Paw and Order Dog Training

03/09/2026

Week 5 for our recreational hoopers group
They are smashing it 👏

03/09/2026

We haven't had any balanced trainer wisdom for a while, so here you go 🤣

02/09/2026

One thing I absolutely love teaching our puppies is “In Your Place”
It’s such a simple exercise, but it’s so useful in everyday life. Someone at the door? In your place. Cooking dinner and don’t want a dog under your feet? In your place. Just need them to settle while life carries on around them? You guessed it… in your place! 😂
It’s not about sending your dog away, it’s about teaching them that they can relax, switch off and be happy in their own space.
Such a valuable life skill.

02/09/2026

Sheps adventure time ❤️

02/09/2026

If your dog is asking for help, please listen.
They are not being naughty or aggressive, they are just not coping emotionally.
They do not need telling off, and they certainly do not need a prong or shock collar added to their stress.
They need HELP!

I find there seems to be rather a lot of miss guided assumptions when it comes to reactivity. People assume a reactive dog is an agressive dog.
This is NOT the case, a reactive dog, is a dog that over reacts to an external stimuli (people, animals, noises, other dogs)
It is the EMOTIONAL state when in the presence of the object of their anxiety or frustration.

A dog might overreact by barking, lunging, growling etc for several reasons, it is a communication.
Trying to shut down this communication though fear and pain (lead flicks, choking the dog, startling noises, yelling/shouting, prong or shock collars etc.) may well look as though the dog is "fixed" but the underlying emotion will still be there.
The dog just learns there is no point asking for help, none will come...... just pain, so they shut down

Keeping a dog in close proximity to the stimulus with no chance of escape (say a dog reactive dog in a enclosed area with several other dogs) thinking they will "get used" to other dogs, is a very outdated and dangerous technique called flooding.
This again does NOTHING to help the dog, they will just shut down
(They are ticking time bomb dogs)

Whereas if you actually listen to your dog and work on changing that underlying emotion, you will be surprised how the behaviour automatically changes.

Behaviour modification takes time, dedication and knowledge, each dog is different as to how quickly they can move forward.
It's like us going to a psychiatrist/counsellor for a mental issue, you aren't going to be "fixed" after one session.

You DONT "CORRECT OR TRAIN" a reactive dog, you "HELP" a reactive dog.

There is NEVER a need to use pain or fear when training any animal

02/09/2026

Super Kong searches ❤️

01/09/2026

You got to love the term “balanced dog training”…
Sounds lovely, doesn't it?
Balanced diet.
Balanced lifestyle.
Balanced dog training.

Then you realise it basically means:
“Yes, we use rewards… but we like to keep those correction handy too"
(you know, like a trachea squashing noose, or a quick electric shock, or maybe some metal spikes to pierce the neck)

Science has spent decades learning more about how dogs learn, including reinforcement, fear, stress and emotional wellbeing.
Yet you still hear:
“I've been training dogs this way for 30 years!”

Imagine your dentist proudly saying:
“Don't worry, I haven't updated my methods since 1996.”
Suddenly 30 years without changing anything doesn't sound quite so impressive.

Then comes the classic:
“BUT IT WORKS!”

So did VHS.
So did dial-up.
So did fax machines.
Four TV channels worked too.

We didn't move on because they didn't work.
We moved on because we found better ways.

But apparently dog training is different.

Technology can evolve.
Medicine can evolve.
Science can evolve.
But the slip lead?
Apparently we've reached the absolute pinnacle of human knowledge there. 😂
Dogs haven't become soft.
We've simply learned more about them.

But if new evidence feels a bit too modern for some of you balanced lot, don't worry…
I'll record it onto VHS, fax over the references and pop the Ceefax page number in the post.

Wouldn't want anyone overwhelmed by progress. 📼📠📺😂🐾

01/09/2026

Last night's challenge... STAYS
Their dog was asked to stay whilst they went and made a coffee
Smashed it guys, well done 👏