Training Methods

At Brea Agility Dogz we appreciate how important your dog is to you - they are a valued family member.  For that reason we only use training methods that are safe and enjoyable for your dog.  Thankfully, gone are the days where anyone needs to resort to punishment or shouting to train their dog (although some dog trainers may still try and convince you otherwise!).

Scenic view of Carn Brea from the agility training field

Don't be mislead by our name - BaDDogz.  Anyone who knows us and our training methods will vouch for the fact that we never see any dog as being bad or naughty - only under-trained or lacking motivation by the rewards that are on offer . . . so in our case 'BaD' is is definitely only an acronym of where our training is held!

Understanding Your Dog

Our training methods are based on a complete understanding of your dog, from their basic ethology to their learning systems.  By understanding your dog - how they learn and what motivates them - we can help you to get the best out of your dog.

There are three main rewards we encourage handlers to use with their dogs - toys, treats and verbal praise.  As dogs are motivated in different ways and by different things, we can help you to choose the most appropriate reward system for your dog. 

Some dogs are keen and eager to work for pure fun and do not require much additional motivation from their handlers.  Other dogs can find learning new things stressful so finding the right motivational tool is essential.  

At BaDDogz our extensive experience means we can assist handlers of both types of dog - excitable learners can be taught how to keep calm in a training environment, whereas cautious learners can have their confidence raised. 

Merlin completes the weaves in the Supadogs Finals 2007.         

Photo courtesy of Andrew Dicker.

Our positive reward approach also applies to your dog's two-legged companions, which means that you and your dog are encouraged every step of the way and can enjoy every moment of your training, without fear of being told off for making 'mistakes'.

Success Breeds Success!

We strongly believe that your dog will learn best by having exercises set for them to succeed at, which gives them more confidence...which sets them up to succeed again!  

We ensure that in all of our classes dogs are challenged enough to use their brains, but are not given unrealistic goals which will demotivate them in the long term.  This is the reason that dogs who train with us progress so quickly - even those whose owners have never done agility before.

Our aim is to have happy dogs who thoroughly enjoy every opportunity to be with ther owner and take part in their training.