homes, and unintentionally, we have done a lot of training, very important puppy training.

He has been around other dogs belonging to me and some clients dogs, he was encourage to interact appropriately and politely and he did.

He has been out in public such as coffee shops, parks and pet shops and has aced them all, he is nice and calm around new people and happy to let them pass without interaction which is always what we are striving for with young dogs.

He is happily settling down within the house around other dogs and a cat, learning how to behave and handle life inside the house in a polite manner.

He is toilet trained, crate trained and has had exposure to grooming basics.

But not once have I actually set out to train Elmo….but he has learnt a lot, he has learnt valuable life skills.

See, just being around me and our VP dogs and how I structure my life and conversations with them, we are showing him how to handle life appropriately and how to act in a lot of these early exposure situations that people either rush and speed through, miss altogether or do in a not so ideal way.

Teaching your puppy how to properly interact with the world is a very valuable skill, alongside with functional and useful obedience commands.

I will be seeing a lot more of Elmo when he’s in his new home so keep and eye out for him on the page.

23/05/2025

Plan out your walk before you head out, don't just grab a dog lead and run out the door.....

When it comes to heading out for a walk with your dog, here's a few things I like to consider...

-Are we going for a generic on-lead walk with our dog by our side?

-Are we heading to an open space to have some off-lead run about and some play?

-Are we actively heading out to do some training and to work on X Y Z behaviours with our dog?

For me, I like to mix all 3 of these, and in my opinion, that's the secret to success with your dog in everything regarding 'The walk'.

I rarely expect Jelly to walk in a heel by my side for any longer than 5 minutes, and when I do ask that of him it is because the environment dictates it the safest and smartest option, for example down the main street with other people and dogs about. But I can effectively call him into a heel walk anytime I want, but I don't.........why???

Because to me there is no true benefit of my dog walking right beside me at all times, note how I specificly said at ALL TIMES, when I can, I like to leave him go and have that bit of more freedom to roam around, smell the area and pick his pace up slightly.

On these walks then we can cover loose lead walking and use it in situations where it's needed and the best option, we can cover playing around off lead or using a longline to allow safe freedom and we can work on training specific behaviours we want to work.

By using this type of plan or structure, we can tick as many boxes at once and get out and have fun with our dogs along with doing the training we want to be getting done, all while our dogs are getting exercised, trained and fulfilled.

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22/04/2025

Training recall without a longline is basicly the same as learning to ride a motorbike without a helmet.
If anything OTHER than perfection happens.......you're f* .

So let's think this through, if you're trying to build on your dogs recall, but you aren't using a longline or flexi lead, then what do you do if you're dog ignores the recall command or doesn't recall and keeps running in the opposite direction???

Our longline becomes the way for us to number one, stop our dog from failing entirely and potentially getting into danger, but also if taught correctly, it can become a way to give our dog tactile feedback.

So, all in all, longlines are an absolutely invaluable piece of equipment that most dog owners should have, especially if your dogs recall isn't 100% yet.

14/04/2025

Communication is key 🔑

When it comes to doing anything with our dogs, clear communication needs to be high up on our list of priorities as without it, frustration will sneak its way in, on both ends of the lead.

Here is a prime example, within play communication is just as important as anywhere else in your relationship. You can hear me asking Jelly to 'out', meaning let go of the toy, and to 'get', meaning he can go back to biting the toy. Within play being clear what I WANT him to do means we can have a true game of tug, but we still have 2 sided fun, rather than me just holding onto the toy for dear life. This means I can effectively use play as a reward with Jelly.

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When it comes to your dogs recall, do you find yourself saying, "His recall is great unless....." or "he will only come ...
04/04/2025

When it comes to your dogs recall, do you find yourself saying, "His recall is great unless....." or "he will only come back if he knows I have treats", if so, then you may want to keep reading.

If you ONLY recall your dog at the end of off-lead time to put them back on lead and go home, then this might be part of your problem.

If you ONLY recall your dog away from exciting distractions, then this might be part of your problem.

Think about it this way, if the recall command always means the end of fun, etc, then that is automatically going to put strain on your dogs wants to do it.

Now consider the idea of dealing with competing motivators such as other dogs and wildlife.

Now, what SHOULD you do?!?!

-You should recall your dog throughout your walk, simply to build up positive reps of command.

-You should recall your dog and reward them by allowing back to the off-lead freedom they just had.

-You should, when using food as a reward, keep it fun and make a full-blown reward event out of the transaction.

-You should make sure you can recall your dog within your house and garden, then a low-level place outside before allowing them off-lead in a busier environment.

16/09/2024

"Our dogs are not sedentary creatures."

Our dogs are simply not created to sit around all day doing nothing....

Now, before I go any further, am I saying rest isn't important? Or that your dog should be running around the house all day bouncing up and down on your furniture or doing laps of your garden, not at all. Rest is super important and should be factored into your dogs daily life. The ability to switch off is invaluable, as it is an important life skill that we need our dogs to have.

BUT........

The trade-off for this off switch in the house should NOT only be a 30-minute on lead walk around the local town with maybe a quick stop off at a coffee shop.......

It SHOULD be getting your dog out into the world and going and doing some dog centred activities.

I can nearly guarantee you that if you were to swap out your 'everyday walk' for a walk that is focused around a dogs natural desires, you will see a change in both your dogs interest in said walk, but also your dogs feelings and behaviour after the this walk.

Now, what on earth do I mean by a walk that meets your dogs desires better?!?
A walk focused on activities such as running, jumping, playing, sniffing, biting and chasing toys, relaxing and doing nothing in new environments, and even training and learning new behaviours. This style of walk is a lot more fulfilling for our dogs and to be honest, even for us. Adding in a few minutes of these activities into our normal walks will be a step in the right direction.


22/07/2024

So far, with JB, I haven't let him face to face interact with many dogs, aside from dogs I know and trust.

The reason for this is because there are absolutely zero true benefits to letting him meet and greet every single dog we come across on a walk.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not trying to hide him away from every dog we come across, but I AM working on keeping him neutral around dogs out in public and teaching him to stay calm or to work with me despite the other dogs present.

With all of this being said, JB has and does get time to interact with other dogs, but they are dogs I know and trust, and within controlled environments with me present. The aim is for him to always still be under control and acting appropriately.

So far, I have..

- walked with other dogs present and simply walked as if they weren't there

- played together with JB, while other dogs were present

- I have allowed him to play with these other dogs

- I have let him simply walk around off lead freely with these other dogs.

But the common attribute to all these situations was that my aim was for JB to interact with these other dogs, play, walk around, and simply co-exist, but to do it all in an appropriate manner and not get over aroused by the situation.

Simply allowing your dog to interact and do whatever they want around other dogs is a quick way to find yourself facing some issues down the line, so hold back on the on-lead greetings down at your local park and focus more on having fun with your dog together, rather that them seeking it out elsewhere.




22/05/2024

➖️ Under-stimulated dogs are a nightmare➖️

When it comes to wanting our dogs to work with us rather than against us, we need to think about the big picture of why our dog is 'working against us', for example,
-lead pulling
-destructive behaviour
-excessive barking
-reactivity
All of these behaviours can and will be made worse by your dogs being under-stimulated or maybe even a cause for these behaviours in the first place.

Our dogs need physical exercise, mental stimulation and natural breed fulfillment to be of sound mind and for us to come in and to try teach something new or to try and move away from a current undesirable behaviour is more than likely going to end up with butting heads with our dogs.

So, if we are to make sure our dogs are getting to properly use their brains and their bodies daily, then they will be so much more content and easy to work with.

Some examples of mental stimulation could be training something new, exploring a new environment, food games, using their nose to find toys or food.

Some examples of physical exercise, of course, are walking, running, and playing around with toys.

But here is the best part, when it comes to breed fulfillment, most breeds have been purposely bred for a reason, which means our dogs have a natural desire to do certain things and we need to scratch this itch somehow. So find out what your breed was originally created for and tap into that.

But the secret recipe to all of this is to implement more levels to playing with your dog, as this way we can get our dogs to use their brains and bodies at the same time to work with us for access to a toy. This way, we are ticking so many boxes that it's silly to not be playing properly with our dogs every day.

So go and try to add in some obedience to your dogs play and watch how this transforms the play session into so much more.




26/04/2024

It's okay he just wants to say hello..."

Ah, the age-old phrase that I'm sure we have all heard or said ourselves at some point. But let's talk about this properly.

So firstly, dogs are not social to the same extent as humans are. The concept of "saying hello" is a completely human behaviour, which is alien to our dogs. To our dogs, to simply realise and make clear that they are not a threat, is the most important and basic form of greeting, and quite often all it needs to be. Now, don't get me wrong, some dogs are more social than others and can happily interact safely and with no issues, but it is not necessary, and it is not to be pushed onto every dog.

Neutrality is the end goal we should he chasing with our dogs, to be able to be calm and relaxed around others. Anything after that is a bonus. But as owners, if we are encouraging our dogs to "say hello" to other dogs, then we are more than likely going to create more issues than fix, so lets stop with the on lead greetings and the 'its okay he's friendly/ he just wants to say hello' and lets teach our dogs to happily relax around all different types of distractions and how to enagage and work with us when asked, as this is more beneficial to both us and our dogs.




19/04/2024

➖️Your dog is always learning ➖️

When it comes to training your dog, it's not always actively doing training sessions.

Simply being around your dog and existing together can be a learning moment for your dog.

For example, if you are just sitting down watching tv and your dog is peacefully sleeping in his or her bed or on the couch next to you, they are learning that this is how they handle that situation, which is ideal. But on the flip-side, if you are sitting watching tv and your dog is bouncing around the couch, jumping up and down, and you don't want this, yet don't do anything to make that clear, your dog is learning that this is okay...

Another example could be if you go out for a walk with your dog, and the whole time you are walking you are working with them to walk 'nicely' to a loose lead calmly by your side. Then you get to an open space and let them off lead, and the second they get off lead, you lose all control, and they go off and do anything and everything they want. Now in this situation, while I 100% value and encourage off-lead time and time to simply be a dog, there still needs to be an element of control or else your dog is just learning that the second that lead is unclipped, all rules and boundries go out the window, which is not the relationship we want.

So keep in mind that any time spent with our dogs can be learning moments, so lets make sure that we are teaching them what we DO and DON'T want, even in these more informal or passive situations.



12/04/2024

➖️Why does my dog pull on lead?!?!➖️

▫️ Lead pulling is the most common thing that I see people struggling with teaching their dogs and there can be alot more to it than your dog simply pulling on lead, there is a breakdown of communication going on here.

▫️But before we talk about teaching our dog to walk 'nicely' on lead, let's talk about why my dog is pulling in the first place? There are a number of reasons your dog may be pulling on lead such as...

- They are over aroused and excited simply by the act of the lead being clipped on, let alone going out into the outside world full of fun and exciting things. In this case, we are entering the walk with an overly excited dog, which means they are probably already not in the ideal headspace.

-They dont have a true understanding of the lead (and you might not either, and that's okay, dont worry). The lead can be so much more than a restriction.

- They find it reinforcing. By this I mean they have taught themselves/we have accidentally taught them, that pulling on the lead is 'just how we do things' and if they keep pulling, they get to keep moving forwards and do what they want...

-They simply have never been taught not to pull. Walking to a nice loose lead heel isn't something that comes naturally to most dogs as the concept of being tethered to us by a lead is a human added concept.

Now, while it is a necessary skill for our dogs to learn, it must be taught in the first place for them to truly understand what is being asked of them.




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