Do you have a new dog or puppy? Are you struggling to find opportunities to train with them because your older dog kicks up stink? When a second dog is added to a household, things can change in unexpected ways. One of those is that training stops. Why is that?...
If you have an active, busy, clever dog (like Felix, my young Border Collie) you’re probably often looking for ways to tire them out. Many people use repetitive ‘fetch’ to achieve this but it’s not an ideal game to be playing. What’s wrong with 'normal' fetch?...
Imagine, if you will, an alternative world… It’s Tuesday. You get in your car ready to drive to work. You live on a quiet road; no other traffic until you get to the main junction. So far, so good. You carefully creep up to the junction line - your heart starts to...
The music was pounding, the air alive with heat, bass guitar and the electrifying sound of the soloist making his strings sing. The place was packed and rocking! I had a drink in one hand and a cute guy in the other. I was 18 and just discovering life as a rock chick!...
I watched the dog and handler carefully. They were practising their heelwork and it looked lovely! The handler strode out, confident and sure; her dog trotted along next to her, attentive and happy. Then I noticed the fly in the ointment… “Can you do that again for me...
You may have come across the phrase 'marker training' in your online searches. But what exactly is it? Marker training, or clicker training, means using a unique signal to give our animals clear, instant feedback to help them learn. It tells them exactly what they did...
If you've ever spent any time around dog trainers you'll have heard them talking about 'getting duration' and how difficult it can be. Getting 'duration' on a behaviour seems to be the holy grail of dog training and some behaviours seem to be trickier than others. So...
Ouch! You grit your teeth, steel your resolve and turn your back…again, as your 35 kg, over exuberant young dog bites your elbows, grabs your jacket, bounces off your shoulders and generally uses you as a punch bag/trampoline… Your ears are ringing and there is a...
Ever wondered why some people seem to always have beautifully behaved, well balanced dogs? Doesn’t seem to matter what breed they get, or the sex of the dog, or if they do sports training or not; their dogs are always great. Have you ever wondered how they do it? Is...
Every dog will do it. Sooner or later, he’ll do something unexpected and unwanted that makes you yell. It happens to everyone. Invariably we feel bad, and now have a dog who thinks we’re unpredictable and bonkers. Luckily, there are some very effective ways to handle...