Be Pack Leader - Canine Rehabilitation

03/06/2026

6-month-old Xolo (Xoloitzcuintli or Mexican hairless dog), coated variety.

We definitely have a soft spot for these primitive breeds.

Xolos can be naturally aloof and quite primal in their behaviour. Like several others we've worked with, little Nico is deeply bonded to his family but has been showing some stranger danger tendencies, including chasing and nipping at visitors.

Displaying the typical bark, chase, and retreat pattern often seen in nervy dogs, we spent this session teaching Nico and his humans techniques to help prevent these behaviours from escalating. We introduced new coping strategies to help him feel more comfortable when meeting new people and worked on structured introductions to build his confidence.

We also covered marker training, giving his owners a clear way to communicate with him and helping set him up for more successful interactions once he's in a calm and receptive state of mind.

Looking forward to seeing Nico's progress at our next session! 🐾

03/06/2026

Perusing his field

03/06/2026

How to SLOOOWWW down your dog when eating too fast at meal times.

In this video you'll see Bailey the excited Labrador learn how to slow down when eating and not gulp it down in 2 seconds. This exercise will also help with snatchy behaviour.

03/06/2026

Thoughts.... 😶‍🌫️

02/06/2026

Another awesome review. Well done team! A GSD called Diego who had already "completed" a board&train with another trainer...... dog was still highly dog reactive when we met him and the owners feeling lost.. Until 1 session with us. Keep up the good work!

01/06/2026

01/06/2026

🎉 MILLPORT SEMINAR COMPLETE 🎉

What a few days! 🙌

Here's a few snippets from our recent seminar over in Millport and exactly what you can expect when you join us.

Our seminars are designed to be fun, welcoming, supportive and completely judgement-free. Whether you're struggling with reactivity, lead pulling, over-excitement, confidence issues or simply want a better understanding of your dog, you're in the right place.

We start by building strong foundation of learning theory through our doggy classroom, helping you understand not just what to do, but why you're doing it. Then we put that knowledge into practice with hands-on training, individual coaching and real-world exercises that build confidence for both dogs and owners.

The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, but the results speak for themselves. Time and time again we see owners arrive feeling overwhelmed, frustrated or unsure where to start, and leave feeling empowered, capable and excited about the future with their dog.

We finish the experience with a structured pack walk, bringing everything together and allowing owners to put their new skills into practice in a real-life environment.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended. The effort, commitment and progress shown by both dogs and owners was incredible to see. 🐾

Positive updates have already been pouring in, we are super proud of every one of you 💪👏.

Ready to transform your relationship with your dog? Keep an eye on our page for details of upcoming seminars.

27/05/2026

Little Teddy 🐶 the rescue pom/spitz learning to be more comfortable with people coming in the house today.

What a great session - we owe it to our dogs to provide love AND leadership, especially when they are in a situation they find challenging.

Nervous dogs THRIVE with leadership, taking the responsibility off of them and building more trust in their humans to take care of life for them!

Done right, this majorly reduces nerves and anxiety, and builds confidence fast!

Ask yourself - are you giving appropriate leadership to your reactive dog, not just love? We cannot explain rationally to a dog who has irrational responses to triggers, but we can SHOW them how to cope

Are you coaching your dog through life in our human world? 🐶

27/05/2026

Does your dog pull on the leash? 🐶

Brilliant, Sean 👏

Good question, and one that many owners are confused about—because those promoting harnesses WANT them to be confused.

I’m headed out the door to train, so I asked ChatGPT to give me a quick rundown of the issues with harnesses.

Here ya go. :)

“Harnesses were literally designed to distribute pressure and increase pulling efficiency:

* sled dogs
* tracking dogs
* cart dogs
* opposition work

So when owners say:
“My dog pulls like crazy on walks”

…and then attach the dog to equipment specifically designed to make forward pressure more comfortable and mechanically efficient, there’s an obvious conflict.

Harnesses also commonly amplify drive, intensity, and momentum. Many dogs become:

* more forward
* more impulsive
* more environmentally locked in
* more aroused
* more mentally/emotionally overwhelmed

because they can throw their full body weight into the equipment without meaningful interruption. The entire chest and shoulder assembly can brace into pressure, creating stronger opposition reflex and rehearsed pulling patterns.

Another major issue is that harnesses often allow owners to physically contain dogs without meaningfully influencing behavior. A dog can still:

* scan
* fixate
* load
* lunge
* rehearse reactivity
* ignore the handler
* drag the owner around

…while remaining safely attached.

That distinction matters enormously:
physical control vs behavioral control.

Many “training” harnesses that are promoted as being “positive”, “pain free”, and “kind”, reduce pulling mechanically by adding unpleasant pressure in various locations, but do not address the underlying arousal, fixation, opposition, or mindset driving the behavior in the first place.

In general, standard harnesses tend to create dogs who become increasingly dull to leash pressure, more physically pushy, more environmentally fixated, and harder to meaningfully influence — especially large, powerful dogs. The very equipment meant to create more control often ends up creating less.