Musings, tips, reviews
Blog
Why obedience training will not fix your dog’s behaviour problem
It feels like it should be a simple thing, doesn’t it? To fix your dog's behaviour problem, they “just” need to learn to come back when you call. Or they “just” need to learn they can’t bark and lunge at people you see on a walk. I get twitchy when I hear the word...
Holiday Season Preparation for Your Dog
The holiday season at the end of the year brings a whole bunch of festivities and celebrations that it gets busy fast. All the additional activity and excitement can be a lot to handle. For you and your dog. Then there's the extra guests and visitors, numerous...
Why Residential Training Might Not Work For You
I’m often asked if I will take dogs in and do the training for you. Residential training is not something I offer. There are lots of personal reasons for why I don’t. I believe if I was to offer this the dog would need to live with us at home. That means my dogs would...
Attitude is Everything, My Positive reinforcement philosophy
There’s always a lot of discussion, or fighting sometimes, about ethics, ethos and methods like positive reinforcement and punishment in the dog training world. So much that it can become difficult to know what’s right or who’s talking the most sense. Right now...
Why comparison sucks, except when it doesn’t
"Comparison is the thief of joy" is attributed to several people including Theodore Roosevelt, which probably means it was someone else. Regardless of who said it first, I think I agree mostly. It probably depends on how you are doing the comparison. For most people,...
Reasons dog trainers get better results than the average dog owner
We aren’t magic. Much as that would make our lives easier. But that’s a good thing because it means that anyone can learn to do what we do. Dog trainers get better results, or results more efficiently, because we've honed our skills over the years. The only reason it...
How to achieve easy living with your dog
I live with three spaniels currently. At one point I lived with two German Shepherds, a saluki and two spaniels. I always felt I should even things up with another sighthound. But didn’t want to seem like a crazy dog lady. I often get asked "how do you manage?", but...
Living with a Dog Behaviour Problem Means Honouring the Dog You Have
Living with a dog behaviour problem is by definition challenging for us. If we didn't find the behaviour difficult to live with, we wouldn't define it as a problem. Our dogs are individuals with an entire set of genetics and learning histories that make them into who...
Why Teaching a Collar Grab Might Save Your Dog’s Life
How I Lost My Dog Recently I lost Flint, my working cocker spaniel. Actually, I hadn’t entirely realised I lost him before he reappeared. Teaching the collar grab was the reason I got him back so quickly. I was moving equipment for Thursday night classes from my back...
How Start Button Behaviours Can Improve Your Training
Start button behaviours can really help you power up your training. They are especially helpful for dogs fearful of certain stimuli like noises or vacuum cleaners. They are also useful for procedures where we need to do something to our dog like grooming or putting on...
