Frequently Asked Questions
Is Games Based Concept Training for all dogs?
Yes absolutely. As the main aim is for you and your dog to have an enormous amount of fun together, this style of training is loved by all dogs from tiny puppies to my 16 year old Jack Russell.
If you want your dog to feel calm, confident and content, then Games Based Concept Training is for you.
I have a multi dog household - how does that work?
This is one of the areas where this style of training can show incredible results. It can be challenging with multiple dogs to have a calm household – concept training is like gold for helping with busy households.
There are so many ways I can show you how you can engage one dog while training with another dog as well as training dogs together.
How does a video consultation work?
Video calls on Zoom give us so much flexibility in the way we can work together.
If you have a dog that is nervous of new people or nervous in general, then we can easily have your first session by Zoom to ensure your dog is as comfortable as possible.
If you live further away, then Zoom calls are the answer for us.
Is my dog suited to group classes?
Some dogs, just like people, can struggle in group settings. If you have a dog that can struggle around other dogs, or people, then they will be more suited to 1-2-1 sessions. We can have a chat on the phone to work out what is best for you and your dog.
If your dog needs support before joining a group and you love the idea of group classes, or a dog sport in busy environments, we can absolutely have this as a goal to work towards during our 1-2-1 sessions.
What struggles do you help with?
The reality with concept dog training is that nearly every dog struggle falls under the concepts that we train, at times I like to think of it as “how long is a piece of string?’.
So if you have a new puppy, a rescue dog, a reactive dog, one that needs to learn a recall, one that needs general calmness, a nervous dog or a dog with separation anxiety (naming a few of the frequent ones), then you are in the right place.
Do you need to see my dog 'misbehaving'?
One of my main intentions is to always ensure that every dog is feeling as comfortable as possible.
For this reason, you being open and honest when describing the struggles your dog is experiencing is more than enough.
Starting our session on a good foot is key, so asking your dog to go into a situation where they are uncomfortable would be detrimental to your dogs emotional wellbeing and yours.
Through some very specific questions in the behaviour questionnaire and alongside you being open and honest, I will be able to see the direction we need to go in to support your dog.
What inspired you to use the name Cornerstone?
Deciding on a name for a new business is tricky. I had written down a multitude of ideas and was still feeling a little lost.
One Sunday I was in Church as we starting singing one of my favourite songs, ‘Cornerstone’, and I just knew – this was it. I love everything that Cornerstone stands for; the first stone and the foundation of something new.
I love the synergy between the meaning, the song and the ethos of concept dog training.
If you would like to have a listen, this is one of my favourite versions by Amanda Cook.
What is NLP?
The best way to think of Neuro Linguistic Programming is as an instruction manual for the mind.
NLP is a model of our communication, emotions and personality. More specifically it is how we use the language of our own minds to achieve a specific outcome.
Neuro – Our nervous system, mind and senses.
Linguistic – The language and non verbal communication systems through which our internal thoughts are coded and given meaning.
Programming – The ability to discover and utilise the programs that we run in our brains to communicate to ourselves and others, as we work towards achieving our desired and specific outcomes.
On a side note – if like me, you have been curious about NLP and would like to look into formally studying NLP, then let’s chat. I did a lot of research prior to my studies and happy to share this with you – I love talking about NLP as much as I do dog training.