Da Capo Dogs

03/09/2025

Whether it is your mental health, your physical health, or overwhelm at the state of the world, training your dog can wait.

Hang out with your dog, spend time together, play and be silly, but don't focus on expectations or achieving set goals when you are already struggling.

Things happen! Terrible things, stressful things, painful things. Training is supposed to be a fun and collaborative exercise, and if you are only doing it because you feel like you "should" then nobody is going to benefit from it.

Sometimes the best way to take the breath you need is to stop gripping onto control, and to let your dog just exist. Watching them bounce around and sniff on a walk instead of worrying about heeling or cues, gives you a chance to just stop. It is just a moment, and it will pass.

06/06/2025

New Puppy and Dog Training classes available to book at Holsworthy Memorial Hall!

Every Wednesday
6 week course starting 18th June

Puppies under 6 months 6:15pm - 7:15pm

Dogs over 6 months 7:30pm - 8:30pm

Booking now available - maximum 6 dogs per class so the spaces fill up quickly!
Payment plans available

Save your spot by going to our website, www.dacapo.dog

If you have any questions then feel free to email us at info@dacapo.dog, or give us a ring on 07735 744109

Please be aware that we may be out training dogs when you call, so if we don't get to the phone in time please leave a message and we will ring you back ASAP!

26/05/2025

I am proud to announce that I am now a Professional Member of the Pet Professional Network!

The Pet Professional Network is the first international business support organisation and educational platform for kind, ethical and trusted pet professionals. Working in collaboration with world class training and behavioural institutes, business and mindset coaches, they help raise the standards of animal welfare providing members with a safe community to grow or expand their business and connect with like-minded professionals.

Having undergone a personal assessment, ensuring I meet their high standards and force and fear free philosophy, I have been invited to join their supportive community and will continue to receive ongoing group coaching.

By being a member I am committed to giving my clients the best and most effective long-term support and will also encourage other professionals to reach out and help support each other, in a safe coaching environment.

19/05/2025

・Playing With Your Dog・

As social mammals ourselves, we love to play and have fun just as much as our dogs do. It is a vital skill, because play is one of the biggest ways that we bond with others - it is low stakes, it shows that you're safe, and it develops mutual communication.

But we also all remember that one kid on the playground that could make any game a chore, because they would always win and they would make up new rules and you had to do everything they said in order to even take part. Things went from fun and collaborative to frustrating, unfair, and a massive downer.

None of us ever want to be "that kid" and yet it is so easy to accidentally do the exact same thing with our dogs!

We think that good play skills are one of the most important parts of a strong relationship with your dog, that's why it is one of the core pillars of the Da Capo Dogs Method of training, and we are planning on launching a free e-book, and a free webinar, to cover the basics, so watch this space!

19/05/2025

From Barnstaple to Bude, and even a little further afield, we want to apply the skills that our guide and assistance dogs learn to you and your dog. We are currently setting up brand new classes for puppies and for adult dogs, so watch this space!

All of the profits made from our dog training are reinvested into our Assistance Dog Programme.

08/05/2025

We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful area, with access to the Torrington Commons. It is a perfect place for taking our dogs, including our programme dogs, not just for a walk but for ongoing socialisation too!

If you see us out and about then feel free to say hi and ask about our dog training work - all we would say is to please be aware that sometimes we might be working with a reactive or nervous dog, so if you see the dog wearing YELLOW then we might not be able to stop and chat.

Hiro here is my own Assistance Dog, and as you can see when he isn't working he is just like any other dog!

Call now to connect with business.

07/05/2025

Multi-dog Households can be pretty chaotic, but they don't always have to be!

It is so important to understand each dog as an individual, what they want, what they need, and what their capacity is for the things you might be asking them to do.

That's true for any dog, but is absolutely VITAL if you have more than one, so that you can be sure that the dogs get along with each other - or that if they DON'T get along with each other, then you can be sure that they are happily settled with their own private space.

Want some support with adding a new dog to your house, or advice on changing the current dynamic between your dogs? Feel free to reach out via our website, or give us a call!

(We may not always answer the phone, as our signal is not great, but if you leave a message we will get back to you ASAP)

25/04/2025

We are experienced Assistance Dog trainers, who are now setting up classes and 1-2-1 training in the local area. We are hoping to set up new classes in May, we are currently based in Langtree but are looking into venues across the North Devon & Cornwall area!

We have a form on our website that we are using to gauge what availability suits people best, with the goal of then establishing regular exciting classes and workshops.

We don't just do puppy classes, but all sorts of sports and even behavioural work for reactive or aggressive dogs. The money that we earn is directly invested back into the company, so that we can expand our Assistance Dog Programme and help support the most vulnerable members of our community.

Thank you very much everyone for your time, and we hope that you and your pups have a wonderful day!

02/04/2025

•How Universal Is Canine Body Language?•

Although there are some generalised rules when it comes to how dogs communicate, it is absolutely vital to understand how YOUR dog uses their body to express themselves.
We can never truly KNOW how a dog feels, but we can be curious and make a relatively educated guess based on consistent observation.

How MIGHT Hiro feel here?
Anxious?
Irritated?
Frustrated?
Excited?

What is Hachi asking Hiro? And what answer is he giving her?