Dogs be Dogs

Puppies are hard.

Not just “they’re a bit cheeky” hard…
I mean biting your ankles when you’re walking through the house, grabbing sleeves, hoovering up everything outside and then acting like it’s the best treasure they’ve ever found.

And you start thinking… am I getting this wrong?

You’re not.

Most people are just trying to figure it out as they go. Bit of Google, bit of advice, none of it quite clicking.

Meanwhile the puppy is learning anyway.

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Something I see all the time with labs, spaniels, cockapoos, labradoodles, goldendoodles, vizslas, weimaraners…

Underneath that cute, fluffy, family-pet exterior…
👉 there’s a hard worker in there

These dogs are wired to:
pick things up
carry things
use their mouths

We can’t switch that off.

So when your puppy is constantly grabbing stuff…
they’re not being “naughty”

They’re doing exactly what they’re designed to do.

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What we can change is:

👉 what they pick up
👉 and what happens next

Simple example:

If your puppy is constantly grabbing clothes, shoes, random bits off the floor…

have things ready that they’re allowed to pick up.

Toys, soft dummies, even a rolled-up sock.

And when they go for the wrong thing, don’t just say “no” and hope for the best.

👉 swap it
👉 make the right thing more rewarding

So they start practising the behaviour you actually want.

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It sounds simple, but this is where a lot of things either improve… or slowly get worse.

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I’ve been putting something together around this, because I see the same patterns again and again with these breeds.

I’ll share more soon.

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If you’ve got a lab, spaniel, cockapoo, labradoodle, goldendoodle, vizsla or weimaraner puppy and you’re thinking “this is exactly it”…

follow along. I’ll be sharing advice that actually makes sense for these dogs.

And if your puppy currently has a favourite “illegal item”… I’d love to know what it is 😅

Do you actually need puppy classes?

After my last post, quite a few people asked me this.

And the honest answer is… you can absolutely do a lot at home.

But there are some things you just can’t recreate.

You can’t recreate other puppies.
You can’t recreate real-life distractions.
You can’t recreate that moment where your puppy has to choose between you and everything else going on around them.

And not all puppy classes help with that either.

Some are brilliant.
Some… not so much.

I’ve written something properly on it — how to choose a good class, what to avoid, and what actually matters (especially if this is your first puppy).

Link’s here if it’s helpful:

https://www.dogsbedogs.co.uk/do-i-need-puppy-classes-how-to-choose-the-right-one-and-avoid-costly-mistakes

If you’ve done puppy classes before, good or bad, I’d be really interested to hear your experience.

Do I Need Puppy Classes? How to Choose the Right One (and Avoid Costly Mistakes Professional dog trainer and behaviourist in Reading Berkshire Puppy classes Gundog Classes Aggressive dogs Reactive dogs