A Case Study: Big success with rewards-based training at Poppets
What do you do when something happens to change how your dog responds to everyday life?
Suddenly, their reactions are different. Things that were easy are suddenly hard. Maybe they're less keen to go for a walk, or they're more anxious around people. Maybe, they've stopped wanting to go for walks completely!
If this happens, it can be incredibly sad, disruptive, and hard to deal with.
Not uncommon. Not easy. But not the end of your story...
Poppets Dog Training: Help is at hand!
We’ve been sharing lots of insights to help you make these decisions and choose the best dog training.
It can help to hear from owners who have been in your position and found the support they needed. Recently, we had the privilege of working with Luna and her family. Ross and Sarah contacted us after Luna became increasingly anxious in response to noises and bangs, to the point where she started refusing walks. Here’s her story.
Take a walk with me…
Tell us about your family
We are in our 30s and live in Galley Common in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, with our dog Luna. We’re lucky to have the countryside on our doorstep and love getting out and about to make the most of it. We run lots together… and sometimes Luna joins us too.
Tell us about Luna
Luna is a black Labrador and she’s three and a half years old. We chose Luna as she loves a cuddle. She’s full of energy, full of life and, as dogs tend to do, has found a spot right in the centre of our family.
Being a Labrador, we knew she would enjoy the runs and walks – we knew our lifestyle matched having a dog who needed lots of exercise.
From Rachel, Owner at Poppets: Choosing the right dog for you and your setting is key. You might want to take a look at our recent article, “Choosing the right dog breed for you.”
What led to luna being scared of loud noises? Why did you look for a dog trainer?
Luna started to struggle with anxiety and became more and more scared of loud noises.
We had been walking at night and there were some fireworks being let off close by. Luna was scared by this and started getting anxious. She then started to get anxious about going outside, which was really upsetting. After a while, she was refusing her walks altogether, which was hard because she had loved being outdoors running and exploring.
We then reached a stage where she would react to other loud noises and bangs. It was really telling to see how this event could lead to her associating noises and being outside, with her feeling scared… and then how it could develop and really stop her thriving as she was before.
From Rachel, Owner at Poppets: The reason for anxious responses to noise and bangs can be down to several factors. The reason behind the fear might be something like fireworks, or another relational cause of feeling unsafe.
It’s crucial for a trainer to get to the bottom of ‘why’ your dog is responding in this way. From here, we can work on real, lasting and positive behaviour change.
How did you find Poppets Dog Training? Why did you choose them?
We had decided that Luna needed some support and instinctively thought that some professional dog training would help.
This situation had come into Luna’s life, so we wanted to do something about it and get her back to being the happy dog we knew she was. We asked around first of all, and our neighbours and a dog walker both recommended Rachel and Poppets Dog Training.
I always like going on trusted recommendations, so we contacted Poppets – we were immediately impressed by Rachel’s experience and her professional approach. We weren’t given a hard sell and lots of promises, just clear, caring, confident advice that put our minds at ease.
Decision made.
From Rachel, Owner at Poppets: Just like with humans, anxiety is complex and needs careful, expert handling.
The wrong training can have a negative impact on your dog if it only deals with the external, rather than the underlying cause.
Poppets use force-free rewards-based training to support lasting behaviour change. You might enjoy our recent article explaining this, “Dog training methods.”
How did Poppets help With luna being scared of loud noises? What service did they provide?
Poppets provided an initial consultation to help them understand behaviours, concerns and possible causes. This felt like a service in itself, and we certainly learned from it and came away feeling optimistic.
From here, Rachel explained that 1-2-1 sessions could help diagnose the issue and identify specific triggers – she would then focus on rebuilding Luna’s confidence.
The sessions were designed around rewarding steps towards the end goal… or steps in the right direction. The training was tailored specifically around Luna and meeting her needs at that point as an anxious dog who wouldn't leave the house.
Rachel introduced a stepped programme, where we rewarded positive behaviour. Luna initially grew in confidence when playing on the driveway, before eventually going out for walks. We completely trusted Rachel’s force-free methods. Adding any stress into the training for Luna would not have worked!
Did you have any challenges to overcome?
Of course. It was all about taking small steps, continuing to reassure, reinforce the desired behaviour and reward movement in the right direction.
For us, it meant patiently calming Luna down around loud bangs, getting her on her lead and out into the street, before introducing small, planned walks to reduce the possibility of her getting anxious and wanting to turn back.
At its worst, ‘getting our Luna back’ seemed a long way off but we saw the progress she was making, and we grew in confidence with her.
From Rachel, Owner at Poppets: Why, Why, Why?
Good dog trainers need to dig deep into the ‘why’ if they’re going to tailor specific training and help with long-lasting behaviour change.
Poppets are research-led, using best practice methods endorsed by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) and Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors.
What was it like working with Rachel and Poppets Dog Training?
We enjoyed working with Rachel as she really understood Luna's issues and provided a friendly, convenient and skilled service. She was always on hand to answer any questions, which shows how invested she will be in your story.
The 1-2-1 sessions with Luna outside and on walks made a big difference. We felt equipped to support her ourselves and we saw her confidence (and ours) grow to overcome her worries and anxieties.
Tell us about Luna being scared of Loud noises now - What outcome were you most proud of and pleased with?
That’s easy, because it’s exactly what Rachel said she would do.
We’re proud of Luna's resilience when dealing with noises and bangs following her training. She is no longer held back by her anxiety and it's like having the old (real) Luna with us again.
Can you share an example of any behaviours that show the progress your dog made?
Noises happen, but now Luna can deal with them! Whenever there's a loud noise or bang, my wife and I know Luna will look at us for reassurance. But now, she doesn't go into her shell and become as anxious.
Using the games and techniques we’ve learned together, we've shown Luna she can trust us to help guide her through moments that previously made her anxious, so she can continue her walk.
From Rachel, Owner at Poppets: I love the relationship between dog and owner. It’s more important than my relationship with your dog.
Poppets won’t leave you on your own. We’ll support you to carry on all the good work. After all, you are your dog’s best friend…
You’ll enjoy reading our recent article about your role, “How do I stop my dog jumping up?”
Would you recommend Poppets to others? If so, why?
Yes, absolutely.
The service is very structured, organised, personal and delivers great results. Our brilliant dog had become scared of loud noises and it was holding her back. Put simply, Rachel and Poppets Dog Training help make Luna very happy again.
What would you say about Poppets if asked?
Poppets Dog Training is a lovely friendly service, great value for money and always has your pet’s best interests at heart.
From Rachel, Owner at Poppets: We loved working with Luna, Ross and Sarah.
As with all our dogs, it was special to be part of Luna’s story and see her overcome the challenges she faced. No dog, especially a Labrador, should be feeling anything but excitement at the prospect of a walk.
As a trio, they worked hard to build resilience and, as they aptly said, make Luna happy again.
It doesn’t matter where you and your dog start on your training journey. What’s important is finding yourself on the right path, with a trainer that’s right for you and your dog. If you do this, you’ll have a dog who thrives and knows how to direct all their enthusiasm in the right direction.
But how do you get there?
At Poppets Dog Training, we know there’s lots of opinion on the topic. There’s lots of information and some of it is confusing or contradictory. And where this happens, you’ve got decisions to make.
Force-free training? Aversive/disciplinarian training? Rewards?
Then, if we’re talking about working with anxious behaviour, the causes will range hugely from dog to dog, and from family to family.
And this doesn’t begin to cover your own thought process on what ‘good’ or desired behaviour looks like for you and your family. What behaviours do you want to train? What behaviour suits your context? Because remember, dog training done well will look different for every family.
We’ll be posting again soon to give you even more insight into force-free training and the research behind best-practice methods. Find us on Facebook, or check out the blog page.
Do you have questions about Poppets Dog Training and what we're doing across Nuneaton and Warwickshire... or just need a bit of help?
Get in touch - I’d love to meet you and your four-legged friend.
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