How are you preparing to become a professional dog trainer? 

I have a whole box of dog training books that I nicked from my dad.  I love studying dogs. At the moment I’m learning about their noses and I watch Nando Brown and Jo-Rosie. They teach me the importance of scent work. I watch Chirag Patel who is an amazing dog trainer.  And Absolute Dogs, with Tom and Lauren.  So, I’m watching quite a lot of people. 

Your dad talks a lot about non-verbal communication with dogs, can you explain it to us?

It’s really about sitting quietly and watching the dogs, watching their body language and observing them as you’re going along – to understand them.  With my little Frenchie, I’ve already observed that when her ears are back she’s either ready to play or she’s scared.  I keep a book of all the things I’ve observed with our dogs. 

Do you recommend keeping a journal?

Yes, definitely. I write down everything I observe.

How can we practice non-verbal communication with our own dogs?

Well, while noticing that their ears are back which you know might mean excitement or fear, you can then ask yourself what else are they doing?  Are they bouncing around? That’s how I think of it.  You can also watch them on their walks and whilst they’re eating.  Are they bowing to other dogs?  This might mean they want a play session.  Sometimes our German Shepherd does it with our little Frenchie.  She starts to bow and then she jumps out of the bow and starts playing.   It’s indicating that they are about to play and that they want to play and that they are comfortable playing.

What’s your favourite aspect of dog training? 

I love watching their body language, teaching them new tricks, and I love the cuddles with dogs after they have done something amazing.

We asked Tia for her Top 3 Training Tips

Tia’s Training Tip #1: Practice

Keep going, keep practising.  Your dog is not going to know what you are talking about so you want to just practice consistently until they do.

Tia’s Training Tip #2: Repetition

You want to keep practising that same trick and then they will start to understand what you’re on about.  Let’s say you are doing ‘sit’ if you keep practising they will understand what ‘sit’ means when you ask them. 

Tia’s Training Tip #3: Calmness

You don’t want to be angry or frustrated with what they’re doing.  You want to make it nice and fun so that when they do that trick they know it’s a fun trick, not a boring trick.  Keep it positive.