South Wales Dog Training Academy

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South Wales Dog Training Academy Qualified, accredited and experienced Dog Trainer and Behaviour Consultant in Bridgend, South Wales.

� For all your Dog Training and Behaviour needs.
� Specialising in puppy education and avoiding common problems, dogs that display aggressive behaviour towards other dogs and building confidence in dogs that are a little worried by the world.

Today’s gorgeous graduates from the latest Puppy Power course. Well done pups, and of course their pawrents! 👩‍🎓👨‍🎓🎉🐶🐾Ne...
17/10/2026

Today’s gorgeous graduates from the latest Puppy Power course.

Well done pups, and of course their pawrents! 👩‍🎓👨‍🎓🎉🐶🐾

Next course starts 31st Oct and is the last one before Christmas!
If you’d a place, call or message me - 07814400299

TRAINING TIPS TUESDAY! 🐾💰 SHOW ME THE MONEY! (Or the cheese... 🧀)Let's talk REWARDS!Imagine working really hard all week...
13/10/2026

TRAINING TIPS TUESDAY! 🐾

💰 SHOW ME THE MONEY! (Or the cheese... 🧀)

Let's talk REWARDS!

Imagine working really hard all week, only to be paid in something you don't particularly like. A bag of sprouts, perhaps?

Well, our dogs are no different! Just because WE think something is rewarding doesn't mean THEY agree.

And here's the interesting bit... not all rewards are created equal!

LET'S DO A TASTE TEST! 🧀🍗🥕

Over several days, offer your dog a variety of different foods and see which ones really float their boat!

Try tiny pieces of chicken, cheese, sausage, their usual kibble or different dog treats.

Watch their reactions. Do they politely accept it? Do their eyes light up? Are they practically offering to do the dishes for another piece? 😂

Start building a REWARD HIERARCHY, from the everyday 'that's nice, thanks' to the 'OH MY DOG, I'LL DO ANYTHING FOR THAT!' rewards.

Don't forget, preferences can change depending on the environment, how your dog is feeling and what else is going on.

🧸 TOYS COUNT TOO!

Do exactly the same with toys!

Does your dog love a game of tug? A squeaky toy? A ball? Or perhaps something fluffy they can shake to within an inch of its life?

Try different toys and different ways of playing over several days. Find out what really gets their tail wagging.

BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE!

Some of the BEST rewards don't come from your pocket or toy bag!

These are what we call LIFE REWARDS.

🐽 Sniffing that fascinating patch of grass.

🐕 Playing with you or a suitable doggy friend.

🐿️ Chasing something appropriate and safe.

🔎 Finding hidden treats or a favourite toy.

Sometimes being allowed to do something your dog REALLY wants to do is far more rewarding than a piece of chicken!

HERE'S THE REALLY IMPORTANT BIT...

The reward needs to suit the behaviour you're teaching.

If you're teaching your dog to SETTLE ON A MAT, for example, there's not much point using a super-exciting food reward that sends them into orbit every time it appears
We're trying to encourage calmness, not create a dog who's bouncing around like a kangaroo on a trampoline!
Choose something your dog enjoys but can remain relaxed around, and deliver it calmly.

On the other hand, if you're practising recall around distractions, you might need to bring out the BIG GUNS! 🧀🍗

The best reward isn't necessarily the most exciting one. It's the one that works for YOUR dog, in THAT situation, for THAT behaviour.

🐾 THIS WEEK'S LITTLE CHALLENGE!
Become a detective! 🕵️‍♀️ Spend a few days discovering what your dog genuinely loves, and start building their very own reward hierarchy.
You might be surprised by what makes the top spot!

So, what's your dog's ultimate reward? Cheese? Chicken? A tennis ball? Or the chance to investigate a particularly interesting blade of grass?

TRAINING TIPS TUESDAY - THE PREMACK PRINCIPLE 🐾Or, as I like to think of it…“Do this boring thing first, and then you ca...
06/10/2026

TRAINING TIPS TUESDAY - THE PREMACK PRINCIPLE 🐾

Or, as I like to think of it…

“Do this boring thing first, and then you can do the thing you REALLY want to do.”

That, in very simple terms, is the Premack Principle - using something your dog really wants to do as the reward for something we’d like them to do.

This is what I used it to teach my Jack Russell cross to recall from…

🐿️ SQUIRRELS.

Yes. Squirrels, with a Jack Russell cross.
Now, before anyone thinks I simply unclipped the lead in squirrel territory, crossed my fingers and shouted “COME!”…

Absolutely not. 😂

Management was a HUGE part of the training.

She was on a long line, which meant she couldn’t practise ignoring me and reward herself by disappearing after a squirrel.
When she spotted one, I’d call her back.
She came back and was rewarded with her favourite - CHEESE! 🧀

But the really important bit?

After the cheese, I’d release her to chase the squirrel.
Obviously, by this point the squirrel was halfway to Cardiff and probably sitting down with a cup of tea. ☕🐿️

But she still got what she really wanted - permission to chase.

So coming back to me didn’t mean that the fun was over.
It meant:
Come back, get cheese… and you might get to go and do the exciting thing too!

Over time, that helped build a really strong response around something she found incredibly difficult to resist.

This is where management and training work together.

If I’d allowed her to chase every squirrel she saw while we were supposedly working on recall, she’d have been rehearsing, and massively rewarding herself for, exactly the behaviour I didn’t want.
The long line prevented that rehearsal while we built the behaviour I did want.

The lesson?

Your dog’s best reward isn’t always food.
Sometimes it’s sniffing the lamppost.
Sometimes it’s saying hello to another dog.
Sometimes it’s getting through the front door.

And sometimes…
…it’s the completely futile pursuit of a squirrel that left the area several minutes ago. 😂

Think about what your dog really wants in that moment.
You might just be able to use it as their reward. ❤️

👇 What would be the ultimate reward for YOUR dog?

Does your dog struggle with fireworks? 🎆If fireworks turn your lovely dog into a trembling, panting, pacing, hiding mess...
02/10/2026

Does your dog struggle with fireworks? 🎆

If fireworks turn your lovely dog into a trembling, panting, pacing, hiding mess… you’re not alone.

And if you’re thinking, “It’s okay, we’ll just see how they are when the fireworks start…”, please don’t leave it until then.

For a dog who is frightened of fireworks, preparation can make a huge difference.

My Firework Consultations are designed to help you understand what your dog needs and, more importantly, give you a plan you can actually follow.

We can look at things like:

🐾 How to prepare your home to make it feel safer
🐾 Creating a calm, comfortable safe space
🐾 What you can do before the fireworks begin
🐾 Helping your dog cope with the sounds and flashes
🐾 Enrichment and calming activities
🐾 What to do if your dog wants to hide
🐾 How to avoid accidentally making their fear worse
🐾 Practical tips for walks, feeding and toilet trips around fireworks
🐾 And how YOU can stay calm and support your dog

There is no magic wand (although I do have a rather fabulous Puppy Princess one 😉😂), but there are things we can do to help your dog feel safer and give you both a much calmer plan for firework season.

If your dog has struggled in previous years, now is the time to prepare, not when the first bang goes off. 🎆

Firework consultations are available now.

Drop me a message or WhatsApp me on 07814 400299 to find out more.

Let’s make this firework season a little less frightening for your dog. ❤️🐾

Happy birthday to my handsome boy. Can't believe he's 8, although he still acts like an adolescent hooligan!Do you celeb...
24/09/2026

Happy birthday to my handsome boy. Can't believe he's 8, although he still acts like an adolescent hooligan!

Do you celebrate your dog's birthday? Let me know if you do anything special. 🎂 🐶 🐾

TRAINING TIPS TUESDAY 🐾Stop asking your dog to learn in the hardest place possible! 😂One of the biggest mistakes I see w...
15/09/2026

TRAINING TIPS TUESDAY 🐾
Stop asking your dog to learn in the hardest place possible! 😂

One of the biggest mistakes I see when people are training their dogs is - making things too difficult too soon.

Your dog might be absolutely brilliant at sit, down, settle or come at home… and then suddenly appears to have forgotten every single thing they’ve ever learned when you step into the park.
But they haven’t forgotten - you’ve just changed the difficulty level!

Think of training in zones, like zones 1–10.

Zone 1 - a quiet, low-distraction environment where your dog is really receptive to learning. This might be your kitchen or living room.

As your dog understands the behaviour, you gradually work through the zones, making things a little harder each time.

Zones 2–9 - gradually increasing distractions, distance and duration.

Zone 10 - the really tricky stuff! A busy park, other dogs, people, squirrels, smells… basically Dog Disneyland! 😂

These are your 3 D’s:

📏 Distance - how far away you are
⏰ Duration - how long your dog has to maintain the behaviour
👀 Distraction - everything else going on around them

Don't jump from Zone 1 straight to Zone 10 and then wonder why your dog is struggling. We need to build success gradually.

Training isn't about seeing how quickly we can get to Zone 10.
It's about giving our dogs the chance to understand, succeed and build confidence along the way.

Small steps with lots of successes. Then make it just a little bit harder.

💬 How does your dog cope when you move from a quiet training environment to somewhere with lots of distractions?

Tell me which zone you think your dog finds the hardest, I’d love to hear! 👇🐾

Going over and above for our golden oldies 🐾There comes a point with our old dogs when you realise you’re no longer just...
10/09/2026

Going over and above for our golden oldies 🐾

There comes a point with our old dogs when you realise you’re no longer just taking them for a walk… you’re basically running a five-star retirement resort with room service. 😂❤️

My old girl Dipstick is a perfect example.

She still loves going out for a wander and, most importantly, a good sniff. But these days we do things a little differently.

Shorter walks with more sniffing opportunities. Lots of breaks when necessary. A coat when it's chilly or wet.

And, of course, personal umbrella service when it’s raining. ☔️

Because honestly, after everything our old dogs have given us over the years, why wouldn’t we go that extra mile for them?

They’ve been our best friends, our comfort, our walking buddies, our listening ears (even when they’ve completely ignored us 😂) and such a huge part of our lives.

So when they get older and their needs change, we change with them.

It’s not about expecting them to keep doing everything they used to do. It’s about making sure they can still enjoy the things they love, in a way that works for them now.

If that means standing in the rain holding an umbrella over a dog who is very slowly sniffing the same blade of grass for approximately 14 minutes…

Well, that’s just what we do.

So tell me…

👇 What do you do that’s a little bit over and above for your old dogs?

I’d love to hear about your golden oldies. ❤️

Puppy Power graduation.Here are the 3 baby puppies that rocked their final class!Miss Maple - beautiful, enthusiastic, h...
29/08/2026

Puppy Power graduation.

Here are the 3 baby puppies that rocked their final class!

Miss Maple - beautiful, enthusiastic, happy and loves everyone
Miss Nellie - gorgeous, laid back, clever and takes everything in her stride
Mr Fudge - handsome, smart, loves learning and adores his young humans.

Well done pups, see you for round 2 next week!
👩‍🎓👨‍🎓🎉🐶🐾

Puppy Improvers graduation day.Their fabulous pawrents worked very hard with their teenage hooligans! Adolescence can be...
29/08/2026

Puppy Improvers graduation day.

Their fabulous pawrents worked very hard with their teenage hooligans!
Adolescence can be tough on the pups and their owners, their brains go to Mars very easily, frustration is high and they have growing pains to deal with.

Well done everyone! 👨‍🎓🎉🐶🐾

Address

Westward Community Centre
Bridgend
CF314JR

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 7pm
Tuesday 9am - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 7pm
Saturday 9am - 12pm
Sunday 9am - 12pm

Telephone

+447814400299

Website

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