Leaps & Bounds Dog Training

29/08/2026

💜Maple 💜

We did an in home visit with Maple last week and met her lovely young family.

Maple is a youngster who can get a little excited around the children and jump, and nip in excitement and play, especially when the children are running and playing in the yard.

Many dogs find movement exciting, so often small children running and playing can up the arousal and excitement levels of the dog.

We use many strategies to help families including management .

Sometimes it is best to have your dog inside or in another area, rather than the dog rehearsing unwanted chasing and nipping behaviours.

Management in conjunction with training is a powerful tool and prevents the behaviour growing in the wrong direction.

Maple is a very sweet girl, it was a pleasure to meet her and her family.

29/08/2026

In Home visits Available
Book online
🐾 Duke 🐾
We worked around his neighbourhood and finished in his house.

Duke is not a fan of visitors, so we didn’t start off our visit in his home, we allowed Duke to have time to sniff, check me out without me being in his bedroom 🤣🤣.

Lucky for me , I did get the big tick ✅ of approval.

23/08/2026

🏠 In Your Home
🐾 1-1 Consultations
🐾 Book online or email [email protected]
Smart and cute little Milly had an in home visit today.

We can help with common puppy behaviour problems from teething, and puppy mouthing, sleep routines, crate training, toilet training and so much more.

Book online www.leapsbounds.com.au

21/08/2026

🐕 Dog Parks 🐕
Do you love them or hate them ?
Dog parks seem to be a topic that divide dog owners. Some people love them, others avoid them completely.

Personally I’m somewhere in the middle.

I do use dog parks, but I tend to use them when they are empty and very quiet.

Why?
Because since moving from the country to the city, my dogs have lost a lot of the space they had to simply be dogs. An empty dog park gives my city dogs somewhere they can:
🐾 Sniff and explore
🐾 Stretch their legs
🐾 Have some off lead freedom
🐾 Explore at their own pace
🐾Get some decompression time away from the restrictions of the lead.
🐾Be dogs and do what dogs do

For me it’s not about taking my dogs to a busy park and letting them off with a group of unfamiliar dogs.

That is where my concerns start.

Not everyone understands their own dogs body language, arousal levels or behaviour around other dogs. Some dogs are social, while others can be overwhelmed, or over aroused.

When you get a group of dogs together, all with different personalities, play styles and social skills, things can escalate quickly, especially when dogs are in heightened arousal or resources are present like a ball.

A play session can go from fun to conflict before owners know what is happening.

This does not mean parks are bad , it just means we need to think about how we use them.

For my own dogs the best dog park experience is an empty one.

19/08/2026

Daphne (photographed) & Daisy 🌼 are sisters who have recently been adopted.

Their new home is fantastic with warm beds, delicious food and lots of love, and guardians who want to help them adjust to their new life and be the best dogs they can be.

At the moment Daphne is very shy to people, during my session she spent most of her time on the daybed where I took her photo from a distance. I let her quietly observe me, no pressure, no eye contact, no sudden movement.

These dogs have been in their new home around 6mths.

Daisy & Daphne are making progress in the right direction and have their safe zones.

Daisy 🌼 was a little more social and was happy to take a treat delivered away from me and would come back into my space for more treats.

19/08/2026

This post was prompted by client interactions and questions.
If your dog is scared or reactive to other dogs, more dogs are NOT the answer. 🐕

If your dog is nervous, worried or overwhelmed by other dogs, showing them every dog in the neighbourhood is not going to help them get over it.

In fact, it can quite often make things worse.

I know the thinking behind it — “They need to get used to other dogs.”
But there is a big difference between **gradual exposure that stays within a dog’s ability to cope** and repeatedly exposing them to something they find scary or overwhelming.

Imagine you were terrified of spiders. 🕷️

You wake up one morning and there are 4 or 5 huge spiders in your house.

Then you go outside with your friends… and they lock you in a room full of spiders.

No escape. No way of getting away. And every time you start to panic, someone tells you, *“You need to learn that spiders are okay.”*

Would seeing more spiders make you less afraid?

Probably not.

You would likely go into **fight mode** — trying to get rid of the spiders — or **flight mode** — desperately trying to escape.

Our dogs can do exactly the same thing.

When a dog is repeatedly exposed to dogs while already overwhelmed, their brain can spend so much time in that **reactive zone** that they barely have a chance to calm down before… here comes another dog.

And another.

And another.

Eventually, their emotional bucket is overflowing.

# # # **“But they need to be exposed!”**

Yes — eventually, we do want to help dogs experience the things they find difficult.

But **exposure is not the same as flooding.**

Sometimes the kindest and most effective thing we can do is temporarily reduce the number of challenging encounters while we work on building confidence, teaching coping skills and changing how the dog feels about seeing other dogs.

That might mean changing walking routes, choosing quieter times, increasing distance, or even taking a short break from walks while we work on other forms of enrichment and confidence building.

And that brings me to something I have heard from two people just in the last couple of days…

# # # **“I take treats on our walks, but I only give them to my dog if they are good.”**

I completely understand why people think this.

The idea is: *“If my dog doesn’t react, then I reward them.”*

But if your dog is already worried about other dogs, **the treats aren't a bribe or a reward for being “good.”**

They are part of helping your dog change their emotional response.

If your dog sees another dog at a distance and thinks, *“Oh no, a dog!”* and then something wonderful happens — food, play, connection with you — we can begin to build a different association:

**Dog appears → good things happen → I feel safer.**

We don't have to wait until the dog reacts before we start helping them.

In fact, **we want to be working BEFORE they reach the point where they feel they need to react.**

So don't wait for the bark, lunge or explosion before reaching for the treats.

If your dog spots another dog and is still able to think, eat, sniff, move with you or engage with you — **that is your opportunity.**

Reward the tiny wins.

Create distance when you need to.

Give your dog an escape route.

And remember, the goal isn't to make your dog tolerate being surrounded by dogs.

**The goal is to help your dog feel safe enough that they don't feel they need to react in the first place.** ❤️

Sometimes, less exposure is exactly what your dog needs before they are ready for more.

Image below Lira, just because she is cute and to bring attention to my post.

18/08/2026

**Why I don’t let my dogs say hello to every dog we see 🐾**

You might see me out walking with Ned and wonder why I don’t let him say hello to every dog we pass.

It’s not because I’m being rude or anti-social. Quite the opposite — I’m working really hard on teaching my dogs that **they don’t need to greet every dog or person they see.**

Ned is dog-friendly, but he can become excited by movement and frustrated by the restriction of being on lead. We’ve worked really hard on this, and most of the time he does really well. Dogs on retractable leads can be particularly challenging for him because they can appear to be off lead and move unpredictably.

So why don’t I just let him say hello?

Because **socialisation isn’t about meeting everyone.**

True socialisation is about learning to be comfortable and neutral around the world — dogs, people, bikes, noises, movement and all the other things we encounter.

If our dogs are allowed to greet every dog they see, they can start to develop an expectation:

*"I see a dog → I get to say hello!"*

And when that doesn’t happen? Frustration, excitement, pulling, barking and reactivity can develop.

I also have **two dogs**, and two dogs approaching another dog can feel pretty overwhelming, even if that dog appears friendly. Sometimes we assume our dogs are comfortable because they aren’t growling or barking, but their body language may be telling us something very different.

And remember, when dogs are on lead, **they are restricted.** They can’t simply move away if they feel uncomfortable.

So sometimes the kindest thing I can do is simply keep walking. ❤️

My goal isn’t for my dogs to love every dog they meet.

My goal is for them to be able to **see another dog, stay calm, and carry on with their walk.**

And honestly, that is a much more useful life skill. 🐶💚

Send a message to learn more

17/08/2026

We had a weekday In Home Visit with this cutie yesterday.
🐾Book Online 🐾
Visit our website
Conditions apply.
Select weekends are available by appointment.

17/08/2026

**🐾 Why Make Recall as Boring as Watching Grass Grow?**

If you want your dog to come back when you call them, you need to make **coming back to you worth it!**

In traditional obedience, recall is often taught as:

**“Come!” → dog returns → “SIT!”**

Now imagine your dog is hot on the trail of an amazing smell, chasing a ball, or having fun with another dog… and suddenly you call them back and ask them to sit.

Pretty boring deal for your dog! 😂

I absolutely do use a more traditional recall sometimes, but I also want my dogs to learn that **coming back to Mum means fun things happen.**

🎥 In the video, Lira recalls back to me and, rather than simply asking her to sit, I turn it into a game. We play a search game together.

Why?

Because I want her to think:

**“Coming back to Mum is AWESOME. I never know what fun thing is going to happen next!”**

And this is important because the environment is ALWAYS competing with us.

🌿 Interesting smells
🐕 Other dogs
⚽ Balls being thrown
🦘 Wildlife
👃 Amazing scents
🏃 Movement
…and, in Lira’s case yesterday, a **dead wallaby** that she had sniffed out!

Dogs' noses are incredible, and that dead wallaby was a pretty significant distraction. But when I called Lira, she immediately came back to me.

Why?

Because history has taught her that **recall is a good deal.**

Sometimes we play tug.
Sometimes she gets a tasty treat.
Sometimes we play a recall game.
Sometimes she gets to go and search for something.
Sometimes I surprise her with something she loves.

**Recall isn't just a behaviour you teach. It becomes a way of life.**

# # # 🐾 Build value for proximity

You don't have to wait until you're out on a walk to work on recall.

At home, reward your dog for simply choosing to be near you.

On walks, reward those little check-ins when your dog looks at you or comes back towards you.

Play games that encourage your dog to engage with you.

Become the **“Fun Bus!”** 🚌

And when you're out and about, start on lead or a long line and gradually build distractions.

**Don't allow your dog to rehearse ignoring your recall.**

If your dog doesn't come when you call, don't punish them when they eventually return. If coming back to you results in something unpleasant, you've just made the recall harder for next time.

Instead, think about it like this…

Imagine that every time you went near a particular person, they **PAID you** with something you absolutely loved.

Wouldn't you keep going back to that person?

That's what we're trying to create for our dogs.

Your dog comes near you and suddenly…

🎾 A tug game appears!
🍗 A delicious treat appears!
🔎 You get to play a search game!
🏃 You run together!
🎉 Something fun happens!

Those little surprises build value.

# # # 🐶 Try these proximity games at home

Start somewhere safe and easy, then gradually add distractions.

**1. Toss & Return**

Toss a treat away from you. When your dog finds it, they'll naturally return to you looking for another one.

You don't even need to say “come”.

You're simply teaching your dog that **returning to you makes good things happen.**

As your dog gets better, you can gradually increase the distance and difficulty.

**2. Roll & Chase**

Roll a piece of food away from your dog.

This taps into their natural seeking and chasing behaviours. As they search for the food, you can introduce movement from you in the opposite direction.

Suddenly, **you're something worth chasing too!**

I often say “Get it!” as they search for the food, making it a fun little game.

In the video, I didn't run away from Lira. She had just recalled away from another dog and I wanted her return to me to be FUN.

The ground was uneven and, quite honestly, I thought if I started running I might end up flat on my face! 😂

But that's the point…

**I didn't need to run.**

I have spent time building value for being with me, so in that moment, I was more rewarding than the other dog.

💛 **Recall isn't about being more interesting than everything in the environment all the time.**

It's about building such a strong history of good things happening when your dog chooses you that, when you do call them, **coming back feels like a great choice.**

Make recall fun.

Make yourself worth coming back to.

And remember…

**You don't just train recall. You build a relationship where your dog wants to come back to you.** 🐾