Trainer's Tips RSS

“Rosie, our lab, is 5 months now and our biggest issue we can't seem to get rid of is counter surfing. She's never gotten anything from the counter, but it doesn't stop her checking to see what's up there!! And as she grows she can reach further and further. Living in hope!   Another one that crops up occasionally is barking. She'll have a day where she barks at tiny noises. I have to be honest and say its usually the days where she hasn't had quite enough exercise, and when she starts it seems to go on all day....

I know that fireworks season can be a difficult time of year for dogs and their owners, and I am here to offer up some tips on how to help you and your dogs to cope. Preparations I am posting this advice in advance of the 5th of November because displays will be doing on throughout the lead-up to the official bonfire night and there are plenty of preparations that can be done now to be ready. Get dogs used to bangs:  Find a soundtrack on YouTube of fireworks noises. In the run-up to the first display, play the soundtrack very quietly & make it...

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 Modern science-backed dog training has proven the dangerous downside of the outdated...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...