With the growing season in full swing, there are a few things that dog owners need to watch out for; Below are two common plants to avoid!Speargrass, or Grass Awns can weave into your dog’s coat or even stick directly into their skin, eyes, or ears. The simplest way to avoid Speargrass is to stay […]
Malli Hutchings
Training Tips for Distance Obedience
If you ask your dog to sit or lie down, do they do it on the spot, or do they walk over to you? Most dogs would walk over, that’s pretty standard as dogs tend to be very context specific!With the warmer weather, the Recess Day Training dogs have been wanting less play and more […]
Toy Product Review: West Paw Toppl
The West Paw Toppl is an excellent option for food enrichment. Food enrichment is helpful to provide calm mental stimulation, avoid destructive behaviours, and help keep dogs settled during exciting or distracting times. Key features and benefits: The weighted bottom is helpful for dogs learning to work on enrichment toys and food puzzles The open […]
Reactivity: often success comes from the whole picture
Supportive Options for Reactivity What do we know about dogs who growl, bark, vocalise, lunge, run/hide, tuck tail, avoid etc? Canine body language has been studied; trainers and behaviourists have observed specific body language that can tell us what a dog might be feeling. Behaviour can express discomfort and worry. These behaviours are put on […]
Activities for bored or busy dogs (1)
Food Puzzles can offer a relatively-hands-off activity for young, busy, or bored dogs. Pictured is one meal split up into 3 separate activities, two “slow feed” bowls (made by Outward Hound ), and a repurposed soft carboard box. please make sure this activity is appropriate for your dog, and always supervise them! For an added level […]
Brushing, nail trims, grooming can be happy & relaxed
So what to do with a dog who objects to brushing, nail clipping, bathing, veterinary exams/vaccines, or things that we need to do?When we train dogs to choose to participate in these husbandry activities (called Cooperative Care), it makes the process easier and less frustrating for all, and preserves a positive and trusting relationship between […]
5 tips to streamline your dog training
If you are struggling to teach your dog, try these tips! Keep your location the same: Find somewhere to train where your dog can listen and learn. When your dog has started to learn what you want, then you can then try to take your training to other locations. Find something your dog wants to […]
Do I have to use food to train my dog?
The answer is NO… but… kinda… well, that depends. To start off, it’s important to note that Bright Hound uses reward (reinforcement) centered training techniques, because reinforcing an appropriate incompatible behaviour has been proven to be a highly effective approach, and we adhere to the Humane Hierarchy. Before you consider what reinforcement you want to […]
Tips to teach your dog to love dress-up
Train your dog to love costumes and dress up… and guess what? This can teach your dog to love other things like like harness, grooming, nail trimming, wearing a medical(Elizabethan) cone etc! Here’s some tips Use the good stuff. Start by using something extra tasty as a reward Try with a human t-shirt first (size […]
Spooky Tips for easily spooked dogs
These tips could help your dog have a happier Halloween this year… Often times, when things get a bit different or scary, our worried dogs want to be with us… but is that the best place for them? If that puts them somewhere that they may react by growling, barking, lunging, or trying to hide, […]