Positive Canine Coaching

26/08/2026

Happy International Dog Day.....
From one of the best species on earth. Let's continue to learn about them, understand them and advocate for them.

10/08/2026

SCENT TASTER NOW NEXT TUESDAY 18th AUGUST - DUE TO THE HEAT!.

Due to the fifth heatwave🥵, the Scent Taster Session due to take place tomorrow evening, has now been pushed back to next week.

There's one space left - if you'd like to come along - drop an email to [email protected]

09/08/2026

Drumroll please for.....

👮‍♂️Sergeant Ted 🐾

👮‍♂️Sergeant Zeke🐾

👮‍♂️Sergeant Flash🐾

👮‍♂️Sergeant Stanley🐾

Such a great job by all.....confidence was grown, steadiness was discovered, fun was had!

Briliant to see.....

08/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/19Pvk3rzY1/

FEAR

If your dog has ever been scared of something — a noise, a stranger, another dog, a place — you've probably noticed the fear doesn't just vanish, even with training. There's a reason for that.

The brain doesn't delete fear memories. Instead, it builds new memories right alongside the old ones. This is well established in the fear extinction research (Bouton, 2004; Quirk & Mueller, 2008): learning that something is safe doesn't erase the original fear memory, but it creates a second, competing memory that inhibits the fear.

Every time your dog has a calm, safe experience with something that used to scare them, their brain doesn't simply erase the old fear. Instead, the brain is building a new pathway that says "actually, this is okay." Over time, with enough repetition, that new pathway gets stronger and starts to take priority (Milad & Quirk, 2012).

Progress looks like:
• A pause instead of a lunge
• A glance away instead of a bark
• Recovering faster than they used to
• Handling a little more distance, a little more noise, or a little more closeness than they could last month.

Gradual, built through repetition, but it doesn’t happen overnight.
So if your dog still startles sometimes, that doesn't mean the training isn't working. It means the old pathway is still there (it always will be, in some form) — but the new, safer one is getting stronger every time you practice.

This is also why fear can briefly resurface under stress or in a new environment, something researchers call "renewal" (Bouton, 2004). It’s a normal part of how extinction works, not a sign of regression.

Photo ref: Macy with German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund who is looking for her new home

References: Bouton, M.E. (2004). Context and behavioral processes in extinction. Learning & Memory, 11(5), 485–494.
Quirk, G.J. & Mueller, D. (2008). Neural mechanisms of extinction learning and retrieval. Neuropsychopharmacology, 33(1), 56–72. Milad, M.R. & Quirk, G.J. (2012). Fear extinction as a model for translational neuroscience. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 129–151.

05/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bc1xB19yM/

05/08/2026

Super Sunday Trailing.....
Bentley, Ellie and Betty were awesome!!
We also managed to pop in to Satch's Snacks Natural Dog Treats who were fab and so helpful.

30/07/2026

Puppy Classes.....

A six-week course designed to help you survive puppyhood and raise a calm, confident family dog using kind, reward-based training.

Puppy Fundamentails covers all the topics you need to know for those first all important months of a pups life. Keep that optimism, rather than creating overwhelm!

🐶Keeps classes small
🐶Reward-based methods only
🐶Support between classes
🐶Socialisation in a safe, structured way
🐶If you're a first time puppy owner, no problem

If you're looking for supportive puppy classes that focus on building confidence, good manners and a great relationship from the very beginning, get in touch.

Email - [email protected]

28/07/2026

Puppy Classes starting soon. If you've had a puppy join your family, set them (and you) up for success.

Learn about recall, loose lead walking, preventing jumping up and much, much more.

Drop and email to [email protected] for more information.

27/07/2026

Lovely Feedback from a client.

I have loved working with Betty and Jane. Each time I went back for the next session, they'd made changes and taken on board lots of what we'd discussed, to set Betty up for success. The initial call was because Betty was a bit of a land shark and was biting ankles!
She was so eager to learn and just needed some help.

Thank you Jane, it's been great.

If you'd like information on my 121 training packages, get in touch.

Email - [email protected]

24/07/2026

Scent Detection Taster Sessions!

Come and find out what it's all about.

Spaces are limited. Drop an email to [email protected]