TRAINING
HOME
Behaviour at home often underpins behaviour in all other areas. It is, therefore, usually the first place that we would meet to assess your situation.
Whilst observing your dog’s behaviour we’re also looking to understand your behaviour. But don’t worry, this is a judgement-free process! It is extremely common for dog owners to believe they are doing all the right things to make their dog happy, whilst actually, unintentionally, contributing to unwanted behaviours. Your dog did not come with instructions and everyone is exposed to such a huge amount of information on how best to raise them that it’s overwhelming. We will teach you the skills to enable you and your dog to understand and respect each other so that you can live harmoniously.
People who spend most of their time putting out fires are usually also the arsonists
Dan Sullivan
OUTSIDE WORLD
Feeling embarrassed about your dog’s behaviour outside the house, and avoiding other dogs / owners is very stressful. The good news is that you don’t have to live like that, we work with a lot of people who struggle with their dog’s behaviour on walks. The problems may range from pulling on the lead to lunging at other dogs, right through to aggressive snarling / snapping. We want you to be able to walk your dog in any place, at any time of day.
Have you ever been approached by another dog and been told by their owner “it’s ok, they’re friendly”, but you know that your dog is reactive and does not appreciate being forced to socialise? This is an all too common scenario, with responsibility for social behaviour being on the shoulders of all dog owners. It would be almost impossible to avoid such situations, so we would work with you to understand both dog’s body language and take control to make life as comfortable as possible for you and your dog.
Good habits are worth being fanatical about
John Irving
Board-and-Train
If your dog’s negative behaviours are extensive or severe it may be helpful to undertake intensive training away from their home environment, hence we offer a board-and-train service at our home. This can be done at any time (subject to availability) but it’s also a great option to take if you are already looking to book a holiday or perhaps have some work done on your house and would be placing your dog in kennels or another residential boarding establishment.
Prior to their stay, they would come for a one-night sleepover to assess their behaviour and ensure that you are both comfortable with the full board-and-train.
During their stay, each day is structured to include training, exercise, social time, and plenty of rest periods (most dogs need at least 16 hours of sleep per day, and progress faster with regular, short, intensive periods of mental stimulation).
After their stay, we will meet with you to reintroduce your dog to your home, provide you with a report on the training they undertook, and go through the plan for their ongoing progression. This is a fundamental part of their rebalancing, without your ongoing commitment to keep up their good habits they are highly likely to regress.
You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily
John C Maxwell
Consultancy
Do you work with packs of dogs in a rescue, day care, home boarding, or other establishment? Then consultation with our Head Trainer Lou is for you.
Having owned dogs all their life it was a natural progression for Lou to work at Daycare4Dogs, and subsequently Dogs4Rescue. As a kennel-free environment, pack life is the core of the rescue. Being fully immersed in this environment for close to a decade provided a wealth of first-hand experience with a vast array of breed-specific traits, learned behaviours, temperaments, and sizes. From Chihuahua to Central Asian Shepherd, Staffie to Bichon Frise, and, of course, plenty of mixed breeds, Lou has managed them all.
Since leaving Dogs4Rescue in 2021 Lou and their partner Emma transferred their pack knowledge to the home environment by building a successful training, home boarding, and pack walking business. Their combined experience of packs covers the full spectrum of rescue dogs, from the streets of Thailand, through local temporary rescue, to their furever homes
In addition to their learned experience, Lou also has a natural affinity with animals and a deep understanding of canine communication and behaviours. They will use the combination of these learned and inherent skills to work with you to increase your canine behavioural understanding, to read their signals, and effectively manage your packs. For more information on Lou’s experience click here.
If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude
Colin Powell