Dog Training & Behaviour Blog:
Expert Dog Training Articles and Advice
Welcome to the Walkies dog training and behaviour blog, where you’ll find practical, compassionate advice to help you better understand your dog. This dog blog is full of evidence-based behaviour and training articles written to support you through everyday challenges.
How Does a Dog Become Reactive? Understanding the Root Causes
Why does a dog become reactive, and why can everyday situations suddenly feel overwhelming for them? Explore the science behind reactivity to help you understand the emotional and neurological root causes behind barking, lunging, and overreactions.
How to Handle Destructive Behaviour in Dogs
Is your dog chewing, digging or destroying things at home? Read this guide to understand why destructive behaviour happens and learn 5 kind, practical ways to help your dog feel calmer, safer and more settled.
Resource Guarding in Dogs: Why It Happens and How to Help
Resource guarding can be worrying, particularly when a dog growls, snaps or becomes protective of food, toys or other valued items. Understanding what's behind the behaviour is an important first step. In this article, I explore why dogs guard resources, what owners should avoid and how to manage situations safely.
How to Train a Reactive Dog
In this article, we’ll explore what reactivity is, why it happens, and how you can support your dog with training that works.
How to tell if your reactive dog is coping on walks
Many reactive dogs can walk, take treats and appear calm while still struggling underneath. Learn how to recognise genuine coping and when your dog may need more support.
Can You Train a Rescue Dog? What Every Adopter Should Know
Adopting a rescue dog can be incredibly rewarding, but it often comes with questions about training, behaviour, and settling in. This guide explores whether rescue dogs can be trained,, how long training can take, and how to support your dog kindly and effectively as they adjust to their new home.
Rescue Dog Support: How to House Train an Older Rescue Dog
House training an older dog is possible. In this guide, you will find practical advice on how to house train an older rescue dog, including routines, rewards, and confidence-building techniques.
Crate Training or Puppy Pen? Choosing the Correct Set-up for Your Puppy
Crate or puppy pen? Both can help puppies feel safe and supported, but the right choice depends on your puppy's personality, needs and your home environment. Learn the benefits of each approach and how to choose what works best for your puppy.
How to Keep Your Dog Calm When Visitors Come
Does your dog struggle when visitors arrive, barking, jumping up or finding it hard to settle? This guide includes a variety of kind, practical strategies to help your dog feel calmer and more confident when people come into your home.
How Do I Gently Train My Puppy to Be Alone?
Worried your puppy will never cope alone without crying? You’re not doing anything wrong. Puppies are simply wired for closeness, and alone time is a confidence skill they learn gradually. In this guide, you’ll learn whyy puppies cry when left and five kind, science-based ways to help your puppy feel safe and settled on their own.
How Can I Help My Reactive Dog? Kind Strategies That Work
Living with a reactive dog can feel overwhelming, but there is a kind, practical way forward. Read this guide to understand what reactivity really means and learn 5 gentle, evidence-based strategies you can start using right away to help your dog.
How to Toilet Train a Puppy: A Kind and Practical Guide
Wondering how to toilet train your puppy? Learn practical, kind toilet training tips, including nighttime routines, puppy pads, rewards, and how to handle accidents without punishment.
Raised hackles in dogs: what does it really mean?
Ever noticed the fur on your dog’s back and neck suddenly standing up on end? This is called piloerection - more commonly known as raised hackles. People often assume when a dog’s hackles are raised it simply means aggression, but that’s not the whole story! Piloerection is an automatic response of the sympathetic nervous system, triggered by fear, stress, arousal or excitement. To understand what your dog is really feeling, you need to look at the whole picture, not just the raised hackles.
Why dogs sniff more in autumn
Have you noticed your dog sniffing more on autumn walks? Discover how seasonal changes can influence scent and why giving your dog time to sniff is so important for their wellbeing.
Why Has My Dog Stopped Listening? Understanding Adolescent Dogs
Has your well-trained puppy suddenly forgotten their recall, started pulling on the lead or become more reactive? Learn what to expect during adolescence and how to support your teenage dog through this challenging stage.
The science of sniffing: how dog’s noses support their wellbeing
Sniffing is far more than a habit -it’s a vital part of a dog’s wellbeing. With up to 300 million scent receptors and even the ability to detect radiant heat, dogs experience the world through their noses. Research shows that allowing sniffing reduces stress, enriches daily life and supports emotional balance. Restricting it can lead to frustration and behavioural issues. Discover why giving your dog time to sniff is one of the kindest choices you can make.
The ‘Guilty look’ in dogs: what it really means
Many people believe their dog’s ‘guilty look’ means they know they’ve done wrong. But research shows otherwise. Those lowered ears and tucked body aren’t signs of guilt - they are appeasement gestures in response to our tone and body language. In this blog, we explore what the ‘guilty look’ really means and how positive training helps dogs to feel safe and understood.
A holistic approach to dog behaviour
Dog behaviour is never just about what we see on the surface. A holistic approach looks at the whole picture - from health and emotions to environment and learning history. By combining veterinary care, enrichment and positive reinforcement, we can support welfare, reduce stress and create lasting behaviour change built on trust and mutual understanding.
Stress signals in dogs
Did you know that dogs show signs of stress long before they bark or growl? Recognising early signals like yawning, lip-licking or turning away can help you step in before behaviour escalates.