WalkWise Dog Training

WalkWise Dog Training Fun dog training and socialisation support for owners of young, sociable dogs in Manchester. We believe in nurturing your dog's social side, safely.

We'll help you feel confident out on walks so you can share enriching and varied experiences together!

26/07/2026

Dogs are great.

Dogs in slow mo are EVEN GREATER.

The ears alone ❤️

Slow mo vids are great for learning about your dog - their body language and their motivation changes etc etc. Being a dog trainer on these platforms means I feel a huge pressure to always be encouraging people to learn and do and learn and do. But today, none of that.

Today i encourage you to just go and take some slow mo videos of your dog frolicking, because they'll definitely make you smile! If you dont have a dog, take them of yourself, your friends, anything. Slowed down joy is just longer lasting joy, go capture it!

Not everything is a learning moment. Some moments are just for playing 😊

20/07/2026

Help your dog enjoy things without the use of food!

Food is just one type of reinforcer (something your dog likes that will influence their behavioural choices)

The important part of a reinforcer is that your dog likes it- but your dog likes all sorts of things! Here are some other categories of reinforcer to think about:

👉 performing behaviours they enjoy
👉 access to people, places or things
👉 social connection

Different reinforcers create different emotions and different intensity of those emotions. It can help to pick a reinforcer based on what kind of emotional state allows you to get the job done (whatever that job is). In our case I need erns to be chill and still here, so food/access to fun things are kind of off the table as he would've gotten excited about it.. Head rubs, however, are really near the top of his reinforcer list, and they help him stay relaxed - so, winner!

I could absolutely do this with food and still get the massaging done, but it would've changed the whole vibe, and we were enjoying some snugs anyway ❤️

Remember, there's no one right or wrong way to do things, but as long as you know your options you can make the best decisions based on what's going on and what you want to achieve ✅️
wellness.wirral gives the best physiotherapy advice!

17/07/2026

Miss Florence has come so far ❤️

I might post some 'before's' at some point, so you can see just how far, but today just enjoy seeing what she gets to do now - after all the hard work from her owners and I to calm that brain down and develop those listening ears 🎉

The beauty of working on her ability to make good choices off lead, is that getting to be off lead and do the thing she was made for creates more calmness, satisfaction and reduced reactivity elsewhere in her life, which in turn helps her get it right off lead too! Its the opposite of a vicious cycle, a gentle cycle!? Sounds like a washing machine...you get the idea though 🙃

The biggest reason why we've achieved this is I changed the concept of a woodland walk. I took it from 'me vs the environment' (you will lose that battle 9.9x out of 10, especially in new places, especially with a gundog), and I made it 'me = environment.

When you proactively facilitate the activities your dog enjoys (rather than them finding their own way), and you manage their access based on their arousal (how well they're listening to you), your dog's intrinsic motivation to listen and keep listening skyrockets!

If you want to understand these concepts a bit more, take a look at the 'Premack Principle' online. One of my favourite uses of positive reinforcement ❤️

Peace and love, chums! (expect for those who would've put an ecollar on this wonderfully clever and capable dog).

Thank you to whoever nominated me for this award ❤️I work hard to provide the learning opportunities and care for each o...
17/07/2026

Thank you to whoever nominated me for this award ❤️

I work hard to provide the learning opportunities and care for each of my clients (and their dogs 😁), and whilst these awards are definitely not why I do it, it's always nice to know I'm getting it right!

I was always pretty sure I have the best clients in the world, but this seals the deal 🫠

If you'd also like to nominate me there is a link in my bio 🔗

15/06/2026

Here's a little insight into what I get up to with my days - my training visits!

These sessions are for added training, enrichment and variety-in-the-week for the dogs I work with. I will work on the specific goals for the individual dog and family, which means it's also great variety-in-the-week for me too!

The early one-on-one sessions with a new dog are such a treasured experience for me, letting them show me who they are, what they like and what they're comfortable with. Then taking that communication, showing that I hear them and they can trust me.

As my relationship grows with a dog, I also really cherish the opportunity to become someone who can safely push them - to overcome their worries or obstacles. Mia finds it hard to leave the house sometimes, especially if one of her owners stays behind, so my work will centre around trust, confidence and independence.

The videos here are clips of the client-videos I created in my session, so Mia's owners know exactly what she's has been up to, and can get my explanation of what ive done and why, so they can implement the skills in their own lives.

It's a dream, and Mia is an absolute cutie 🫠 im so privileged to be part of her life!

08/06/2026

🌟 Providing off lead freedom 🌟

Time spent practicing, choosing the right times, progessing through novel exposure, monitoring your dog's headspace, getting the rewards right, nailing the release cue - the list goes on!

It's work, but it's always alwayyyys worth it 💪

It's worth it because your dog needs it - it's fulfilling and fun and necessary for them!

But it worth it for you too - don't forget to enjoy it ✌️ i mean, look at those 10/10 ears. Her inner poodle really comes out in these environments 😍

What are your happy moments and places with your dog!?

Tiny dog, great big world...'Small dog syndrome' - how many of you have heard that one? Well, let today be the day you r...
21/05/2026

Tiny dog, great big world...

'Small dog syndrome' - how many of you have heard that one? Well, let today be the day you reframe it, for the benefit of your tiny pal.

Small man syndrome, when used to describe men, is a derogatory term to dismiss the emotions of shorter individuals. It's use reduces displays of emotion to a compensation for insecurities about their size, dismissing the idea that these men have complex and nuanced reasons for showing their emotions.

Similarly, when it's used to describe dogs, it dismisses the real function of the behaviours on display. Maybe some men are insecure about their size, but no dog is insecure about their size. They have no societal expectations for what makes a 'dog'. Small dogs are just naturally more at risk, and therefore have very real reasons to be defensive to protect themselves. It's hard for us to imagine, because there is nothing in our society that is as big as a labrador is to a dachshund.

If we had grizzly bears, hippos and moose wandering around, entering our personal space, we'd have something to say about it. If we were tethered to someone who didn't let us move away when we were scared (I.e on a lead), we'd DEFinitely have something to say!

Small dogs bark for all the same reasons as big dogs - fear, frustration, excitement - but their threat perception is different.

Some small breeds were bred to alert bark (chihuahuas were guard dogs in the home, dachshunds were hunting dogs that needed to be heard from underground!), so breed is also a big factor.

From my experience, the real reason small dogs are loud is because their quiet signals of discomfort or anxiety get missed. Lip licks, head turns and paw lifts, all much harder to see! Most learn that, if they need space, they need to shout about it.

I wish for more compassion and respect for the little guys, they are perfectly capable of being calm, confident little optimists, they just need to be listened to and for us to believe them when they say something is a threat. It might not be for us, but it is for them!

With the right support and training you can have bark free walks with your little dog 🐕 get in touch if you want to get there!

20/05/2026

Supporting a reactive dog through their learning journey💪

We were blessed with a very calm and disinterested beagle today, so I made the most of it, to give kalli the opportunity to practice her self-regulation skills.

We were just on the edge of her threshold when she became more fixated, but we sat with it. She was able to refocus, we practiced disengagement and self-control, she was able to regulate through sniffing and she made her own choice to disengage, no need for escalation. A great learning experience for her - threat assessment updated!

One important thing to know about this if you have a reactive dog:

If she can't practice regulating, she'll never learn to do it well, and so will struggle to be a dog that can handle more of the world and see it in a positive way. So it's important to not shy away from life.

That being said, I'm very selective about situations, in public, that I use in this way, because it's important to be safe and to build up a bank of good experiences like these, avoiding as many setbacks as I can. I'll happily avoid 9 out of 10 opportunities to avoid the risk, and select the one golden opportunity that helps me make real progress.

The rest of the time, we just have fun! She gets big full pelt runs in quiet open spaces, we practice obedience exercises, play tug and chase and catch. Ultimately, there's no actual pressure for her to change, but my job is to provide experiences that could open up her world, and my god it's a joy to do so.

❤️ So proud of kalli today! ❤️

Feel free to ask questions in the comments 🙌

What is a relationship without good two way communication!?Vocal cues are your way of talking to your dog, asking them w...
18/05/2026

What is a relationship without good two way communication!?

Vocal cues are your way of talking to your dog, asking them what you want of them, so that you can build trust in them to listen and make good choices when off lead.

Always teach vocal cues using positive reinforcement - your dog will love the sound of your voice and be much more likely to listen and respond when you need them to!

If you don't teach vocal cues properly, it may seem like your dog isn't listening to you, but in reality they're just filtering your voice out like they do most of the time. When you're talking to friends, on the phone, or to yourself like I do 🙃 your voice becomes background noise for your dog. They get a lot of practice at ignoring you! So it's normal for them not to respond, until you give your voice specific meaning.

That's why it helps to make your vocal cues stand out. Say them in a different tone to your normal speaking voice, or give them a sing-song quality. That way your dog will know when you're talking to them vs when you're not.

Thats not to say your dog will respond perfectly everytime, thats an unrealistic expectation! But at least, when you've taught them the cue and they're still not responding, you can begin to understand why, and help your dog get it right.

11/05/2026

'My dog wont listen'

Do they have a clue what you're saying?

Teach your vocal cues properly and your dog will listen! Otherwise you're just babbling nonsense near them, they've got better things to do.

Create the behaviour with lures or targets.
Fade the help out and find a way to gesture for the behaviour.
THEN add a vocal cue.

When you first teach it - say your cue, gesture, reinforce, repeat.

After some reps - say your cue and see if they give it a go! If not, keep practising and reinforcing, they will learn.

Don't ask me why Chimichanga came to mind either 👀🙃

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Manchester
Manchester

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Tuesday 10:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 10:30am - 8:30pm
Thursday 10:30am - 8:30pm
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