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Coastal k9 dog training, walking and pet supplies services

16/10/2026

I miss this sooooo much 😢

16/10/2026

🐾 Breaking down the skills of FCI Obedience!

FCI Obedience is a sport I've never competed in, but I'm really enjoying exploring the different skills involved!

There's a huge amount of directional cueing, whether that's selecting the correct dumbbell to retrieve, taking the correct jump, or knowing when and where to stop.

I'm breaking these exercises down into smaller components, building clarity and understanding before putting the behaviours together.

And what I particularly love is how many of these skills transfer into everyday life! 🐶

Directional cues, listening skills, working at a distance and responding to information all have practical applications beyond the competition ring.

Taking sports skills beyond the sport! 🐾

16/10/2026

🐕 PREDATION SERIES – PART 1 🐿️

Ever wondered why your dog's recall can be fantastic… until a rabbit runs past?

You might have spent months training and reinforcing that recall, yet when something triggers your dog's predatory behaviour, suddenly it seems like all that training disappears!

But why?

When elements of the predatory motor pattern are activated, your dog is engaging in a powerful, naturally occurring behavioural system. Their motivation, focus and responsiveness can change dramatically.

🧠 This doesn't mean your training has failed!

In this first video, we're going back to the pioneering work of Keller and Marion Breland in the 1940s and 50s, exploring instinctive drift and why learning doesn't simply override an animal's natural behavioural tendencies.

Throughout this series, we'll explore the science behind predation, why traditional training approaches can struggle in these situations, and how understanding the behaviour can help us develop more effective training strategies.

🐾 Because understanding WHY a behaviour happens is just as important as knowing HOW to train it.

InstinctiveDrift

15/10/2026

🐾 DO THIS FOR THAT!

Such a simple concept, but one with so many variations that we can incorporate into our training!

In puppy classes, we might use it to develop eye contact. Here, I'm using it to work on a hold.

So, what's the concept behind "Do This for That"?

It's about using something the dog wants in that moment to reinforce another behaviour.

That might be food, a toy, access to an activity, or an opportunity to do something they enjoy.

We ask for one behaviour first, and access to what they want follows.

🔑 The important part? It's what the DOG finds valuable in that moment, not what we assume they should want!

This is where understanding reinforcement becomes so important. A reward is only functioning as a reinforcer if it increases or maintains the behaviour it follows.

And that's what makes this exercise so versatile!

We can use it to develop focus, engagement, impulse control and a whole range of everyday skills, without always relying on food as our reinforcement.

🐕 Do this → Get that!

Simple, effective, and so many opportunities to incorporate it into everyday life.

15/10/2026

📦 BOX FEEDING – THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT! 🧠🐾

I started box feeding with Bryn because she was incredibly sensitive to spatial pressure. My proximity, position and even small movements could cause her to disengage or create distance.

🧠 So where does dopamine come into this?

Dopamine is often referred to as the feel-good chemical, but that's a little misleading!

Dopamine plays an important role in motivation, anticipation, reward prediction and learning.

As a dog learns to anticipate a reward, dopamine activity can shift towards the cues predicting that reward, rather than the reward itself.

But here's what we need to remember: dopamine doesn't necessarily mean the dog is feeling good!

Dopamine is involved in wanting and seeking, not simply pleasure. It can also play a role in frustration, particularly when an anticipated reward doesn't arrive.

📦 So why can box feeding be so effective?

The box provides a predictable activity with repeated opportunities for reinforcement.

For Bryn, this meant she could voluntarily engage in something rewarding while I gradually changed my position and proximity.

🐾 Predictability helped support engagement.

🐾 Repeated positive experiences helped build new associations.

🐾 Choice allowed her to work at her own pace.

🐾 Gradual changes helped her become more comfortable with my movement and proximity.

The aim isn't to create a dopamine high! It's to use predictable reinforcement and carefully managed training to support confidence, concentration and positive emotional associations.

💡 It's not just about what the dog is learning to do, but how they're feeling while doing it!

CanineConfidence

14/10/2026

🐾 It's not just about the hold… it's about what predicts the release! 🎯

A little bit of dumbbell pickup work with Bryn, using a reverse lure to help build duration and maintain a consistent hold.

But there's something I'm being particularly mindful of here… not accidentally teaching Bryn to anticipate the release!

Dogs are incredibly good at recognising patterns and predicting what comes next.

If I always reach in, take hold of the dumbbell and then mark the release, my hand movement can start to become a predictor that the release is coming.

And that's where we can begin to see those annoying early releases creeping in!

So I'm deliberately adding a little variation.

🐾 Sometimes I'll take hold of the dumbbell before marking.

🐾 Sometimes I'll cue the release and simply catch the dumbbell.

🐾 Sometimes I'll use my reverse lure to communicate keep going, keep holding, even when my hand moves towards the dumbbell.

The important part is that my hand movement doesn't become the cue to release.

I want Bryn to understand that the hold continues until he receives the appropriate release cue, regardless of what my hands are doing.

It's these little details in our training that can make a big difference further down the line.

💡 Good training isn't just about reinforcing the behaviour we want. It's also about being aware of the behaviours and predictions we might accidentally be building along the way!

14/10/2026

🐾 How do we know when we're getting what we're looking for?

Back to the foundations with Sunny! 🐕💪

We're working on developing a more natural head position for focused heelwork in FCI obedience, rather than the higher head carriage often seen in IGP.

I'm also working on eliminating that annoying head wrap, which crept in when the lure was faded a little too quickly.

But before we start adding movement, I want to make sure our static foundations are really strong.

And it's not just about Sunny finding the correct position. It's about HOW he gets there.

🔹 Is he motivated to come into position? 🔹 Is he driving into the position with purpose? 🔹 Is his head carriage where I want it? 🔹 Is he genuinely pressing into my hand target rather than simply making contact?

🎯 It's all about marking the moment!

Something that isn't always obvious when watching training videos is just how much information we get through touch.

Whether I'm using a nose target or the face target we're working with here, I can FEEL the difference between Sunny simply making contact and actively pushing into my hand.

That tiny increase in pressure is information, and it's the moment I want to capture and reinforce.

It's those small details that matter when building the bigger picture.

I'm in no rush to add movement. I want the motivation, position, head carriage and pressure into the target to be consistent before progressing.

Sometimes the most important training happens before we even take the first step! 🐾

ObedienceTraining SportsDogTraining TrainingFoundations

14/10/2026

🐾 Regular brushing is about so much more than keeping our dogs looking good!

Especially when it comes to our longer-coated breeds! 🐶

It's easy to run a brush or comb over the surface of the coat and think the job is done. But it's essential that we're getting right into the coat, down towards the skin, where tangles and matting can develop.

And believe me, with Sunny's very feathered rear end, matting can develop in just a couple of days! 🙈

Matting isn't just a cosmetic issue. It can pull on the skin, restrict movement and cause considerable discomfort.

This is why we've spent time teaching Sunny to comfortably accept grooming in different positions. Not only can he stand still, but he can also lie on either side and roll onto his back, allowing us to thoroughly check and groom those harder-to-reach areas.

💡 Grooming is a life skill, and one that's worth teaching!

Rather than expecting our dogs to simply tolerate being brushed, we can build their confidence, teach cooperative behaviours and make grooming a much more comfortable experience.

Regular, thorough brushing helps prevent painful matting, gives us an opportunity to check their skin and coat, and plays an important role in their overall welfare.

❤️ Because grooming isn't just about appearance. It's about comfort, care and well-being.

BorderCollie LifeSkillsForDogs

14/10/2026

🐾 LET'S NOT UNDERESTIMATE OUR OLD DOGS! ❤️

Just because they're getting older doesn't mean we should stop challenging their bodies and their brains!

Yes, we may need to adapt activities, lower our expectations of what their bodies can manage, and give them more time to rest. But movement and mental stimulation are still incredibly important.

🐾 Movement matters!

As dogs age, they naturally lose muscle mass, often particularly noticeable around their hindquarters. This can affect their strength, stability, balance and mobility.

Joint supplements may support joint health, but they don't maintain muscle mass. Muscles need to be used to help preserve strength!

And that doesn't mean long walks or strenuous exercise.

❤️ Short, manageable periods of movement throughout the day. ❤️ Gentle exercises suited to their physical capabilities. ❤️ Opportunities to explore, sniff and investigate. ❤️ Plenty of rest and recovery in between.

🧠 And let's not forget their brains!

Learning, problem-solving, scent work and familiar training exercises can all provide valuable mental stimulation. We can adapt the difficulty without removing the opportunity to think, make choices and engage with their environment.

It's not about asking our older dogs to do what they did when they were young. It's about helping them maintain what they can still do.

Of course, we need to be mindful of pain, fatigue and individual physical limitations, adapting activities with veterinary or rehabilitation guidance where needed.

Ageing is inevitable, but that doesn't mean we stop providing opportunities for movement, learning and fulfilment.

🐕 Keep them moving. Keep them thinking. Let them rest. And most importantly, don't underestimate them! ❤️

CanineWellbeing HealthyAgeing DogBehaviour MovementMatters

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