Dereham Dog Academy

21/10/2026

We'll looking at exactly this at our up coming The Off Switch workshop on 1st November

https://bookwhen.com/derehamdogacademy/e/ev-swzdu-20261101140000

The underrated skill: doing nothing

One of the most useful things we can teach our dogs is that sometimes, absolutely nothing happens.
No walk. No game. No training session. No one throwing a ball, producing a treat or finding something terribly exciting for them to do. Just an ordinary afternoon while you get on with your life.

And yet, so many dogs seem to struggle with this concept. They follow us around, bring us toys, nudge our elbows, bark at us or invent their own entertainment. We can find ourselves feeling guilty because we’re not doing something with them.

But here’s the thing. Dogs need to learn that they aren’t always the centre of the universe, lovely though they might be. Some of us have jobs, housework, meals to cook and an occasional desire to sit down with a cup of tea without an audience.

Doing nothing isn’t the same as asking a dog to settle on command. It’s about developing the ability to switch off because nothing particularly interesting is happening, and that’s perfectly fine.

We don’t need to fill every waking moment with stimulation and entertainment. Sometimes, the best lesson is that the world can carry on without them doing anything at all.

Boredom isn't always a problem to solve. Sometimes, it's a life skill to learn.

19/10/2026

Heelwork vs Loose Lead Walking. Have We Lost Something Along the Way?

Over the years, the language we use in dog training has changed. One example is the move away from talking about heelwork towards loose lead walking.

It's an understandable change. For many people, heelwork conjures up images of competition obedience, dogs glued to their owner's leg, eyes fixed upwards, or perhaps some of the more corrective training methods traditionally associated with teaching it.

Loose lead walking sounds altogether more relaxed, more achievable and probably more appealing to you, the average pet dog owner.

But we do wonder whether, in changing the language, we've inadvertently changed what we're trying to teach.

If you think about it (and remember any high school geometry), a dog on a two-metre lead has around 12 square metres of space to explore without ever putting tension on that lead. That's quite a large area in which to make decisions about where to walk.

And if the dog can be two metres away from us, what's another 10, 20 or 30 centimetres? From the dog's perspective, there's very little difference between being just inside the limit and just beyond it. Yet suddenly the lead goes tight, and we're asking them to do something differently.

We've made the tension in the lead the measure of success, rather than teaching the dog where we'd actually like them to be.

At Dereham Dog Academy, our early loose lead walking exercises can look remarkably like loose lead standing.

That's because, before we ask a dog to walk nicely beside us, we want them to understand where that position is.

We reward them for choosing to come into that position, for engaging with us and for paying attention. We want them to discover that being alongside their owner is a worthwhile place to be, without having to be physically guided there or constantly reminded.

Only once they're beginning to understand that position do we start introducing movement. Initially, that might be just a step or two before we stop and allow the dog to find their position again.

As their understanding develops, we can gradually increase the distance, introduce changes of direction and begin working around distractions.

Importantly, we're not looking for the precision of competitive heelwork. We don't need a dog staring at us throughout the walk or maintaining perfect shoulder alignment with our leg.

We simply want them to understand where we'd like them to walk and to take some responsibility for staying there.

And none of this means that dogs shouldn't be allowed to explore. Sniffing, investigating and enjoying their environment are important parts of a walk. We can absolutely give them the freedom to move away and do those things.

But there's a difference between giving a dog permission to explore and having a dog who has never really understood where we'd like them to be in the first place.

Those who follow the Academy will know that we're big believers in teaching dogs to think for themselves. But independent thinking doesn't mean leaving them to guess what we want. It means giving them enough understanding to make good choices without constant intervention from us.

Perhaps the distinction between heelwork and loose lead walking isn't quite as important as we've made it.

Whatever we choose to call it, we need to be clear about what we're teaching.

Because a loose lead tells us the dog isn't pulling. It doesn't necessarily tell us the dog understands where we want them to be.

14/10/2026

At Dereham Dog Academy, we’d rather be jargon free.

Dog training has plenty of labels. “Force free” is one of them, but what it means can vary depending on who you ask. And sometimes, trainers themselves use the terminology without fully understanding it.

That makes it difficult for owners. If the people using a label don’t agree on what it means, how much can it really tell you about the training you’re choosing?

Then there’s “purely positive”. We tend to hear that phrase used to criticise someone else’s training, rather than as a description trainers choose for themselves. In our experience, it often becomes a straw man: an argument against a position the other person hasn’t actually claimed.

None of this tells you much about what will happen when you come to class.

What you can expect from us is kind, reward and results based training, with clear explanations of what we’re doing and why. Our goal is to help you understand your dog and make progress towards the things that matter to you.

We could spend a class discussing reinforcement quadrants, antecedents and the differences between classical and operant conditioning. But if you leave knowing more terminology and still don’t know what to do when your dog jumps up at a visitor, we haven’t taught you what you needed.

“Reward the behaviour you want to see again” gives you something you can use. We can then help you recognise that behaviour, get your timing right and understand why your dog might find it harder in some situations than others. Plain language doesn’t stop us teaching properly.

As trainers, we need to understand the theory behind our work. Our responsibility is to turn that knowledge into teaching that makes sense to the person holding the lead.

Using technical language where a straightforward explanation would do can create distance. It can make us sound more educated than our clients or competitors, without making our teaching any more useful.

You shouldn’t need to learn our professional vocabulary before we can help you.

We want you to leave thinking, “I understand my dog better, and I know what to practise.”

That’s what we mean by jargon free.

08/10/2026

Could your dog's haircut be making training harder?

Sometimes, the smallest changes can make a surprising difference to your dog's training. And occasionally, that change might involve a trip to the groomer!

At the Academy, we see plenty of small dogs with wonderful, fluffy faces and magnificent eyebrows. They're often part of what makes those dogs so endearing, but they can also present a challenge that owners might not have considered.

Think about the world from your dog's perspective. If you're a small dog, looking up at your owner already requires quite a bit of effort. Your owner is a long way above you, and lifting your head to make eye contact isn't necessarily the most comfortable or natural position to maintain. Add a generous fringe or a particularly impressive pair of eyebrows, and that little interaction can become even more difficult.

But there's another side to this, and it's something we regularly notice in class.

Sometimes the dog is making the effort, but the owner simply can't see it.

A dog might briefly glance upwards, checking in with their owner or offering a moment of attention. Unfortunately, when their eyes are hidden beneath a curtain of hair, that little effort can go completely unnoticed.

The owner doesn't acknowledge it, the opportunity to reward that engagement is missed, and eventually the dog may stop offering it quite so readily.

It's worth remembering that engagement isn't exclusively about eye contact. Dogs communicate with us in all sorts of ways, and we certainly don't want them spending their walks staring continuously upwards. But those voluntary moments when a dog chooses to look towards us are incredibly valuable, particularly when we're establishing the foundations of training.

We want dogs to discover that paying attention to their owners is worthwhile. For that learning to happen, we need to be able to recognise when they're doing it.

That's why we sometimes suggest that owners of particularly hairy dogs ask their groomer to give the area around the eyes a little extra attention. Not a dramatic makeover, and certainly not an attempt to remove all those lovely characteristic eyebrows, but simply enough to make it easier for the dog to see and for the owner to see the dog's eyes.

It doesn't necessarily need to be a permanent hairstyle, either. During the early stages of training, when we're working hard to establish those habits of checking in and engaging with one another, a little extra visibility can help us recognise and reinforce those important moments. Once those foundations are established, there's often more flexibility to let those eyebrows grow back.

And perhaps that's the most important point here.

Sometimes improving your dog's training isn't about teaching them to do something new. It's about making sure you're noticing what they're already trying to do.

Even if that means temporarily sacrificing a particularly magnificent pair of eyebrows!

07/10/2026

Our next two part recall workshops starts tomorrow evening, here at the Academy at 6pm.
Part two is at Letton Hall at 11am on Saturday 17th.

Book here: https://bookwhen.com/derehamdogacademy/e/ev-smeor-20261008180000

01/10/2026

Can you believe it's October already?

30/09/2026

Two workshops. Two very different ways to spend your Saturday.

We’ve got spaces available on both of our workshops this Saturday 3rd October at Dereham Dog Academy.

Everyday Manners — 10am | 2 hours | £45

Good manners aren’t about creating a perfect dog. They’re about giving your dog the skills to make better choices when everyday life gets a little more challenging.

Across the morning we’ll work on the practical foundations that make living with your dog easier: walking together without pulling, staying engaged around distractions, greeting appropriately, settling, recall and developing better self-control.

Rather than simply teaching a collection of obedience exercises, we’ll look at how dogs learn and how the way we train can help them make good decisions for themselves. You’ll leave with practical exercises you can continue at home.

Suitable for puppies, adolescents and adult dogs.

TD Rally — 2pm | 2 hours | £37

Then in the afternoon, we change pace for TD Rally.

If you’ve never tried Rally before, think of it as a course of numbered signs, with each sign asking you and your dog to complete a particular exercise before moving on to the next. Depending on the course, that might involve changes of direction, different positions, stays, heelwork or other challenges.

It’s a brilliant way to put everyday training skills such as loose lead walking, attention, focus and teamwork into something with a bit more purpose — and a lot of variety.

Our workshop is suitable for complete beginners as well as teams who already Rally and want an opportunity to practise and develop their skills.

Two workshops, both with spaces available this Saturday.

Book your place here:
https://bookwhen.com/derehamdogacademy

29/09/2026

Shaping behaviour can be challenging for dogs and their owners. This weeks dog club homework is for people to explore how this might work for them and their dogs.

25/09/2026

👇👇👇

22/09/2026

Rally is one of those activities that can look like a dog sport, but underneath it is an excellent way of practising the skills we want from our dogs every day.

A Rally course is made up of a series of signs, with each one asking the handler and dog to complete a particular exercise before moving on. That might involve a change of direction, a halt, a change of pace or a particular movement or position. Put the signs together and suddenly you have a course that asks both ends of the lead to pay attention.

And that's where much of its value lies.

Instead of practising loose lead walking up and down the same stretch of training hall, Rally gives it somewhere to go. Your dog needs to stay connected with you while the route changes and new exercises appear. Attention and focus aren't separate exercises either; they become part of successfully navigating the course together.

There's plenty happening at the human end of the lead too. You have to read the next sign, think about where you're going and give your dog clear, timely information. When something doesn't quite work, it can reveal as much about our handling as it does about the dog's training.

That's why we like Rally as a training activity. Individual skills stop being isolated exercises and start working together. There's a purpose to what you're practising, while still keeping the whole thing enjoyable.

You don't need ambitions to compete and you certainly don't need a perfectly trained dog. Rally can simply be something enjoyable to learn together — and a rather good way of making the skills you use on an ordinary walk that little bit better.

If you'd like to have a go, come and join us for a Rally class at Dereham Dog Academy.

https://bookwhen.com/derehamdogacademy