WHY TRAIN YOUR DOG?

You would be surprised how many owners ask this question. The answer is quite simple:

 

Training helps avoid unwanted behaviours (barking, whining, pulling, jumping up, destructive chewing, stealing items, guarding etc). 
A trained dog is a pleasure to live with.

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Training provides physical exercise and mental stimulation. 
A tired, happy dog is a well-behaved dog.

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Training increases your dog's confidence for social situations. It creates a positive relationship, so your dog focuses and listens to you in different environments.
Training will keep your dog safe. 

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FUN & LEARNING

Learning should be fun for both you and your dog, that's why training games using positive reinforcement (with the use of food, toys and praise) will motivate your dog to learn quickly, which will in turn motivate you to practice with them. The more you practice together the more fun you will both have, enhancing your dog’s mental and physical health and deepening your relationship with them. Positive reinforcement builds trust, increases confidence and creates a happy dog that listens to and focuses on their owner.

 

We run a wide range of group and bespoke sessions, courses and online modules. Here is a taste of what we can offer. Don’t hesitate to ask if you have something specific in mind.

 

Basic Obedience for Real Life: from puppy to adult, we teach loose lead walking, sit, down, stay, leave it, fetch, come when called etc. All training is using modern, motivational reward-based methods. 

 

Training Walks: put what you learn to the test on our weekly guided training walks, navigating through town where there are plenty of real life distractions to challenge you. Gain the confidence to go out with your dog on a stress free trip to the shops or to meet friends at your local café. 

 

Fun Tricks: our most popular classes, aimed at building confidence and helping you connect with your dog in a fun way. We include useful tricks like tidy up your toys!

 

Nose work: this is a fun activity that allows your dog to use their amazing sense of smell and natural instinct to hunt.  It provides easy mental and physical stimulation, it’s a calming, fun activity for all dogs and is especially good for hyper, stressed and reactive dogs. It helps build confidence in anxious or shy dogs and  is an ideal activity for puppies, sick or older dogs with limited mobility.

 

It's also perfect for rainy days or coronavirus quarantine!

 

Senior Dog Sniffari: designed especially for our sugar-nosed seniors that have limited mobility.

 

Rally Obedience: this is much like agility but without the equipment. You follow a course of directional signs, which enables you to work as a team with your dog. It's an ideal sport for working on loose lead walking in a fun way and it helps create a focused dog.

 

Canine Hoopers: (coming soon!) your dog runs a course through hoops, tunnels and around barrels. It's agility training but low impact, so can be enjoyed by dogs of mixed abilities and strength.

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CANINE ENRICHMENT

What is enrichment and why is it so important? Dogs need a balance of physical exercise AND mental stimulation. Canine enrichment is basically giving your dog something interesting to do. Enrichment games and activities prevent behavioural problems and create a calm, happy well-behaved dog. If dogs don't have an outlet for 'natural behaviours' such as chewing, digging, foraging etc. they will create their own entertainment, often leaving a trail of destruction in the home.

 

So how do we provide mental stimulation? Through activities such as sniffing breaks on walks, scatter feeding, playing hide and seek, fun tricks, nose work games, create a digging pit, etc. 

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There is a huge range of interactive food toys, bowls and puzzles that we can introduce, such as Kong's, slow feeding bowls, snuffle mats, licky mats etc  just to name a few. 

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You can also invent DIY boredom buster activities using household items such as cardboard boxes, tubes, towels, old socks, old T-shirts, PVC piping, flower pots, paper cups, plastic bottles, muffin tins etc. 

 

The more you make the more creative you will become when you see how much fun your dog is having!

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EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS

with Dra Ana Sanches, Clinica Veterinaria Vilamoura

Canine first aid (learn what to do and what not to do in an emergency).

Canine Nutrition (learn more about what's in and what's not in your dogs food, how we can improve the quality of our dogs diet without breaking the bank and learn the connection between health and behaviour).

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DOG SPORTS WORKSHOPS

Try something new with your dog (in conjunction with Fatima Casals at Alldogs Centro de Treino Canino in Portimao).

 

Dock Diving: for those water loving dogs. 

Agility: great for getting your dog to work with you as a team. 

Disc Dog: ideal for fit dogs who like to chase and catch. 

Dog Puller Sport: for all dogs that like to chase and fetch

Flyball: for those ball-loving dogs that like to run and fetch. It also works for limited mobility owners as the dog does all the work!