It's been a while....

Finally after months I've looked at my blog and realised I haven't posted anything since June! Where have the months gone and what have I been doing since to keep me so busy!?

A lot has happened and business has suddenly started booming! I'll fill you in on some highlights from the last 3 months and then maybe touch on a subject that is a hot topic amongst +R dog trainers and behaviourists at the moment..... If you don't know what I'm talking about then you must not follow twitter or Facebook!

The beginning of July we (the man in my life and the dogs) had a few nights in the Lake District camping. We didn't take Millie as she's becoming a bit of a grumpy old lady and likes her comfort. She stayed with my brother and sister-in-law and lived the life of Riley!

We stayed at Wasdale Head and were very lucky with the weather.

Graeme putting up the biggest tent ever!

Brenna and Brae watching the whole farce!

The next day we had a walk up Scafell Pike. I've never done it before but Graeme has. It was a lovely climb and the views were great. Dogs really enjoyed it too.

Brenna posing

The girls and I at the highest point in England!

The beautiful Brae

Brae trying to pick up the rocks out of the crystal clear stream

Amazing views

At the pub at the end of the day!

It was great to get away and do some good long walks. People always think I'd be fed up of walking doing what I do, but it's difficult to get tired of going to the Lakes and walking up a nice big mountain!



On the 16th and 17th of July my dog training club http://www.barnardcastledogtrainingclub.co.uk/ hosted our agility show! It was a big show with 6 rings and lots of entries. I ran Brenna and worked on the rings. Both days it rained so heavy that my waterproofs gave in! Everyone was drenched and a bit fed up, however I managed to win my second rosette with Brenna! We got a 4th place in grade 1 agility!

The show, despite the torrential rain, was a success. The week after that I was going away on another mini break, this time to the Isle of Mull! Again we took Brenna and Brae and again we were lucky to have gorgeous weather. This time we stayed in a cottage and I loved every minute, however 3 nights was just not long enough!

What's the story in Balamory??

Brae having a dance

Brenna enjoying herself

The Highland games!

Fab pipe band

Brenna swimming in a beautifully tropical-looking sea

We almost forgot we were in Britain!

Brae diving into the sea

Brenna's turn!

In August Brenna and I had another agility competition. We did 4 days and managed to win 5 rosettes! We got a 7th, 10th and a 5th in jumping, then a 6th in agility. We then got a clear round on the last day on our last run in a jumping competition. I thought I might get placed so I went to check out the results with my friend Geoff. I almost fell over when I saw my name in the 1st place slot! Brenna and I had won our first class and I couldn't believe it! I was so proud of her!

All of our rosettes to date

Brenna's first place trophy!

Brenna with her first place trophy and rosette!

We have another competition this weekend (24th and 25th September) so we see how well we do then. Brae will be 18 months old on the 27th September so from next month she can start to compete!

So it's no surprise that my time has been filled with dogs, training, agility, and a mixture of all 3! At the moment business has really picked up with Mondays - Wednesdays being the busiest. I have about 9 regulars every week with some days being filled with all of them! I've had a super little whippet staying recently and Taz the black lab has been a regular house guest. I am having to ask folk to book early if they need me and I've even had to turn away business as I'm full up! It's hard work but I'm so pleased! Hopefully things will continue to do well and one day soon I might actually start to make some money!


I start helping out with agility training soon which will see me learning more and hopefully set me on the path of dog trainer and behaviourist. Now, speaking of dog training, no doubt you will be aware of the One Show and the controversial 'dog trainer' Jordon Shelley. Now there is no doubt that many more experienced and qualified people in the dog training world have already blogged about this subject so I won't go into too much detail. I only became aware of this at the beginning of the week as I don't watch the show, but since then the uproar and outrage on Facebook and Twitter has had be glued to the computer. I watched the clip on the internet and what I saw was amazing. It was like watching men I knew from my childhood in the 80's trying to 'train' their dogs by hoofing them in the face and showing them 'who's boss'.

I am certainly no expert and I myself have so much to learn about dog training and the positive reinforcement methods that are now common place with most dog trainers. I even admit that until recently I believed in the whole 'dominance training' way, as that was everything I'd learned in recent years. You couldn't look at any dog training literature without seeing terms like 'pack leader' and 'alpha dog' or reading about how letting your dog on the furniture makes them aggressive. I even gave advice to a friend along the same lines as recently as last year. But then I read a book called 'Dogs' by Raymond and Lorna Coppinger and it made me realise that everything I thought I knew was out dated and all utter rubbish! Dogs in the wild don't live in packs, they live in family units and do not have an 'alpha pair'. Yes a mother dog will tell off her young and put them in their place if they are a bit naughty, but that does not mean that you should 'alpha roll' your dog to get it to comply with your requests. Dogs are like children; they need boundaries and as long as you are firm, consistent and reward the behaviour you desire then you will have a dog that loves you, trusts you and is eager to please.

I admit I have made mistakes in the past with my dogs and I feel terrible about it. I have shouted and pinned them thinking it would make them behave and do as I ask, I have made them wait until I have eaten before they do and spent years missing out on cuddles on the sofa! The looks that Brae used to give me when I would shout at her told me that she didn't trust me quite so much now and it broke my heart. I have so much to learn and sometimes I have to correct myself when training my dogs as I still slip into the old ways every now and then which makes me feel absolutely ill.

I have learned a lot from Twitter chats with @nodominance, Katie Scott-Dyer, and reading her blogs. https://twitter.com/#!/NoDominance is the twitter link and this is her website; http://www.trainabull.com/

I now need to train the other half to accept that the old ways are dying out and that he needs to accept that now Brae will be allowed up on the sofa for a cuddle! Hopefully in the future I will get some professional qualifications but until I can afford them all I can do is learn from others and try to get as much experience as I can. I hope that The One Show will learn from their mistakes and start teaching the public that you don't need to get a dog to submit to you and be afraid to get the result you want.