The Dog Lady- Dog Training

28/11/2025

Loving dogs is not the same as loving what you can make them do, or what they can achieve for you.

Two different things, it’s ok to do both- but they are not the same.

28/11/2025

My face when I see some of the 'dog training' advice on the internet 🙄

Why we Read Body Language (And Why It Matters)

There’s a narrative floating around that we can ignore dog body language entirely “just punish the behaviour you don’t like and reward the behaviour you do.”

This sounds simple.
It’s also fundamentally flawed.

Dogs don’t behave in a vacuum.
Behaviour is driven by emotion.
Fear, frustration, excitement, pressure, confusion, these internal states create the behaviour we see.

If we ignore body language, we ignore the very thing telling us why the behaviour is happening.

And when we ignore the “why,” we risk:

Increasing stress

Creating conflict

Suppressing warning signals

Damaging trust

Making behaviour look “better” while the dog feels worse

Punishment might stop behaviour in the moment, but it does nothing to change the emotional drivers behind it.
In fact, it often intensifies it.

I read body language because emotions matter.
They shape learning.
They shape behaviour
They shape how the dog navigates life
And they shape the relationship we build with our dogs.

27/11/2025

I don’t give a 💩 what the “scientific consensus” says. I don’t care how many books or papers you’ve read (mind you, I’d give you a run for your money there) but people believe what they want to believe…. (Look they’ve read loads of books and they say hurting a dog is ok 🙄🙄)

I don’t care how many world championships you’ve won. If you are out here trying to use science to tell you whether you should hurt your dog or not …. You’re doing it wrong!

The question I ask myself is simply,

“If my dogs died tonight, what are the things I would be grateful for?” And one of those things is that they never knew pain or fear at my hand.
When Mavis died unexpectedly at 2.5yrs old knowing that helped,coz I’d have seriously regretted anything else. When Sassy & Oskar died within months of each other in 2023 I found great comfort in that. I’m also grateful for the many many wonderful hours of fun we’ve had / made possible by good training and off lead rules. You can have it both ways.

Oh and if you’re prepared to choke/ hurt/ starve/ scare/ shock a dog for sport in persuit of a title or trophy …. Then you’re a 🍆 👦 no matter what “the science says”

And while I’m at it - using ridiculous videos with straw man arguments or using conditioned food reward placement to prove food doesn’t work is disingenuous. The general public won’t spot the lie - but I suppose that’s what they’re counting on. And both sides do that.
Be honest now - coz we are at the stage where we can all make grown up choices. The information is out there…. Train how you train, but stop pretending it’s the only way to do it.

27/11/2025

To our American followers,

With love,

Jill, Stephen, Doris, Dennis & Daisy xx

26/11/2025

She’s so dramatic!

So just for the craic and to use a little brain power I thought I would change Doris’ indication from a freeze/ stare to a chin rest. No reason- just messing around. (She’s retired - we can break rules & do whatever we like!) Anyway when she figured out what I wanted …. This is what she did. She’s a funny character- a comedian and I adore her.

26/11/2025

So all us dog people often question where all the dogs go for winter… you know all the summer dogs that we joke get deflated and put back in the attic as soon as the weather turns.

But last night, when going home from work - it was cold & wet & frosty and I noticed the tens and tens of dog owners who were out there pounding the pavement with their dogs. Dogs of all shapes & sizes …. It was obvious that those people had put in a days work, come home, wrapped up and got the dog out for their walk. And I was thinking …. They don’t get enough recognition for that. It would be so easy to just fill a puzzle toy for a little dog and skip the walk in bad weather …. But these people don’t do that. They were out getting the doggie steps in. Some were chatting to their dogs when their dogs looked up at them - and honestly? It was a beautiful thing.

25/11/2025

Starry starry night…

There’s something very special about night time walks when the air is cold & crisp and the frost is just starting to come in underfoot …..

25/11/2025

This!

There’s a lot of chatter online these days — adverts, quick fixes, and promises of “freedom” for your dog, usually tied to using an e-collar. And sure, if your dog has a strong chase drive, the idea of an instant solution can feel tempting.

But a dog’s chase drive is never the result of just one thing.
It’s a combination of factors — and the biggest one is genetics. Predatory instinct sits at the foundation of all dogs. Some breeds are simply more likely to express the full sequence of those behaviours. Think about the dog in front of you:
Gundogs, HPRs, hounds, bull breeds, herding dogs, terriers — most working breeds were deliberately designed to perform specific aspects of chase, track, pursue, restrain, or alert.

So the instinct itself is not a surprise, nor is it a flaw.

And managing chase behaviour is not just about having a good recall. Yes, recall matters — a lot — but so do:
• steadiness
• impulse control
• appropriate outlets
• mental and physical exercise
• and a training approach that channels instinct rather than suppressing it

If you choose a working breed, you’re choosing to meet the needs of a dog who was bred for a job. A lifetime of suppression isn’t fair. Punishing a dog for expressing the behaviours we intentionally bred into them isn’t fair. And relying solely on tools to override nature won’t create a responsible or sustainable partnership.

Instead, look at how to set your dog up for success before chase becomes a problem. Educate yourself on what your dog was built to do, and work with that — not against it.

I’ve lived with hounds for 20 years, dogs with a reputation for independence and a powerful chase desire. They’ve taught me that when you learn to understand and work with those instincts, your relationship deepens in a way that takes your breath away. Their intelligence and natural ability are extraordinary — if we allow them the chance to show us.

24/11/2025

24/11/2025

No words needed 🤷‍♀️

24/11/2025

Sunday dog club was extra special coz we had do a joint mantrailing session so we had 10 dog teams searching in the woods - it was such good fun! We also did basic training and this week we- practiced, sit, down, stand, walking nicely on the lead, cooperative care, taking pulse & giving up toys etc on request. (No more wrestling stuff out of mouths) plus of course - we had play & fun and the humans had Cake! Thanks to Dog club really is the place to be. Basic training, IKC certification, Hoopers, Scent detection and man trailing all available for one monthly fee. Applications for new membership in January being accepted now. Just contact us via our website. Www.thedoglady.ie

23/11/2025

I love learning. It’s like a life force for me…. And I very much enjoyed this webinar. Sure what else would I be doing on a Sunday evening?