Dans Dog Grooming

04/09/2026

Norman started his walking training today.
Norman did well with all the distractions.

12/08/2026

Guess who had some training this week

10/08/2026

Play is vital for dogs! It burns energy, builds bonds, and is a great way to rehearse natural behaviours. Plus, it’s so much fun to watch.

But play between dogs should be mutual and fun for both parties. Sometimes it tips — and it’s on us to step in. Here are 7 signs it's time to stop the play for now:

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SIGN 1 — STIFF BODY & STANDING OVER

A dog that suddenly freezes, goes rigid, or looms stiffly over another has stopped playing. That shift in energy can escalate quickly, especially if the other dog hasn't noticed the change and keeps engaging. Step in calmly and wrap things up.

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SIGN 2 — MOUNTING & HU***NG

This is usually about over-excitement, not necessarily sexual behaviour — but most dogs don't appreciate being repeatedly mounted. This can be interpreted as a dominance behaviour (and it can be). If it's happening, arousal levels are too high. Redirect and give both dogs a chance to reset or finish the play for now.

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SIGN 3 — NECK HOLDS & PINNING

Some roughhousing is totally normal. But if one dog is consistently grabbing the other by the neck and pinning them down and won't let up, the play has become one-sided. Interrupt the pattern and make sure both dogs are getting a fair go. Play should be rehearsing being on top and on the bottom - if one always wants to be on top, it will often escalate into a fight or one dominating the other - don’t let that happen.

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SIGN 4 — ONE DOG ALWAYS BEING CHASED

Chase is only fun when it's mutual. If the same dog is always the one running and looking for an exit rather than choosing to re-engage, they're not playing — they're trying to escape. Pause, separate, and reintroduce when both dogs are calm. Take particular care when the one being chased is smaller or more delicate (sighthounds like whippets can be targets because they are so fast that they end up being chased down or broad sided and their fine bones and bodies can’t take that).

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SIGN 5 — WHALE EYE & STRESS SIGNALS

Whites of the eyes showing, lip licking, yawning, ears pinned flat, tail tucked — these are your dog's way of saying they're not okay. Trust what their body is telling you. Remove them from the situation and let them decompress somewhere quiet.

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SIGN 6 — CAN'T SWITCH OFF

A dog that can't stop even when tired or clearly stressed has hit a level of arousal they genuinely can't manage on their own. They need you to make the call for them. Separating them isn't being overprotective — it's exactly what they need.

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SIGN 7 — TOO ROUGH FOR A PUPPY'S BODY 🐶

Puppies often have no idea when to stop. A pup might be absolutely loving rough play with a bigger dog while their developing joints and bones are taking far more than they should. Their enthusiasm isn't a green light. If the play is getting physical and your puppy is on the receiving end, step in — they can't make that call for themselves yet.

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You don't need permission to intervene. Even if you're told "it's okay, she's friendly!" — you know your dog. Trust your gut, and always advocate for them. 💚

Save this post for your next trip to the dog park, and share it with a fellow dog parent who needs it. 🐾

10/08/2026

Today I’m going to explain the philosophy that sits behind everything I do when I’m training an adult dog. I call it going “Back to the Den”.

It starts with understanding something important about how dogs learn based on the ancestral origin of their behaviours.In the wild (ancestral wolf), a puppy’s Formative Period — roughly 2 to 4 months of age — is a window of extraordinarily intensive brain development, wiring up and learning. It’s when a young dog wires in everything it needs to survive: how to bond with its pack, how to read the world around it, how to behave. The experiences and lessons from this period wire themselves deeply into the dog’s brain, shaping their behaviour for life. It is easiest and best to do the wiring in and training in this phase, as this is the critical period for this to happen.

For dogs raised well, with the right socialisation, the right foundations and the right guidance during this window, those wired-in behaviours are exactly what you’d want. For dogs that missed some of that, the gaps show up later. Sometimes much later.

Here’s what most people don’t know: it’s possible to recreate something similar to that intensive learning period, even in an adult dog. This is what I call taking a dog “Back to the Den”. The idea is to take your adult dog back — not physically, but neurologically — into a state of openness and receptivity that mirrors the Formative Period. A state where deep, lasting learning can happen again. Where established patterns can be gently unwound and new ones built in their place. They can be re-wired but it needs to be done a specific way.

We do this through three interconnected steps.

1️⃣ First we use my signature technique - Joining Up - to rebuild the bond between you and your dog — recreating the strong mentor relationship that made learning possible in the first place. A dog that looks to you as their trusted guide is a dog that’s ready to learn from you. Part of this process includes activating oxytocin, the bonding hormone.

2️⃣Second, we get your dog reliably into a Learning State — that calm, relaxed, focused state of mind where the brain is genuinely open to new information. Without this, no technique will land the way it should. This is fundamental to all training.

3️⃣Third, we establish a Shared Language — making sure that what you’re communicating to your dog is actually what they’re hearing and understanding, and that you can read what they’re saying back to you.

With those three foundations in place, the real training work can begin. And because the dog is genuinely in a receptive state, the progress is faster, deeper and more lasting than anything you’d achieve without them.

This is what makes my Virtual Dog School different from a standard obedience class or a YouTube tutorial. It’s not a collection of techniques — it’s a complete training system, built on a deep understanding of how the adult dog brain learns and changes. When you use this as a starting point, almost anything is possible!

If you feel like you’ve tried everything, but just can’t shift challenging behaviours in your adult dog - check out my Virtual Dog School and I’ll show you how to take your dog Back to the Den!

https://www.dogzen.com/courses/virtual-dog-school

10/08/2026

10/08/2026

10/08/2026

Our dogs rely on us for EVERYTHING. Every single thing.

Food, care, shelter, exercise, fun, contact, love. Every bit of it is determined by us.

And what gets my heart is how wholeheartedly they accept that. No resentment, no demands (okay, sometimes they can be a bit demanding!). But for the most part they just faithfully wait — for the walk, the game, the moment you return home or look their way.

Their lives are so short, and they literally depend on us for every need they have - and they do so with endless love, adoration, hope and excitement.

That’s why I think it’s so important we give our loyal pets not just safe lives, but rich lives.

Dogs are intelligent, curious, social animals. They were built to roam, sniff, problem-solve, play, and connect.

Just like us, our dogs love novelty. New smells, new places, new challenges. They love to explore, use their brain, and engage with you.

They love to simply be with us, in whatever way we can show up on the day.

It doesn’t have to be complicated - it could simply be walking in a new area, setting up a playdate, taking your dog along when you do errands or go to a café, playing a new game or teaching a new trick, or adding an extra slow sniffy walk to your after-dinner routine.

Dogs just love being part of our life, in whatever way we can make that happen for them.

Do you make it a priority to give your dog an interesting life?

07/08/2026

Frankie during a training session.