Parkour is amazing (or how going to class made our holidays better)

(Blog written by Laura and the Daring Duo)

As anyone who has attended one of our Parkour workshops or classes will already know, I agree with that statement on principle, but given that we were halfway along a footpath deep in the Welsh countryside and, not two minutes earlier, had been talking about what we were planning to have for lunch, it wasn’t really what I’d been expecting to hear.

When I turned round though, I saw this and it all suddenly made perfect sense

The route from our holiday cottage to the local village was a little over a mile and included at least six stiles, two kissing gates and a metal bridge, all of which I hadn’t really noticed because we’d been able to just move past them.

Our parkour practice means that Brian and Seamus are confident about problem-solving the obstacles in their paths – they’ll work with me to climb up on things, wriggle under things, jump over things and are basically happy putting their feet on anything!

If my dogs weren’t confident in exploring and navigating their environments, it could have been an absolute nightmare of a walk (and I’m lucky; my two are both small enough that in a worst case scenario, I can always lift them over an obstacle.

I distinctly remember Laird’s first encounter with a stile being a LOT more challenging and involving two people, a lot of encouragement, a rear end lift and a flying sausage!).

The games we play in a training class are always best when they translate into a real world setting and make our lives easier and more enjoyable.

Classes should be fun, but the things we learn there are often more than just a trick to be saved for that training setting and sometimes they can come in useful in unexpected ways.

The world is full of obstacles for our dogs (literal and figurative) and I’m a big fan of using whatever you have in your toolbox to help your dog work through those obstacles in the ways that work best for them.

I’d love to hear about how you and your dogs have used the things you’ve learnt in classes in your daily lives, especially if you’ve been inventive and used things in ways you hadn’t expected to!

If you can’t think of an example, that’s okay – it’s never too late to start trying out the things you know in different situations and see if they give you new and interesting approaches to whatever challenges you face.

Have fun problem-solving your week!

Laura and the daring duo 

PS For literal problem-solving fun, why not come along for one of our Parkour workshops this autumn. We have introductory and progressions sessions suitable for all types of dogs and we’d love to see you there!



PPS If you’re in a sticky situation with something that you and your dog can’t work out how to problem solve, you don’t have to struggle alone – why not drop us an email at the office and see if it’s something the team can help you with?

Shut up and train!

This blog has been brought to you by the power of a sopping wet GWP beard…because I’ve finally made a concerted effort to implement the Level 2 Mind Your Manners exercises in my own home!

Laird is lovely.

I mean, for a now two year old, still mostly adolescent, enormous beast of a boy, he’s delightful.

But he does have a beard.

And moustaches.

And when he drinks, there’s a lot of soggy beard around.

Laird’s head is just the right height for resting on dining tables.

He doesn’t understand why I feel that’s a problem!

So for the last few months when I have eaten at my table (not as often as I should for sure), I’ve either popped him in his crate or just fended him off with one arm.

Not a smart move really, because as my clever readers will be shouting at me, that’s NOT teaching him what I want him TO DO at mealtimes.

So, today I made an effort and took the jar of mini-kibbles (an experimental purchase from Pets Pantry) along with my lunch and sat at the table.

Here’s the result after five minutes….

And yes, I have done a little work to help Laird love being in his crate.

But it’s a lot less than I meant to.

And I’ve never asked him to sit or lie down in it while I’m eating and the door is open.

What now?

Now I need to be consistent for the next few meals and stick to the plan.

If you want some help with the basic stuff that makes living with your dog more pleasant, why not sign up for a three week intensive boost on manners, coming when called or walking nicely on lead!



Happy lunchtimes, and may your soup always be beard free….

Morag and collie girls (who know this stuff), and the Big Yin (who is learning)


PS     Fancy something a bit different?

We’re running our popular Introduction to Canicross workshops on Sunday 17th Feb and 10th March at 9.30am, near York.

You’ll learn how to choose the right kit for you and your dog, line handling and basic commands.

Practice it all on a group run and then come back to debrief over sausage rolls, coffee and cake!

What else is going on?

Find out here

Size really does matter, the story of two black eyes and an overgrown puppy

This week’s blog is brought to you via the power of ice packs (to reduce the swelling so I can open both eyes) and pain killers (because ouch!).

 The new boy (Laird, a huge German Wirehaired Pointer) is gradually settling into the mad house, and prompting me to practice lots of essential training strategies. Sadly there have also been a few casualties, mostly toys but this week I’ve ended up with two black eyes!

Laird might be just 16 months old, but he weighs over 40kg with very little spatial awareness.

I wouldn’t say he’s much clumsier than any of my previous dogs, but Laird is significantly bigger and heavier. That means it is even more important that he doesn’t pull on his collar, can stop and wait when asked and will be able to give things up.

Small dogs can sometimes get away with “naughty” behaviours like rushing up, barking, stealing things or refusing to move off a chair. 

I don’t personally think size should make that much difference to house rules, but it does give a whole new perspective to how we interact with our dogs when you really can’t “make” them do anything.

This week despite the black eyes and bruises, we’ve also had several calm sofa snuggles. There’s been just one attempted humping episode, and several lovely moments with the collie girls.

Integration is an ongoing process, and because of Laird’s size I have to intervene immediately if anything inappropriate might happen. 

So if Laird is being a little rude in his play invitations, I clap my hands to call him over for a treat. When Laird grabs the sofa or thinks about humping (usually when he is over tired), I need to pop him calmly into his crate (and be quicker to notice the signs tomorrow).

There’s no room for dilly-dallying or second chances. While I absolutely do reward EVERYTHING that I like, it’s just as important to make sure the other stuff has consequences too.

I don’t just “ignore the bad behaviour”. It’s not practical to “ignore” Laird trying to play tug with the curtains. And I’m not going to leave the girls to fend for themselves in the middle of enormous GWP zoomies.

Consequences does NOT mean I shout at Laird or tell him off. Even if I wanted to (and I don’t because it won’t build our relationship), Freya would find it very stressful. She hates it when other dogs break the house rules….

Consequences DO mean that I make sure the stuff I don’t like doesn’t end up being fun for Laird.

The result is within three weeks Laird is much calmer in the house. Relationships are building nicely with the girls, and they know how to come to me if they need a break too. Laird isn’t stealing or grabbing things as much, and we’re snuggling together more.

And to make sure we’re having structured fun together, I’ve just signed up for the next block of Sniffing School (Level 1 for Laird, Level 2 for Freya)! So I’m looking forward to seeing you in class in July.

The next term of classes starts in July – the email with all the booking links is on the way to our subscribers and current students - let us know if it hasn't arrived.

Have a wonderful weekend, and don't forget to send us your pics if you are heading to York Pride with your dog too!

Morag, the collie girls and the big yin

PS for anyone who was worried, Laird is fine – he didn’t even notice!

PPS  If you're already canicrossing with your dog, don't miss our social run on Saturday 16th June

Grab your space here!

Project Squirrel - when the woods are full of distraction

Project Squirrel is the code name for my ongoing recall challenge with Freya.

I’ve had a few requests to talk more about the challenge of getting a reliable recall around wildlife, and for us the big one is squirrels!

For those of you who haven’t met her, Freya is my dinky blue merle Collie. The only one of my girls who can hear and see properly – and that just means even more opportunities to get distracted.

Freya came from a travellers site via York RSPCA (thanks to Nikki for finding her for me) having already been a teenage mum.

Right from the start Freya has been super keen on working with me, very food motivated and fairly interested in toys (better if they squeak). She was quick to check in and seemed to tune in to a whistle within a few days.

Frankly it was all a bit too good to be true.

Then we went on a new walk in the forest (Freya on longline for safety).

Imagine the scene.

Collie standing below a tree, right forepaw raised like a pointer, nose pointing straight up.

Quivering with excitement.

Squirrel perched safely high in the trees, chittering away.

Let’s just say that I actually had to pick her up and carry her away from the tree…she hadn’t just gone deaf, it was as though she was paralysed!

That was about 4 years ago now.

Here’s a picture of Freya in Rannoch Woods on our recent holiday – off lead, staying connected and not obsessing about potential squirrel.

I’ll tell you more about the process we’re (still) working through, and I promise to be honest about the failures just as much as the successes.

Today’s secret tip is actually nothing to do with recall per se.

It’s all about having more fun, and a better relationship with your dog.

Just doing recall training and attention exercises can get pretty monotonous (for you and your dog).

Instead having a collection of tricks and fun stuff that you’re working on anyway, so going new distracting places is just a fab opportunity to practice, turns that round.

For Freya, taking tricks classes with Sian has really helped build our “fun” repertoire, and Parkour (jumping and balancing on/under/over things) was the perfect compliment.

Woods don’t just = squirrels now.

Woods = cheesey scentwork, chase mum, balance on tree logs, jump on benches, recall!!!, cuddles in the sun and more…

Have a fun week with your dog, and I’ll tell you more about Project Squirrel next week

Morag and the collie girls

P.S. if you want to get some of the secret sauce that Sian teaches, keep Sunday 8^th October free and I’ll have more information on her workshop next week!