SwatDogs Herts

26/08/2026

Here is Jack being “shot”!

26/08/2026

This is the amazing Jack. (That’s not a stage name, just an adjective).
I’m not officially training Jack, but he’s a dog I walk regularly and this week we have him for some extended hours. I thought I’d test him out and see what he knows and what he doesn’t know.
Turns out, he know A LOT. Confidently. I started all the different “tricks” from scratch as if he didn’t know anything. We’d nailed the “middle” in about 10 turns. This could normally take a good few sessions over multiple days.
Now obviously, he knew how to do this so was at an advantage but it’s still remarkable that with a different person in a new environment he absolutely nailed all of this very quickly.
I also managed to shoot him (I’ll post the video as a reel) and that didn’t take long either.
What an absolutely beautiful boy he is.
I did find a couple of things he wasn’t so sure about and am going to do a little work with him this week.
His problem with new things is he tries to preempt what is happening and reverts to an old trick, so I need to work around that! Looking forward to getting him to learn something new!

24/08/2026

I love this, I’d never want to de-dog a dog!!

One of the biggest mindset shifts in dog training is this: dogs are allowed to be dogs. They're allowed to notice the deer. They're allowed to feel the pull of a scent. They're allowed to want to chase something that runs.

But somewhere along the way, many of us were taught that a "good dog" should look like constant obedience — switching off every instinct, ignoring every rabbit, staying perfectly calm next to the one thing they were literally bred to chase. A level of self-control most of us don't have either (let's be honest — the impulse buys, the emotional eating, the one-more-scroll, the lottery ticket… same brain, same reward system).

So when our dogs struggle with it, we jump straight to punishment instead of support. Not because we're bad guardians, but because it's what we were taught.

The goal was never a switched-off dog. It's helping a dog learn to be a dog — safely, with us. Chasing isn't disobedience. It's genetics. And it's not something to punish. It's something to work with. 🦌

And if you've ever wondered "Ok, but HOW do I actually stop the chasing — without hurting them, without an e-collar??" — that's exactly why I made my free Mythbuster Webinar. Watch it here: https://www.predation-substitute-training.com/mythbuster 💛

And if you train dogs for a living and want to teach this, my PST Instructor Course is opening soon — join the waitlist here: https://predation-substitute-training.com/predation-substitute-instructor-waitlist/ 🐾

18/08/2026

This is the absolutely wonderful Olive. She’s a lively, energetic, five year old working cocker spaniel.
After a house move, and the introduction of two new family members, she was struggling at home with being unable to settle, an increase in nervous type behaviours and had started barking at things outside as well as growling at unknown visitors to the house.
I spent a couple of sessions with her owners talking through all the small details in her behaviour changes, and discussing the impacts of these changes.
We eventually made lots of little adjustments for her, including some basic things around the house, changing her daily walk times, and I recommended they speak to the vet regarding dietary changes and medication for anxiety.
Fortunately for Olive, her owners have been great with making changes and allowing her to become settled and she is now happier in her new home.
If you have any behaviours that your dog is displaying which you’d like to discuss, please get in touch!
[email protected]
07590328103

22/07/2026

This little beauty is Bruce. I’ve been working with him and his owners on a few behaviours that they wanted to alter - namely issues with separation, and getting him to walk nicely on the lead, plus a couple of other little things.
Because of his start to his new life (see second and third photo - the first dog in those is the same dog as we have here!) we’ve had to start from foundations to really help him. Working at his pace all the time, constantly considering his boundaries and needs and feelings, we’re gently getting him there. He’s lucky that his new owners are patient and calm with him.
He’s an absolute superstar and I love working with him, and I can’t wait to see where we get him in the future!

16/06/2026

I am a force free dog trainer.

But what does that really mean?

Well, at its core, it means that at no point in the process of trying to teach a dog a new behaviour, or when trying to alter an unwanted behaviour, will I use or promote the use of force.
Items such as prong collars, shock collars, pinch harnesses, head harnesses and slip or choke leads are all designed to administer force, and therefore some level of pain or discomfort, to your dog in order to correct or alter a behaviour.
Some people swear by these products and will lay down testimony to their effectiveness.
My stance is this; there are other ways you can do it, ones that don’t in anyway harm or hurt your dog.
And here’s the thing - why on earth would you want to hurt your dog?*
Not to mention that fact that these products can cause adverse reactions that could worsen some behaviours and cause others to appear (advocates would say only if used incorrectly).
Ultimately as well, what these products do is teach the dog to avoid a particular behaviour in order to avoid pain or punishment, they aren’t being instructed in what we do want them to do, just arbitrarily punished for behaviours we don’t like.
*(If you’re the sort of person who is ok with animals being in pain, maybe dog ownership isn’t really for you).
So if your dog has any behaviours that you’d rather they didn’t, from pulling at the lead to barking at the delivery driver, please get in touch with me and we can start a process of changing your dogs’ behaviour, and improving theirs and your lives at the same time by building understanding and trust.
[email protected]
07590328103

13/06/2026

13/06/2026

Little reminder about this event I’ll be at tomorrow! Hope to see loads of you there!