Being A Dog
What Jay Did Next…
Imagine a toddler brain with teenage hormones, covered in fluff and weighing in at 71kg. That’s Jay, a 19 month old Newfoundland boy. He shares
13 July 2022
SLEAFORD
Dog training is important at all stages of your dog’s life, from puppy through adulthood. Many people start with puppy training, but even if you have an older puppy or have just taken on a rescue, dog training can be a great hobby for you both.
Whatever stage you’re at, from first time puppy owner to experienced competition level handler we welcome you to Happy Dogs Forever. Whether this is your first puppy or your 100th we are all still learning about our individual dog. So we share experiences and knowledge to help you build the best bond with your puppy.
“In over 10 years of puppy training there is still no feeling like seeing a puppy and their handler come together to achieve new things.”
Lizz – Happy Dogs Forever Founder
Puppies need extra special care until they are fully grown and mature dogs have their own needs too. We want Happy Dogs Forever and that means always putting their care and conditioning above everything else.
A kennel club listed centre
Happy Dogs Forever is about making sure your dog has a fun, positive and enjoyable experience while they train. You'll need lots of rewards and fuss when you train with us.
Whether this is your first puppy or your 100th we are all still learning about our individual dog. So we share experiences and knowledge to help you build the best bond with your puppy.
Puppies need extra special care until they are fully grown and mature dogs all have their own needs too. We want Happy Dogs Forever and that means putting their care and conditioning above everything else.
is about making sure your dog has a fun, positive and enjoyable experience while they train. You’ll need lots of treats & rewards with you when you train with us.
Our dog training is based on the science of how dogs learn, rewarding the behaviours we want more of and where it is safe to do so, ignoring the behaviours we don’t want. Dog training with Happy Dogs Forever often includes a clicker, marking the exact behaviour we want to encourage, the good behaviour we want more of in our dogs. It most definitely involved lots of rewards, sometimes those are food, sometimes play and other times a simple ‘good dog’.
You can teach an old dog new tricks and many owners look forward to the weekly classes that become a lifelong hobby we share with our dog. It’s a myth that only ‘bad’ dogs need training. All dogs benefit from the enrichment and enjoyment of training. Of course you benefit from a dog that walks well on a lead, comes back when called and has great manners around the house too.
As a kennel club listed centre we’ve worked with hundreds of new puppies and their expectant owners and if I can leave you with just one piece of advice about dog training it’s this… Have Fun!
Lizz founded Happy Dogs Forever over 10 years ago. She is an experienced handler, breeder and of course dog trainer. Her passion is in helping pet dog owners to live happy and enjoyable lives with their dogs.
Lizz is a Kennel Club Accredited Instructor and abides by the code of conduct for instructors. In addition, Lizz is a Good Citizen Scheme examiner and leads the good citizen scheme activities at Happy Dogs Forever. Lizz is also certified in both human and Canine first aid.
Izzy joined the team after a work placement at college where she studied Animal Behaviour. She has a keen interest in hydrotherapy and physiotherapy, developing body conditioning classes for all our dogs. Izzy regularly takes puppy, foundation and good citizen scheme classes which are enjoyed by all.
Izzy has a BTEC in Animal Behaviour and is also certified in both human and Canine first aid.
Aimee started her journey as an attendee at puppy class and never left. During the last few years she has studied canine behaviour & psychology and dog training. Aimee is particularly interested in dog behaviour.
Aimee is a Kennel Club Accredited Instructor and has a diploma in Dog Behaviour & Training. She is a student member of the International Society of Animal Professionals as she is currently studying an Advanced Diploma in Applied Animal Behaviour. Aimee is also certified in both human and Canine first aid.
Puppies can begin training with us as soon as they are fully vaccinated, and our puppy training is suitable for puppies upto 6 months old. The classes are structured to allow lots of time to practise important skills your dog will need to be a good pet dog. We include support on toilet training, socialisation and how to tackle any challenge your puppy may present with one simple rule.
For dogs who are over 6 months old our foundation dog training covers the same curriculum as the puppy class, but focused towards the needs of older dogs. By 6 months many dogs are much bigger, have hormones coming in and may have already experienced being rehomed. So whilst the class content is the same the needs of the dogs are a little different in the older class.
On average training a good pet dog takes around 2 years. That gets all the basics in, gives time for things to go a bit wobbly during adolescence and then settles you into a lifetime of enjoyable pet ownership. It’s really common for dogs to regress in their training during their adolescent phase so we run the Kennel Club Good Citizen scheme to keep you focused and on track throughout the tricky teenage phase.
1:1 training is available for dogs who find the class environment overwhelming or where there is a specific behaviour you want to train. All 1:1 dog training starts with a training assessment to understand what you want to achieve and from there we can work out a training plan for your dog.
Rally is a competitive dog sport where you and your dog work as a team to complete exercises working around a course. The course signs direct you to complete an obedience exercise and our weekly classes are suitable for complete beginners through to experienced competition handlers. Even if you never intend to compete, our rally sessions are fun ways to build a true bond with your dog.
Practising being relaxed around other dogs, walking on a loose lead or trying not to be over friendly? Then the loose lead walking group provides a safe and secure environment. All dogs attending are on lead at all times, in a private paddock. That means no risk of an out of control dog running up to you and scuppering your training efforts. Group walking sessions run approximately every 2 weeks.
Imagine a toddler brain with teenage hormones, covered in fluff and weighing in at 71kg. That’s Jay, a 19 month old Newfoundland boy. He shares
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