Deliverance Dogs

06/09/2026

TRAINING OPPORTUNITY COMING UP IN YORKSHIRE 🤟

Send a DM to Julie Rumsey via Facebook 📩

05/09/2026

NEW BLOG 🔗

https://deliverancedogs.co.uk/blog/when-reward-becomes-the-relationship

WHEN REWARD BECOMES THE RELATIONSHIP

Earlier this week I wrote about the amount of reward we use with our dogs in everyday life.

It generated some interesting discussion, and there was considerably more I wanted to say.

Reward is enormously important within my own training. But I think there is an important distinction between using reward to enhance the relationship and allowing reward to become the basis of it.

There is a difference between a dog looking at us and a dog looking through us towards what it believes we are about to produce.

So I’ve explored the subject in a little more depth in my latest blog:

When Reward Becomes the Relationship

What happens when every interaction with our dogs becomes a transaction?

04/09/2026

Following Monday’s post, and some of the conversations it prompted, I found myself wanting to explore this idea further.

I’ll be sharing the full blog tomorrow:

When Reward Becomes the Relationship.

31/08/2026

HOW MUCH ARE YOU REWARDING YOUR DOG IN EVERYDAY LIFE?

When your dog looks at you, what are they looking for?

Are they seeking communication with you? A shared moment, information, reassurance or connection?

Or are they looking through you towards the food or toy they have learnt to expect?

Modern dog-training culture increasingly encourages us to reward every glance, every check-in and every behaviour we want repeated. We have become very good at creating behaviour quickly…..but speed is not the only measure of good training.

When the priority is producing observable behaviour as efficiently as possible, it is easy to overlook the dog’s emotional experience and the relational connection developing between dog and handler.

The behaviour may be present, but what is the dog actually relating to…..you, or the payment it expects you to produce?

I am not opposed to reward. I use food and toys extensively within my dog-sport training. But I use them deliberately, within a particular context, to enhance motivation, interaction and the work we share.

I do not want reward to become the currency underlying every aspect of my relationship with my dogs.

In everyday life, I do not pay my own dogs with food or toys for ordinary domestic behaviour. Their fundamental learning, cooperation and understanding are built through relationship, communication, clarity and shared expectations.

I preserve food and toy rewards primarily for dog sport, where they have a specific purpose and retain particular value.

This is not a suggestion that inexperienced handlers should abruptly stop rewarding their dogs. Reward can be an important and necessary tool while people develop their timing, communication and understanding.

But I do think we should examine the destination of our training rather than allowing reward to become a permanent substitute for relationship.

Not every interaction needs to become a transaction.

Sometimes the dog should look at us because we matter. Not simply because we might be holding something they want.

When your dog looks at you, what are they looking for?

27/08/2026

Hello everyone 👋 I’ve been a little quiet on here recently, which has reflected some much needed time away.

I spent two weeks in Finland training my own dogs, making developments in Kali’s protection training. I then spent two weeks in Scotland taking an actual holiday. I actually achieved resting, recuperating and stepping away from work for a while!!

I put a huge amount of myself into my work, and I care deeply about doing it well. But every now and again, we all need some time to step away, reset and find our energy again

The break has done me a lot of good. I’m back, feeling refreshed, and looking forward to sharing more of the work, the dogs and the developments happening here…..

08/07/2026

‼️ MY INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT WAS HACKED ‼️

My sincere apologies if you received a very weird message from me. Not me I assure you. I logged on the other evening only to see that thousands of random messages had been sent from my account 😩. If you received one I can only apologise and warn that it’s not real. I believe it has all been resolved now and that FB is unaffected 🤞 if any further strange messages are received from me please inform me immediately so that I can get it resolved 🙏 Life these days hey….. 🤷‍♀️

Picture of Kevin looking how I did when I discovered the hack…. 🤣🤣

06/07/2026

10/05/2026

A super lovely birthday weekend with good company, lots of dogs, some horses, dog walks, dog training, laughing at dogs, a jug of Pimm’s and a bottle of Ch*****ne 🥂

Honestly… what more could a girl want? 🤷‍♀️

06/05/2026

Really excited to share this 👇

New Detection Trials hitting the scene 💪🔥

What I love most about this is the focus. This isn’t about sacrificing your training for the sake of competition. It’s about carrying good training into the trial environment. Promoting the relationship, clarity, and confidence of the dog at the centre of everything.

There are also more accessible entry levels, making it a brilliant opportunity for those newer to Detection to step into competition in a way that feels achievable and positive without compromising training.

TRIAL AND TRAINING AVAILABLE AT THIS EVENT 🔥

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