TLC Dog Training

08/05/2026

🐶🥩 Mission: Steak… ABORTED.

Why every dog owner should teach their dog this command

This clever dog was moments away from claiming the ultimate prize but one simple command from his owner changed everything.

“Leave it.”

And just like that, temptation defeated. 👏

Training isn’t about being perfect — it’s about building trust, focus, and self-control, even when a juicy steak is involved. 😅

05/05/2026

A day in the life of Storm, the Border Collie.

04/05/2026

"MY OLD DOG NEVER DID THIS."
I've lost count of the number of clients who've sat across from me and said some version of this:

"I had a [breed] before and never had this much trouble. I just don't understand why this one is so different."

And I get it. I really do. It's a frustrating place to be, especially when you've raised a dog before, you know what you're doing, and somehow this one didn't get the memo.
But here's the thing. It's a bit like saying your youngest child didn't go through the same teenage phase as your eldest. Every child is wired differently. Every dog is wired differently. That's not a flaw; it's just reality.

The comparisons I hear most often:
"My old dog never did this."
"My last dog was so easy."
"My other dog just knew what I wanted."
And that might all be completely true.

But this dog is not that dog.

Different temperament.
Different drive.
Different confidence level.
Different sensitivity.
Different arousal threshold.
Different motivations.
Different history.

What worked beautifully with your last dog might do absolutely nothing for this one or, worse, make things harder. And that's not a failure on your part. It's just information.

The moment training tends to go wrong is when owners, understandably and innocently, keep trying to train the dog they remember instead of the dog standing right in front of them.
Your previous dog is not the benchmark. They're the memory.
This dog is the job.

So if you're struggling and finding yourself constantly thinking, "But my last dog never...", that might be exactly where you need to start. Not with the training plan. With meeting this dog where they actually are.

22/04/2026

I had my second session with George and let's just say George has 2 speeds.
Fast
And faster.

Even I missed a correction. Ooppps.

It was during teaching the "Bed Command.

And he picked it up really well.
The best part? Watching the 4 year old, who wanted to get involved. After showing him how to guide George correctly, George eventually listened to him. Because let's face it. Your dog needs to learn to listen to everyone, not just the trainer.
But everyone also needs to follow the same structure which is why we make the process simple and clear that even a 4 year old can understand and follow.

Great job guys. Look forward to our next session.
No more stealing food off the kitchen table.

Mmmmmm I can smell the roast chicken I'll be using already 😋 🤪 😩 🙃 😅

21/04/2026

HOW WELL DOES YOUR DOG REALLY KNOW THE "SIT" COMMAND
(this really applies to all commands but the “Sit” is the most commonly used.
Most owners would say, "Oh yeah, he knows sit."
And maybe he does, in the lounge room, with a treat in your hand, when nothing interesting is happening.
But does he know it when a dog runs past?
When a kid's bouncing a ball nearby?
When a cat appears across the road?
For most dogs, no. And that's not a criticism. It just means the command hasn't been properly taught and or reinforced every single time. .
There's also a second part to this that people miss.
How long does your dog hold the sit before he decides he's done?
Because if he's wandering off after three seconds on his terms, he's the one ending the command. Not you.
A solid sit isn't just "put your bum on the ground". It means stay there until I tell you we're done, even when you'd rather not.
That's where real training actually begins. Not in the easy moments. In the distracting ones.
This is why so many owners get frustrated. They think their dog is ignoring them when really the dog hasn’t really learnt the command correctly. Dogs do not generalise. Just because he does it well at home, in the yard or on a quiet street, does not mean he will do it every time you ask, no matter what.
The fix isn't complicated. Start easy, make it clear and reward it. Make sure you are the one to end the sit by teaching a release word. Then slowly build in distractions, distance, and real-world pressure. If your dog breaks the command, reinforce it every single time.
That's how "sit" stops being a kitchen trick and starts being something you can actually rely on.
A command is not truly trained until your dog can do it when they would rather be doing something else.
So next time you say, “My dog knows “Sit", ask yourself:
Does he really?
Or does he only know it when nothing better is happening?

19/04/2026

Sometimes I wonder why people have dogs.

As a trainer, one of my biggest pet peeves is watching people “walk” their dogs while being completely checked out.

Phone in hand.
Earphones in.
Chatting to the person beside them.
Staring blankly ahead like the dog is just an accessory attached to the end of the lead.

And I know this sounds blunt, but honestly… why have a dog if you’re not going to engage with it?

A walk should not just be a human getting their steps in while the dog drifts around at the end of the lead doing its own thing.
Taking your dog for a mindless 30-minute walk, or even an hour-long walk, with no connection, no guidance, no focus, and no interaction is like taking your child to Disneyland and not letting them go on any of the rides.
They are there, but they are not really part of the experience.
Then those same owners wonder why their dog pulls, reacts, ignores them, scans the environment, gets overstimulated, or has behavioural issues.

Here’s the thing.
Focus is not something you magically get just because you say your dog’s name.
Engagement is not something you demand after spending most of the walk ignoring your dog.
You build those things by becoming relevant.
You build them by being present.
You build them by making yourself part of the walk, not just the person holding the lead.

Your dog should be checking in with you. You should be noticing your dog. You should be rewarding good choices, guiding poor ones, changing direction, using your voice, creating little moments of connection, and teaching your dog that walking with you actually matters. And for goodness sake, have a play with them.

That does not mean every walk has to be a full training session.
It does mean you need to stop mentally disappearing.
When you go for a walk, before you pick up the leash, have a plan. Have your treats ready. Know what you are working on. Toilet stops. Play and sniff stops. Not just random whenever your dog wants stops. Use the walk to practise attention, calmness, leash manners, recall moments, direction changes, impulse control, and simply being connected to you in the real world. Sit at a park bench or on the grass and just “BE” with your dog.
And yes, your dog should eventually learn that they do not fall apart the second you stop interacting for a moment.
But that is trained deliberately.
It is not created by accidentally ignoring them for most of the walk and then getting annoyed when they ignore you back.

Your dog's behavior is often a mirror of what effort you have put in.
So next time you clip the lead on, don’t just take your dog for a walk.
Walk with your dog.

19/04/2026

Ahhh the memories.

14 new items · Memory by Sally Kellerman

17/04/2026

THIS DOG IS CLEARLY NERVOUS.

And yet what do people so often say?

“Let him smell your hand first.”

It is one of the most common pieces of advice people give when meeting a dog… and also one of the most misunderstood.

This dog is showing clear signs of discomfort. You can see the lip licking, the glancing up, and the overall unease written all over him. He is not enjoying this interaction. He is trying to cope with it.

He is also clearly a well-behaved dog. The leash is loose. He is not lunging, barking, or creating a scene. He could likely move away if he chose to, but instead he is standing there and tolerating the pressure.

But this is exactly what people get wrong.

A well-behaved dog is not automatically a comfortable dog.
A quiet dog is not automatically a safe dog.
And a dog that is tolerating pressure is not necessarily a dog that will not bite.

If a dog is anxious, fearful, or unsure, putting your hand out in front of their face can actually increase the risk of a bite.

Think about it from the dog’s perspective.

A hand reaching toward their face can feel like pressure or even a threat. Dogs do not view that gesture the way humans do. They do not think it is polite. To many dogs, especially nervous ones, it feels invasive, confronting, and overwhelming.

When a dog is already unsure, that extra pressure can push them from “I’m uncomfortable” to “I need to make this stop.” And sometimes the only way they know how to do that is with their teeth.

Nervous dogs do not always explode straight away. Many will try to manage the situation first. They will hold themselves together, show subtle stress signals, and hope the pressure stops. But if those signals are ignored and the pressure keeps building, even a very good dog can get to the point where it feels it has no other option.

That is how bites happen.

Not because the dog was “bad.”
Not because it was disobedient.
But because it was uncomfortable, its signals were missed, and people assumed tolerance meant consent.

And the idea that a dog needs to smell your hand first does not really hold up anyway.

Dogs have an extraordinary sense of smell. They can detect changes in blood sugar, hormones, pregnancy, and even certain illnesses. They already know you are there. They do not need your hand shoved inches from their face to work that out.

So what should you do instead?

Give the dog space.
Let the dog approach if it feels comfortable.
Turn slightly side-on.
Avoid direct eye contact.
Allow the dog to gather information at its own pace.

Respect builds trust.
Pressure creates risk.

Not every dog wants to say hello, and that is okay.

10/04/2026

BOREDOM vs STRESS
What’s Actually Causing the Behaviour

The word ‘bored’ gets used a lot when dogs misbehave — and most of the time, it’s the wrong diagnosis. Boredom is real, and a dog without enough to do will absolutely find its own entertainment. But when owners reach for boredom as the explanation for destruction, separation distress, or constant unsettled behaviour, they often end up treating the wrong problem entirely. That matters, because the fix for boredom and the fix for stress are very different things.

What boredom actually looks like
A bored dog is opportunistic. It looks for something to do, finds an outlet, and gets on with it. The chewing, the digging, the barking at the fence – these are all a bored dog solving its own problem. What you won’t see is emotional distress. A bored dog isn’t falling apart; it’s just filling time. Give it something better to do, and the problem largely resolves itself.

What stress looks like
Stress is something else entirely. A stressed dog isn’t choosing to fill time; it's reacting. The signs are different:

Destruction that happens specifically when the dog is left alone
Pacing or vocalising that doesn’t settle
Inability to switch off even after exercise
Heightened reactions to small, everyday triggers

This is where separation issues usually sit, and more walks or a new toy won’t touch it. The dog isn’t bored. It’s struggling.

How to tell the difference
Three questions cut through most of the confusion.

Is the dog calm when you’re home but destructive or distressed when left alone? That points strongly to stress, not boredom. If it’s getting into trouble even when you’re right there, lack of structure is more likely the culprit.

What happens after exercise? If the dog settles properly after a decent walk, energy was the issue. If it’s still restless, reactive, or destructive, you haven’t found the root cause yet.

Can the dog switch off at all? This is the most telling question. A bored dog can rest; it just needed something to do first. A stressed dog can’t settle regardless of how much exercise it’s had. If your dog has no off switch, you’re not dealing with boredom.

Where most owners go wrong
The instinct when a dog is destructive or restless is to add more exercise, more toys, more daycare, and more attention. Sometimes that helps. But if the real issue is lack of structure, no clear boundaries, or a dog that has never learned how to be calm on its own, then more stimulation just produces a more stimulated, still-unstable dog. You raise the ceiling without changing the foundation.

Exercise is important, but it’s not a solution on its own. You don’t fix instability by draining energy. You fix it by building structure, teaching the dog how to switch off, and reducing the dependency that is driving the distress.

The real fix
Structure first. Dogs settle when life is predictable: clear routines, clear boundaries, and clear expectations. Not constant freedom and stimulation. Calmness has to be actively taught, just like any other skill. If your dog has only ever been in ‘go’ mode, it genuinely doesn’t know how to switch off. That has to be practised and reinforced.
Appropriate outlets have a role such as structured walks, training sessions, and controlled mental work. But these work best once the foundation is in place. Layered on top of an unsettled dog, they’re just more noise.
Finally, dogs that can’t cope alone are often dogs that have become over-dependent, have too much constant engagement and do not have enough practice at being by themselves. That independence has to be built gradually, the same way any other skill is built.

Boredom is real, but it’s overused as an explanation. Most problem behaviour comes back to lack of structure, lack of clarity, or a dog that simply hasn’t been taught how to be calm. Fix that first, and a lot of the ‘boredom’ disappears on its own.

Border Collie, Bored Not Stressed.
Chihuahua at Vets Stressed Not Bored

07/04/2026

Well, it happened again.

I found myself shaking my head after hearing about something that happened at the local market.

A woman was carrying shopping bags while also handling her Bull Terrier cross on leash. The dog was muzzled, which tells me she already knew there was a problem there. The issue started when the dog, who was clearly reactive, lunged at another dog, knocked the smaller dog over, and stood over the top of him. The muzzle may have stopped a bite, but let’s be honest, that does not make the situation safe.

And apparently this was not the first time.

This dog had already done similar things to other dogs at the market, to the point where people were warning each other to watch out for the dog in the muzzle.

That is not responsible dog ownership.
That is not training.
And that is not “managed.”

Here is the part people need to understand:

A muzzle is a safety tool.
It is not a free pass.

Putting a muzzle on a dog does not suddenly make that dog suitable for a crowded, busy, overstimulating public environment.
It does not fix reactivity.
It does not teach self-control.
It does not teach neutrality.
And it definitely does not replace actual handling and training.

If your dog is still lunging, still fixating, still dragging you toward other dogs, and still ignoring you in public, then your dog is not ready for places like markets, festivals, cafes, or packed walking tracks.

That is just the truth.

Your job is not to prove your dog can “go everywhere.”
Your job is to set your dog up to succeed and keep everyone else safe while you work on the problem.

That means teaching your dog:
• not to lunge at other dogs
• to remain neutral around distractions
• to listen when you speak
• to pay attention to you instead of scanning the environment for trouble
• to be handled properly under pressure

And just as importantly, it means being honest with yourself.

If you still cannot physically control your dog…
If your dog is still making poor choices around other dogs…
If your dog is still unpredictable in busy environments…

then that dog does not belong at the local market.

Muzzle or no muzzle.

Safety is not just about whether your dog can bite.
Safety is about whether your dog can be trusted not to cause chaos, fear, injury, or stress to other people and dogs around you.

Training is not about taking your dog everywhere.
Training is about earning that right.

A muzzle is a good tool.
But it is only a tool.
The real work is still the training.