Louise's Dog and Puppy School

16/04/2025

Congratulations Vivienne and Sooper Cooper on achieving his Elementary Trick Title. Well done Team!!!! So proud of both of you.

31/03/2025

A cool way to practise loose leash walking with the help of a maze at Fig Tree Farm. Brendon and the gorgeous Nyx doing it so well!!!

31/03/2025

Congratulations to Vivienne and Chris with Cooper who passed their Canine Good Citizen Bronze, and to Brendon and Clare with Nyx who passed their CGC Silver. So very well done all of you for this achievement. So proud of you all!!!

14/03/2025

Improving your Recall using Premack The dogs in this photograph are exhibiting high-probability behaviours. David Premack, a psychologist, proposed the rule that high probability behaviours can be used to reinforce low-probability behaviours. We can use this principle when training dogs very successfully. High-probability behaviours are activities which are performed voluntarily and which are enjoyed for themselves without the intervention of the handler or owner....

Improving your Recall using Premack The dogs in this photograph are exhibiting high-probability behaviours. David Premack, a psychologist, proposed the rule that high probability behaviours can be …

29/01/2025

08/12/2024

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DOG Biologists, breeders and trainers, and champion sled dog racers, Raymond and Lorna Coppinger have more than four decades of experience with literally thousands of dogs. They are co-authors of the book DOGS: A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF CANINE ORIGIN, BEHAVIOR, AND EVOLUTION and in a discussion about the relevance of the alpha-dog/dominance theory in training dogs they were asked how they thought people should think about their relationship with their dog?...

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DOG Biologists, breeders and trainers, and champion sled dog racers, Raymond and Lorna Coppinger have more than four decades of experience with literally thousands of do…

01/10/2024

What's the Nature/Nurture debate all about?

The Debate The age-old debate of nature versus nurture extends beyond human behavior; it also applies to our dogs. When discussing dog behavior, both nature and nurture play crucial roles in shapin…

30/09/2024

I have a dog called Bo who is a firecracker. She is one of those dogs who gets really excited when she is doing something she loves. Like training, or retrieving, or just running. For anyone else who has a dog like this please have a listen to Susan Garrett's latest Podcast here

Harnessing excitement in dog training and understanding arousal lets you create better focus from your dog! Whether your dog gets over the top or seems super...

30/09/2024

The Debate The age-old debate of nature versus nurture extends beyond human behavior; it also applies to our dogs. When discussing dog behavior, both nature and nurture play crucial roles in shaping their personalities, temperaments, and tendencies. Understanding the interplay between these factors is essential for dog breeders, owners and trainers alike. Nature When we talk about “nature” we are referring to the genetic predispositions and instincts inherent in a dog's breed and lineage....

The Debate The age-old debate of nature versus nurture extends beyond human behavior; it also applies to our dogs. When discussing dog behavior, both nature and nurture play crucial roles in shapin…

27/09/2024

Your dog's welfare depends on your understanding of this!!!

On I need to write about normal.

An increasing number of people are giving up their dogs because they can't cope.

However this seems to be because they do not really have an idea of what "normal" is and have a rather fantasy idea of what a dog should be.

Dogs are not people, however much we love them and it is important that this is realised.

The following things are all normal and any new dog owner needs to understand this:-

Puppies do not come ready trained and it is down to the new owner to work hard for a couple of years to do that training.
Puppies (all breeds) bite - it hurts.
Puppies chew stuff up. If you leave it lying around it will get eaten.
Puppies take a while to get house trained. The owner has to stand shivering in the garden at bedtime until the results happen. This can last for months.
Puppies - and indeed dogs - need to sleep a lot and should be left alone whilst doing so. They are not toys to be constantly carried around and petted.

Brain training toys do not make up for positive interaction and training with their owner.

Dogs rarely need clothes and wearing them indoors (except possibly for very old dogs) will make skin problems more likely.

Dogs don't necessarily like other dogs. They squabble can growl at each other and even fight. Them feeling like this is normal, it is your responsibility not to put them in a position where a fight could happen.

Bi***es come in season and have phantom pregnancies. These are normal body functions and should not cause anxiety.

Dogs and bi***es hump each other and objects. Not socially acceptable to humans but perfectly normal.

Dogs do not do spiteful or dominance or deliberate naughty or lots of other emotions people put on them They live for the day and can't differentiate between your new shoes and their toys.

If you spend your money in soft beds they will explode. The dog does not care how much it cost.

If a dog is bored or anxious it will chew stuff - this includes your sofa if you are daft enough to leave him unattended with it.

Dogs need exercise, love and attention and lots of training. They don't always get it right. If you can't accept all these normal things about a dog, please don't get one as the numbers being given up for normal behaviour is heart breaking.