Kirby Dog Training

Kirby Dog Training ⭐️ 225+ 5 star Google Reviews ⭐️
Ella & Alistair
Puppies are hard.

Adolescence is harder
Puppy & adolescent specialists
Kind, practical, training
ABTC ATI
London•Suss*x•Online � 200+ 5 star Google Reviews �
Expert Pet Dog Lifestyle Training - Ella & Alistair
Kirby Dog Training offers fun, fully accredited, expert, force-free dog training for dogs of Suss*x & London. 1:1 training and group Puppy School Classes.

27/08/2026

Your puppy has something they shouldn’t have… what do you do? 👀

Our instinct can be to rush over, grab it from their mouth or start chasing them around the room, especially when it’s something we REALLY don’t want them to have.

But that can accidentally make stolen objects much more valuable.

They learn:

🐶 Human approaches when I have treasure
➡️ Treasure gets taken away
➡️ Better hold onto it / run away / swallow it quickly

And for some dogs, repeatedly having things forcibly removed can contribute to defensive behaviour around valued items.

Here, puppy Banjo has found an ice cream wrapper.

Rather than making a big deal out of it, I calmly scatter plenty of treats nearby. He chooses to move away from the wrapper to eat them, giving me an opportunity to calmly pick it up.

No chasing.
No wrestling.
No grabbing it from his mouth.
No drama.

And importantly, giving him food isn’t “rewarding him for stealing”.

I’m changing what happens after he finds something and teaching him that moving away from treasure and giving things up can be safe and worthwhile.

Over time, we can turn this into a really useful drop / exchange skill, rather than a puppy who sees you coming and thinks, “QUICK! SWALLOW IT.” 😅

Obviously, if your dog has something immediately dangerous, safety comes first. But for everyday puppy contraband, staying calm can make a huge difference.

Save this for the next time your puppy finds some “treasure” 🐶

25/08/2026

This is baby Banjo learning one of our favourite little recall games with Alistair.

Scatter a few treats on the ground and, while your puppy is busy finding them, move away. Then call them and make yourself exciting to follow. When they catch up with you, reward generously! 🙌🏻

It’s a lovely way to build the habit of orienting back towards you and teach your puppy that responding to their recall cue leads to really good things.

You can also practise this on a long line when you’re outside, so your puppy has freedom to explore while you keep things safe and prevent them practising running off.

Keep it easy, short and FUN. At this age, we’re not looking for perfect recall around huge distractions, we’re building strong foundations that we can gradually build on as they grow. ❤️

📌 Save this to try with your puppy!

5 things we DON’T do with our dog, Banjo… 👀🐾There’s an idea that a well-trained dog should follow lots of little rules. ...
20/08/2026

5 things we DON’T do with our dog, Banjo… 👀🐾

There’s an idea that a well-trained dog should follow lots of little rules. For us, training isn’t about adding rules just for the sake of having them.

🐕 We don’t mind if Banjo walks in front of us.
He doesn’t need to be glued to our side. As long as the lead is loose, he can sniff, explore and walk ahead, and it gives us a great view of his movement and gait too.

🍽️ We put his food down and let him eat.
We don’t ask him to sit and wait for an arbitrary amount of time before every meal. He doesn’t need to perform a behaviour before accessing his dinner.

⏰ We don’t have a fixed routine.
Banjo has predictability, but not a rigid timetable. Walks, meals and activities don’t happen at exactly the same time every day.

🪑 We rarely ask Banjo to sit.
Sit can be useful, but we don’t ask for it just for the sake of it. The ground might be wet, hot, cold or uncomfortable, and often, we simply don’t need him to sit.

😴 We don’t keep Banjo busy all day.
We love training and enrichment, but dogs don’t need constant stimulation. Banjo spends a huge amount of his day sleeping and resting with his balls out (😅) and we actively encourage that downtime.

None of these things are inherently wrong to teach. Context matters. We just like behaviours to have a purpose rather than asking for them because that’s what a “good dog” is supposed to do.

What’s something you were once told you had to do with your dog… but no longer do? 👇

14/08/2026

🐾 Why does your dog kick the ground after toileting?

This behaviour is known as ground scratching, and it’s a natural part of canine communication.

Dogs have scent-producing glands around their paws, and scratching the ground can help deposit scent in the environment. The physical scratches and disturbed ground may also provide a visual component to the signal.

👃 So what might they be communicating?

Dogs gather a huge amount of information through scent. Chemical cues can potentially provide information about individual identity, s*x and reproductive status, as well as indicating that another dog has been present in or used an area.

Ground scratching may therefore add another layer to the scent information already left through urination or defecation, combining olfactory and visual signalling.

Both male and female dogs can display this behaviour, and you may notice your dog does it more frequently in particular environments or after certain toileting or marking events.

💡 Do we need to stop it?

Generally, no. Ground scratching is a normal canine behaviour and, provided it’s safe and appropriate for the environment, there’s usually no reason to interrupt it.

Allowing dogs opportunities to express normal species-specific behaviours is an important part of supporting good welfare. 🐾

Follow for evidence-led dog training and behaviour advice.

13/08/2026

A little Kirby Dog Training milestone 🥹🎉

After years of working professionally with dogs and their humans, Alistair is now officially an ABTC-registered Animal Training Instructor (ATI) 👏🏻

This isn’t the start of Alistair’s training career, actually it is far from it! But it is lovely to have his knowledge, experience and commitment to kind, evidence-led training formally recognised.

And it means Kirby Dog Training is now run by two ABTC-registered Animal Training Instructors 🥹

Why does that matter?

Dog training is an unregulated industry in the UK, which means anyone can call themselves a dog trainer, regardless of their education or experience.

Choosing an ABTC-registered professional gives owners an independent benchmark. Registered practitioners have demonstrated the knowledge and practical skills required for their role and are expected to work to professional and ethical standards, keep their knowledge up to date through CPD, and use evidence-led, welfare-focused approaches.

Accreditation doesn’t suddenly make someone a good trainer; Alistair has been doing this work for years, but we think being willing to have our knowledge and skills independently assessed matters.

Very proud of this business of ours. Two ATIs! 🥹🤍

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