Big Dog Little Dog: Puppy and Dog training

Big Dog Little Dog: Puppy and Dog training Hello, thank you for visiting! I'm Cheryl and I run Big Dog Little Dog. Training and socialisation classes for dogs and puppies of all shapes and sizes.

I offer kind, effective, science-based reward based training for puppies & dogs; with an emphasis on fun for all participants! In association with Puppy School. I am a fully qualified Puppy School Tutor and registered with ABTC: Puppy School tutors are carefully selected to ensure they have experience with animals, good communication skills, empathy, compassion and respect for others. Tutors atten

d regular courses in animal behaviour and training techniques, and keep up to date with information that may be useful to pet dog owners. Puppy School classes are monitored regularly to ensure the highest standards. All Puppy School tutors have undertaken a comprehensive training course, comprising residential training courses as well as home study. Courses in behaviour problem solving, run by Gwen Bailey, are attended twice a year to ensure the best advice is offered to owners with problem puppies. Tutors are kept up to date with new ideas by regularly attending meetings including Puppy School conferences and exclusive Puppy School courses by leading trainers/behaviourists such as Chirag Patel, Tony Orchard and John Rogerson. In addition, tutors regularly attend seminars and conferences run by groups such as CABTSG, APBC, BSAVA.

Trigger warning....Groomers look away! Getting old can bring with it a change of behaviour due to pain, discomfort and s...
21/06/2025

Trigger warning....Groomers look away!

Getting old can bring with it a change of behaviour due to pain, discomfort and sometimes even the remembered association of pain in a certain environment.

Wilbur is 14 so understandably has aches and pains, and during lockdown he hurt himself badly, we still don't know how or what he did but he was in a lot of pain. Since then, even though I select my dog's professional experts carefully for their care and gentle handling, he no longer enjoys being handled by vets, physiotherapists or groomers because of the negative association it brings.

He shakes, pants and over heats. I'm concerned that a grooming visit might be too much for him these days, and I'm paranoid he might collapse from heat and/or stress (yes, I'm a drama queen when it comes to my dogs 🫣😂). Although you could say it's not an essential thing to happen, his fur has gone so long and woolly that he's really struggling to regulate his body temperature, so I decided to take action.

I've gently shaved bits away over the last 3 days, letting him move away if he wants to and feeding him copious amounts pate (which obviously he HATES 🙄🐷😂). I have a bit more to do but after 15 mins today I've let him slink away to the front room!

It's not pretty, but having a mum cut has proved much less stressful for him, me and Aimee the groomer ❤️

And look how smug Fidget and Jumble look in the background! (They tried to convince him they were his support network but I suspect the pate had a part to play in it!)

It's no big secret, and many (many!) of you have spotted it over the years...I'm not really a dog trainer 🤷🏼‍♀️. Yes, I'...
20/06/2025

It's no big secret, and many (many!) of you have spotted it over the years...I'm not really a dog trainer 🤷🏼‍♀️.

Yes, I've spent hundreds, even thousands, of pounds on qualifications to identify as a dog trainer but I'm not really - I'm a people trainer 🫣. Yep, I'm training you to train your dog!

Some of the best dog trainers I know were teachers once upon a time. After 17 years of teaching reluctant teenagers, teaching dog owners who have chosen to come to classes is a pure joy 🤭.

I would love to be able to wave my magic wand and fix all of your dog training dilemmas if only I could remember where I left it 🤷🏼‍♀️🪄, so all I can do is to give you the tools in our session (or sessions!).

The real magic happens at home, between you and your dog. The real lightbulb💡 moments, the break throughs, come there, not often with me.

I know life is busy, and trying to squeeze one more thing in on top is a lot - too much sometimes.

Dog training falls by the wayside, I get it I really do! I find it hard to come home and start again with my own dogs.

BUT! You don't need to make it a full on session of an hour or even half an hour. Just 2 or 3 minutes a day is amazing, it's more than enough! What do you usually do when the kettle's boiling, or the adverts are on TV, or you're waiting for the bath to run? Scroll 📱? Maybe you could fill that time with some focus training, some indication training, some 'stay' training?

Little and often is the key - baby steps and you'll start to see the difference I promise.

We were up and at 'em bright and early this morning for a lovely 121 (well 122 really!) session at The Den before it got...
19/06/2025

We were up and at 'em bright and early this morning for a lovely 121 (well 122 really!) session at The Den before it got too hot. This husband and wife team wanted to do some hoopers with their labradoodle girls, and as they've done agility before we just did a quick intro to the equipment and then they can join a group in a couple of weeks.

Big well done to Elsa and Simba who absolutely smashed it! Looking forward to seeing them and their humans again soon.

How have you entertained your dogs while staying cool?I got up early to make sure the boys had a walk before it got too ...
18/06/2025

How have you entertained your dogs while staying cool?

I got up early to make sure the boys had a walk before it got too hot, being old Wilbur is finding it especially hard 🩶.

Then we took the young ones up to Wayford Woods for their later walk. Both dogs struggle to toilet in the garden, so going there meant they could mooch in comfort as it's so shady, with access to natural waterways for them to splosh in and drink from. And because it's been a long time since we've been, it was a proper sniffari for them so they were even more tired from a 40 minute walk than usual! 🤷🏼‍♀️🥳

What a wonderful thing to have right on our doorstep.

I have 1 space available on tomorrow's brand new Scentwork course! Time: 6pmVenue: The Den, Ilminster Duration: 6 weeksC...
16/06/2025

I have 1 space available on tomorrow's brand new Scentwork course!

Time: 6pm
Venue: The Den, Ilminster
Duration: 6 weeks
Cost: £90
Booking link:
https://form.jotform.com/240422301325338

What better time to start your Scentwork journey than when the weather is going to get uncomfortable for walking? 🤷🏼‍♀️🥵

Scentwork promotes calm, restfulness, teamwork and gives your dog a job.

14/06/2025

What a fabulous evening of hoopers! Working on level 2 with the first group, and a big hoopers welcome to Shadow, Kip, River, Bailey and Ozzie who began their journey 🥳 (looking forward to Horace joining us next session 🖤)

I'm a bit behind with catch up posts this week but Wednesday I saw 3 lovely dogs for 121 sessions at The Den.First was c...
13/06/2025

I'm a bit behind with catch up posts this week but Wednesday I saw 3 lovely dogs for 121 sessions at The Den.

First was cute little Mabel to help support her around other dogs as she's a worried little sausage.

Then came Bodie for his last session in this block, where we looked at some more lead walking adding environmental distractions.

Finally was Chester who is having lots of fun barking through the window at passersby and barking at his humans when he thinks they're not paying him enough attention. He's a collie x poodle so very intelligent, so we discussed giving him ways to use his brain and do less adrenaline fuelled chasing games - cue some easy Scentwork games!

Contact me if you need some help with your dog - if I can't help I will definitely be able to recommend one of my lovely colleagues who can.

11/06/2025

Fidget has to have regular vet visits to monitor his health and prescribe his meds. He's come so far and now can't wait to get in the door! Thanks to my lovely vet who has shown patience and understanding, he's now able to stand much better for an examination without constant feeding and offering a lovely chin rest instead. Cooperative handling is essential in dogs who can't cope with restraint.

Although he still clearly has bald patches (and a completely naked tail like a possum!), he's growing his hair back on his legs and shoulders so hopefully the tail will follow, he's showing no liver discomfort, and he's now only half a kilo off his target weight 🥳

Thank you to Katherine and to Millie at Isle Valley Vets for helping us to reach this point.

Week 2 of Puppy School last night saw both groups working on the foundations of lead walking, recall with added distract...
10/06/2025

Week 2 of Puppy School last night saw both groups working on the foundations of lead walking, recall with added distractions and toy play, some lovely positions training looking at sit, down and stand and the beginnings of some formal handling training.

What a lovely evening spent with 2 groups of dedicated owners and their lovely pups. Well done everyone ☺️

Has your dog discovered the chairs at The Den yet? Many dogs climb into these chairs and make themselves comfy, and I lo...
10/06/2025

Has your dog discovered the chairs at The Den yet? Many dogs climb into these chairs and make themselves comfy, and I love it! Be sure to visit and get a pic of your dog for my new collage soon 😍

09/06/2025

When the man human turns the garden wall into a Scentwork wall....and we snort the piece of Kong into the wall too far 🫣. Deploy the woman slave 🤷🏼‍♀️ (watch to the end!)

Scentwork for beginners course I still have a couple of spaces on my scentwork course starting next week, 17th June at 6...
09/06/2025

Scentwork for beginners course

I still have a couple of spaces on my scentwork course starting next week, 17th June at 6pm in The Den, Ilminster.

Why do I love Scentwork so much?

🐽 It's inclusive - any age/ability can take part in it

🐽 Dogs get a big dump of happy hormones when they do it, so it's particularly great for helping to reset anxious dogs

🐽 Sniffing increases a dogs respiration rate (because their nose is whiffling so fast!) so they get more tired than they would usually.

🐽 It uses a bigger portion of their 🧠 so they feel mentally tired afterwards

⏰ 15 minutes of Scentwork tires your dog out more than 45 minutes of physical exercise.

Scentwork is an amazing tool to have in your kit for days when you maybe can't get out to do a walk because of the weather, or you're not feeling particularly energetic.

Fancy having a go?

Details are:

📅 17th June
⌚ 6pm
💰 £90
📍The Den, Ilminster
🔗 https://form.jotform.com/240422301325338

Drop me a DM if you have any questions.

Address

The Den, Larchfield Industrial Estate
Ilminster
TA190PF

Telephone

+447912985527

Website

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