The Dog Centre Kilkenny: Dog Training & Behaviour

06/09/2025

Just a little bit of life recently
• on her mantrailing day
• sessions with Dillie the Icelandic Sheepdog making waves on his reactivity progress
• Meeting Xena and before they stooge for us training reactivity in kildare
• a road trip to Cork for Bodhi's in person session with his amazing owners working on all the outdoor skills
• a check in with miss Dolly to check how she's doing
• Miss Molly the Collie having a breakthrough and having reductions in distance, explosiveness and recovery time needed passing by "vincent"
• a trip to Wicklow to meet George the Newfoundland beauty and his gorgeous owners working on human centered behaviours
• the Super Kenny and his super mum making huge progress and honing in those engagement skills working around dogs
• Behaviour Consultants being Behaviour Consultants Gon' Wild at Queens of the StoneAge with
• Solo time with my whole world, my girl, Ripley doing her physio

05/09/2025

Inspired by

What is it?
Something you dog can work at to help meet innate needs and provide mental and emotional fulfilment

• Take a low sided box; tray, or tub
• Fill with toys/stuffables/safe items that can be nudged around and balls
• Scatter treats and some of their dinner throughout

Voilà. Let your dog snuffle and rummage through

04/09/2025

A gorgeous little Charlie 😍

03/09/2025

Why do our dogs pull on the leash?
There could be a variety of reasons and understanding helps us learn how to get closer to that elusive loose leash
1) Natural faster gait: dogs move faster than humans naturally and this can lead to pulling when walking together
2) Lack of learning and skill: loose leash walking is not something dogs have the natural ability to do
3) History of punishment: if humans pull back on or "pop" the leash, use aversive tools like slip leashes or prongs or verbally scold the dog for pulling - this can make the dog pull away from the scary human or to avoid the discomfort and make pulling worse long term
4) Reinforcing: when dogs walk on a leash, they're following their nose and exploring - pulling usually means dogs get access to all the amazing scents faster
5) Overstimulated: dogs will pull to get through the environment faster if they are stressed or overwhelmed In order to feel safe
6) Stressed: dogs will pull towards a trigger to feel safer. This can be a case of quickly closing the distance in order to create distance and get themselves more space

If you're struggling with loose leash walking, don't worry! It's completely normal and can be achieved! Please reach out if you have any questions

24/08/2025

Client feedback helps others choose wisely, especially in an unregulated industry. It helps you see:
• What working with us actually feels like
• How we handle complex emotional cases
• Why support, structure, and ethics matter
• That you and your dog will always be treated with care and respect

We love what we do and we love the clients we work with.
If you’re unsure where to start, let their stories help guide you.
Their words say more than we ever could.

24/08/2025

Congratulations to Teams Benji and Farah and Clare and Lola on passing their Level 1 Rural mantrailing assessments 🐾✨️🎊🫶

23/08/2025

The best clients in the world ✨️

21/08/2025

To think she was found on the side of the road at a tiny baby almost starved to death and now she sleeps like this and has to touch you almost at all times

18/08/2025

I am at home with the virus that has been going around. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes!
I will be back tomorrow. 💜

14/08/2025

13/08/2025