Dog Training School

29/04/2026

To us, it’s can be a bit annoying…

For dogs, sniffing is how they explore, process, and make sense of the world.

It can help with:
🧠 Mental stimulation
😌 Lowering arousal
🐾 Building confidence in new environments

For many dogs, it’s one of the most valuable parts of their walk.

Do you let your dog sniff?

29/04/2026

DATA EXCHANGE

Have you ever wondered why dogs seem to take pleasure in sniffing each other’s butts?

This behaviour may seem rude or inappropriate to us, but it’s a normal, functional, essential part of how information is exchanged between dogs.

Dogs experience the world primarily through scent. Sniffing this area enables dogs to make decisions - quickly, efficiently and with far more accuracy than sight or sound alone can provide.

The area under the tail, around the a**l glands, contains a highly concentrated, individual chemical profile. It’s all about gathering this important information and then deciding what to do with that information.

Sniffing isn’t the goal—the real purpose is the information gathered during this “data exchange,” which helps dogs make decisions.

The information received may result in a decision to – consent to mutual sniffing, interaction, initiate play, ignore, avoid, move or stay away or sometimes even provoke conflict.

Some dogs prefer to receive information (do the sniffing), but don’t feel comfortable when another dog does the same to them. It may feel too close for comfort, it’s a vulnerable position or a feeling of being exposed. Consent always matters and we should take note of body language and advocate for our dogs if they’re not comfortable.

Butt sniffing is an essential part of how dogs assess one another. It’s not random and it’s not rude. It’s purposeful, intentional and meaningful.

29/04/2026

CHAIN REACTIONS

In simple terms, a behaviour chain is a sequence of actions where each step or link in the chain leads to the next—and the final outcome makes the whole sequence worth repeating.

Because the reward happens at the end, the entire sequence is reinforced. This means the unwanted behaviour actually becomes stronger.

It’s really easy to inadvertently or accidentally encourage “bad” links in a chain when the outcome results in a reward or is reinforced. It’s the way that habits are built and why the behaviour keeps happening.

Dogs are really good at identifying patterns that work. Some basic examples are:

• “If I jump up on a person and then sit when they ask, I get a reward”

• “If I bark at something passing the window and then come when you call and stop barking, I get a reward”

• “If I pull on the leash and then stop pulling, I get a reward”

In all these examples, it’s the first action that initiates or builds the chain.

Although the end result is really what we are looking for, it doesn’t prevent the initial problem.

To change the behaviour, we need to remove the bad link at the beginning and build a new chain.

This might look like:

• Rewarding calm, 4 paws on the floor or a sit before the jumping up happens.

• Rewarding quiet, calm behaviour, before the barking at the window begins.

• Rewarding loose lead walking or checking in, without 1st waiting for pulling.

This removes the dog’s need to “start something” to earn reinforcement. Reinforce the wanted behaviour earlier and more often to build a new chain.

If the unwanted behaviour happens first, avoid immediately asking for a different behaviour and then rewarding. Pause before responding, reset the situation if needed and try to ensure the reward is not directly chained to the unwanted behaviour.

Take the time to look at the whole chain, break it down to identify the “bad” link and work on removing it.

It’s far easier said than done, takes time and patience, but it makes all the difference in really changing unwanted behaviour.

12/04/2026

Luring is a popular and easy way to teach dogs a variety of behaviors, but when it's time to fade the lure, here's how to do it.

12/04/2026

If you’re relying on food and toys to get your dog’s attention… you’re doing it wrong.

I’m Kamal Fernandez, a reinforcement-based dog trainer — and I’m telling you to stop using treats and toys as a crutch for your dog’s focus.

Now before that gets taken out of context, I’m not saying don’t use reinforcement. Quite the opposite. Reinforcement is essential. But there’s a big difference between using it strategically and depending on it to function at all.

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The Problem: When Reinforcement Becomes a Crutch

What I see all the time is this:

Handlers use food or toys as a lure — constantly visible, constantly present — to guide the dog through behaviours. But the problem is, they never properly fade that picture.

So what happens?
• The dog learns to work because the reward is visible, not because they understand the task
• The handler loses confidence the moment they don’t have food or toys in hand
• The dog disengages when those things disappear
• The handler panics… and brings them straight back out again

And just like that, you’ve created a cycle of dependency.

Your dog isn’t truly engaged with you.
They’re engaged with what you’re holding.

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What Real Engagement Should Look Like

True engagement means your dog:
• Chooses to work with you
• Understands the task without needing constant guidance
• Maintains focus even when reinforcement isn’t visible
• Trusts that reinforcement will come, without needing to see it first

That’s where the magic happens.

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5 Ways to Break the Dependency on Food & Toys

1. Be unpredictable with reinforcement delivery

If your dog always knows when and where the reward is coming, they’ll start keying into the pattern rather than the work.

Mix it up:
• Sometimes reward quickly, sometimes delay slightly
• Sometimes reward big, sometimes small
• Keep them guessing (in a good way)

Unpredictability builds commitment and resilience.

⸻

2. Don’t always reward from the same place

Even if you’re holding food or a toy, avoid always delivering it from that same hand.

Instead:
• Deliver from your pocket
• Toss the reward
• Place it on the ground
• Use a second hidden source

This stops your dog from fixating on your hand and helps them focus on you instead.

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3. Teach a remote reinforcement marker

Teach a term like “bingo” which clearly tells your dog they’ve done it correctly and that reinforcement is coming from a second location.

You can start this really simply when they’re very young — marking the behaviour and then delivering the reward away from your body or from somewhere unexpected. Over time, this becomes interwoven into your training.

The benefit is huge: your dog stops depending on reinforcement always being on you, and instead learns to trust the process.

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4. Build engagement based on relationship, not just reinforcement

Engagement shouldn’t come solely from food or toys — it should come from the relationship you have with your dog.

People often forget that when they deliver reinforcement, it’s an opportunity to interact:
• Physically touch your dog
• Praise them
• Let them come into you, jump up, or celebrate with you
• Make the moment feel like a shared experience

This shifts the reward away from being just about the food or toy, and makes it about you.

This is critical. Your relationship should sit at the centre of your reinforcement process — not just what you’re holding.

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5. Shape behaviours — don’t lure them

Luring is quick, but it often creates a superficial level of understanding.

The lure creates the behaviour — but as soon as the lure (or prompt) isn’t there, the behaviour disappears.

And remember, a lure isn’t always just food in your hand. It can be:
• Food or toys on your person
• The dog knowing you have reinforcement available
• Any visible or predictable prompt

This becomes a fundamental issue when you move toward competition, where those things aren’t part of the picture.

Shaping, on the other hand:
• Builds problem-solving
• Increases confidence
• Creates stronger, more reliable behaviours

It teaches the dog what to do, not just what to follow.

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Final Thought

Food and toys are powerful tools — but they should support your training, not define it.

If your dog only works when they see the reward, you don’t have engagement — you have a transaction.

The goal is a dog that works with you, not just for what’s in your hand.

That’s where real training begins.

12/04/2026

12/04/2026

Struggling with a dog that reacts to other dogs, people, or everyday triggers? 🐕💥

One of the biggest mistakes I see is trying to “push through” those reactions… when what actually helps is the right kind of exposure at the right intensity.

That’s exactly what desensitisation is all about — and I’ve put together this infographic to make the whole process simple, clear, and practical 📊✨

It breaks down:
🐾 What “threshold” really means
🐾 How to keep your dog calm and learning
🐾 A step-by-step desensitisation flow
🐾 The difference between desensitisation and counterconditioning
🐾 Common mistakes that can accidentally make things worse

If you’ve ever felt unsure about how fast to go, what threshold is, or whether your dog is coping… this will help 👇

And if you want to see how desensitisation and counterconditioning work together in real life, I’ve got a full video walking you through it step by step 🎥👇
https://youtu.be/Vza6suguWaA

Take it slow, stay under threshold, and set your dog up to succeed 💚

11/04/2026

If you're still giving adopters the 3-3-3 rule as their primary adjustment guide, it might be worth considering whether it's serving every dog, or just the easiest ones.

The framework has genuine value as an introduction to the idea that adjustment takes time. But it sets fixed milestones that don't account for trauma history, health, personality, breed, or multiple rehomings. And when dogs don't hit those milestones, adopters often spiral, or give up.

I have written The 3 Stages of Adjustment for the International Institute For Canine Ethics, a free resource designed for exactly this purpose.

It focuses on emotional indicators over timelines, practical support over protocols, and the individual dog over a universal rule.

It's a resource worth putting in the hands of every adopter you support.

Head to the Resources tab on canineethics.org

With love,

Jo Middleton x

PS The feedback from those who read through the draft copy was AWESOME! Thank you to you all x

11/04/2026

DON’T BLAME THE HARNESS

Some people believe that harnesses cause or encourage dogs to pull.

This belief probably comes from comparing our dogs to sled dogs. Sled dogs are specifically bred and trained to pull and are reinforced for it. They pull on a specially designed harness because that’s what they’ve been conditioned to do, not because a dog wearing a harness magically switches on a pulling instinct.

Pulling is a behaviour and not a harness problem. Dogs don’t pull more in harnesses, but they have far less stress and risk of injury and damage if they do pull.

It’s natural for dogs to need to pull ahead, run, stop, choose direction, create distance, sniff and explore. Being restrained on a leash is not something that dogs are born knowing how to cope with.

It’s up to us to guide them through teaching loose lead walking, using a long line where it’s safe to do so, allowing time to stop, sniff and explore. Allowing dogs more freedom of movement on walks can actually reduce pulling, stress, anxiety or reactivity.

Our dogs are not being “disobedient’’ or difficult. Dogs are just trying to meet their needs in the only way they know how.

Don’t blame the harness. Understand the “why” of the behaviour and endeavor to meet their needs.