Puppy Training: The Complete Practical Guide You’ve just brought your puppy home, and suddenly you’re wondering: Where do I even start? Should I begin training immediately, or wait? What’s the difference between socialization and training? And how do I know if I’m doing it right? The truth is, the first 16 weeks of your puppy’s
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Join the Canine Good Citizen Programme at Smart Dog Behaviour and Training School A well-trained dog is not simply a dog that can sit or stay. A truly well-mannered dog can remain calm, responsive and under control while navigating everyday life with its owner. The Canine Good Citizen programme—commonly known as CGC—is designed to help
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The Steps of Fear in dogs. Dogs use their body a lot to communicate with us… sometimes they might also bark or make other noises, but their body is their communication-key!The poster below shows the many signals dogs give to let others know when things are ok, or not. Their feelings, just like ours, can
Beware of Fake Dog Trainers and Schools in South Africa: Protect Your Dog and Your Investment The demand for qualified dog trainers and reputable dog schools has grown rapidly in South Africa. Sadly, so has the number of fake trainers and unregistered schools claiming to offer “certified” or “professional” training. These individuals or organisations often
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If you’re a professional dog trainer or starting out in the dog training business, you already know that skill and passion alone aren’t enough to bring in clients. To build a thriving business, you need smart marketing — without spending a fortune. That’s where thinking like a Smart Dog Trainer comes in. Here are practical,
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A behavior assessment is the process of identifying and noting an individual dog’s reaction to various environmental stimuli. Well-made behavior assessments measure the things a dog does and avoid the use of adjectives such as anxiety or suspicion, which are our interpretations of the behavior. Why assess behavior? There are a number of reasons why you may want
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A lot of dogs struggle to relax in a car. They whine when you get near to the dog park, and bark when they want to get out of the vehicle. Noise in the car can be very distracting to the driver (as well as being unpleasant to sit and listen to), so today I’m going
Dogs Barking in the car. Read More »
Bigger rewards for better reps” 🚫 Heard you should only give big rewards for the best repetitions? 🤔 Think again! A tiny treat for slow recalls might just kill your dog’s motivation. Whereas a jumbo reward is MORE likely to make them want to come racing back for more of the good stuff! Remember you’re