Brockhill Dog Training and Behaviour

24/10/2026

When you are looking for someone to help with your dog, qualifications and experience are usually the obvious things to check. But there is another question that matters just as much: will my dog feel safe with you?

Training and behaviour modification should never depend on fear, pain or intimidation to get results. A dog should be able to learn without being frightened of getting things wrong, and the way a professional works is just as important as the outcome they are trying to achieve.

So when you are choosing someone to help, don’t only ask whether they can change the behaviour. Ask how they plan to get there, and whether their approach protects your dog’s wellbeing along the way. You can find out more about choosing a dog professional at dogcharter.uk.

21/10/2026

Sorry. I’ve been a little quiet recently. I’ve been not only in awe of the new puppy but also having the usual puppy issues.

Once Muddle was able to go out I’ve made sure our first outings were planned for her needs. Gentle habituation. There’s a lot for a puppy to take in and I’ve not wanted to scare her but to build positive feelings as we add more at her pace.
I’ve also tried to incorporate places I’d like to take her on a regular basis but I’ve done this during the week when it’s not been busy for now. We will add more distractions as she becomes more confident with each place we visit.

I can also empathise with any one dealing with puppy biting. My word! I’ve found myself having to explain to people that the marks on my arms are from a puppy and not other worrying causes 😏.
But with redirecting onto toys, a good supply of dog chews and carrots, it’s been mostly sorted, alongside being put in her crate for a sleep once I’d made sure all her needs were met beforehand. A tired puppy is a nippy puppy in some cases.

Having a working breed is tough. High energy, challenging, wilful.

We’ve had success with simple training but this journey is going to challenge even me as a dog trainer.

Cuteness overload with her though and dog training is a marathon not a sprint.

15/10/2026

Puppy training.

Did you know we also take older dogs on to our puppy course if they have no issues around other dogs or people. (Excitement is fine)

Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) full member and Assessor of people going through the process to become a trainer for the organisation

Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) registered

Our puppy course is designed for all your puppies training needs including the normal puppy issues.

Small class sizes to ensure individual attention.

We also offer home training for puppies and older dogs.

Book a free discovery call to see what we offer
WWW.brockhilldogs.co.uk

Please ensure your trainer is APDT or IMDT qualified before you part with money and entrust them with your pup.

12/10/2026

Muddle was finally able to go out after her vaccinations but as I was away at the weekend assessing for the APDT at Dogs for Good Banbury, I decided to hire Stilton Dog Field for her.

She loved it!

05/10/2026

Some advice for fireworks.

Helping dogs and owners

24/09/2026

Just for fun.

Crate training Spaniel style 😂

06/09/2026

So. Meet my new puppy. Muddle. ❤️

I’m going to document her training progress when I pick her up on Friday.

As a dog trainer you’d think I’d have the training sorted easily right? Not the case. I, like you, am nervous about being responsible for a tiny little person and I also know that our training journey will not be straight forward.

But I’ll show you all the good the bad and the ugly as we progress so hopefully you can see that even a professional doesn’t always have perfect training sessions and as this little darling will have her own personality and drives, we will face a few challenges.

I’m hoping our journey will make you feel your training journey with your dog is completely normal too.

Share the time with me and Muddle as we tackle puppyhood.

We will also be appreciative of little meet ups with any of our lovely Brock hill dog training family and their dogs in the next few months too.

03/09/2026

You have probably been told that if you let your dog "get away with it," things will get worse.

That they need to know it's not acceptable. That you have to interrupt it. That you have to be firm, be consistent, be the one in charge.

And here is the part that gets missed entirely: the barking, the lunging, the growling, none of that is the problem. It is the communication about the problem.

Your dog is telling you they do not feel safe.

Punishment does not touch that feeling. It never has. What it does is teach your dog that showing you how they feel comes at a cost.

When the growl disappears, the warning disappears.

The dog look calmer.

But the fear is still sitting exactly where it was, with one fewer way to reach you.

We see this in the research, and we see it in practice every single week. Confrontational approaches are consistently associated with increased fear and aggressive responses, not fewer.

A dog who has stopped telling you is not a dog who has stopped feeling.

Safety is not something we can enforce. It gets built, slowly, through predictability, through choice, through recovery time, through a guardian who notices what their dog is asking for and answers.

That takes longer than a correction. It also actually works.

And if you have used those methods before, please hear this: you were following advice from people who sounded certain. That is not the same as being wrong-hearted. You are here now, and your dog gets the benefit of that. ✨

📌 Share this with someone who was told they were being too soft.