One of the latest trends in the dog training world is the discussion around the benefits of training in the presence of real-world distractions. For years, training has focused on working with dogs in artificial environments, with your average dog training class held in the local village hall or other indoor venues. When we first started training back in the day, we did host some classes in these types of venues – after experiencing the slippery floors and disruptive echoes, as well as limited space resulting in people having to sit and wait around for their turn to train, we quickly left this style of training behind!
For us, it didn’t take a genius to work out that dogs and their humans were getting better results when training in environments more relevant to the real-life situations they were training for! We now train in multiple outdoor locations across Suffolk and Essex, giving our customers and their dogs plenty of space to work so everyone can get the most out of every single class. We are so pleased to see world-renowned trainers and leading figures in the industry talking about the benefits of early training around the sorts of distractions that are innate in outdoor venues.
Outdoors, dogs can hear sounds and pick up scents from both near and far without walls blocking them out, just like they do on their daily walks; the benefit of plenty of space means the whole class can take part at once in things like fast-paced recall exercises, so dogs can learn to focus even with other dogs running around in their environment; seeing open fields, woodland, and other passing distractions in different venues means our dogs are able to be engaged and responsive even in these potentially challenging surroundings.
Working around these kinds of distractions from day one allows our dogs to develop the ability to filter out all these different stimuli and attending classes held in outdoor venues allows dogs and owners to introduce and hone new skills and behaviours in the context when they matter the most. A dog being able to walk on a loose lead or recall reliably indoors is one thing, but having the confidence to know your dog can do this at the local park or on your favourite countryside trail is the real goal for so many of you!
Our instructors are not just dog lovers – they are experts in their field with a deep understanding and passion for how our dogs learn. It’s so important that we continue to set our dogs up for success, so we can reward the behaviours we want and make sure training is both fun and effective for dog and humans alike. When training outdoors around distractions, our trainers’ skills are all the more important – breaking exercises down into easy-to-follow stages and carefully increasing criteria, tailoring classes for the dogs and people attending each week, is the key! This approach to training – based on the most up-to-date scientific knowledge of canine behaviour and learning – means that you will leave with the skills to continue applying your training from class in the real world.
Our Puppy & Dog Training classes not only cover a wealth of practical obedience behaviours, but also includes exercises to help your dogs learn how to manage their own impulses around distractions, disengage from distractions, check in with you in different environments and many more important life skills. This comprehensive training curriculum, designed by our founder and expert behaviourist, Zoe Willingham, will allow you to raise a well-rounded, confident, reliable dog who you can enjoy many adventures with for years to come!
Give your dog the benefit of ongoing, progressive training delivered by the experts by booking your place in our award-winning Puppy & Dog Training classes today:
https://www.bestbehaviourdogtraining.co.uk/classes/
