Training methods

All training is reward based using food, games and praise to motivate the dog. The emphasis is placed on asking ‘how do I want my dog to behave in a particular situation?’ and then rewarding it, rather than trying to stop a dog once it has mistakenly chosen the wrong behaviour.

For instance, instead of asking “how do I stop the dog jumping up when he meets new people?” we can turn the question around and ask “How do you want the dog to behave when greeting people?”

If the answer is ‘sit calmly whilst being stroked’ then the dog can be actively rewarded with praise and/or a treat for sitting and ignored when jumping up.

Once the dog understands that he only gets the attention he craves by sitting calmly then sitting calmly quickly becomes his chosen way of greeting people!

The training is based on the ‘clicker’ principle of marking the exact moment the dog does something right with a clear and distinct sound. This sound tells the dog he has done well and that a reward is on its way. This reward can be food, games or anything else he/she will work for.

We have found that actual clickers aren’t always ideal in a class environment as they can get fumbled and dropped or accidentally left at home! Because of this we usually suggest owners use a word such as a crisp and clear ‘Good’ instead of a click.

However, if you have used a clicker before and/or feel you would like to do so in class then we are very happy for you to do so.

We tend to use food in class for practical purposes – it could cause chaos if everyone threw a tennis ball at once and we have yet to find a healthy dog that won’t work for the right food (and toys aren't always ideal as rewards if, like many owners, you find them hard to get back from your dog!).

Too many treats can be bad for your dog though, so special treats should be saved for working in the distracting class environment or for important exercises like recalls. For everyday training you should use part of your dogs daily food allowance.