RIJ K9

23/10/2026

Choose reality based training, not emotion based fluff.

But, but, but… they didn’t deliver the promised results!

You mean like the folks who promised you 6-Pack abs in 30 days eating whatever you want? Or the Nigerian prince who just needs your financial details in order to send you a fortune? Or “Doctors hate this one trick… but the results are life changing!”? Or “Make $20,000 from home, no experience required, secret system, easy income!”?

At some point you have to be responsible for your own decisions… and your own willingness to choose appealing delusional (and manipulative) promises, over less appealing reality-based promises.

I’m sorry. I’ve heard every excuse about the Force-Free/Positive-Only marketing being so persuasive. “It looked and sounded so convincing!”

Ummmm, yeah, that’s precisely the point of marketing.

But here’s the thing underneath all of it that really got you: It also sounded emotionally soft, sweet, easy, and comfortable.

They sold you on what you wanted to be sold.

Dog training results which don’t require anything that aligns with reality.

You can just ignore the bad and reward the good—and that pulling, that reactivity, that off-leash reliability, that resource guarding, that separation anxiety, that fear, that aggression… it’ll all be resolved.

You never have to use tools that enable you to communicate properly. You never have to be the heavy who punishes dangerous or problematic behavior. You never have to learn to be as believable in your discipline as you are in your affection. You never have to learn to adjust your own emotions to best serve your dog. You never have to become an actual leader in your home.

No. You never have to do any of the yucky feeling stuff—but you’ll get all of the amazing, rewarding, enjoyable, fun stuff.

I’m sorry, but if you’re choosing Force-Free or Positive-Only training, and then are upset about the results you don’t get from training methodologies which obviously have zero alignment with the principles of reality—you’re getting precisely what you deserve.

Yes, I know your vet agrees with them. Yes, I know your Google searches agree with them. Yes I know TikTok agrees with them. Yes, I know they present bu****it studies and emotionally compelling taking points.

And? At the foundation of ALL OF IT, regardless of who endorses it, or what is said, YOU have to be responsible for analyzing what does and doesn’t align with your own clearly understood experiences with reality. And if you choose to buy a training approach that clearly, regardless of the window dressing, simply doesn’t obey the laws of reality—the stuff you know in your bones to be true or not—then that decision isn’t the fault of the Force-Free or the Positive-Only cultist doing their best to persuade you to ignore your own mind and experiences, that fault is squarely your own.

23/10/2026

If you’re struggling with your dog’s recall and focus on you during your walks, read this 👇

23/10/2026

Perfectly put.

23/10/2026

My dog is the best dog in the world. There are many like him, but none "quite" like him. I'd take a bullet for him, and if he understood what the concept of a "bullet" was and what it meant, he'd take one for me too. But at the end of the day, he is a dog, and I am a human. We need each other, but I am the boss. He likes it that way, he needs it that way.

Your dog needs this too. From you.

22/10/2026

What sort (temperament) of dog do you want, and what sort of walks do you want to be having?

I think, or at least I hope, you want this.

Complete off lead freedom, complete trust on both sides.

21/10/2026

To the person who messaged me this morning saying they didn't want to use my advice on their highly reactive dog, who is literally dragging them down the street, and is a (serious) accident waiting to happen...

18/10/2026

Third one to one session with Winnie yesterday to help her owner with her reactivity to other dogs.

Over the three sessions I showed her owner what to look out for and gently correct in the build up to a reaction. Now it’s over to them to join some local group dog walks and build up her exposure and tolerance to other dogs.

12/10/2026

Bookings and Cancellations

Going forward I am requiring all clients wishing to book sessions to pay in advance. I have resisted doing this up until now to make it as easy as possible for my clients to pay in cash at the end of the session, and operated on a trust basis that bookings made will be kept.

Unfortunately this morning I have received two messages from separate clients booked in for this afternoon that they need to postpone or cancel their session. I appreciate that people get ill at no notice, and people forget other appointments they may have made. But I need to protect my time and income. When I book someone in for a session days or weeks in advance, and they cancel hours before the appointment is due to take place, it hits me in the pocket and quite frankly, is very deflating for a small business owner.

I should also note, cancellations seem to be more common when the weather is bad, and it is due to rain this afternoon...

It has for over a year now been stated on my website that any clients needing to cancel or rearrange their session, need to do so no less than 48 hours before the session is due to commence - or pay for the session anyway. However this is impossible to actually enforce unless the session is paid for in advance.

It is exceedingly rare for anyone to offer to pay for the inconvinience to me for same day cancellation, and when I have asked for them to do so they often either refuse or ignore the message. Hence the new requirement for payment up front going forward.

04/10/2026

💯

29/09/2026

Caught up with Flossie and her owner this afternoon and it was great to see the progress they’ve been making. She’s a ball of energy and every dog she sees is irresistible at this stage. So we’re working on impulse control and making sure her owner is more interesting than the other dogs.