In this episode of Beastly Talks, we're all about puppy socialisation! I have had many puppy jobs recently and while socialisation is a clear cut approach, it looks different for every pup.

Puppies are cute and fun, but they require a lot of work, to grow up to be well rounded citizens of the world. Socialisation is a very common topic that many people get wrong. Whether a puppy is over- or undersocialised, we almost always end up having behavioural issues.

Socialisation is not something you want to wing and hope for the best! This is an incredibly important part of puppy raising. Don't mistake sociability for socialisation. True socialisation is exposure training, where we work towards a general neutrality, which in turn will result in a relaxed and optimistic dog.

It is also important to understand that different breeds of dogs, need different areas of focus in their socialisation journey, and that it is in fact NOT "all in how you raise them." Genetics matter and when powerful dogs are given incorrect early exposure, problems are almost guaranteed to arise.

We break down the four categories of basic socialisation and the approach we take to building a confident and happy pup.

Make sure to give us a 5 🌟 rating, follow the podcast for all the latest updates, share it with your friends and other dog lovers, and drop us a comment if you like what you hear or have questions for us!

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For personalised, expert help with your dog, contact us today:

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In this episode of Beastly Talks, we get stuck into the difference between 'book smart' and 'street smart' dogs.

I have had a slew of dogs come in recently, all with the same "issues." They're highly trained in obedience, but they're still reactive. So... what is going on?

I differentiate between obedience – what I would call book smart – and autonomy, which I think of as street smart. Obedience is taught, practical tasks. Autonomy is life skills basically learned through the "fuck around and find out" principle.

Many owners and trainers (especially force free freaks) trap their dogs in an endless cycle of obedience, in an attempt to manage their dog's reactivity. But this creates a prison of frustration, which the dog is constantly trying to break out of, and that mindset increases the dog's reactivity. It is a vicious cycle.

So then, how do we break this cycle? How do we get the dog out of the books and into the streets? Have a listen and find out!

Make sure to give us a 5 🌟 rating, follow the podcast for all the latest updates, share it with your friends and other dog lovers, and drop us a comment if you like what you hear or have questions for us!

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For personalised, expert help with your dog, contact us today:

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In this episode of Beastly Talks, we are delving into the world of separation related issues.

What is separation anxiety? Well, in short, it is a dog experiencing distress while being separated from it's owner.

Separation anxiety can be an absolutely debilitating behavioural issue to deal with. You can't leave the house, can't go anywhere without your dog, destructive behaviour, council complaints, all the way to self-mutilation.

Treating separation anxiety is a slow and tedious process, but it can be fixed! Building up independence, making sure your dog is both physically and mentally fulfilled, preventing endless pacing and following are just some key elements.

This turned into quite a long podcast, but it is a complicated and nuanced one, and I wanted to be as detailed as possible. I hope you learn some handy tips and tricks from it!

Make sure to give us a 5 🌟 rating, follow the podcast for all the latest updates, share it with your friends and other dog lovers, and drop us a comment if you like what you hear or have questions for us!

Follow Stian and Beautiful Beasts on social media:

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For personalised, expert help with your dog, contact us today:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.beautifulbeasts.com.au

After 6 months of harassment, I finally convinced one of my favourite people – Kylie Bright – to join me on the podcast! Perseverance pays off people!

Kylie is a very close friend and was a terrific mentor in my early days of dog training. With decades of experience and an incredible journey, Kylie has seen the dog training industry evolve – both for better and for worse.

But one of the biggest things about Kylie is her wealth of knowledge, far beyond just training, and her holistic approach to all things dog. To this day, whenever someone send me a really odd question, I immediately contact Kylie to ask if she has ever heard of this particular thing (SPOILER: She always has!)

This conversation went for a little longer than usual, because that's just how Kylie and I chat. We also had to record this episode via Zoom due to some technical difficulties, so we talk occasionally talk over each other due to the delay. Sorry about that!

But I for one loved having Kylie on and I hope you enjoy the episode as well!

Make sure to give us a 5 🌟 rating, follow the podcast for all the latest updates, share it with your friends and other dog lovers, and drop us a comment if you like what you hear or have questions for us!

Check out Kylie, Dog Squad Canine Services and grab some treats from Bright's Bites on social media:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/brightsbites/⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/dogsquadcanineservices⁠

⁠https://www.dogsquadcanineservices.com.au/⁠

Follow Stian and Beautiful Beasts on social media:

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For personalised, expert help with your dog, contact us today:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.beautifulbeasts.com.au⁠

In this episode of Beastly Talks, we are invigorated from Ben's Reaktivity workshop, and we are digging into a complex topic:

Teaching a dog new behaviours using negative reinforcement and pressure.

"Oh my dog! But shouldn't all behaviours be taught with positive reinforcement only??"

Well, when that works, that is absolutely the approach we take. But what happens when positive reinforcement fails, which it often does? That's where pressure comes in to lift your game.

I have said it before and I say it again in this episode: if you really want to become beyond good at dog training, understanding the use of pressure is absolutely crucial.

Sorry for the snotty nose in this one, I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Make sure to give us a 5 🌟 rating, follow the podcast for all the latest updates, share it with your friends and other dog lovers, and drop us a comment if you like what you hear or have questions for us!

Follow Stian and Beautiful Beasts on social media:

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For personalised, expert help with your dog, contact us today:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.beautifulbeasts.com.au

In this episode of Beastly Talks, we are still in recovery mode from a long and exhausting trip to Europe. But there is no rest for the wicked! Only a few days after landing we picked up Rex, a 7-month-old Border Collie who is in training to become an assistance dog.

I wanted to give a little breakdown of how board & trains work and how they can be helpful, what an assistance dog is and what tasks they're required to perform and so on. Keep in mind that I am not an expert on assistance dog training, so this is just a brief overview.

I also get stuck into how I train the different tasks and how I assess dogs in a B&T to work out where to focus most of my efforts for best results.

I apologise for a being a little all over the place in this one, it has been a hectic time! But I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Make sure to give us a 5 🌟 rating, follow the podcast for all the latest updates, share it with your friends and other dog lovers, and drop us a comment if you like what you hear or have questions for us!

Follow Stian and Beautiful Beasts on social media:

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For personalised, expert help with your dog, contact us today:

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This week's episode of Beastly Talks, did get a little bleak, as we tackle the topic of dogs in shelters.

Sky is a qualified dog trainer, working in a not for profit shelter in California. Despite her very young age, Sky is very knowledgable and open about the reality of life for many dogs in a shelter environment. The high levels of ongoing stress can lead to anything from increased aggression, anxiety all the way up to self mutilation in some cases.

We discuss everything from LIMA, to play groups, behaviour modification in a complicated setting, tool use and even behavioural euthanasia. It's a tough conversation, but it is also an important one, so we can try to find ways to improve welfare for dogs, who find themselves in a tough spot.

We hope you enjoy this conversation, despite it's not so bright topic.

Make sure to give us a 5 🌟 rating, follow the podcast for all the latest updates, share it with your friends and other dog lovers, and drop us a comment if you like what you hear or have questions for us!

Follow Stian and Beautiful Beasts on social media:

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For personalised, expert help with your dog, contact us today:

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In this episode of Beastly Talks, prepare yourself for some big laughs and great knowledge bombs, as we sit down with Ross Macnamara from Mac Dog Training in Scotland!

Like myself, Ross focuses a lot on rehabilitating reactivity, with a particular focus on play based training. But he also works a lot on building confidence in puppies, the importance of structure and sleep, and preventing what he calls "the iPad Dog." (Likimats not welcome here!)

Our chat went from having a laugh on social media, to tool bans, back to dogs and play, and pretty much everywhere in between, and we hope you have as much fun as we did!

Make sure to give us a 5 🌟 rating, follow the podcast for all the latest updates, share it with your friends and other dog lovers, and drop us a comment if you like what you hear or have questions for us!

Check out Ross and Mac Dog Training on social media:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/macdogtraining/

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MACdogtraining/

https://www.macdogtraining.co.uk/

Follow Stian and Beautiful Beasts on social media:

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Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/vikingdogtrainer/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

For personalised, expert help with your dog, contact us today:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.beautifulbeasts.com.au