About Us

I only had one ambition when I was growing up and that was to have a dog, it was that simple.  As soon as I left home I started to research and plan and after 6 long months a Labrador came into my life.  To this day it remains the best decision I ever made as dogs have influenced and shaped my life in every way since!

From that point on I knew I would always have dogs in my life and realised there was so much to learn about dogs. In 2000, along came Maverick aka Mr Custard, an unsocialised 5 month old Rottweiler terrified of life.  He was not the first Rottweiler in my life however his behaviour was really unusual and not something I’d previously experienced.

The local training club suggested I needed to be pack leader to stop any ‘dominant’ behaviour, sadly this just made him worse and he lost all trust in me and became a bite risk – this is how my journey began. I wanted to understand why pack leader methods and indeed other aversive methods sometimes appeared to work but then went on to create new behaviour issues and no-one could explain this to me. Training and behaviour are intrinsic so I started my long journey of understanding how dogs think and learn. I wanted to learn more about what affects and impacts both wanted and unwanted behaviours, how humans’ behaviour drives a dog’s behaviour and all the ways they often desperately try to communicate with us. As it was my choice to share my life with a dog and invite them into my home I felt it only right that I knew how to identify and meet their needs so our lives together could be harmonious and that I could spend time on creating that all important bond.

I have completed both the Practical and Level 2 Certificate courses with Think Dog! (Sarah Whitehead) and have a Level 5 Diploma with Distinction in Canine Psychology and Behaviour with the ISCP. I qualified as a Dynamic Dog Practitioner in 2021 to complement my behaviour modification plans as this enables me to not only understand how pain and discomfort impacts behaviour but to also carry out a Functional Assessment of a dog to highlight any areas of concern that may need further investigation. I undertake lots of CPD to ensure that my knowledge is up to date and that my understanding of how dogs think and learn is current and relevant so I can provide the best outcomes for you and your dog… …

I have a keen interest in Animal Assisted Intervention having completed a course with HumAnima and have had 2 of my dogs qualify as therapy dogs working in schools with SEN children. I am an assessor and area co-ordinator for Canine Concern Therapy Dog Scheme, and a Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme Bronze Assessor. I recently became a Level 1 Scentwork UK instructor.

I first took an interest in dogs many years ago and since then have always had them in my life in some way or another. It was a long time before I had the privilege of bringing my first dog home, but I used the years leading up to that to gain lots of knowledge and experience of dog training and behaviour. This included working as a volunteer at various rescue centres, including the RSPCA and Blue Cross, and looking after dogs for friends and family members. I spent many an hour researching dog training and behaviour, attending many dog training classes, shadowing other dog trainers as an assistant and then finally becoming a dog training instructor at two local clubs. This drove me to want to further my skills, so I studied to become a qualified dog trainer with the IMDT and qualified in 2021.

My first dog, a beautiful German Shepherd named Holly (our class demo dog), has taken me on all sorts of adventures and taught me an awful lot. Having completed the Kennel Club Good Citizens awards, we went on to try our hands (and paws) at competitive obedience and qualified for the Special Pre-beginners obedience stakes at Crufts in 2018. Holly and I have also been part of the Good Citizens display teams at Crufts. In March 2024 we were back at Crufts again, this time to compete in the “Obreedience” competition.

In 2023 I decided to welcome another German Shepherd puppy into my home, who we named Ruby. Despite being related to Holly, Ruby is quite different in terms of her personality, and definitely not the “easiest” of dogs. However, I have spent (and continue to spend) time learning to understand her and, through reward-based training and an understanding of her behaviour, we have made great progress. I have a passion for training, and learning what makes an individual dog “tick”. There is something very special about building a relationship with a dog, and being able to understand and communicate with each other effectively.

Holly was 3 years old when I had my first child, and this brought a new challenge of helping my established dog to adjust to life with a baby, and for me to navigate life with a baby and dog, trying to ensure that the needs of both were met. It was this that inspired me to become a KAD (Kids Around Dogs) approved professional – I wanted to help other families, particularly as I now understood some of the unique challenges that come when raising children alongside dogs. I then had a second child in 2022, which changed our lives again, and when my puppy Ruby arrived in 2023 I discovered the challenges of raising a puppy alongside young children (aged 1 and 3). I learned some key survival tactics for those early months of having a young puppy and children in the same household, and these are things that I am keen to pass on to other parents with puppies.

As well as being a qualified IMDT trainer and KAD (Kids Around Dogs) professional, I am also a qualified teacher. I have made sure to keep up to date with modern science in relation to dog training and behaviour by regularly studying for my CPD. I do not believe it is possible to know everything, and we should always be striving to learn more and evaluate what we are doing along the way. Even now, I am always re-evaluating training techniques to try to better my skills.

Holly was our fabulous class demo dog. She was patient, loved other dogs and people and loved to be a stand-in dog when people were not able to bring their dog to classes. As a typical shepherd, she loved using her brain and learning new tricks. She had a whole repertoire ready to show you, and would happily perform to whoever wanted to watch her. She was a great calming influence on many dogs and was often used as a stooge dog for those dogs who struggled around other dogs. She was fantastic around children, being gentle, calm and patient.

Holly was born Christmas day 2015, so had plenty of life experience behind her. She was not phased by “reactive” dogs and took everything in her stride. She loved meeting the puppies and even though she was big, her calm demeanour could help put puppy parents at ease.

Holly loved helping out in classes, and if you had asked her about it she would have said:

“it’s great being a class demo dog. I spend lots of time chilling out in my comfortable crate (which makes a nice change from being in a busy house with screaming children!) and every now and again I come out for a few minutes, show off what I can do and get some really tasty treats for it. Then I get to go back in my crate and chill out whilst I watch everyone else working hard. This is a great way to spend my older years.”

Holly has left some incredibly large boots to fill however we are currently considering all our options in relation to bringing one of the other TTDE dogs on board to become our class demo dog