Frequently Asked Questions.
Dog Behaviourist, Michelle Merrill, answers all your burning questions around Dog & Puppy Training in our most Frequently Asked Questions.
Getting ready for your new arrival? A little planning now goes a long way in helping your puppy adjust to your life (you’ll need to make adjustments as well!)
Enjoy those sleepy first three months, but don’t be fooled—as your puppy grows, so will their need for exercise and mental stimulation! Establishing a solid routine early is the secret to keeping your sanity while working from home. You can even start “walkies” before their vaccinations are finished by using a puppy sling to explore safely. It’s also a great time to introduce a crate and stock up on enrichment like snuffle mats, Yakkas, or adult-sized Kongs—pro tip: skip the puppy sizes and go straight for the adult ones to save money! Most importantly, remember that fair play and consistent training are the heart of your bond. I cover both in depth, along with teaching a reliable “settle,” in my Puppy Package to help you and your pup get off to the perfect start.
An example routine may look something like this (based on my own routine with my puppy!):
Morning before breakfast: Straight out for a wee. 10 minutes of puppy training, focusing on the goal of the month – ‘leave it’, ‘stay around the front door’, ‘paw’, ‘sit to down’ – the list goes on!
Then a 10 – 15 minute walk, including off lead time when your puppy is ready.
Breakfast: In the crate, with some of it in the Kong feeder to slow down eating
Settle and work time: This morning exercise usually has my labrador pup snoozing for about 2 hours whilst I work. If your dog gets restless, keep some of their food allowance back for a mid-morning snuffle mat, or if the weather’s nice, scatter feed in the back garden.
Midday: Walkies! This will vary dependent on your puppies age. Between 3 – 4 months, 30 minutes is considered best practise. Remember, the walk is enrichment time for your puppy – use it to practise walking training with them and allow them to sniff and investigate their environment. The aim ISN’T to power walk round! Puppies aged 5 months + will start to need 45 – 60 minute long walks with off lead and play time. If that’s not something you can fit into your day, time to get a dog walker in, or make your walks more active – more training, more play time, more off lead time
Lunch: If you work from home, you can keep feeding your dog 3 meals a day – just spread their daily allowance across 3 meals. Put as much of your dogs lunch into the Kong/snuffle mat/puzzle feeder as you can and serve in their crate
Settle and work time: This should get you another 2 – 3 hours of rest time from your dog! If they become restless, give them a puppy safe chew for example a Yakka
End of the working day: You can take your puppy out for a short walk to shake off your day or play with them of your prefer. Don’t worry too much about training – this is time for bonding and relaxation, to be in the moment and enjoy your dog
You may have been to a dog trainer who used fear, force or pain to train and found it hasn’t worked for you and your dog. (The reason being is that fear, force and pain, apart from being an awful way to treat a dog, isn’t the smartest way to do it) Or you may have seen a trainer who didn’t understand you or your dog’s specific needs. Your previous trainer may have been great at training their own dogs, using positive reinforcement and breed understanding but may not have been good at teaching humans how to train dogs. You may have gone to a great dog trainer, Crufts level obedience, but what you actually need is a behaviourist as you’re having behavioural issues (luckily I am a behaviourist!) Or maybe you and the previous trainer/behaviourist just didn’t get along. There are many reasons why working with a trainer or behaviourist didn’t work for you.
This is why I take the time in the initial consultation to get to know you and your dog. In all sessions, I explain in relatable terms why your dog is behaving the way it is and then give you practical training and solutions to start to change things. After the session, you will be provided with notes and how to’s on the things we’ve just worked on so you can refer to them afterwards. Depending on which package you choose, I can provide you with video training guides and ebooks.
I want you and your dog to succeed whilst working with me, so I do all I can to set you up for success. But most importantly – if you are willing to put in the time, energy and commitment to yourself and your dog – then yes, I can help
A degree in Animal Behaviour and then further education from top dog trainers and behaviourists, including Ian Dunbar and IMDT. Check out my About page
It depends who you ask! It has become a bit of a buzz word in recent years in dog training and it is a useful word to look for, when looking for a good dog trainer. HOWEVER – if the dog trainer is ONLY using the word ‘positive’ in regards to their approach, they may not fully understand what the word means in regards to dog training and behaviour.
‘Positive’ should mean positive reinforcement – if a dog does something you want, you reinforce that behaviour by giving them a reward. Kinda like in the human world – if a child tidies their room, they are encouraged (reinforced) to do so again because they are rewarded by time on their XBOX or whatever it is kids are into these days!
Also like in the human world, if a child plays up and does something you know THEY know is wrong, there needs to be consequences for that behaviour. A good dog trainer will also teach you how to give your dog consequences for their behaviour, but most importantly WHEN to do that, and when your dog really is being ‘naughty’ and not just scared, stressed or confused. Sending a dog into a time out isn’t a ‘positive’ thing but it is a necessary and important part of our communication with the dog – it’s called negative reinforcement.
I use both positive and negative reinforcement when working with and training dogs. What I DON’T use is fear, force or stress. I don’t use choke chains, slip leads, shock collars, barking collars, spray bottles or rattle bottles. I use understanding of dog body language, how animals learn, dog behaviour, dog breed history, learning history, current training and behaviour knowledge, nutrition and welfare to give you a training experience that is so much more than just positive reinforcement!
I recommend a harness but more importantly, I recommend training. The only thing that guarantees your dog doesn’t pull on walks is teaching them to NOT pull on walks. If a dog wants to pull they will- no matter what you’ve got around their head/neck. Head collars have their place in training but often dogs don’t enjoy wearing them and they prevent the dog from easily accessing smells and scents – sniffing is a very important natural behaviour that dogs need to indulge in to be happy and calm. I only recommend them in specific situations and above all I will recommend training your dog to wear a harness and not pull on it on walks.
Absolutely. It’s a problem more common than you think and I’ve worked with countless dogs and owners who have this difficulty. The good news is that this behaviour can change and both you and your dog can learn to enjoy going for walks again! Each outcome is dependent on the dog, on you, and on a number of different factors – but I can guarantee you that I can give you the tools, knowledge and confidence to find pleasure in walking your dog and reducing the amount of stress you are both experiencing. Get in touch today, we’ll arrange a phone call and get started!
Dogs LOVE to chase! It’s an automatic instinct and for some breeds, the drive to chase has been honed by years of human breeding. The answer is training! We need to teach your dog the response we want from them when they see an animal, not the response THEY want to give. Dogs have no clue what the rules of the human world are, until we teach them. So we teach our dog that listening to us, focusing on us and playing with us is much more rewarding than chasing animals!
The short answer is Yes. The longer answer is – was it a bite out of play? Was it aggression? Is it fear or pain? What happened to cause this reaction? Not all bites are the same and a dog trying to bite you, or even succeeding in biting you isn’t necessarily an automatic death sentence. If your dog has tried to bite or bitten someone, get in touch. We’ll talk it through, figure out what you and your dog needs and get you booked in for an initial consultation.
Getting ready for your new arrival? A little planning now goes a long way in helping your puppy settle in. Plan your support; daycares and walkers fill up fast, so book them well before you head back to work. Remember the “one hour per month” rule for alone time:
- 10–12 weeks: Max 1–2 hours.
- 4–6 months: Roughly 3–4 hours.
Establish a routine; a consistent schedule helps puppies feel secure. Try incorporating play, training, or a short walk into your morning before breakfast—even if it means a slightly earlier alarm! Start training early; Building confidence from day one is essential. Introducing crate training and “positive leaving” early on helps these habits become second nature for your pup.
Tip: My Puppy Package includes step-by-step guidance on both crate training and “positive leaving” to help you start on the right paw.
It depends what you need! I run beginner group training classes for adult dogs – but if you’re experiencing behavioural problems or just want to know you’re doing the best by your dog, then get in touch or book an initial consultation session with me and we’ll get you sorted!
No your puppy isn’t aggressive, don’t worry! Not all bites are the same. If we think about a dog’s mouth like a human hand – they use it grab things, pick up things, get our attention, explore the world, play, and yes do harm. Your puppy is biting either out of boredom, play, teething, to get your attention or asking you to stop. Training and understanding your puppy’s needs is how you make it stop! Puppy biting is a common problem – book my Puppy Package today to save your skin and clothes from puppy’s needle teeth!
There is increasing evidence from studies into dog physiology that collars cause damage to dog’s throats and necks. By law, your dog needs to wear an ID tag when outdoors and collars are useful for a dog to wear as an emergency grab point. However I recommend a harness for your dog to wear out on walks, for you to attach the lead to. No walking equipment, on its own, stops your dog from pulling. Training your dog NOT to pull is the long term solution. For more advice on walking equipment and training, book a Puppy Package or onto one of my group classes.
Puppies start learning from the moment they are born! So it’s never too early to start training! Training should be fun for you and your puppy and little doggos love to learn. If you’ve just bought a furry bundle of joy home, I recommend my Puppy Package to get your Good Dog Life started right from the beginning!
