Of rainy days and modern technology…

One of the greatest tools we have to improve our relationship with our dog is the amazing smart phone – because now you can video things without masses of forward planning.

I suspect you, like me, aren’t keen on being photographed let alone filmed.

Yet the power of working with a good trainer is when they spot all your little habits, and point them out.

Watching back videos of your own dog and your training sessions will give you that outside perspective.

That’s why we so often encourage you to send us videos of the problem situations, and ask you to film your homework between classes!

You can read Andrea’s take on having rediscovered a year’s worth of videos across behaviour consults and training classes at the end of this blog…. (Andrea submitted this blog back in the middle of the June rain storms - remember them?!)

I especially love the way Andrea uses the videos to spot where she gets things right not just as a way to critique their performance - top marks!

We have Co-operative Care/Handling and Advanced Bodywork coming up on Monday 15th July.

You'll be able to get so much more out of these classes if you can video between sessions - it lets us give you much more detailed feedback plus your dog may be more relaxed at home.

Drop us a wee message if you want to check the suitability of either class for your dog - we have space for one more student in each class or you can attend as a spectator.


More information and booking - click here

It has been a little rainy recently, restricting outdoor activities to a point and providing you with plenty of opportunity to tackle all those jobs you always intend to do, but feel too guilty to attempt if the weather is outright gorgeous.

One mammoth tasks is keeping your digital photos and videos organised and delete unwanted footage. It is so easy to create all that footage and before you know it, warning signs are flagging up that your storage is almost full and you wonder how the hell did this happen AND more so, what are all these videos off???

Without realising, I created a bit of a documentary of Nate’s journey since his return home and him starting rehab sessions and classes with WCC. 

Watching the videos made me realise how far our little man has come.

During rehab sessions he has learned to cope better around other dogs and to communicate how he feels in his body language. I, on the other hand, learned to spot the cues and interpret his body language better.

Now, looking at some of our early videos, I see cues and signs in his behaviour and body language which at the time I did not “see”, but now, whilst reviewing the videos, are blatantly obvious to me. I see all the work we have done in classes and workshops and the subsequent homework we completed and, you guessed it, videoed diligently.

I now realise how much of a valuable training tool videos can be, as so many times I think we completed a task badly or it feels unstructured and chaotic, but when reviewing the video I spot so many things we did right and what we need to work on to get it done even better.

The progress we both made amazes me and I realise how differently I now handle situations with him, using all the tools I acquired along the way.

I can see how Nate responds more positively to my requests, is more attentive and how we communicate better with each other.

Of course, every day is still a school day (love that phrase) and we have good days and not so good days, but without all those videos, I don’t think I really realised how we have improved together and are working as a little team.

What a morale booster!

Thank you Morag, Clare and everyone else at WCC.

Puppies – all the toys are mine!!

There’s no getting away from the fact that most puppies like to pick stuff up, sometimes the stuff they pick up is fine, like their own toys and chews. Sometimes they may decide they want the toy that’s in another dogs mouth though…so what do we do then?

This week I’ve met two puppies who have fantastic older siblings, the older dogs are very tolerant of their new little brothers, so tolerant in fact that the puppies are stealing toys right out of their mouths!  

When Summer (Flatcoated Retriever) was a puppy she very quickly learnt that trying to take toys off Poppy (Cocker Spaniel) and Scout (Border Collie) wasn’t a good idea. They would initially try and move away from her but then growl if she persisted. She would then immediately back off and leave them alone. Although I was supervising, Poppy and Scout were doing the teaching.

Spencer (GSD) was a different story, he would show signs he was uncomfortable but he quickly gave the toy up to her.  I soon noticed him start to be reluctant to play with his toys around her and if he had one, he’d drop it as soon as he saw her. So I started to intervene when I noticed Summer attempting to grab the toys in Spencer’s mouth to help him feel more relaxed around her.  

When it’s OK to let your puppy grab the toy

• When the other dog is parading or offering the toy as an invitation to play together
• If the other dog drops the toy and moves away from it
• Any toys on the floor not being played with

How can you tell if the other dog doesn’t want to share?

• They may trying to avoid the puppy taking the toy by turning their head away or moving away
• You may see them stiffen up or go really still

If these signs are ignored you may see…

• Growling or snarling
• Barking and chasing the puppy off

Sometimes the puppy picks up on all these signs and responds accordingly and backs off, but when they don’t we may need to step in.

When should I intervene?

• If your puppy is ignoring the signs the other dog isn’t comfortable and is persistently trying to get the toy
• If the other dog starts to become reluctant to play with their own toys around the puppy or lets go as soon as they see the puppy

How to intervene?

• Call the puppy away using an excited voice and give them another toy to play with, ideally with you.
• Call the older dog to you if they have a more reliable recall and intercept the puppy if they follow
• Create places the other dog can escape to with their toy where the puppy can’t follow
• You can see if the dogs want to play together by holding a long tuggy toy in the middle and encourage them to grab each end and let them tug together.

We don’t want to discourage the puppy from playing, we just want to prevent them learning to take things off other dogs.

Spencer learns that Summer can be a fun playmate after I intervened 

Having two or more dogs who love to play with toys can also be a great way to practice some self-control training

• Teach your dogs to wait their turn for a retrieve.
• One dog can learn to stay settled on their bed while the other dog plays tug.

We often use play in our classes as a way to reward the dogs and also to help teach self-control.

If you’re a recent puppy graduate and looking for your next class then Canine Activity Foundations is a good place to start. We introduce the foundation skills required for activities like; Dog Parkour, Scentwork, Canicross, Gundog training and more…

Our next 5 week class starts  Monday 8^th April at 7.30pm

Canine Activity Foundations

Happy Training and Playing

Clare and the Gang

Do I need a puppy training class?

Puppy classes are one of my favourite classes to teach, I enjoy getting to know the individual characters of each dog, I love to see the owners joy when their dog learns something new and I also like the support that working in a group provides “yes, my puppy grabs at clothing too!” 

I think that well run puppy classes are a great way to get your puppy off to the best start, but they might not be right for everyone. 

Benefits of attending a puppy class 

You should receive plenty of support from your trainer, we know how difficult raising a puppy can be, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows…more like needle teeth and endless supplies of kitchen roll! We want our puppy classes to provide a safe and supportive environment, where owners can ask questions and discuss how to deal with some of the challenges they face. 

Your trainer should provide you with on-the-spot coaching and feedback while you are training your puppy in class, adapting and progressing exercises throughout the session. The trainer can give advice on timing and when to reward your puppy. 

Trainers are really good at reading dog body language and they will help you learn about your puppy’s body language and behaviour in class. They can help you to recognise when your puppy may be feeling scared or worried or when they may be starting to get over excited and give guidance on what you can do In these situations. 

It can be difficult to set up situations in real life to practice some of the skills you puppy needs to learn, like greeting people without jumping up. Classes can provide great opportunities to practice these skills in a controlled way so you can feel more confident practising outside of class. 

Puppy classes come with a whole host of distractions, other dogs, people, noises, food etc. Your puppy class should be set up so that your puppy can be exposed to these distractions, but still able to learn and eventually settle around all these exciting things. A valuable skill for our dogs to learn! 

Classes are a great way to provide safe opportunities for socialisation, especially if your puppy is still waiting for their final vaccination. 

Owners are often concentrating so hard on training their puppies that they can’t remember everything the trainer talked about in the session, so to make sure you get all of the relevant information handouts are provided in class and we we’ve created an online teaching area full of extra resources and information.   

Classes aren’t for everyone 

Our puppy classes run for six weeks and we recognise that can be a big commitment for some families who are often busy with other activities or plans. 

The timings of our classes do not work for everyone, some owners work evenings or have small children who need to be in bed early. 

Sometimes being in a group situation can feel overwhelming for some owners and also for some puppies 

In these cases classes may not be the best solution and working with a trainer on a 121 basis may be a better option. 

Puppy classes aren’t compulsory and may not be for everyone, but they can be beneficial and get you off to a really great start. 

If you want to know more about our classes or recommend them to a friend just click on the image below 

Happy Training 

Clare and the gang 



P.S. We still have two places left on our upcoming Baby Gundog Mini workshop next  Wednesday 920th) evening 

 Open to any gundogs and gundog cross puppies

Baby Gundog Workshop

Stop in the name of safety!

Frosty mornings are my favourite.

There’s sparkling twinkling glitter on every blade of grass and leaf.

The mud is a forgotten memory.

And the nippy early mornings seem to bring out the zoomies in all my dogs!

But, there’s also the dreaded icy pavement to negotiate while the fields beckon with their wide open spaces.

This morning I stepped onto the front step saying “steady dogs, let’s not die on the ice just yet!”.

Now you know that for me nice walking is pretty important because of my long standing sciatica problem (previous blog), but I reckon it suddenly gets much more important for everyone when its icy.

And it’s not fair to expect our dogs to magically not pull on frosty mornings if we tolerate it on other days…

Nice walking, or loose lead walking, or “stop pulling my arms out of their sockets!” is hard to train, and there really aren’t many quick fixes.

Here’s a wee summary of how you could approach the problem: 

Want more help?

Why not book onto a three week intensive that concentrates ONLY on nice walking on lead – Stay By My Side.

These sessions have a maximum of just two dogs per trainer, and give you very specific homework tasks to practice each week.


Happy frosty walks!

Morag and the Beasts

What’s going on in WCC land? 

 

Three Week Intensives: Stay By My Side, Baby Come Back, Mind Your Manners 

Classes run on Mondays (foundation) and Wednesdays (advanced) in the evening at Yorkshire Museum of Farming

See the full set of options here 3 Week Intensives

Gundog Games Workshop – ONE SPACE LEFT

Learn how to have fun with your dog's natural instincts rather than fighting them!
Open to gundogs, gundog crosses (cockerpoos, labradoodles and more) or any dog that wants to have more fun.

Book to spectate OR bring your own dog

Scentwork and Sniffing School 

Channel your dog’s natural talent for sniffing with our Introduction to Scentwork workshops, and then enrol in Sniffing School for structured weekly challenges.

• Introduction to Scentwork EVENING (6th + 13th Feb 7pm) Yorkshire Museum of Farming
• Introduction to Scentwork DAYTIME (Saturday 9th Feb 9.30am) PawPark, Sand Hutton
• Sniffing School Level 1 starts 27 Feb at 7.30pm (5 week course)

 

 

Helpful Hounds returns! 16th February

Clare is leading two workshops focused on teaching your dog just some of the things Assistance Dogs do every day.

The introductory session is ideal for dogs who are new to these skills, while the progression session is designed to advance your learning.

Attend as a handler with your own dog, or come as a spectator to observe and practice at home!

Venue: Shipton By Beningbrough Hall

9.30am Foundations workshop
1.30pm Progressions workshop

Helpful Hounds 16th Feb

 

 

Introduction to Canicross Workshop: Sunday 27th January 

Expert kit fitting, basic skills tuition and a short guided run to put it all into practice!

NO NEED TO BE SUPER FIT!

Wigginton near York 
2pm Sunday 27th January

Book Intro Workshop

How are you (still) running up those hills?

It’s a fair question.

For a number of years my running strategy has involved running on the flat and downhill sections, but always walking the hills.

So it came as a shock to my friends (and me!) when I was comfortably able to run all but one of the uphills in the Goathland 10K (Hardmoors) race on 10th November. And I still had plenty in my legs for the long downhill off the moors too.

I’ve wanted to feel able to run up hills for years, it’s been a marker for measuring my fitness. But it’s felt like a very distant goal!

And since my preferred distance is ultra (more than a marathon) running uphill isn’t often encouraged…

So what changed?

The Laird Factor + a change in training

I often say that canicross can be so much more than just going for a run with your dogs. When we get it right, there’s a feeling of flow between human and canine – you feed off each other’s energy and can predict where to put your feet/paws, and when to change speed.

That glorious in-sync feeling as you both lean slightly to take a sharp corner on the trail, legs extending and eating up the ground.

But what I’m finding now is that Laird is just powerful enough to give me a real lift when we’re running together. And Freya works beautifully beside him adding her strength plus a good understanding of the game (she deals with the navigation!).

Even the amazing Beauty & Beast don’t give me that much help running up hill (apart from making me feel guilty if I stop), but they are saving my strength on the flat and down hill sections, leaving me with more to power up those hills!

So, I need to practice running hill repeats especially on my own.

We need to practice consistent steady pulling especially on the flat. Consistent pulling is harder than you might think, and takes training. When your dog is rushing ahead then lagging behind it interrupts your running pace, and is much harder on your body.

Want to experience the ultimate runners’ high with your dog?

We have just 2 spaces left on the Introduction to Canicross Workshop, and 3 spaces left on the Improvers Workshop (Sun 25^th November)

Or if you can grab an evening canicross class and join in the fun – you need to have done a little canicross previously and have a head torch too.

Happy Running!

Morag

Run More With Your Dog – Events Diary 

Tuesday 7pm Canicross Class 

Weekly classes in small groups working on essential skills at various locations around York.
You can still book individual classes - don't miss out on the fun of running in the dark and the mud!

Grab a Tues Cani Class

If you need to borrow kit PLEASE let us know in advance so we have everything with us.

Week	Date	Location (postcode)	Skills focus
Week 1	16th Oct	Heslington YO10 5EW	basics & running in the dark
Week 2	23rd Oct	Wheldrake Woods YO19 6BG	trail technique & passing
Week 3	30th Oct	Huntington YO32 9RE	consistent pulling
Week 4	6th Nov	Welburn Woods YO60 7ED	hill techniques
Week 5	13th Nov	Knavesmire YO23 1EX	race protocols, start line and sprints
Week 6	20th Nov	Heslington YO10 5EW	Commands, directions
Week 7	27th Nov	Wheldrake Woods YO19 6BG	Technique and directions on narrow trails
Week 8	4th Dec	Huntington YO32 9RE	Pace changes and building speed
Week 9	11th Dec	Clifton Ings (Rawcliffe Bar Park & Ride) YO30 5XZ	Consistency and pacing
Week 10	18th Dec	Knavesmire YO23 1EX	Mock race!

Sunday 8.30am CaniRun Social (Beningbrough Hall) 

Starts Sunday 2nd December, find out all about it on our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/140034202734285/
This isn’t a formal event, no money needed, just the chance to run regularly and grab a coffee afterwards.
You must have suitable kit and be capable of a 5k run (walking is allowed!).

Introduction to Canicross (half day workshop) Sun 25th November 

Want to really enjoy running with your dog?
Come and learn the essential skills PLUS individual kit fitting and testing

Canicross Improvers Skills Session (half day workshop) Sun 25th November 

Want to boost your teamwork?
Polish your start line skills?
Sort out your overtaking?

Get focused, get help! (even professional dog trainers need this)

Even when you’re a dog trainer, it helps to have a plan and a second pair of eyes to check it over. 

This Sunday Clare and I swapped some brain time to help each other out, and used the 12 Week Year model to design training plans for our own dogs.

In case I haven’t already raved at you about this model, in brief here’s how it works: 

Principles of the 12 Week Year as adapted for Behaviour Modification/Training

Look at the big picture, what’s your vision for the future? Why does it matter, anchor that vision in a positive emotion. This might be a long term aspirational vision

Now get specific – what will this look like in three years?

And break it down further – what would be a stretch but doable goal within 12 weeks?

• Specific, measurable
• Positive statement
• Realistic but still requires effort
• Set accountability and measure your actions

What are the “tactics” that will get you to achieve this goal? These will become the actions we put into a plan. Some will be one-off activities, others will be repeating. For behaviour change we’re often looking at frequent repeated sessions.

Build these into the 12 week plan – what needs to happen every week, how often, when, where etc. Deadlines and due dates. This isn’t about measuring success so much as tracking implementation!

Discuss what actions are likely to be most challenging, where might the blocks appear and what strategies can we use to overcome them.

(and yes, Clare does tend to call these “Morag years”)

What we're working on:

 

Clare is working with Scout so he can accept and enjoy more handling and husbandry with other people.

I’m working on Laird choosing to give stuff up, and coming away from disgusting things BEFORE he eats them. I know, you’re really surprised to read that right?!

So we’ve set our big focus – the thing we really want to be different, and talked about why it’s important for both us and our dogs.

Then we broke it down into the component parts. What are the small pieces that make up the big picture? How often do we need to practice each thing? How will we know when to move forwards?

Here’s an example of how I use the model for myself and my dogs – this record sheet was from earlier in the year when Freya was learning to love the van again. I had targets each day to meet.

The joy of the 12 Week Year model is that it pushes you into setting concrete tasks, and regularly implementing them. 

We’re not judging our progress based on results (we can’t control those). Instead we’re focused on regularly doing the important tasks, and making those targets.

There’s planned review time each week (are we on track, what’s been difficult this week, what do we need to change for next week), and at the end of the “12 Week Year”. Take a break, celebrate, and then do it all again!

Let me know if you decide to try it for yourself, and there’s some great resources in the book itself too.

Have a good week!

Morag and the beasts

What’s going on in WCC Land from October?

Baby Come Back and Stay By My Side!

Our 3 week intensive classes working on JUST recall OR loose lead walking) have been super popular!  We’ve now added dates for the rest of the year with new blocks starting October 8th, then Oct 29th and Nov 26th (only TWO places available per course)

Not sure if it's the course for you - message me :-)

Book here

Get Fit With Your Dog!

Dark nights don’t have to mean boring walks or leaving your dog at home while you head to the gym. Why not try Canicross – running with your dog – to work on your fitness and teamwork. 

 

You DON’T need to be a runner, or particularly fit to start with! In fact it’s often better to start before you get super fit.

Tuesday evening classes from 16^th October (7pm), we can fit and lend you the kit. Small groups with two qualified running coaches and fitness appropriate sessions around York.

Book a couple of sessions now to try it out (newbies MUST book week 1 or discuss with us) 

OR book the whole block using coupon COMMITEDCANI-X to get one session free!

Choose your class here