Lead Canine

01/09/2026

Pepi the German shepherd.

Reactive on the lead.

Will nip a dog if he gets the chance.

At the first meeting, Pepi was scared of my American bulldog Lola and we saw some fear reactivity. We combat this by telling him reactivity is not acceptable and then we need to change his relationship to dogs through play and food.

Disrupt the behaviour ---> change the emotion

When letting dogs meet off lead, we hang around until arousal drops and they lose interest in each other. When they were let loose Pepi was a bit insecure, arousal went up and we saw some growling. When my dogs would run, Pepi would chase and try to nip (herding) which is natural as a herding breed. Lola quickly established boundaries and Pepi respected those boundaries.

You need the right dog to assert these boundaries or a small enough area so you can reach the dog to assert boundaries yourself (a long line can sometimes help).

26/08/2026

Blaze is a German Shepherd that doesn't like the vets, doesn't like his paws touching and doesn't like getting ear drops put in.

The behaviour is fear/anxiety based.

Blaze required calming supplements/medication the night before and the morning of his last vet check and he wouldn't let the vet complete his checks.

Blaze snaps at his owner if she tries to put ear drops in his ears and is uncontrollable.

The reason he behaves this way for his owner is because he knows her so well that he has figured out exactly how much of a tantrum he needs to throw before she abandons the ear drops and how much of a tantrum he needs to throw before they quickly exit the vet inspection.

With me he knows that regardless of what he does, he is getting inspected and the ear drops are going in. This relieves all conflict and accepts the inevitable.

Following the acceptance, I make things as pleasurable as possible with lots of treats and affection. He will probably never enjoy this but over time it will become much more tolerable as you can see in the video.

24/07/2026

3 simple moves to save your walk from turning into chaos! 🐶👇
Ever get caught off guard by a trigger on your walk and feel your heart instantly drop? You’re not alone. The key to handling those tricky moments isn’t panic—it’s having a solid defensive handling toolkit ready to go.
In this video, I break down 3 proven defensive handling techniques you can use immediately:
1️⃣ The Reset Front: Bringing your dog into a center-focus position to block sightlines and reset their brain before a reaction happens.
2️⃣ The Magnet Lure: Keeping your hand close to their nose so they stay locked on the food and glide right past the distraction.
3️⃣ The Scatter Reset: Dropping small treats on the ground to trigger their natural sniffing instinct—instant stress reduction!

22/07/2026

03/07/2026

The "Be Good" Trap 🛑🐾
Ever found yourself shortening the leash, tensing up, and whispering "Be good... be nice..." as another dog approaches?

While it comes from a good place, this is actually cueing reactivity. Dogs are absolute masters at reading our body language and energy. When you tense up, hold them tightly to one side, and nervously repeat these phrases, your dog doesn't hear "be polite"—they hear: "Mom/Dad is nervous. There is a threat coming. I need to be on high alert." ⚠️
By trying to preempt "bad behavior," we accidentally create the exact tension that triggers it.

Instead of feeding into that insecurity, try these two much better options:
1️⃣ Queue Eye Contact: Instead of focusing on the oncoming dog, redirect your dog’s focus to you. Use a high-value treat or a known focus cue to keep their eyes on your face until the other dog has passed.

2️⃣ The "Nothing to See Here" Approach: Just walk past like it’s the most normal thing in the world. Keep a nice, slack lead, shoulders relaxed, and maintain a confident, steady pace. If you act like it’s no big deal, your dog will too.

Let’s stop feeding the tension and start building confidence on both ends of the leash! 🚶‍♂️🐕✨

30/06/2026

Fixing dog reactivity doesn’t require a complex 20-step program. It actually boils down to mastering just three fundamental pillars. 🐾👇

If you're tired of stressful, chaotic walks, here is the exact framework you need to understand to transform your dog's behavior:
1️⃣ Distance Management
Space is your absolute best friend. Reactivity happens when your dog is pushed past their comfort zone (their "threshold"). Your primary job is to manage the distance between your dog and the trigger (whether that’s another dog, a person, or a bike). By keeping them far enough away to notice the trigger but remain calm, you create a safe zone where learning can actually happen.

2️⃣ Consequence Intensity
The consequence—whether it is a reward for good behavior or a correction/punishment—must match the scale of the situation. You cannot fight high-intensity reactivity with low-intensity feedback. The value of your reward or the firmness of your boundary must scale dynamically based on two things: how close you are to the trigger, and how intense your dog's reaction level is.

3️⃣ Identifying Body Language
You cannot fix reactivity if you only notice it after the barking and lunging starts. You have to get ahead of it. This means learning to identify the exact millisecond your dog shifts from relaxed to preempting reactivity. Look for the subtle signs: a frozen posture, a hard stare, a stiffening tail, or closed mouth. Catching it here is the secret to preventing the explosion.

11/06/2026

This is Pip, he has a lovely owner and a nice life so there is no reason why Pip should be doing this right????

The reason why Pip is biting could be:

1. He's sore in certain places
2. He's scared

Or..... This dog demands food, toys, affection and anything else he wants and his owner gives it to him. He has reached a point where he can demand attention and affection but then demand that you don't touch him straight afterwards.

This is more common than most people think and you probably have no idea how you are creating this behaviour.

Firstly do not reward begging behaviour because this can quickly escalate into demanding, frustration and aggression.

Secondly reward calm, confident, relaxed behavior.

Third and finally which is the most difficult part....... Do not reward aggression. In the video when Pip shows aggression I give him nothing, I don't back away, I don't punish. When pip relaxes I remove my hand and give a reward.

Previously every time pip shows aggression he gets what he wants and this strengthens the behaviour.

If you have a dog like this. Either stop touching your dog (remove conflict) or start conditioning your dog to believe that aggression does not produce results.

08/06/2026

This is group 1 from this year. All reactive (except the big scary Staffy type - he's a softy). Every person here has worked really hard with their dog to get them from out of control to a point where their dog can now have a normal life.
Phase one was teaching skills in a secluded field.

Phase two is taking them out into different environments and really testing their training.

Wait and see what I have planned for phase three...!!!

03/06/2026

01/06/2026

Don't try this with a dog that is already dangerously resource guarding!!!

This technique is great for puppies and young dogs, great for dogs that try to run away from you with toys or items that they chew.