AL'S PALS Dog/Puppy Training

19/06/2025

We had Bruno, Bandit and Baxter in today so we brought Torvi along for a trip to the field. The boys started off at Home Base to decompress and get some energy out then at the field we worked on proofing behaviour and they all loved it! 😍

Have a lovely long weekend everyone ☺️

18/06/2025

Coco, Slate, Floki and Bo went to the field today where Oakley and I made a makeshift agility catwalk using my dog ramp and the dogs loved it! Mostly lol Floki wasn't so sure at first but after some reps, he was a pro! Great for problem solving, body awareness and mental stimulation. We all had a blast!

16/06/2025

Slate had a more relaxed day today which was lovely to see. We did a lot of obedience and play. This is great to combat his anxiety in his nervous system to promote more of a healthy balance. This will help reduce his reactivity as he will be able to process and think better before acting.

Flynn had a social day for his last day on his Day Train Package. He had a blast with his buddy Oscar but got told off once for twice which was very appropriate as he wasn't reading Oscars signals of avoidance. With Bruno, he did his best to oblige a common play style but Bruno was a bit too much lol we then went for a decent walk to work on duration of his lead work skills.

Coco got to meet Bruno and she had a taste of what high arousal play is like. She wasn't sure at all to start, her body language was nervous and she would run to me asking for help. By controlling his movements she felt more comfortable to approach when ready. She's not met many dogs before so wants to play but still learning the ways :) Bruno also had some good work done helping him to not be so intense and also listening to the person with him and not just have tunnel vision for his play mate lol

15/06/2025

Got a busy crazy household with lots going on?? Is your dog running amuk trying to join in the fun but jumping on the kids or mouthing/nipping at clothes, feet, hands or picking up items they shouldn't?

The best way to manage a busy household with a dog is to put management into play. Dogs feed off the energy in their environment so if it's too much stimulus like loud noise, fast movement, toys being thrown around etc they will mirror this. This can cause behaviours that can harm young ones especially as the dog or pup usually has no alternative dog item to redirect on or there's been no structure established on what the dog or pup should do in these situations.

When Torvi was younger we used baby gates to separate her from the chaos of a young family. This meant she was in her own area with an interactive toy to redirect her emotions and perform much better behaviours.

When she got older and the kids would randomly burst into play, Torvi learnt if she didn't opt for a high value toy or chewy then she would be separated.

Clear consequences were key in helping her regulate her emotions. That paired with meeting her needs on a daily basis meant that she wasn't seeking outlets for her genetic needs. She would much prefer to lay down and chew on her hoof which led her to chill on the couch whilst watching the kids continue their game of catch instead of her wanting to catch the ball herself!

I hope this helps other busy households 🥰

15/06/2025

Got a busy crazy household with lots going on?? Is your dog running amuk trying to join in the fun but jumping on the kids or mouthing/nipping at clothes, feet, hands or picking up items they shouldn't?

The best way to manage a busy household with a dog is to put management into play. Dogs feed off the energy in their environment so if it's too much stimulus like loud noise, fast movement, toys being thrown around etc they will mirror this. This can cause behaviours that can harm young ones especially as the dog or pup usually has no alternative dog item to redirect on or there's been no structure established on what the dog or pup should do in these situations.

When Torvi was younger we used baby gates to separate her from the chaos of a young family. This meant she was in her own area with an interactive toy to redirect her emotions and perform much better behaviours.

When she got older and the kids would randomly burst into play, Torvi learnt if she didn't opt for a high value toy or chewy then she would be separated.

Clear consequences were key in helping her regulate her emotions. That paired with meeting her needs on a daily basis meant that she wasn't seeking outlets for her genetic needs. She would much prefer to lay down and chew on her hoof which led her to chill on the couch whilst watching the kids continue their game of catch instead of her wanting to catch the ball herself!

I hope this helps other busy households 🥰

10/06/2025

Poppy did some great work around Nat and Buddy today she was way more relaxed working on close proximity! We then went back to home base and worked on muzzle training with her, adding in duration without her pawing at it and she did so well.

Fozzie got to explore a new area today which she was a bit nervous about so was great to proof her skills. She then got to mingle with Bo and Zoe. She was a bit unsure at first and although would play bow, she'd also run to me for help so I controlled Bo's movements and interactions And then she felt more comfortable to reciprocate his play in short stints. This was excellent for Bo as well as he practiced recalling away and managing his arousal levels.

Zoe worked very hard today on her ability to meet Fozzie and Bo without tipping into play. Her frustration gets the better of her as her perception of dogs = play. Now that I have the set up to finally control her interactions with other dogs will allow me to help her know what the criteria is when seeing other dogs so she can end up saying hello in a calmer manner :)

09/06/2025

Saph and Cookie had their last day with us today for the meantime and it has been an absolute blast to have them on board for Day Trains. They are on the right path with their behaviour and am thrilled at the progress we made in such a short time.

Bruno also got to work around Saph and Cookie and he did really well! He gets over excited when meeting another dog so we did lots of brief intros. Saph was not too keen at first but Cookie being a youngster himself was happy to be around Bruno.

Oscar also enjoyed Saphs company more than Cookie as he told Cookie off very appropriately and all got to have a good time mingling with each other.

I took them all for a walk along the private driveway so they could practice their skills in a new environment and all went pretty well. :)

05/06/2025

Bandit and Baxter joined us for Day Trains today with Fozzie, Kaia and Saph whose rocking her new hair cut!!

The boys have very different emotions when It comes to other dogs. Baxter doesn't want a bar of them whereas Bandit is keen to meet and possibly play but his arousal levels are way too intense. Regardless we start with obedience to get them to perform an alternative behaviour instead of fixating and reacting to dogs.

Kaia, Fozzie and Saph all enjoyed some time together. Kaia had her last day on her package today but not the last we will see of her as her amazing owners are keen to keep her on Day Trains and help her reach her best potential! Yay! Fozzie focused on recall today as well as socializing with pretty much everyone! Saph was not too keen on meeting the big boys which is just fine. We did some 1-1 work on her heel work and engagement. If I catch her early enough she will recall no problem but if she's too distracted, she needs more encouragement :)

What an awesome day today! 😁

04/06/2025

A very wet day for Kaia, Floki, Coco and Flynn who all braved the rain but didn't mind at all 😁

We stuck to the car park at the sport field and with Oakley on board today, we got a lot of amazing work done. We did a lot of focus on handler and working on close proximity to each other only allowing the dogs to say a brief hello when they were calm. At the end we let the dogs decompress on the field in groups of 2. Flynn was eager to play with Kaia but she was having none of it and Coco a bit too intense for Floki and not picking up on his avoidance cues. To be fair she's not had the chance to play with many dogs so she couldn't help herself but there inlays her troubles is that her ears turn completely off. The same also goes for Floki but he gets triggered by most stimulus in the environment as he can struggle to engage especially when there's too much going on.

The team did an awesome job and was lovely having Oakley to help them with their training journey 🤗

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10/02/2025

Welcome Bruno! He's a beautiful staffy x whose just over 2 years old. He had a really unfortunate incident last year when out for a walk and a dog broke out of their home and attacked poor Bruno. He had severe injuries to his leg as well as punctures to his head. Although he's still happy go lucky at daycare, he is a bit apprehensive and nervous when new dogs approach him when out and about.

We had our first session today and he's an absolute gem! Just needs a bit of help with his foundations so he can learn to refer to us as his safe place. Once we nail these we can work on safe socialisation to help build his confidence around new dogs again :)

Look at that smile! 😁

28/01/2025

Only some of our recent pups!😁

Some of these cuties were from late last year also! We are so fortunate to do what we love every day. We give our all to help owners with their wee ones, be they first time dog owners or dog savvy folks ☺️

Quality is our prime focus. We want owners to feel that they get as much of our attention as possible or working in small groups so everyone can still feel they get that bit of 1-1 🙂

We'd like to thank all our past and current clients for choosing Al's Pal's to help in your dog's journey regardless of age and life stage. We couldn't do what we love without your support and commitment so thank you from the bottom of our hearts 💕

Feel free to reach out if you have added a New furry family member. Remember we have some new developments happening in the background so continue to watch this space ! 😏