Wolf and Whippet
DOG TRAINING / GROUP CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
GROUP TRAINING CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
Suzy from the Wolf and Whippet is a certified INTODogs Trainer offers one to one training consultations and sessions to clients needing support, group training and puppy classes. Working alongside you and your dog to help build your partnership, communication through training skills. We only use positive, reward-based training methods, no punishment and firmly stand with the Pet Professionals Guild's ethos of No Pain, No Force, No Fear. The methods we use are force-free, looking at current scientific research, using positive reinforcement, classical and operant conditioning.
We have completed courses with the IMDT, OCN assessed diploma based studies, as well as working with dog behaviourists such as Dr Isla Fishburn and Dr Michelle Lord. Plus practical based studies such as ScentworkUK, Canine Hoopers UK, Canine Hoopers World and IMDT instructor courses. This in conjunction with other dog behaviour workshops and certificates, as well as a passion for holistic approaches. Further information on completed courses, certificates and training can be seen on our CPD page. We continually learn and complete further studies, as well as much reading within the field of Modern Dog Science and Training. Keeping up to date with behavioural science is key to providing modern dog training for every client.
A few behaviour and training issues we can help you and your dog with are: Settling and Calming, Crate Training, Loose-Lead walking, Wait, Leave and Drop, Leave, Stop, Whistle Training, Recall, Husbandry- for e.g. putting a harness on without creating stress, Target training (for example for assistance dog support) and Scentwork for enrichment, and much more.
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Support, Guidance and Help
Every client and attendee to our classes will receive either a copy of our soon to be published new training book, which is packed full of behaviours to follow at home or a training booklet. Our book also contains lots of information to help you with all things puppy and dog, for now and future canine companions. Within in the book are training schedules to help you practice at home your training skills. This book contains each behaviour broken into steps written by Suzy to follow after each class.
Each training class will be set up with an individual WhatsApp group, where you can ask questions in relation to training, class exercises, plus sharing videos and your successes with each other. Suzy will also share video footage of her training her dogs these behaviours to help support each puppy class weekly. We also set our classes weekly challenges to video for feedback in each group.
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Those that attend our Workshop Sessions are given or emailed worksheets with a guide to follow to continue teaching your dog at home after the workshop ends. We are also available by email for any questions or concerns.
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Want to know more before booking a class or workshop? Just email us! Head to the CONTACT PAGE.
The 6-Week Improvers Group Class
Next Improvers Class is for Adolescent Puppies: Dates: 6 weeks: April - 20th, 27th / May - 4th, (1 week gap break), May - 18th, 25th / June 1st 2024.
Be aware of 1 week break in the middle of course when booking. This is great for a pause to practise skills covered in the first 3 weeks.
We have built a training class that is run in small groups of up to 4 dogs for 6 weeks. This class will be suitable for all ages, breeds and sizes of dogs. We also welcome rescue dogs to these classes where we can adapt teaching new skills and offer support.
However, we recommend that your rescue dog is fully settled in your home and new environment for at least 3+ months, giving your rescue dog the opportunity to decompress and built a relationship with you. Training can always wait, instead focus on building trust, learning your dogs body language and positive associations. We do offer 1-2-1 guidance and help for rescue dogs for those early days and beyond. 1-2-1 training support suits more sensitive dogs. Group class environments can often be overwhelming, over arousing for many dogs, if your dog is more sensitive/reactive please email us to discuss suitability.
Wolf and Whippet will focusing on real life skills you will want to become reliable in different environments. From building a reliable recall using different games, to loose lead and lead skills, stop at distance and send to place. We teach many behaviours using shaping, a process whereby you slowly teach your dog a new behaviour by marking and rewarding each small step. This method reduces frustration during learning, as well as effective and fun to watch your dog learn and think for themselves. Learning is about how an animal's potential for a behaviour changes with experience, we use training to ensure that learning has a predictable response by the handler reinforcing wanted behaviour. A dog will also find certain behaviour more rewarding than others, that could be running up to dogs for social interaction, rather than respond to your recall cue. This is where we need to train slowly and build distraction, distance and duration.
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We will also use a clicker/marker word paired with something the dog finds rewarding. Each dog will find different things rewarding, varying foods, such as cheese, sausage or treats to play with a toy. Reinforcers are used in positive reinforcement and reward based training and are either primary or secondary reinforcers. A primary reinforcer is anything the dog finds naturally rewarding. A secondary reinforcer is something that has been paired with and learnt is reinforcing, for example a clicker or marker word. The benefit of a clicker is the sound remains universal, though we recommend buying a number of exactly the same clicker, as each has a different click sound. Whereas a voiced marker word such as 'yes' or 'good' can differ between handlers and owners. Personally I use both, particularly with teaching behaviour that requires multiple hands.
Group Class 6-Week Course = £120.00
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Current Venue for Classes
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Grammar Rooms – Chipping Sodbury – Broad Street
Workshops Focusing on Specific Behaviours
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Workshops with the Wolf and Whippet focus on specific behaviours we often asked for support with. These include Loose Lead Walking, Lead Skills, Recall and Road Safety. NEW DATES AVAILABLE SOON.
Loose Lead Workshops
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Loose lead walking is one of the top behaviours that trainers are asked for support in. It can be difficult for dogs to learn and understand what we want from them on lead. As a dog owner of sled dogs, loose lead is a skill I needed to teach, so I am not pulled about on lead by strong dogs. It took a long time and lots of reinforcement.... mainly cheese!
So, what is loose lead? For me, this simply means no tension on the lead. But for our dogs we're asking a lot from them. Checking in with us, eye contact, awareness of their body around us, the lead, walking and also simply being dog and being able to sniff and enjoy a walk next to you.
For strong or continuous pullers, I recommend a veterinary consult for a full check. Pulling can be the result of many reasons and sometimes a veterinary check is needed. Trainers and behaviourists do not recommend tools that stop pulling, as they work by adding something unpleasant to suppress behaviour. Please contact me re tools if you need advice.
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We will start from loose lead foundations, to walking with a loose lead around each other in our work shop.
Recall Workshops
The foundation before we teach a recall cue is a reflex to name is important for a puppy and dog as a check-in/eye contact or for before the next cue. It was Ivan Pavlov that studied reflexes and triggers, it is from his work which we base much of our reward-based training. We will be teaching your puppy or dog that their name and coming to you means good things. Having a good reliable recall is not only important from a safety aspect, but important for your partnership with your dog and lots of fun too with the games we incorporate. The key thing is to begin in a low distraction environment as we don’t want to set your puppy or dog up to fail.
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During our workshop session we cover different games, troubleshooting, engagement and disengagement, training around each other safely in our venue with long lines. All training success will only come from your continual practice of the skills we demonstrate and teach you in these workshops. All of these skills we continue to practise with our dogs.
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Workshop Sessions = From £20.00 depending on workshop and length of session. Includes worksheets.
Current Venue for Classes
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Grammar Rooms – Chipping Sodbury – Broad Street