211. When Your Dog Is “Too Difficult” for Training

<p>Jo and Claire Denyer tackle one of the most common worries handlers carry quietly: the belief that a dog needs to behave better before it is ready to see a trainer. They cover why the opposite is true, what so-called difficult behaviour is often really communicating, and how the most challenging dogs frequently become the dogs of a lifetime.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>In this episode</strong></p><ul><li>Why your trainer needs to see your dog at his cheekiest, not his best behaved</li><li>The warning moment most handlers miss in the seconds before their dog disappears after a scent</li><li>Why difficult young dogs so often mature into the hardest working, most rewarding dogs</li><li>How watching other dogs at group classes and charity tests fast tracks your own handling</li><li>What displacement behaviours like scent marking and cushion humping actually mean</li><li>Claire's recent case of a golden retriever whose recall problem was nothing like it looked</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>About Claire Denyer</strong></p><p>Claire Denyer is an LWDG Group Expert and professional dog trainer who works with handlers and their dogs every week, from group classes and one-to-one sessions through to behaviour cases referred by local vets. She brings a rare mix of straight talking and genuine compassion, and her whole approach is built on helping the handler, not just the dog.</p><p></p><p><strong><em><u>Thanks for being here. </u></em></strong></p><p><br></p><p>If this episode gave you something, a laugh, a lightbulb, or just the feeling that someone gets it, that's exactly why we make it.</p><p>📚 <strong>Not sure where to start with your gundog training?</strong> Grab the <a href="https://ladiesworkingdoggroup.com/lwdg-level-finder/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map</strong></a><strong>. Work out where</strong> you exactly where you are and what to work on next, no more guessing needed.</p>