21/09/2026
This little superstar is Kobbie, and today he absolutely smashed session two of his 1-to-1 Adolescent Dog Package!
When I first met Kobbie, his emotional bucket was completely overflowing. He was hyper-vigilant, trapped in a chronic stress loop, and barking at absolutely everything both inside the home and out on walks.
His brain was too chemically exhausted from the chaotic adolescent developmental stage to process anything else.
Traditional trainers often look at a dog like Kobbie and try to force compliance or slap on a tool to suppress the barking. At Teaching Tails, we look at the whole physiology.
Our roadmap over the last fortnight looked completely different:
Two Weeks of Decompression: We put an immediate pause on high-stress walks, giving his adolescent brain and nervous system the essential time to reset, drain cortisol, and calm down.
Environmental Management: We identified and closed down the spaces at home where his barking habit was being constantly practiced and reinforced.
The Value of Doing Nothing: We taught Kobbie a rock-solid, choice-based settle on his mat, heavily reinforcing the concept that calm stillness brings massive rewards.
Pattern Games: We introduced structured, low-arousal pattern games to build his impulse control and give him a predictable framework to regulate his big feelings.
Today, we hit the local park armed with a long line to grant him genuine autonomy, an abundance of his favorite high-value treats, and a clear behavioural plan.
And when I tell you he smashed it, I mean he smashed it! 🚀
Kobbie spent the session calmly observing other dogs at a distance, engaging in deep, beautiful decompression sniffing on the long line, and executing perfect automatic check-ins and recalls.
Were there a couple of barks during the session? Yes, absolutely. First of all, Kobbie's brain has been heavily rehearsing this behaviour historically, so he will naturally default back to it on occasion while he learns completely new ways to cope. Secondly, Kobbie is a Dachshund, a breed genetically hardwired to alert bark. When you own a breed with these strong genetic drivers, you have to realistically expect the odd occasion where they alert bark. It's about management and regulation, not absolute genetic erasure.
Even when an unexpected, off-lead dog ran up into our space a situation that would have previously caused an explosive reaction, Kobbie handled it beautifully. The off-lead dog wasn't trying to cause trouble; she was simply following her nose directly to our high-value meat treats. While it wasn’t ideal, it provided us with a perfect, real-world training opportunity to keep Kobbie feeling safe, calm, and fully supported.
A massive thank you to Kobbie’s dedicated family for trusting my advice and implementing every single layer of this decompression plan so perfectly.
I am so incredibly proud of this team!
