Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

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Laure
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:50 am

Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by Laure »

Hello everyone,

I am hoping that someone can point me in the direction of a good dog trainer in West Yorkshire, preferably in the Huddersfield area or even a dog walking/support group with some trustworthy and experienced dog owners who may be able to give us some pointers.

A bit of background about us and our young dog Rudy - know you like lots of details here so here goes… long post warning!

Rudy is a (just over) one year old Labrador/Springer Spaniel cross. He hasn't been neutered yet (something which we are considering but still have many doubt over).

My boyfriend and I are both first time dog owners, we've both grown up with dogs although have never been the main care providers (our parents were). Despite our best efforts our inexperience is showing… More than classic dog training what I am looking for I guess is some practical local support (one to one and in situation) and a tiny bit of reassurance that we are doing ok… :D

Rudy attended puppy classes from the age of 14 weeks (as early as his jabs allowed basically) with a local positive dog trainer (apdt registered). This particular trainer was lovely and we found the puppy classes valuable to some extent (early socialisation, basics of clicker training and basic commands). As this trainer didn't offer follow on classes we enrolled Rudy in another local class which was much more focused on classic ring craft obedience training from what I can make out. We didn't get on with this class: Classes were too large and we struggled to keep Rudy’s attention around so many dogs, very little support was given to individual dogs/owners which left us feeling like we were failing and although the methods were described as positive, I left and never went back when the lead trainer suggested that he needed a ‘little correction’ for his pulling on the lead... so we stopped going.

Fast forward few months and we are fortunate in that we don't have any serious behaviour issues with Rudy. He is a happy and very loving dog. However we do still have some issues with the following (in no particular order) which I would love some assistance with. Most of these I believe are down to Rudy’s excitability and lust for life, people and other dogs but I must admit that these can be trying at times (not even mentioning downright embarrassing) and have left us wondering on several occasions whether we are doing the right thing or if we could do more to help him cope better in particular situations.

• Lead walking: we have made some progress (using the turnaround method from this forum) but are still struggling with pulling. His pulling is mainly excitable lunging at things (leaves etc…), people and other dogs. And is always much better on the way back from the walks (once he has expanded a little energy). Rudy also appears to be very nervous of traffic, especially lorries and vans or vehicles with louder engines (bikes etc…). We live just off a relatively busy road which we have walked him on since being a puppy so he is used to it but still seems very scared of loud traffic.

• Off lead walking: a year later and we are still walking Rudy on a long training lead, only letting go when no one else is around and/or we have met the person and dog before and know they will be ok with Rudy. His recall is shall we say selective :wink: despite us working really hard at this and he doesn't seem to take cues from dogs that don’t want to be approached/jumped on… making him a little bit of a social bulldozer. As a result we find the greeting of other dogs and little scary and so have been keeping him on the long lead which has become a bit of a safety blanket for us. We also try to pick quiet spots/times to walk and on reflection I am not sure if this is not adding to his excitability: making meetings other dogs such a big event and SO much more exiting.

• Greeting strangers (dogs and people) calmly both in and out of the home: Rudy is a terrible jumper (with everyone but us) who seems to love everyone a little too much which makes having guests a bit of an issue. We struggle particularity with young children who Rudy loves and would easily knock over. On the occasion that we have had young children visiting our home we have had to keep Rudy crated and/or separated which obviously works in terms of managing the immediate situation but doesn't teach him how to behave.

• More recently my boyfriend’s parents have got a new golden puppy and the first introduction didn't go smoothly (largely due to our inexperienced and naive handling of the first meeting): the first time I have ever heard Rudy growl… which has shaken me up in all honestly and has me worried for future meetings…

So really what we are looking for is some practical hands on advice on what to do in these situations, helps with reading Rudy’s body language (especially when meeting other dogs as he really can have me confused) and some practical management tactics.

More information on a typical week day for Rudy:
• 7.15am wake up, out in the garden for a quick toilet whilst we have a coffee and give him a quick game of fetch/tug (he’s not great at dropping). He’s very impatient about going for his walk and will usually start winning within 10mins of walking to be taken out.
• 7.30-7.45am we take Rudy out for a walk to the local park/woodland area for a good 45mins to an hour. This includes a short lead walk to get there which is probably his worst time for pulling on the lead.
• 8.30(ish)am back home and Rudy gets his first meal of the day. He is fed James Well-beloved Turkey and vegetables: no grains or rice. During this time we have the garden door open so Rudy can come in and out and toilet as needed.
• 9.00am we put Rudy into his crate for the morning with a Kong filled with peanut butter and some kibble or some wet dog food (James Wellbeloved also). Both my boyfriend and I work from home but find this time with Rudy in his crate valuable to get in a productive morning of work done. He’s quite happy sleeping his crate and I usually have to wake him up when we break for lunch around 12.30-1pm.
• From 12.30-1pm to 2pm we break for lunch and let Rudy out for toileting and a quick game of fetch/tug in the garden whist we eat. Most days (but not always) we will take Rudy out for a lead walk/lead training sessions around the block. Anything between 10 and 30mins depending on how well he’s doing and how much time we have available with our respective jobs.
• 2pm to 5.30 we are both working but one of us will spend the afternoon with the dog. What I mean is that will not put him back in his crate but spend the afternoon working from the kitchen with him with regular breaks in the garden for toileting and quick games of fetch/tug.
• 5.30pm we both finish work and will take Rudy out immediately for a lead walk to the park totalling around 45 mins.
• 6.30pm Rudy gets his second and last meal of the day.
• 6.30 to 9-10pm. Rudy spend the evening with us whilst we eat and watch some TV etc…. He’s usually fast asleep on his sofa or rug by about 8pm.
• 9-10pm. Last toilet trip to the garden and we put Rudy in his crate for bed times. He’s always happy to go in and even sometimes asks to go in as he only seems to be able to properly relax when in his crate – that and the fact that he always gets something to go in with 

Weekends are much of the same expect that we will usually try and delay the first morning walk (this can prove difficult) and we also do longer walks at the weekend: for example we may drive to the local woods or moor and let him have a good old rag around which he loves.

We love Rudy very much and we are desperate to do the right thing by him to make him a well behaved and well balanced dog. He really is adorable and quite clam with us but the minute new people/places/dogs are involved his excitement takes over making him difficult to handle/manage. I sometimes feel guilty that there is more we could do to help him/train him rather than always take the easier management route. We have found this excitement hard to cope with at times. I would love nothing more than for everyone to experience the sweet, calm and snugly dog we both know and love.

So that’s it. Apologies for the long rambling posts. If anyone can recommend a good local class and/or walking group I would be most grateful. Any advise welcome!!

Thank you in advance.
Laure, Tony and Rudy :D
ScarletSci
Posts: 463
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:44 pm

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by ScarletSci »

Hi, and welcome to the boards! I'm afraid I can't help with a trainer or walking group, since I'm in the south, but just wanted to say that it sounds as though you're doing a pretty good job! And not to be too hard on yourselves, or on him! This sounds like typical young lab/springer behaviour; at least he isn't reactive in a fearful or aggressive way.

I have springers myself, and had a lovely black lab cross when I was growing up, so I'm familiar with their boisterous ways! I think you're doing the right thing to keep him on the long line while his recall isn't good, it's the only safe way to manage it.

Personally I think you should keep doing what you're doing. Try to avoid too much interaction with strange dogs or people. If he gets crazy excited, I'd turn with him and walk the other way until he's calmer. I wouldn't allow him to greet or play as long as his body language is "too much". My 17 month springer was crazy excitable when allowed to play with other dogs for the first year, but as soon as she started to get crazy, with that mad gleam in her eye, she went back on the lead. Labs are well known for being overly bouncy, which isn't always popular with other dogs, as you've seen from the thread about Pepper! Springers tend to be more polite, but are also pretty mad for the first couple of years, and assume everyone loves them as much as their owners do even after that. That doesn't mean it's impossible to train them though, as the guide dogs so well demonstrate.

To help facilitate that, take a two pronged approach of making being with you the most fun and rewarding thing, and teaching him some self-control using some "it's your choice" training exercises. Anything that helps him learn to wait and be calm is good.

Work really hard on teaching a reliable recall. I think it's one of the most important things your dog needs to learn to keep them safe. That means making yourself as exciting as possible when you call him, throwing him a praise and jackpot treat party when he does come, and not calling him again and again so he learns it's okay not to come until the fifth time you call! Reward him whenever he 'checks in' with you, which most dogs tend to do fairly regularly, and he'll soon be coming to you all the time, expecting a treat! (That's when you know you need to start phasing out treats, and only giving them sometimes - not every time). Also when you get to the point where you can safely let him off lead, don't only call him and put the lead on him when it's time to go home. That's the best way to teach a dog not to come when called, and that the lead means "fun time is over". My dogs often go back on the lead for short periods of time, and are called to come just to have a treat and some fuss, not just because we're going home. I also mix things up to make it more exciting for them by doing things like lying on the grass (most dogs can't resist coming to check out what you're doing) or running away a short way so they can chase me. You look a bit of a fool to strangers, but the dogs love it, so who cares?? :lol:

I like the sound of his daily routine overall, and there's a good amount of walking in there, but you don't mention any training except the classes you went to and lead training during the lunchtime walk. I think if you up the mental stimulation by having some of those short daily tug/fetch sessions be short training sessions instead, you'll find him much easier to work with, and more genuinely tired - because learning is more tiring than walking! Both labs and springers tend to be highly food motivated, very keen to please their owners, and very easy to train as a result. They're both athletic working dogs who need a lot of exercise (as both are prone to becoming barrel shaped otherwise!) but also need a lot of mental stimulation. Training will make him more reliable, teach him to focus on you and communicate with you, and be great, rewarding entertainment for him.

There's loads of stuff I haven't covered, and I may not have explained this well since I'm a bit rushed right now, but hopefully that'll give you a start, and others will come along with some advice as well. Congrats on getting your first dog, he sounds lovely! If you manage to upload any pictures, I'd love to see how a lab/springer comes out! :D
Laure
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:50 am

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by Laure »

Hi Scarlet,

Many thanks for your reply! This is so helpful to thank you :)

It's reassuring to know that we are doing ok.. I know it sounds silly but sometimes it is easy to get wrapped up in the hard bits and you forget how far you have come with him. We have certainly hard some dark times when we have thought: 'god what have we done, this is hard work' ... but we wouldn't change him for the world as his 'bad bits' are also his most lovable traits. We wanted an affectionate dog and boy have we got that! but I am just gushing now. :roll:

Couple of quick questions/clarifications if you don't mind.

Re - meeting other dogs.
We will continue, as much as possible, to restrict his interactions to only dogs we know to make sure he only has positive experiences. He's definitely not fearful or aggressive reactive for now (I hope never). However I do think that he is nervous when meeting other dogs. Well that's my interpretation anyway but would be good to know what you think.
As a young pup, he was always very submissive with other dogs: rolling onto his back, squeaking when large dogs approached him (like he had been hurt but hadn't), hiding behind my legs, submissive/exited wees etc....
Now, he definitely wants to go over and meet the dogs and will pull in their direction but as he gets near he will go into and down and do what I can only describe as crawl to approach them: Looks very much like a cat stalking. He will usually wait to get right up to the other dog in that crawl position and then once they have sniffed and he knows they are OK he will instigate play: play bows, wanting to chase/be chased etc...
We certainly get some funny looks from the other dog walkers that haven't met us before when he goes into a down... and sometimes he just will not budge from that position, impossible to call him away etc... which makes it hard to avoid unknown dogs sometimes (unless they of course they end up having to avoid us!).
I have always interpreted this as a passifying signal: I am no threat type of thing. Does that sound right? I am yet to meet another dog that does that!

Re - training/mental stimulation
You're right in spotting that we are not doing much training with Rudy. We used to loads but this has tailed off in recent months. I understand what you are saying about mental stimulation and so will try to address this. Do you have any recommendations for what we could do with him? He gets really bored of training 'drills' if that makes sense. Will do a couple of repetitions and then look as you as if to say: 'not that again, you know I can do it I just did it twice and I am not doing it again' :?
He is clicker trained and knows the following tricks: sit, down, crawl, paw, other paw, roll over, spin, high five, stay, leave it (with food on his paws), we also play find the hidden article with him which he loves.
I wonder if there are other thinks or other ways of training (less repetitive perhaps) that we could try with him. I'd love some recommendations.
He does get other mental stimulus I should add: at least a couple of stuffed kongs a day and I do give him cardboard boxes stuffed with newspaper and treats for him to shred and as I say we do play find the hidden article a fair bit.
We struggle getting a good drop from him.. he loves to just run around carrying stuff in his mouth (retriever in him I guess) and he would must prefer paying tug than dropping..

Re - recall
This is something we are still working on. I would say he has about 70/30 success rate. None whats or ever when other dogs/people are involved however which is why we need to carry on with the long lead I guess.
I am thinking that I need to vary the rewards to be more exiting and little less predictable. Thank you for the suggestions I will try those.

Re - excitability around strangers/kids
I have just about managed to get him into a sit so that we can pass people on the street without Rudy jumping all over them... we were playing avoids the pedestrians for a long time! I need to work on calm behaviors when visitors come to ours. We have baby gates galore in our house (we have a cat also who Rudy loves to try and chase...) so its actually easy to keep him separated but I think I need to work more on him being in the same room, probably on a lead to start with and focus on getting him to calm down. Any tips on this would be great.

Right sorry I am rambling again... so much to ask about!!

Now for the fun bit.... you asked for pictures so there we are. I actually think that the lab/springer cross has worked out lovely but I am bias :wink:

As a young pup:

Image

Image

Probably about 6 months old on these:

Image

Image

and now....

Image

Image

Thanks for reading!

Laure
Turflane9
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 7:45 am

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by Turflane9 »

Hi Laure

I don't live far from you - Cullingworth; I've used Jan Westby who was very very good with our new little rescue Jack Russell and she helped enormously - we only had two visits but lots of follow up advice and a training plan. It's all positive based training.

Her details are below for you:

Jan Westby B.Sc. Dip CABT MAPDT 00145
Best Friends Pet Dog Training and Behaviour Services

http://www.bestfriendsonline.co.uk/

Hope this helps

Jo
BedlingtonTerrorist
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2014 1:38 pm

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by BedlingtonTerrorist »

Hi Laure,

I don't know if you are still reading but please may I ask which classes you went to?

I'm having a couple of problems with my pup, almost 5 months. I've spent/wasted the past month at training classes which seemed to me pretty crap (trainer said my dog didn't want to be with me because he wanted to go up to the other pups on the first week :x and said I should just buy a book about wolves when someone asked about any good books :roll: ) and I would like to look into others before he gets much older.

I live in Mirfield but can travel 8)
Laure
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:50 am

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by Laure »

Hi there,

I am really I have only just seen you reply Turflane9. I have been away for a few days and silly me forgot to set up the post so that I get notifications when replies are posted. Many thanks for the recommendations, I have actually found a trainer who looks good and he's coming around tomorrow for our first 121 consultation. Let’s see.... I may well contact Jan Westby if that doesn’t go well for any reason.

BedlingtonTerrorist (love your user name btw! :D ), again sorry for the delayed reply. As I mentioned in my original post we have tried a couple of classes in the area.

1)We did the puppy and adult classes with Rob at take the lead (http://www.takethelead-woof.co.uk/classes.html). Rob is lovely and uses clicker for training (all extremely positive), he also only accepts up to 5 dogs per class. We really enjoyed these classes but Rob only runs a 5 week course (separate courses for adults and puppies) so whilst this is great for basic obedience what you learn is limited to just that. Rob does also do 121 sessions but my impression (rightly or wrongly) is that his experience is limited to obedience rather than say more behavioural issues if that makes sense. If basic obedience is what you are looking for (sit, down, stay, leave, LLW) then I would recommend this classes.

2) we also did a 5 or 6 week course with NorthK9 (www.northk9.co.uk). we didn’t get on so well in that class... Firstly the classes were held in a large sports hall and there are a lot of dogs at varying stages of ability in the class. That didn’t work for us because Rudy is extremely excitable and we really struggled to get and keep his attention... we also felt that we didn’t get much 121 support because the classes are so big. so more often than not we were left to our own devices to do the exercises with a wappy dog which got us quite frustrated (and embarrassed but we are used to that! :wink:)
The other thing which I will say about North K9 is that although the classes were positive (no clicker but all reward base), when I brought up with the lead instructor that we were struggling with LLW and asked for some help with this she advised buying a half check collar and suggested that maybe he just needed 'a little correction' with it... She said to bring the collar in the following week to show us how its done… It was coming up to the end of the course anyway and I decided not to go back after she has said that. however there were never any correction during the classes. We also did a tracking day workshop with them which and Rudy we loved! so I wouldn’t rule them out completely...

lastly (sorry I am rambling on I know but wanted to provide as much info as possible) we have actually booked a private session with this chap: www.dogtraininghalifax.co.uk/
He comes recommended and has bags of experience and apparently only uses positive method. We have booked private sessions because there are specific things we would like to help with ‘in situation’ if that makes sense (and he will travel as we are literally just up the road from you) but he does also hold classes in Halifax if you are willing to travel. If we like him I think I may well see about attending those myself. If you check out his Facebook page there are some videos of some of his classes. If you like I can pop back after tomorrow's session and let you know how we get on?

Hope this helps.
L :)
Turflane9
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 7:45 am

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by Turflane9 »

Hi Laure

Yes please, I would love to hear how your session went when you get a moment could you post.

Jo x
Laure
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:50 am

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by Laure »

Will do... it is tonight so will pop back tomorrow to let you know.
I am stupidly excited about it. hope he's good :)
Laure
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:50 am

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by Laure »

Hi there,

As promised I am back to feedback on last night session with www.dogtraininghalifax.co.uk/
I am afraid that it didn't go very well and that despite advertising as positive only and saying that they only used positive methods when I rang to esquire this didn't actually turn out to be true....

I won't put any more details on here but happy to answer any questions over PM.

Safe to say that we will not be having a repeat visit from David...

I just looked at your recommendation Jo and Jan Westby does look good so I think I will be giving her a call later!

Thank you so much for your help!

L
Turflane9
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 7:45 am

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by Turflane9 »

Hi Laure

Sorry to hear it didn't go well.... It's so hard when all you want is the best thing for your dog without him/her being FORCED to behaviour in a particular way!! Ho Hum...

Please do try Jan she was sooo good with Alfie and I'm happy to recommend her.

Jo
Laure
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:50 am

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by Laure »

Thanks Jo,
I have left Jan a message :)
Laure
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:50 am

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by Laure »

Hi there,

Quick update in case anyone is still reading this.

Jan, the trainer/behaviorist, came to see us last week for an initial assessment. She was here for 3 hours and I have to say she is absolutely amazing. Lovely lady, very very knowledgeable and exactly the outlook/ethics I was looking for in a trainer.

To our surprise, although I feel a little silly for not having read the signs (I guess this is where all her vast experience comes in), she assessed that Rudy's exuberance/excitability around people is actually fear based. He is actually quite anxious of new people and the exuberance that we see is actually him trying to overcompensate and make friends of the scary people! I had no idea!

As expected she also confirmed that he is fearful of dogs (she used a fake dog at different distances to assess this) and Rudy's reaction was just so telling. I expected to be told that he was a little nervous of dogs (after all he has been attacked a couple of times ) but again, I would have never put his bounciness/over-excitement with other dogs down to nerves/fear.

So as well as some general impulse control exercises around the home to start with Jan will be putting together a desensitization plan together: counter conditioning which then becomes operand conditioning (I think this is what she said anyway!).

I feel so relieved on a number of counts really: Firstly that we understand for the first time how Rudy is thinking/feeling and so that we can recognize this in our handling. I am so pleased that i just didn't listed to all opinionated dog walkers to just 'let him off the lead and let him get on with it'!!!
I also feel so relieved that we are going to be guided through this step by step. I know it will take time to work through but we caught before it got worse which is great.

Thank you so much for the recommendation Jo!!

Laure
Turflane9
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 7:45 am

Re: Dog training contacts in West Yorkshire (Huddersfield)

Post by Turflane9 »

Hi Laure

Thank you so much for the update, I've been hoping you would post again. And I'm really glad Jan was so much help, I too was really impressed with her knowledge and calmness and ability to "help" me help out little dog.

Good luck and keep us posted with your progress, I am very interested.

Jo x
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