Dog “reactivity” is one of the most common and misunderstood challenges for owners today. But here’s the truth: treating the symptom without addressing the underlying causes is a recipe for failure.
Don’t End Up Chasing Your Tail
As a dedicated team of dog trainers, we’ve enjoyed working with many passionate dog owners at various stages of their training journeys. However, we often encounter owners who face significant challenges, particularly those who begin training too late or abandon training too early. Effective training should start from day one and continue throughout your dog’s […]
The Emotion behind the ‘Reaction’
‘Reactivity’—it’s a buzzword in the dog world, but what does it really mean? Before diving into training or behaviour modification, it’s crucial to grasp the underlying emotions fueling this reactivity. Sure, we often associate reactivity with aggressive behaviours like lunging and barking towards other dogs or people. But let’s take a step back. Isn’t a […]
Symptoms or Root Cause?
Is your training program focusing on the symptoms of behaviour issues, the root causes of the issue, or both? Many may misinterpret behaviours displayed by their dog as the issue, however, they can often be the symptom of something bigger and more underlying. This is understandable due to many of these symptoms being visual and […]
Hello? Is anybody there? – Why we do not have a phone contact
We often get asked why we do not have a phone contact for our clients, and although inconvenient to some there are numerous reasons as to why that we would like to share with you! 1. The most important one for us is, FOCUS. When we are training our clients or their dogs, we want […]
Let’s talk TIME!
How long does it take to train a dog?How long does it take to “fix” a behavioural issue?How long to “fully” train a dog? These are just some of the questions we often receive, and the answer is always the same, “we cannot tell you that”. Dogs are not a computer we program, they are […]
Resource Guarding: What you need to know!
Resource guarding is becoming more and more of a common issue in companion dogs and many of those presenting these behaviours coming through our facilities are very young and otherwise healthy dogs. Make no mistake, resource guarding in dogs can be scary and many find it truly affect their relationship with their dog. However, it […]
Managing Canine Behaviour
Every day I tip my hat to those living with and treating a dog with a behavioural issue, it can be challenging, frustrating, costly but can be incredibly rewarding. It can also be TIME CONSUMING; behaviour issues are not fixed in a day (no matter what some claim), they take time, understanding, repetition, clarity and […]
Manage the Symptom. Treat the Cause.
When you are faced with a behavioural issue it is easy to fall in a trap of addressing just the symptom but not understanding or treating the underlying cause of the behaviour. There are many ‘quick fixes’ on the market, whether it be a fancy training device, a trainer who claims to ‘fix’ your issues […]
Training directly or indirectly?
If you are struggling with a behavioural issue or struggling to achieve a training goal, it may be worth taking a step back and ask… Should I approach this DIRECTLY or INDIRECTLY? For example, dealing with ‘dog reactivity’. Some jump right into addressing their dogs behaviour DIRECTLY in presence of other dogs. However, many need […]