Isadora

My student today was the lovely Isadora the Blue Heeler. Beautiful name for a beautiful girl! Isadora has a bit of trouble containing her excitement sometimes and she loves people! We started by doing some exercises with a snuffle mat (which she loved) to focus her energy and then did some exercises sending her to her bed. We are making her bed a calm place so we can move it to other areas to help her settle. This is a good exercise to do when dogs have a hard time settling. I spoke to her owners about people giving her attention at the wrong time (this can happen accidentally and it is very common), mental stimulation, digging, etc. Isadora is also attending dog school so we can socialise her calmly. She did really well and I look forward to seeing her and her family soon!

Archie and Toby

My two little students today were Archie and Toby. They are two dachshunds that need a bit of help. Archie has a few issues with over excitement and Toby has issues with a high level of anxiety. Two totally opposite souls. We will continue lessons with both of them and work hard to help Toby be more comfortable and confident.

Oli

I had a lesson with Jordan and Oli today and I am so pleased with how they are progressing! I arrived at Jordan's house and there was no barking from Oli! Jordan had it all under control with Oli focusing on her. Wow, such a difference from last time and a HUGE step forward. Oli who was once a very insecure boy is now getting more confident with different situations. This is what we want for our dogs - the ability to cope with what the world throws at us. I have also been working on clicker training with Jordan and Oli so that we can pinpoint the behaviour we want the exact moment it happens. Oli still has a way to go with his training, but he is definitely heading in the right direction.

Coco

Today I had the pleasure of working with this lovely girl!!! Coco is a two year old Chihuahua that has a few issues with being anxious. This in unfortunately common for Chihuahua's but Coco's first year of life was quite stressful (before she came to her current owner, Tracey) and she wasn't treated well. That has all changed now, as she is in a loving, caring household. We can help our dogs immensely with anxiety by making a few changes to their lifestyle and giving them some enrichment exercises. We started Coco off with some easy tasks and a few games to play so that she can become a bit more interactive with her owner. Her tail didn't stop wagging the whole time!!! It was lovely to meet Coco and her owner Tracey.

Kaiser

This lovely boy is Kaiser, a Belgian Malinois that had a private lesson with me this morning. These dogs are intelligent athletes that need a lot of physical and mental stimulation. We played some sniffing games which he absolutely loved! So we will develop different variations to the game to challenge him more. Also to build an obstacle course for him to negotiate. He is a bit anxious , so we did some exercises to help him settle. It was fantastic to meet everyone in the family!

Lillie

I had a private lesson with Dean and Lillie today at King Jarrah. Lillie is a really nervous girl that hasn't been to many places without her buddy Rosso. When you have two dogs, you have to be a bit careful that they don't become so reliant on each other that they can't function when the other one isn't there or stop listening to you when the other one is there. Make sense?

So Lillie did really well exploring her surroundings. She did walk between Dean and myself for about half the walk, then got a bit more confident and ventured out further. Dean was doing some recall with her and also worked on her stay. He was really positive and was encouraging her every step of the way.

She was distracted at the start of the walk, but once she felt a bit more confident, she was able to gather her thoughts and do what Dean asked. I was also placing treats around the area, encouraging her to interact with the different objects and surfaces. She did really well!

Benny

My lovely student today was Benny the Labrador. He was rescued by a caring family who I can see will give him the life he deserves. He is 12 months old and hasn't had any previous training, so he doesn't know how to act in different situations. He has a lovely temperament so it is important for us to help him fit in with his new family.

As he has limited experience and wasn't socialised as a pup, he is prone to get very excited by different stimulus, so we went through some tactics on how to help him be calm. He needs work, but who doesn't?

Smokey

My student yesterday was little Smokey. He is a 12 week old Kelpie x retriever and he is a beautiful boy. He lives in a very busy household with a family who love him. He has been jumping up on people and using his teeth (landshark!!!!) when he gets too excited. I involved the kids in the lesson and spoke about what to do if Smokey does get a bit excited. Also, how to introduce a bit of mind work in with the play.

I demonstrated how to brush him without getting him excited, how to get him used to having his ears, nose, tail and feet touched and some tips about walking on the lead. I also talked about allergies and how a different diet will help with that. All in all, a good lesson!!

Rupert and William

Hi guys, I had the pleasure of meeting Penelope, Simon, Rupert and William yesterday at Kangaroo Gully. These two Labrador x Goldies were lovely. Penelope and Simon have been doing some really good work with them which was evident when I arrived.

We chatted about littermate syndrome (issues that can occur when raising siblings), toilet training, walking on a lead, husbandry difficulties (brushing dogs), playing with your dog (together and separately), etc. I always suggest to write down lots of questions before I come out so you don't forget anything. The last photo is of the boys after our session.

After we have the lesson, I send you a training plan so I can capture what we spoke about (as it can be information overload!!!). This is to help you remember what we have chatted about and instructions on how to do specific exercises.

I think these types of private lessons are important as they steer you in the right direction when raising a pup.

Josie

My private lesson today was with Josie the 10 week old Golden Retriever and Clayton. Josie has been with her family for 2 weeks and has fitted in really well! Especially with young Rufus the Roo dog (yes, he is still a pup).

We talked about everything puppy (jumping up, diet, amount of exercise that is appropriate for young pups, playing with other dogs, separation anxiety, etc) and then did some easy exercises. As you can see by the photos, Rufus joined in on the fun! He especially liked exploring the boxes and the snuffle mat. Josie has very supportive big brother!

I really recommend having a private lesson during the socialisation period (3 - 14 weeks) as this is a very important stage of our pups life. Anything that happens during this time can shape the way they see the world and how confident our pups are with novelty (new exerperiences) throughout their life. We don't want them to be fearful which can happen if we don't exercise caution during this stage.

As for Miss Josie, she is a confident, beautiful girl in an supportive household. I look forward to seeing her at dog school.

Coco

My student today was beautiful Coco, the poodle x in Bridgetown. Coco has a few issues with anxiety, so our first task was to go through every behaviour that Coco was displaying and then broke it down into steps. Once we did this, we knew what we had to address. It is really important to not treat the behaviour by suppressing it, but get to the root of the problem and help them through it.

Coco responded really well with the training we did during the lesson and I gave her owners a lot of information and set homework for them. It sounds like Coco is already settling and becoming calmer. That is a photo Jenny took of Coco when we finished our lesson.

Roxy

My lesson yesterday was with the very sweet Roxy the 10 week old Labrador and the Murphy family. One thing I picked up straight away is this little girl is in a very loving family who really want to do the best by her.

We chatted about everything puppy including diet, sleeping arrangements, chewing, exercise, digging, playing, postive reinforcement training, how to help her be more comfortable with the family including young kids, body language, etc.

All the family participated in the lesson and are really keen to continue her training. I hope to see everyone in the near future so I can see how Roxy is progressing.

Davon

My private lesson students today were Davon and Suzanne. Davon is a 6 year old Red Heeler x. Davon has had a rough life up until now and Suzanne is now his foster carer who wishes to make his life better. I have no doubt that she will.

Davon has a lot of trust issues with people which is totally understandable after what he has been through, he has a lot of anxiety issues and can be a bit aggressive sometimes. His last owner passed away a couple of months ago, so he has a grief thrown in with everything else.

We talked a lot about dogs with anxiety and how we can help them, obsessions with birds, engaging and disengaging, fence chasing, calming activities, dog body language, etc.

We have a lot to work on with Davon, but we will give him the guideance and help he needs.

Tilly

Hi everyone, my private lesson today was with Tilly the Jack Russell x Shihtzu, Jessica and Neil. Tilly is a very energetic, cheeky girl living and loving life to the fullest. Can't ask for anything more!

We started with a chat about the stages puppies go through and what to expect with each different stage. We went through where Tilly sleeps, how to avoid separation anxiety, biting, enrichment, exercise, exposing our pups to different situations, playing with other dogs, diet, etc.

We then did some focus, touch and sniffing exercises.

It was great meeting everyone today and I hope to see you all in the near future at dog school.

The photos show Tilly 10 minutes after I arrived (got her focus straight away). Her tail is blurred as it did not stop wagging. The other photo is when I left. She was tuckered out!