Training & Behaviour

Many common dog-behaviour issues like barking, digging and destructive chewing are because dogs are bored and anxious, and aren’t getting enough physical and mental stimulation in their day, so that where scatter feeding dogs can help. It is an easy way to add more enrichment into your dog’s day…and scatter feeding dogs will help with those fast eaters that inhale their food before you even...

Walking your dog every day is not only important for their physical health and wellbeing but their mental health as well. But unfortunately, according to a Sydney Uni study, 40% of Australian dogs are not walked enough, which coincidentally, is a similar number to how many dogs are overweight or obese in Australia. Some people also think that just because their dog is small or...

Dogs are like Pringles…you generally can’t have just one and multiple dog households are common. People obtain multiple dogs (more than 1) for any number of reasons; be it company for an existing dog, loss of a previous dog or the existing dog is growing old. In some situations, foster carers take in multiple dogs as part of the work they do for the various...

Walking your dog every day is really important for their mental and physical wellbeing, but scenting walks for dogs are equally important which is why we need to allow them to take some time to stop and sniff the world around them. Scenting is in their DNA The part of a dog’s brain that processes smell is 40 X larger than ours and they have...

Much like puberty in humans, there is also an adolescence period in dogs. This is when they develop rapidly and experience significant hormonal changes that makes dealing with an adolescent dog a challenge for even the most patient of owners. When adolescence typically begins Adolescence in dogs typically occurs between 6 and 18 months, depending on the breed and individual dog, for most dogs though...

With so many puppies missing out on that critical early socialisation they need due to Covid-19 restrictions, and many rescue dogs being re-homed,  there are now many nervous dogs that can be reactive when meeting new people, particularly those coming into their home. If you have a nervous dog or one that reacts to people inappropriately, it is important you don’t introduce them to too...

When it comes to training our dogs, science now clearly shows that it is important that we use methods that support their physical and emotional wellbeing, strengthens our bond and allows them to still express their natural dog behaviours, rather than using dominance and punishment - methods often used in the alpha dog training approach. What are some of the alpha dog training methods used...

Have you ever wondered why your dog ‘suddenly” reacts aggressively to something or someone that, at another time, they were perfectly fine with?  This is often a result of a concept known as trigger stacking. This is when a dog experiences multiple stressful or scary situations in a short period of time, that leads them to feeling overwhelmed. Trigger stacking tends to happen more with...

Training tips for rescue dogs aren't necessarily that different to training a puppy or an older dog. However,  given you won't know the previous life experiences, good and bad, that your rescue dog has been through and how this may impact on their behaviour, there can be a few extra challenges. Why rescue dogs can be reactive Particularly, as past experiences may be influencing their...

Anxiety is VERY common in our beloved dogs yet many people miss many signs of anxiety in dogs and truly don't understand why or how it occurs. In fact, according to a recent large-scale study, up to 70% of dogs are showing signs of anxiety. Anxiety happens when your dog experiences fearful thoughts and feelings which then trigger or cause a state of physiological arousal...