Trainer's Tips RSS

Want to train your protection dog to ‘bark and hold’ But as soon as they see the bite sleeve, they’re too aroused to exert self-control And break their wait? Here is how to use a position box to break the 'Bark and Hold' behaviour into manageable training steps to achieve a dog that will hold their position until you give them their release cue. And NO, you don’t need any aversives such as a yank on a prong collar or a “‘stimulation from the remote dog training collar”. Modern science-backed dog training has proven the dangerous downside of the outdated...

 “Thanks for the email on loose lead walking!  Your instructions below work brilliantly around our local area, but as soon as we go somewhere different/more exciting he just isn't interested in the food or what I'm saying to him. I've always found this my biggest challenge with training as he's not overly food motivated. He'll work for treats in familiar areas (garden, driveway, local housing estate,  etc.) but as soon as we go anywhere else I struggle to control him on the lead until he's started to calm down, which can take 20-30 minutes. I feel like I've tried it...

When a dog pulls on the lead it looks like this: Eyes fixed on a point ahead Tugging forward On a tight lead To fix the unwanted behaviour, my training focuses on rewarding the opposite. To me, loose lead walking looks like this: Engaged with me Walking beside On a slack lead You can read my strategy for building value for build value for staying by your side by clicking here Today my tips focus on improving step 1 in my criteria above, your dog’s focus on you.   The training principle you’ll be employing here is ‘operant conditioning’ Put...

The principle is, anything you reward will happen more often, so: A: Don't reward unwanted behaviour e.g. continue your walk being pulled in the direction your dog wants to go B: Do reward what we call in Dog Training a ‘Mutually exclusive behaviour’ e.g. build value for staying by your side and practice loose lead walking consistently "10 Pecks" Here’s a quick game you can play outside your house before you head anywhere this week. Grab one handful of your dogs’ meal allowance. When it’s all been used up end the session.   Each day 50g of my spaniel Thea’s...

For the fellow long-haired dog owners Firstly, what is a bramble womble?! 👇This repeat offender is what we at Anglian Dog Works affectionately call a bramble womble. AKA a dog with an affinity for ‘wombling’ undergrowth! Here in the UK it is shooting season meaning there will be lots more game birds around. So while we’re past the summer stickies, this time of year whether you are working a gundog or are just enjoying walks in the countryside, the brambles are extra tempting. So here are my top tips:First, a de-tangler spray before will reduce the amount of bits that ‘stick’.And/or...