I'm so excited to be able to share this news with you!
Throughout this new series of 4 episodes we will look at how everyone gets a puppy or dog for a reason. This can bring challenges when training your dog to reach goals that you set.
With Chatsworth House in Derbyshire as a backdrop, new dog owners learn how to navigate puppy parenthood, with the…

I was going to call this Blog; The Challenges Of Training Urban Puppies. Then I realised it should simply be called; Training Urban Puppies, because I think calling it a challenge is unfair. Young dogs, like us, are brilliant at adapting to their environment- we just have to support them along the way. We can use smart training techniques...

The Most Harmful Misconception In Dog Body Language… Guilt!!

In my opinion one the the biggest miscommunications between dogs and humans, and potentially the most harmful too, is the impression we can recognise “that guilty look” in our dogs when we "catch them” after having done something they shouldn’t have done.

Can you recognise stress in your dogs’ behaviour during everyday day situations?
Not sure? Not always? Maybe?
This new video was made for you…

What do you look for in a partner? Understanding, compassion, a sense of humour perhaps? And what do you think your partner looks for? Love, kindness, strength? Now, what do you think your dog needs from you? Have you ever wondered? Food (Of course! Mine does), fresh water, daily walks & exercise, love?
I think that above all else, what a dog needs from his human is safety. We ourselves should become our dogs' safe place....

Puppies are cute and lovely, but it can be a real challenge to bring them up to be lovely dogs.  Puppies jump, hang, bite, destroy, run away, empty bins and make-up bags, chew on shoes, trainers and plug sockets, the list goes on. Of course, all puppies are different, therefore some people will remember these days fondly; others will remember how stressful and tiring it was; but most will...

I don’t easily get overwhelmed with shyness. It did happen once before, way more than a decade ago, whilst working for a well-known Private Member’s Club. There, I met Kylie Minogue, and whilst I thought I was super cool, telling her where she could find a...

When we first think about getting a puppy, we think about the cuddles and all the fun stuff. However after a couple of days in our home we start scratching our heads and wonder how can such a small thing wee and poo so much. Where does it all come from? Then getting that little terror toilet trained becomes our new first priority.
Some dogs will be clean within a couple of weeks; some will take...

Sarah Whitehead is probably one of the most qualified Dog (and cat) Behaviourists in Europe; and the UK’s most respected Behaviourist. Sarah wrote a few books, however my favourite one is Clever Dog. Clever Dog is the compilation of some of the Behavioural Cases Sarah’s dealt with over her 25 years of experience.

There are a few things I like about this book; firstly, it’s very accessible to everyone (very little Dog Training and Behavioural jargon). Secondly...

Us humans, don't always see the world the ways dogs do. A big part of my job is to translate dogs' behaviour to their humans, as well as clarifying how dogs perceive our (sometimes strange) own behaviours. Here are three examples of common human/dog miscommunication....

Have you ever wondered how your dog recognises you?
Can he recognise you because of the way you sound, the way you smell, the way you look; or maybe of all the above? Then read on...

We too often assume that dogs can think and feel as we do, but they don’t. Dogs don’t think Right vs. Wrong, they think Safe vs. Dangerous, and so if something feels unsafe to them (scary), they will defend themselves, try to get that scary thing to move away, or at least move away from the situation......

We care for them, play with them, feed them the best food we can afford, train them, hug them, make them feel safe, take them to the vet when they are poorly. We have dog-sitters, dog-walkers, dog trainers; the list goes on......

I know it’s still only September, but now is a good time to start thinking about how you can help your dog if he is scared of fireworks.

The Do’s:
Allow your dog to find a safe space around your home, if your dog is happy in his crate, that’s a good place to start. If it’s under the sofa, so be it. Dogs like small spaces. Make sure...

If your dog becomes anxious when traveling by car, he might show signs of stress such as panting, drooling or even vomiting. This is not fun for you, but even less fun for your dog. Very often the first experience a puppy has of a car journey is the day he leaves his mum and littermates; and the second, his first trip to the vet. So is it any wonder he finds stepping into this large noisy thing stressful?...

Food guarding is a type of resource guarding,, and it can appear in any dogs, at any time in their life. It is important to react quickly if it happens with your dog. As always I think prevention is key, and some simple positive reinforcement exercises can be done to prevent this kind of problem from happening.

Some clients ask, how do I know if my dog is guarding his food?...

Today marks the beginning of summer and you might be looking for a book to read in the park or on the beach. Here is a little review of one of my favourite “Dog Training” books; and I put Dog Training in inverted comas, because this book will not only help its readers train their dogs, but also other pets they may have (from ferret to dolphin, pony to golden goose), their kids, or even themselves.

Don’t Shoot The Dog introduces the readers to Positive Reinforcement, and clarifies.......

Clients often ask how they can prevent their dogs from jumping up, barking, weeing inside the house, etc.  Some trainers still advise to use old fashioned, aversive training methods, such as shouting: “NO”, jerking the lead, or even sometimes kicking the dog or pinning him down. Not only are some of these methods very cruel, it has now been proven that they are....

Socialising your puppy is vital, and the only place you can really do that effectively is the Dog Park. One hour a week during puppy class is not enough, you have to get out there. I am still coming across cases where the dogs amount of socialisation and exercise is a key factor in moving forward with any behavioural problems they may have.

Ideally, the park would be...

There is one thing that all my clients, and myself have in common: we all want our dogs to be happy. However, sometimes life simply takes over, and we need to stop and remind ourselves the promises we've made to our dogs the day we let them into our lives.

We owe it to our dogs to help them:

..........

Did you know using food as a reward when training your dog is not only smart, it is “scientifically-proven-smart”? The treat will become the hoped-for-reward that will increase the level of dopamine in your dog’s brain to help him do well with the training ahead.       

Not just in dogs, the human body also creates Dopamine; it’s a neurotransmitter that appears into your system when you are...

It can take ages to get your dog to walk well on a lead. I don't like to train using harsh equipment, so clicker training and some patience is often the best way. 

Nevertheless, I recently discovered and started using a Perfect Fit harness at home as well as at work.  A harness made of three different parts (for a perfect fit... genius), and most crucially.....

I sometimes hear clients say they were told by Dog Trainers, or that they read in various dog training books that they should never play Tug Of War with their dogs. Surprisingly, the belief that playing Tug Of War could increase aggression and dominance in dogs is still out there. 

This is interesting, as not only the idea that a game of Tug Of War could be dangerous is wrong, it is also completely the opposite. On the contrary, it is a great way to get your dog to....

We cannot say it enough, socialising your puppy is so Important. Put the effort into it, do it well, and you will have a happy, confidant dog later. Miss your window or do it wrong and your dog could become socially awkward, fearful, and potentially aggressive. Not fun for you? Even less fun for your dog. You owe it to your puppy....

Dogs don't want to fight, they know that potentially it can be dangerous for them too. Most dogs demonstrate 4 survival strategies when confronted to a situation they are not comfortable with: Flight, Flirt, Freeze and (generally as a last resort) Fight. The Four Fs. Think about it, us humans sometimes uses these too....