Trainer's Tips RSS

Free 5-Day Recall Challenge Question:  “I’m at a loss to know what I can do because she runs off, so far, she’s never been gone for more than 10 minutes at most, but it’s worrying… I know that rehearsing misdemeanours is bad -  it would mean the absolute world to me to have a dog which came back when I called.”   Solution: As a dog trainer, I realised that not only was recall the number one goal for so many people I worked with, but it is also the behaviour that can have the most impact on enjoying life...

A lot of people check in with their own health in January and it's good to be thinking about your dog's health for 2023 too! 📝 We want you to start the new year off right with your dogs too! 🐾🥳 I will be sharing some top to toe checks with you And what better place to start than the mouth? Do your dog’s gums bleed when you play tug? Breath smell?   It's estimated that almost 90% of dogs will have developed gum disease by 2 years of age1  Causing red gums, bleeding, and bad breath… But also playing an...

Transferring a cue simply means teaching your dog to respond the same way to a new cue (folding your arms to ask your dog to lay down) as they did the existing cue e.g. by saying “down”. I really like this using this to train dogs to settle in social situations silently, only using hand signals and found I naturally crossed my arms when I stopped for a chat on a walk, so felt natural to integrate. Conventionally, the method for training an ‘off switch’ is teaching that when you step on your dog’s lead, that a cue that no training...

The Conventional ‘Training an off-switch method’ is when you teach your dog that when you step on their lead, that a cue that no training is happening and it’s time to settle.  Teaching the off switch is an important life skill for when you are occupied, so the dog can relax and watch the world go (for example the pub!) Here’s what Laura, Luna the English springer’s Mum, had to say about the value of training this behaviour: "As high-energy dogs, we wanted to work on having Luna relaxed joining us at the pub and sports events. We worked on settle training...

Hi, I’m Emma Filby, a professional Dog Trainer near Cambridge at Anglian Dog Works, accredited by The Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT). I know that fireworks season can be a difficult time of year for dogs and their owners. In fact, according to the RSPCA, as many as 62% of dogs and 54% of cats show signs of distress during the fireworks season. I am here to offer up some tips on what you can do to keep your dog calm during Fireworks:   Before the display Make a den:  Create a safe hiding place that is low down, covered...