Ruff Start Dog Training.

01/10/2026

https://www.ruff-start.co.uk/post/is-it-ok-for-your-dog-to-be-bored

Is It OK For Your Dog To Be Bored?Yes.And also no.As normal its complicated. Whys it always complicatedI'm not suggesting dogs should spend their lives staring at four walls while we congratulate ourselves on teaching them independence.Dogs have needs.They need appropriate exercise, sleep, social in...

26/09/2026

https://www.ruff-start.co.uk/post/potential-new-rules-for-dog-professionals

25/09/2026

Bit of a wordy title. As with everything like this it's only right that I tag the people I'm talking about. So Southend Dog Training this one's kinda about you.

Have a read and as always make up your own mind.

I have a confession to make. When I started looking at Adam Spivey and Southend Dog Training, I was already fairly sure I knew how this was going to go. I'd done this before. I find a trainer. I watch their videos. I read their website. I look at what they say, what they use, what they believe, what...

18/09/2026

Not what I planned to post today but I've had this conversation four times this week.

Here's a radical idea:You don't have to say hello to every dog you meet.And neither does your dog.Somehow, we've got ourselves into a strange social expectation where seeing a dog means we should interact with it."Can I say hello?""Is he friendly?""What's his name?""Does he like other dogs?"Or even....

14/09/2026

Before I continue talking about other trainers it's only right I hold the mirror up to myself.

I've spent quite a lot of time recently questioning some of the biggest names in dog training. I've picked apart television programmes. I've questioned social media trainers. I've talked about equipment, methodology, science, marketing, editing, decontextualisation, quick fixes and the rather uncomf...

13/09/2026

Next addition. Will probably upset a few people.

Like dogs behaving very badly Id never watched "Its me or the dog" or the most resent version "bad dog academy" so in the interest of fairness I thought Id better try and watch a couple of them.One thing very qu**ky stood out to me. Victoria Stilwell isn't a force free purely positive trainer.So why...

12/09/2026

Maybe I'm punching down today?

I've been doing something slightly dangerous lately.I've been researching dog trainers.I have a file full of partly written articles.Not just trainers I agree with.Actually, quite the opposite.I've been looking at different trainers, different philosophies, different approaches and different argumen...

11/09/2026

Well if my last post annoyed people this one should really upset them.

Because I believe everyone I talk about should have their say Robert Cabral

I don't agree with you about everything.
That's fine. I truly believe that's a healthy response.

I do genuinely enjoy listening to you, particularly when you're talking about rescue dogs and the dogs that don't fit neatly into somebody's system.

And you've made me think about my own position more than once.

So this is not a criticism, its more a slightly uncomfortable admission that I can disagree with someone and still find what they have to say incredibly useful.

I DonThere. I've said it. I'm a dog trainer. He's a dog trainer. I disagree with some things he does. You’ve probably seen some of his videos. Maybe you've come across one of his videos filmed in a shelter, where Robert is standing with a particular dog that needs a home. A dog that's been overloo...

04/09/2026

Having been repeatedly told to watch the show I thought I probably should.

Apparently, I'm in my bad guy era. So naturally, I thought I'd pick a fight with one of Britain's best-known dog trainers. Excellent. Small independent dog trainer from South Wales takes on Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly. This should end well. Except there's a slight problem. I'd never actually watched....

03/09/2026

To go with the Bad guy persona I thought I'd do something a bit different today. Although it does mention dogs. so that's ok then.

I'd like to make something very clear before we begin. I'm not defending anybody here, Far from it. I'm trying to understand the world we live in.When I don't understand something, I feel a need to learn about it.I've been thinking about masculinity recently.Not in the usual internet sense.Not “me...