Why do small Puppy Classes matter? My puppy classes are normally capped at six puppies, with an occasional exception for seven. This is intentional, as I believe smaller classes offer significant benefits for both puppies and their owners. While other providers may have larger classes, I'm committed to this approach for three key reasons: 1. Personalised attention for owners. With smaller classes, I can dedicate time to each owner, helping them refine their training techniques and interactions ...

I have often been disappointed in the generic puppy school programmes that are available. Most puppy classes in Hamilton where I live are not run by professional trainers, the emphasis is on ill-managed puppy play, and they promote their consumer products to the captive audience. I have had several owners come to my Puppy Classes after completing one of these generic courses, dissatisfied with how they were run and what they gained. Contrary to what you will find in a generic class, effective ...

I took Mille and Teina out today by themselves. Millie is a miniature Schnauzer, and Teina is a Cairns Terrier - both small dogs. Often they walk with the big dogs, but it was a good opportunity today for me to practice my "small dog leash skills." Let me explain... Small dogs are so light, it's not hard to pull them away from distractions or pull them to where we want them to be. It's relatively easy to do this, and it's a successful strategy for us humans, so we're very likely to keep doing ...

3 things a good dog trainer can add to your relationship with your dog are: 1) Clarity. There has never been a dog born understanding human language. Clarity of cue words, body language and knowing how to teach these things to a dog is essential to avoid the blurry mess that we as verbal creatures so easily fall into: "Sit, no, I said sit, what are you doing? Sit, sit, sit, ooh nearly!" Knowing how to communicate well with our dogs is not natural to us. A good trainer will know how to improve ...

This photo is of a typical Himalayan village dog - the majority of which are strays or community dogs, not "owned" by anyone in particular. They are all chilled and relaxed. In the 12 days and over 130 km on a trek in Nepal, I didn't see a single one of these dogs act with fear and aggression towards other dogs or humans. Yet, walking dogs in Hamilton, frenzied fence barkers, and dogs that want to rush my pack are common. How can it be that in our modern Western society, our dogs are struggling ...

When people hear I'm a dog-trainer I'm often asked for advice. If someone has a pain point with their pooch, it's not long before they ask questions like, "What do I do about my dog jumping up on people/eating my socks/digging up the garden/growling at me/rushing the fence", and so on. There's a myriad of ways in which our canines can challenge our comfort zones so it's not surprising that people will want to find out some quick and preferably easy answers to solve their problems. The internet ...

If you have a dog and you have a phone, then chances are you will have been the recipient of social media dog training. Something to promote a particular dog trainer or training style has likely come into your feed. Whether it's Tik Tok, Facebook. Instagram or Youtube as the media, there's no shortage of presenters eagerly informing the average dog owner that you're doing it all wrong, you're using methods that are torturing the dog, or you just need to watch this clip to see the miraculous ...

Where did that idea come from that “dogs should meet one another”? I was training my dog at a park one day and I noticed a man and his dog deliberately heading in my direction. When he was close enough to be heard he said, “I don’t think these two have met.” Er, was it not obvious we were engaged in some training? On another occasion I was walking down a river path with Tess when another eager owner stepped forward into our path using the exact same words, “I ...

Help! My puppy keeps chasing the cat – and it’s stressing her out! Small furry things that are in quick motion can be very attractive to dogs of all ages. Often a chase is very exciting and rewarding to the dog. Not so for the cat, however, who sees things quite differently. There are various reasons that can start this off. Often chasing by puppies can be play-motivated where the puppy bounds up to this interesting animal and hopes for a bit of fun. Cats however, don’t play ...

Help! My puppy is peeing inside – and it’s messy! Welcome to puppy world! It has its thrills and spills (literally). Puppies aren’t born magically knowing where to pee and poop anymore than human children are. So, we have to cut them some slack. And we need to take responsibility for teaching them what is appropriate. There’s so much to be said about this but here’s 4 simple tips: 1) Build the desired habit by taking the puppy out to your preferred toileting area. ...