Dog Training

Can't train your dog for you

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Tue, 04 May 2021 06:29:30 GMT

Teaching the dog

I think the one thing a lot of owners don't like to hear is that training a dog does take time and I'm not talking weeks, I'm talking months. If you get a puppy at 8 weeks for the first year of their life you are essentially training them and the more time you put in the less you have to do when they mature. However, it is a long process and requires a lot of your time.

All dogs need to be taught boundaries within your home, can they go on the sofa, can they enter the kitchen, where do they sleep, what behaviours are acceptable and what are not. etc

They then need to be taught marker words, such as:

“ OK ” Release from what they were doing, they can now do what they like (to a degree.)

“ YES ” Marker, meaning that they got it right and can expect a reward to follow.

“ NO ” Incorrect, used when the dog makes a mistake.

Finally they need to be taught commands:

Come
Heel
Drop
Leave it
and any extras you feel necessary such as down, leave it, paw etc

With puppies there are the extras such as crate training, toilet training, handling nipping and chewing, as well as getting them use to being separated from yourselves.

And that is only a fraction of it as every day you interact with your dog you are training them to do certain behaviours, sometimes without even realising it.

Training your dog for you

Over the years I have been asked multiple times to take an owners dog for residential stay and train them for them. Now for me this could be a very profitable avenue to take my business. However, I don’t do it, why you might ask, well the simple answer is ‘I can’t train your dog for you!’

Now don’t get me wrong, I could most certainly get your dog to understand verbal markers and commands in a matter of days, I could even have your dog behaving really well within my home in a week or two. But the moment I hand your dog back over to you, the likelihood is all that hard work would become undone, why?

Well first of all dogs don’t generalise, so what we teach in the home a dog won’t reliably do it anywhere else. We have to teach them everything everywhere, so what your dog learns at my home does not mean they will do it back in your own home. However, the main reason is when owning a dog we communicate with them on a daily basis through body language and it is this language that can cause a lot of the issues we see in our dogs today. Because training a dog takes time, effort and dedication as it does require you to change your behaviour to some degree too.

Also when training a dog we have to learn to keep our emotions balanced, if you are frustrated, anxious, or nervous your dog will pick up on these emotions and can sometimes become anxious themselves or they will choose not to listen.

Make the time

If you want your dog trained then my opinion it is you who needs to put in the effort and train them. There are no short cuts, no quick fixes, as I've always said it takes time, patients and dedication. However, you can learn quickly from a good trainer how to do it!

Your dog only really needs to understand 10 words!

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Do we talk too much to our dogs?

The short answer is YES! When working with clients or just seeings friends and family with their dogs I am not surprised at all by how much they talk to their dogs. Not only will they speak to them, they do it as if they speak our language and can respond to our questions, saying things like;

“Oh your such a good boy aren’t you?”

“Do you want to go to park, want to see your buddies?”

“Do you want your dinner? Are you hungry?”

Now some might argue with me saying that their dog understands what they’re saying, my partner included. If he gets up in evening and starts saying “Do you wants some dins, woohoo come on let’s get some dins.’ Miku will get excited and follow him into the kitchen ready for her dinner.

But whats really happening is Miku has associated Lee’s excited tone of voice and his action of going into the kitchen to the cupboard where her bowl is to know that dinner is likely being prepared.

However, if Lee was drinking his morning coffee and said in a calm voice “Do you want some dins?” But didn’t move Miku would likely tilt her head at him or not even budge from her place, as she doesn’t understand the words, it’s the actions that follow the excited tone that she understands.

But what harm does talking to our dogs do?

You might think none and in the home you’re likely right if you have a calm a content dog, but if you have a dog that doesn't settle, barks at everything, paces around and displays behavioural issues, your talking to them will be part of the problem, but that's a topic for another day.

However, I want to tell you of the issues that appear when we want our dogs to follow commands!

Given our first point of communication is speaking we regularly over complicate it for our dogs, not only can we be inconsistent in our commands it is often the case that the dog doesn't even understand the verbal.

The amount of people who claim their dog knows the word ‘SIT,’ but then it turns out the dog hasn’t a clue is more often than not. In order for the dog to go into a sit the owner has to stand in front of the dog, raise their arm up whilst saying "sit, sit Fido, sit down." This is not a dog who understands the word sit, what they they have learned is the physical cue, which is the owner standing before them and raising their arm.

Also I've seen multiple people at the parks trying to recall their dogs and usually this is what it sounds like:

“FIDO, COME HERE, COME ON BOY, THIS WAY….WHAT’S THIS!” All the while their tone of voice getting more and more frustrated, sometimes even angry.

It is no wonder their dog doesn't do what they say, as they haven't a clear command that means to return, in fact they are just confusing their dog by doing this.

Another thing to think about as well is, when should praise be used?

It is possible to over use praise and make it useless, if your dog is walking to heel and your repeatedly going "yes that's it good boy, well done, super!" etc, you're just flooding your dog with noise and the power of your praise becomes less effective.

You must space out the praise, as you would treats or toys, make your dog work for it in order to receive it. Now with puppies this is a little different as we use a lot of treats and praise in the beginning, but this is because we are teaching them something new, once the dog understands the behaviour we're teaching them we fade out the treats and praise and only give them sporadically.

So what should a dog know by verbal?

All a dog needs to understand to be a good dog in and out of the home are no more than 10 simple key words :

“ THEIR NAME ” It is shocking how many dogs do not even know know their own name.

“ COME ” All dogs should have a reliable recall, if not they should remain on lead.

“ OK ” Release from what they were doing, they can now do what they like (to a degree.)

“ YES ” Marker, meaning that they got it right and can expect a reward to follow.

“ NO ” Incorrect, used when the dog makes a mistake.

“ HEEL ” Getting a dog to understand where the heel position is and what it means.

“ SIT ” Sit is a stay, it means sit till I release you or give you a different command.

“ DROP ” Anything a dog picks up they must have a reliable drop command.

“ LEAVE IT ” This command can me to leave anything, be it food you dropped, a dog in the park or a rabbit running off.

" PLACE " Teaching your dog to go to their place and settle down.

THATS IT!!

To have a well mannered reliable dog in the home and outside a dog really does not need to understand any more words than the above. Yes you could teach, "down", "paw", "spin", "centre", "climb" etc, which are great for stimulation and engagement but they aren't needed.

What does your dog know verbally? Are you guilty of flooding your dog with too much talking? Let us know in the comments.

Next I will be talking through how we ' Can’t train your dog for you ', in order for your dog to behave for you and follow commands, YOU have to put the work in.

Engagement with your dog

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 07:08:43 GMT

What is engagement training?

When owning a dog it is easy to get caught up in teaching them the household rules and obedience, but skip the fundamentals that create lasting, training results. The very first thing a top dog trainer knows is that we must teach the dog is to simply pay attention to the handler. That is the process of engagement training.

A dog who is engaged knows that payments (praise, treats, toys and play) comes from their handler and is motivated to work with their handler to obtain those payments. Before we can ask a dog to follow commands, have good manners, and be safe when off the lead, we must show them that listening to us is in their best interest.

Engagement is the fundamental building block when wanting your dog to be reliable in training in and outside the home, without it you'll have a difficult time getting your dog to walk to heel or come when called when faced with so many distractions in the real world.

What engagement is not!

However, engagement can’t be commanded or forced, it isn’t a dog fixated on the toy or another reward and then losing “engagement” the moment they’ve won it. When they win the toy they will immediately bring it back to play more, they shouldn't take it and retreat to other corner of the garden to enjoy it alone.

The idea is they want to play with YOU…because you are FUN!

Engagement is also not:

The ‘look’ command - Asking your dog to 'look'/'watch' is not engagement, it's them merely them following a taught command. Remember you can't command engagement, it comes willingly from the dog because they want to work with you.

Playing Tug - It is a great game if your dog enjoys it, and works a treat as a reward, but playing tug is not engagement, it is well playing tug! However, it can certainly be used to get engagement.

Recall - Getting your dog to "come" when called may look like engagement, rewarding for a come and rewarding for engagement can look very similar, but a recall is far from what an engaged dog really looks like.

Ball obsession - Now I've seen dogs dive out their owners cars, doing full spins, walking backwards and barking at the owner as they walk onto the field. It can easily be mistaken for engagement but then you see the ball and launcher in hand, the moment that ball is thrown the dog is off like a shot to retrieve it, then returns dropping the ball and staring hard at it (not the owner.) Now take the ball and launcher away will the owner still have engagement? The likelihood is not, though fetch can be used to get engagement there is a significant difference between ball obsessed and being engaged with you.

So what is engagement and how do we get it?

Creating real engagement isn’t easy, it can be very difficult and it certainly doesn't happen overnight. Also you can't teach it and then forget about it, as real engagement is something you have to build and continuously maintain.

But what is an engaged dog? An engaged dog is exactly that…engaged!

They are driven and constantly pushing for the training that is about to happen. An engaged dog doesn't care for the environment, they're not off sniffing or running over to other dogs and people, they're on you not wanting the game to end, they're engaged with you because through you, all fun happen.

How do you get engagement though?

Well a starting point would be to simply reward your dog when they offer engagement, either give them a treat or toy when they push you to play and train. As well as capturing the moments when your dog chooses you over their environment, go nuts and celebrate them, and be FUN!

Miku's engagement is something I am still working on to this day, and likely will be for a long time, but when she switches on and wants to engage she stares right up at me and gets this look in her eyes, I can see her eagerness for wanting to work for her rewards.

Thanks for reading! Now you can learn about ' Too much verbal. ' When training our dogs we can go over board in our verbal commands and half the time we haven't even taught our dogs to understand the verbal in the first place!

Teaching the heel position

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 15:28:35 GMT

Dogs do not know how to walk to heel

It is amazing how many owners don’t actually teach their dog to get into the heel position and how to walk in it, all the while wondering why their dog pulls. If we don’t teach a dog a behaviour how can we expect them to know it?

All dogs have to be taught behaviours, they do not understand that when the lead is attached they must stay next to our side, or that when we call them they must come, or that “SIT” means to park their butt on the floor.

So how do we go about teaching it?

At first we would teach a dog by luring them into the heel position, so using treats in your hand you can guide them around.

Depending on what side you’d like your dog to walk on put the treat into the hand of the same side, so if you want your dog to walk on your left side, you’d have the treats in your left hand.

Exercise: Treat in left/right hand, take a step back and do a semi-circle motion (slowly) with your hand, as the dog follows your hand around bring your hand to your side, step forward, say “yes” and then reward.

Watch the video below as I show you how to teach the heel position. Miku has been taught to heel on the left side but not the right, so I'll be showing you the complete stages.

When to add the verbal "heel"

Adding the verbal command “heel”, we must wait until the dog understands the physical cue (hand signal) reliably, every time first.

In order for the dog to learn the command, you must say it ONCE and then show your dog the physical cue.

DO NOT: Repeat the command over and over, or say something like “good heel” after the dog is already in the heel position, as this can send mixed signals to the dog.

Give it a go teaching your dog to get into the heel position, if you want to do even more you could teach your dog to heel to either side of you, so rather than saying "heel," you'd say "right" for the right side of you and "left" for the left side of you.

Next I'll be talking about the importance of ' engagement training ', and that without engagement you've no hope of your dog heeling walking.

Time frame for lead training the dog

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 06:06:59 GMT

Everything on demand

The thing is with everything so easily obtainable in todays world, be that food delivered to your door, films on demand or sending and receiving messages instantly. We all expect everything done quickly and because of this we jump from one thing to the next if we don’t see instant results without really giving it ago, which leads to a big problem owners face when training their dogs.

I hate to break it to you but there really is NO quick fix to training your dog! Please take a minute to absorb that, although I guess you’ve possibly heard it before, it is in fact true! Training a dog is a big commitment, some people get lucky and it takes maybe a couple of weeks at most. However, for the majority of owners it will take months to get a new behaviour mastered like lead walking or coming when called reliably, especially if the dog has been rewarded for pulling or running away previously.

It is up to you as an owner to make that commitment every day to your dog's training. Once they understand the commands you may only need to refresh their training once or twice a month. So don’t worry too much, you're not going to be walking your street back and forth for the rest of your dogs life.

How long should your training sessions be?

Did you know from the moment you get up and see your dog the training begins, every interaction with or around your dog is training. With that in mind you could use this to your advantage, such as; if you have a dog who gets overly excited when the lead comes out you could spend the time moving the lead around the house to desensitise them, so the lead coming out doesn’t always mean a walk.

But when it comes to actual training sessions this is up to you and your dog, you don’t have to do an hour long session (unless you want to.) Simply spending 10 minutes and few times a day to dedicate to training would suffice. Obviously the more you put in the more quickly your dog will learn.

When training Miku to my method it took her four days to understand the technique and what was asked of her, each day I spent two sessions working with her, one session was 20 minutes and the others were 30 minutes. Yes she needs reminding very occasionally but mostly she will walk to heel anywhere.

Each training session should be fun and rewarding

That said watch your dog and make sure they’re enjoying it. My dog Miku gets frustrated and bored very quickly, especially if training the same command repeatedly. So not only do I get her to do a number of different techniques during a session I also make most of them short, such as 10 to 15 minutes, some days it will only be 5 minutes depending on her mood.

Each session should end on a positive, so play a game of tug or fetch to make it enjoyable for your dog. Something for them to look forward to at the end of each session. Not only is it fun for them it strengths that bond between you both.

Remember the more time you put in with you dog the quicker you will get your desired outcome, but please remember that teaching a dog any command is not a quick ordeal.

Next read how to teach your dog to get into the ‘ heel position ’

Behaviours in dogs

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Tried everything to stop your dog pulling?

Are you finding that getting your dog to walk to heel outside the home just isn’t working? There are a number of causes for this; it could be that the environment is just too stimulating or maybe you have someone else walking your dog (family, friends, or a dog walker) and they are allowing your dog to pull, which is setting your training back. Or perhaps you have jumped too far ahead and need to go back a step in their training. Again if you haven’t read my blog on consistency then check it out . Dogs are persistent and if they know you will give in then they will keep challenging you.

Other behaviours can impact your lead training

However, it is possible that it could be something more troubling than the above. Dogs who are nervous, aggressive, hyperactive or display other behavioural issues will struggle to look to their owners for guidance due to the amount of anxiety they feel. In any situation, just like us, dogs have three options; to flee, freeze or fight, and when you have them on a lead, you have taken away their ability to flee, leaving them with only freeze or fight. This causes them even more stress, which further reduces their ability to listen, making training them an impossible task.

For dogs it all begins in the home, get this right and the outside training becomes so much easier. They need to feel 100% safe and have ultimate trust in their owner’s ability to handle whatever situation presents itself. A dog that feels they are in danger when outside, scared of everything will be so focused on keeping themselves safe that they won’t be listening. They will be overwhelmed and riddled with stress and anxiety, resulting in further behavioural issues developing both in and out of the home, with pulling on the lead being one of them.

Get help with your dogs behaviour & training

We are so used to seeing dogs pull on the lead, that we sometimes make the mistake of thinking that it is ‘normal’ dog behaviour, but some times that isn't the case. If you feel your dog suffers with any anxiety, fear, aggression etc then you will need the help of a qualified dog behaviourist. Ask your vet to recommend one.

Next you’re in for a treat as I discuss the ‘ Time frame for lead training ’, how long your training session should be and how long it takes till your dog’s walk to heel on lead.

Body language when walking your dog

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Dog training req uires your focus

I am amazed when I am out on a walk how many owners are just not paying their dog any attention and allow themselves to be pulled down the road. Some you can tell are in discomfort and have just accepted that their dog will pull, while others are so glued to their mobile devices that they are ones causing the problem.

If you want y our dog to not pull on the lead then you need to be present, be in the moment with your dog and correcting every error they make. It’s no good just correcting it occasionally or some days giving up completely. Remember my blog about consistency? If not then you need to go back and read it .

How should you walk the dog

When it comes to your body posture you need to show your dog you’ve the right to lead. How you do this is by holding yourself high, head up focusing on where your going, relaxed body but a determined walk.

Walking while hunched over your phone shows your dog your not paying attention and you’ve no ability to lead. The amount of owners I’ve seen walk into things such as lampposts or low hanging branches because their eyes are glued to their phone is a joke.

It's more than just your body

Also when working with your dog you need to keep your emotions in check, if you're anxious, nervous, worried, stressed or angry your dog will pick up on this and won’t follow your lead. You need to display confidence and remain calm, even if you get frustrated.

It’s by no means easy to change your emotions especially when you’ve had a bad day, or if you're in a rush, that's why you need to make time specifically for training. I find taking a deep breath a few times before I begin the training helps me to focus and balance out my emotions. If I find myself becoming frustrated and stress then I turn back, head home and try again later.

So remember, hold your head high, determined walk, remain calm and be sure to be focused on your dog, not your phone. Give it a try and see if it improves your training sessions.

Next I am going to be talking about ‘ Behaviours in dogs ’, did you know that if your dog is reactive on lead, nervous, suffers from separation anxiety or other behaviours then this can impact your lead training?

Is your dog walker a professional?

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Before you hire a dog walker

It seems every other day now new posts are popping up on social media offering dog walking, which is worrying given the current rise in dog thefts. So before you choose any old Joe Bloggs to walk your dog you should check out if they are actually a professional!

What is a professional dog wa lker

Sadly our industry currently is not regulated, which means anyone can offer paid walking services ( though there is news that this will change soon, woohoo! ) So what should you look for before hiring a dog walker?

Are they insured?

Things can go wrong on a walk and any good dog walker will have public liability insurance.

Have they been DBS/CRB checked?

You’re letting a complete stranger into your home when you aren’t there, you want to ensure they have no criminal record right, but are they also on the Governments ‘Update Service’? This system will show if they have or do commit any criminal act. Where as a certificate alone only covers them for the past not the present and future.

Do they have any qualifications in dog behaviour?

Though this is not a requirement it is possible it will be in the future and any great walker will either have qualifications or be undergoing some sort of education to expand their knowledge.

Understanding dog behaviour is vital for anyone who works with them. A dog walker’s job is to make sure the welfare of the dog comes first, and if they display any behaviour such as fear, aggression, nervousness then the walker should know not only how to read it, but how best to handle them in any situation so they remain calm and happy.

Also a walker should be able to read the body language of any dog, be it the one they are walking or those being walked by other people so they can predict the outcome if their dogs meet. There are too many dogs off lead that cause other dogs distress, especially if you’re walking one on lead. So it is up to the walker to be able to pick the right course of action so the dog/s in their care remain stress free.

Are they pet first aid trained and do they take a pet first aid kit out with them?

You’d be surprised how much a walker may need to use their pet first aid kit, especially if walking a group of dogs.

Accidents happen all the time, dogs when they play with one another can get all kinds of scrapes and nicks which will need to be tended too to ensure they don’t become infected. Also they can cut their paws, claws can rip and much more. Every professional dog walker will of undergone pet first aid training and that training MUST be updated every 3 years.

Transportation safety

Any dog walker using a vehicle should ensure that they transport the dogs as stated by highway code 57: ' When in a vehicle make sure dogs or other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly. A seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard are ways of restraining animals in cars.’

Those using a car it would be best to have the dog in the boot either strapped in, or in a crate so when they open the boot the dog cannot bolt out. Walkers who use vans should have a cage system set up, look for those who use the proper welded cages for extra safety and peace of mind, as house crates will collapse in on themselves and wooden cages will likely splinter on impact which could injure the dog.

Also if you are hiring a walker for group walks, ask if they have a means to separate the dogs whilst in the vehicle. After all dogs do get excited when they see one another and may jump around playing which can be very dangerous, but also travel can be incredibly stressful for some dogs and dividing them will prevents dog fights breaking out mid drive.

Do they offer a meet & greet, as well as a first walk together

All professional dog walkers should offer you a meet & greet before taking your dog out, this is a chance for you to meet the walker, ask any questions you may have, see how your dog interacts with them and you'll be given the paper work to complete before services begin.

Also if you are concerned that the walker might not be able to handle your dog then ask if you can go on a walk together they should of allotted time for this, that way you can see first hand how your walker handles real life situations with your dog.

Dog walkers who go the extra mile

Background in training

The last thing you want is for your dog walker to undo all your hard work in training your dog right? After all a lot of owners pay an awful lot of money to train their dogs and have a walker not know how to continue that training is money wasted.

Also dog walkers should be able to train a dog in a reliable recall on a long line before attempting to let them off, just because your dog comes back for you, doesn’t mean they will for a walker they do not know or trust. It takes time to form a bond and train a dog to come when called, so make sure your walker has knowledge in this.

GPS tracker

Letting dogs off lead will always present a risk and some dogs do run off, either they’ve got spooked while out or decided to chase a small furry animal. If they were to go out of sight then how does any dog walker expect to find them without a live tracking system? This is why I use one to give the owners and myself peace of mind while out on a trail.

So when you come to hire a dog walker, make sure they have all the requirements you want before you trust them with your member of the family. I know I don’t let just anyone take Miku out that’s for sure!

Want a dog walker in Rugby who goes above and beyond?

Then check out my Trail Walks for more details of you can click get started and fill in the contact form.

Monday I’ll be back to sharing tips on lead training, covering ‘ Behaviours in dogs ’ so be sure to keep an eye out for that.

Lead positioning

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 05:53:37 GMT

Are you holding the dog lead correctly?

When I first started learning about dog training from Graeme aka The Dogfather who I was working with at the time, I was amazed to find out that there is a correct way to hold the lead.

Now I’ve seen many owners hold the lead in different ways over the years and during my dog training classes I had one owner holding it like you would a horses rein, which could have ended up breaking their pinky finger if the dog suddenly bolted.

So first let's talk about holding the lead in both hands across your body, a very common way for holding it and one most owners do. See how there is no slack in the lead from the dogs collar and the owners elbows are bent, which is not a relaxed body posture.

Now holding the lead like this actually causes your body to be tense, which sends tension down the lead to your dog. Did you know that a tense lead actually causes your dog to pull more, this is because they are worried they will fall back if they don’t resist against it.

It is known as opposition reflex and something that we do ourselves.

If I was to shove you, your body would naturally jerk to try and keep you upright so you didn’t fall over, that is opposition reflex.

Minimising tension in the dog lead

So you want to minimise the amount of tension as much as possible, to do this it is actually better to hold the lead in one hand with your thumb pointing down the lead, this way your arm is naturally relaxed at your side causing no tension. (see image below) Also having your thumb pointing down the lead gives you better control over the dog, as oppose to the lead coming out from the back of the hand.

The positioni ng in your hand may feel unnatural at first, I know it did for myself when training my dog Aura as well as clients in training classes, but persevere with it and it will get easier. I personally can’t imagine holding the lead any other way now.

Too much lead can be a hazard

Last thing to note is you do not want to give your dog the full length of the lead as this means the dog can walk in front of you, behind you and get you caught up in the lead. What you ' r e after is enough lead so the clip hangs down from the collar and there is a small bend in the lead as the dog is next to you. (See image below of reference)

Next time you're training your dog, be it in the home or outside give this a try and see how you get on. My next blog I’ll be talking about ‘ body language in dog training ’ and how important it is.

Why I hate pulling dogs

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Story of Rugby's dog trainer

I’ve worked with dogs for many years now and I’ve took thousands of walks. Some dogs walked beautifully but the majority pulled like steam trains. Being younger I didn’t mind and actually powered through it with a smile on my face.

However, let me share with you when it all changed. It was 11th June 2019 a normal work day and I was doing my rounds of walking and pet sitting. Finishing off with an adorable chocolate Labrador puppy, I then headed for my friends.

On the way there I was slowing at a set of traffic lights when a driver hit into the back of my van, flinging me across the crossing. Luckily no one was walking by at the time. I however, was jolted forward and after hitting my head on the steering wheel I saw my cabin was now filled with smoke.

Getting out the van I slowly walked to the back to see the rear end ruined, bumper smashed in and doors crushed that they wouldn't close. I was so thankful in that moment that I had no dogs in there. With a spinning head and a sore back I sat down and awaited the police and ambulance to arrive.

Dog trainers van ruined

My van sadly was a complete write off and I was absolutely gutted! To boot my back was in so much pain that I had to under go physio. As a dog walker this was quite a blow as unfortunately I had to let some clients go due to their dogs excessive pulling.

After the accident I decided to launch puppy and dog training classes at the Hillstreet Youth Centre in Rugby, to help owners learn how to train their dogs. Also so I didn’t have to take on any more walks which would allow my back time to heal.

Sadly though in March 2020 the pandemic hit and what an ordeal that has been for us all. Due to Covid my classes had to permanently close.

To stay in business and pay my bills I had to come up with an alternative. So I started dog walking more, but mid way through the summer my back started playing up and I had to return for extra physio.

It turns out that because the dogs pulled I was aggravating my old injury. Enough was enough, crying most nights cause of the pain I decided something had to change. During July I took a risk and rebranded my business to Alpha Trails Experience, nothing like other dog walkers in Rugby.

I believe that going on trail walks together and engaging with your dog helps build confidence , focus , and stronger bonds . I only took one dog at a time and as well as playing games they also under went training to encourage good behaviours , such as walking without pulling. With these new trails not only would the dog have a great time I eased the pressure on my back.

However, sadly that wasn’t enough…

I wanted to go one step further and help the owners, so I launched my two lead walking programmes . This way owners could also learn how to get their dogs to walk nicely for them too so they can enjoy stress free walks.

Dog trainer get s dream dog thanks to car accident

However, the accident wasn't all bad because w ith the injury compensation I was able to get my dream dog, a Shiba Inu puppy, who is called Miku. Shiba Inus are a challenging and a stubborn breed, even for a dog trainer. I do love a challenge though!

Next I’m be back to giving you some advice on ‘ Lead positioning ’ would you even of thought that was a thing? Until next time, thanks for reading.

Right tools for the job

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Training you dog with the right equipment

Like I said in my last blog there are many tools that are wrong for the job when teaching your dog not to pull, but what are the right tools?

First of all let’s talk about collars

Gosh there are so many different ones now. Half-check, choke chains, prong collars, buckle or clip fastening and I’ve even seen a double collar design. It can be very confusing for an owner on what to buy when faced with all these options in store.

What you need is a standard buckle or clip fastening collar, but you need to make sure it fits correctly. Using a collar that is too loose or tight for your dog will get you no where. I do find a lot of owners buy a collar that is usually way too big for their dog.

So what is correct fit?

Well personally I feel for small dogs you want to be able to to get 3 fingers flat under the collar once fastened and 4 fingers flat for bigger breed. Now I do not mean 3 fingers stacked on top of each other, I mean 3 fingers flat and it should be a snug fit not loose.

( See image for reference )

Choosing the right lea d for dog walking

All you need is a standard lead 1.5/2 meters long. Reframe from using any leads that has what is known as a ‘bungee’ in it, this extra slack does not help. Also I cannot stress enough do not use a retractable (Flexi) lead! A retractable lead actually teaches your dog to pull, so I advise all owners not to use one until their dog has been taught to walk without pulling.

Some of you may use a retractable to give your dog a sense of freedom when at a local park because they have poor recall, which I understand. However, if you remember in my blog ‘ Golden rule for lead walk ’ (if you’ve not read it, please do.) You aren’t going to be going to the park when training are you?! Now for a while at least and when you make it as far as the park, you then want to teach them to walk without pulling around it before granting freedom.

So there you have it, the correct tools for the job are a standard collar and lead. None of the other fancy stuff will be needed to help you walk your dog!

Next I will be sharing with you a rather personal story and why I decided to dedicate most of my blog to lead walking. You can read that in my blog ‘ Why I hate pulling dogs ’

Tools you shouldn't use

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Are you using the wrong tools t o train ?

As owners we really are spoilt for choice when it comes to buying stuff for our dogs. I’m sure you’ve been into your local pet store and likely seen all matter of tools out there now that "guarantee" to stop your dog pulling. Such as non-pull harnesses, head halites, choke chains, slip leads etc.

But what one do you buy? It is so confusing for any owner and can be overwhelming. Store clerks will try to help, but I find most don’t actually know themselves (not their fault of course) and generally recommend harnesses that tend to be too big.

Harness for dog walking?

The thing is none of these tools actually work to stop your dog pulling. Now some owners will claim that what I just said there isn’t true, but let me explain. Usually what happens is when an owner puts something new on their dog the dog feels a bit nervous of it and because of this they behaviour differently, so they stop pulling as much. At which point the owner is amazed, they relax themselves and act differently sometimes rewarding their dog. So in fact they just trained their dog without even knowing it and thought it was the tool that did the work for them.

However, most of the time what actually happens when using the tools above is after a while your dog will become use to the equipment and instead learn how to pull against it.

The amount of times I’ve gone out to help an owner with their pulling dog and find them wearing a harness with a lead clipped at the back of them is crazy. Why? Well a harness actually gives your dog more pulling power cause they can use their whole body to pull against it.

If I told you to think of a sled dog team what comes to mind about the equipment they wear? A harness right? This is because the pressure when pulling is on their entire body, not their neck making it easier for the dogs.

Now there are front clip harnesses (clipping the lead to the chest area) which I’ve recommended in the past when training puppies to take the pressure of their necks, as they are still growing and we don’t want to risk injuring their neck.

So what tools are needed…

Well you can learn about that in my next blog where I share the ‘ Right tools for the job ’ so you can get your dog to stop pulling on lead.

3 steps to a successful lead walk

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Dog Training 101 : The Preparation

If when you pick up the lead or put the collar on your dog they start going crazy, running around, jumping, barking and generally being SUPER excited then you don't want to be going for a walk.

This behaviour shows that their excitement level is way too high. Meaning they won’t be listening when you try to train them and will make your walk super difficult. What you want is to be able to pick up the lead, call your dog over to you and have them come over calmly so you can attach the lead.

There is one dog I walk, his name is Teddy and boy does he get excited when I come in. He actually leaps off the floor to try and greet me and he won’t sit still half the time. Usually I have to either stand and wait till he calms himself or leave the room and reenter once he’s quiet.

So if your dog gets excited when you grab the lead what you want to do is desensitise the lead and collar if need be. Meaning you make it less exciting.

How you do this is throughout the day start picking up their lead and move it to another location in the house. This way you teach your dog that the lead coming out doesn't always mean a walk.

Dog Training 101 : The Door

When you leave for a walk your dog should never yank you through the door. Allowing this shows the dog that pulling gets them outside and the behaviour will likely continue throughout the walk.

Over the years I’ve took thousands of dog walks and the amount of times a dog has tried to pull me through a door is too many to count. I do remember this one dog, a black Labrador. It was many years ago so I forget their name now. So anyway he was that excited for his walk that the moment the door was open just a crack he lunged forward and my face smacked straight against the door. The bump on my head was huge and there for a couple of weeks.

Before getting your dog to walk without pulling you must learn to leave the house correctly. With the lead attached to your dog go to the front door and open it. If your dog moves forward, pull them back in and shut the door, wait a second or two and then try to open the door again. What should happen is when the door opens your dog waits until you lead them out.

Dog Trai ning 101: The Walk

If your dog pulls and you advance forward you are rewarding them, which means they will pull more. The simple truth is if you want you dog to not pull you need to from this day forward not allow them to pull.

How you achieve that is rather simple, there has to be a forfeit for them pulling. I taught this to Miku my Shiba Inu. When we managed to get out the door calmly I would then walk out the gate and onto the drive way. The moment her paws hit the drive she would shoot forward, so without a word I did a quick 180 and head back inside to start the whole process again.

It took me 4 attempts before I could walk off my drive without pulling. It then took me a further 6 attempts to get down the road to a grass verge where I allow her to sniff and run around, which is her reward.

This process has worked a treat for me, and though very rarely she may need a reminder when in a new location I can walk pretty much anywhere without her pulling on lead.

Give it a try and see if your dog gets the message, remember the moment they pull go straight back home. Try and aim for walking just to end of your street at first, don’t set unrealistic goals such as getting to park.

Check out our next blog where I share with you the ' tools you shouldn’t use ’ when training your dog to walk without pulling.

Golden rule for lead walking

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 09:48:38 GMT

I can't stress enough how important this is...

Many owners when taking their dog out for a walk will head to the local park, usually taking the same route every day. Their dog will pull their arm almost out of their socket to get there as they are so excited. Upon arrival at the park the owner will let them off to run around with other dogs and burn off their excessive energy.

As a d og trainer I see this all the time!

The thing is your dog pulls for three reasons:

1. They have learned the route to the park

Taking the same route is never a good idea when your dog isn’t trained to walk without pulling. Dogs can learn a route very quickly and if that route leads to the park or open field where they get let off to play with their buddies. Then you can bet they will be getting more and more excited the closer they get, usually pulling more too.

2. You don’t walk quick enough

A simple matter of fact, we’ve two legs and a dog has four. They can walk quicker than us which is another reason why they pull. When training a dog to not pull I’ll usually pick up my pace to begin with to teach the technique, then I teach them to slow it down.

3. You’ve rewarded them for pulling with every walk

This usually happens when owners are in a rush, such as if they are going to be late for work and are yet to walk the dog. I can guarantee they’ll let their dog pull and that is one of the biggest mistakes owners can make.

There is one golden rule you have to remember when training your dog to walk without pulling and that is:

There is no destination to get to when lead training your dog!

When training your dog its not about doing a loop around the block or getting them to the park. For most owners the work starts on the driveway and your street, you’ll be walking back and forth before you attempt a loop or the park route.

Think that your dog needs to go to the park to burn off that energy? Think again. Training your dog to walk on lead is both physically and mentally tiring. 20 minutes of lead training is equivalent to a 40 minute walk so you will be tiring your dog out while training, that’s a win win.

So if you finally want to train your dog then why not check out my other blog next on ‘ 3 steps to a successful lead walk ’ and learn how to get started.

The key factor to dog lead walking

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 18:46:05 GMT

When dog training you must remember ...

Having a dog that relentlessly pulls on lead can be exhausting. Not only that it can stress owners out, making them upset or angry and the over all walk becomes more of a chore than an enjoyment.

I've known owners to stop walking their dogs completely because they just can't handle them when outside and believe the garden is enough. Sadly all dogs need stimulation and in most cases the garden doesn't do as a replacement for walks.

Most owners have tried countless techniques to stop their dog pulling. Either they learned them at local classes, read it in a book, saw someone on YouTube give advice or searched for answers on Google.

Have you tried many dog trai ning techniques?

I know I have. Many years ago now I use to have a dog called Aura, she was a Malamute crossed with a German Shepherd. A beautiful dog who bless her looked like a wolf. However, she was incredibly powerful.

I was at the very beginning of my journey into becoming a dog trainer when I got her. No matter what I tried I just couldn’t get Aura to stop pulling on the lead.

I tried technique after technique. I even ask Graeme Hall aka The Dogfather who I was working for at the time. It turned out the issue was not the techniques it was that I wasn’t being consistent. I was giving her so many different signals, then getting frustrated with it and instead allowing her to pull to the park just so I could let her off.

You see this is the biggest problem owners face when training their dog is they aren't being CONSISTENT!

Dogs are very pe rsistent

Like a child having a tantrum, if you give in even once your dog will know to keeping pushing so they get what they want.

Here is an example: you don’t want your dog on the sofa, but one time you decide to let them up because you want a cuddle. Well it's likely your dog enjoyed their time up there, after all it's a lot more comfortable than the floor. Now because of this the chances are they will jump up on the sofa again and all because you let them up just once!

It is the same with pulling, if you advance forward while your dog pulls your dog will know they can pull. It really is that simple. So you have to make sure you are consistent at all time.

With that in mind there is a rule that I stress to all owners I help with lead training. I call it the ‘ Golden rule for lead walking ’ you can read it in my next blog next week.

No treats needed to stop your dog pulling

183:837625292 (Chelsie Grieve) — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 09:44:52 GMT

As a dog trainer I don 't use treats or toys...

A lot of dog training now a days relies heavily on the use of treats to reward the dog for the correct behaviour, but what if your dog doesn’t eat treats?

My Shiba Inu called Miku loves food. When she was a puppy she would do anything for a treat and was very eager to do what I asked, in and outside of the home .

However, that all changed when she became one year old. Out of no where she stopped accepting treats outside the home. This made training her to walk on lead without pulling a real challenge.

Not only had she reached what is known as the “teen” stage in dogs. Where they test everything you’ve ever taught them as puppies and push the boundaries. She just wasn’t interested in food outside the home.

I tried everything, ham, chicken, cheese, hot dog, all kinds of natural dog treats, even her food but nothing work. She would merely sniff it and then look away.

Even though I am a dog trainer I was at a complete loss and found myself back to the books figuring out how to get our training back on track. By this point she had started pulling and even for a little dog she can be quite strong when she wants to be.

Unfortunately the books brought no new information. Some trainers recommended using toys for reward. I thought brilliant Miku loves tug indoors I’ll give it ago. Another epic failure, again I was faced with the same problem, she just wasn’t interested.

Does your dog not eat treat s while training?

At my wits end I was determined to come up with a solution to my problem. After months of research, testing and modifying I finally did it! I have found a way to train dogs to stop them pulling on lead. Without the use of food or toys and believe me I do not hit them.

When I take Miku out she does get a reward for walking nicely and that is permission to stop and sniff. You might not think that much of a reward, but to Miku that is the best kind. However, if she pulls and creates tension in the lead then there is a forfeit and that is the walk ends and we return home.

Sounds simple enough right, to simple some might say. But believe me it really isn’t complicated or difficult to teach a dog to walk without pulling. There is something you will need to do though and you can read about that in my next blog ‘ The key factor to dog lead walking ’.