DANE - Dog Academy of New England

03/06/2026

Today we said a heart wrenching goodbye to one of my very first client dogs, Duke. Duke came to me almost five years ago having been recommended for euthanasia after some aggressive behaviour. This poor fellow was so scared, it took me around 6 months to gain his trust enough to pat him. It was all up from there, Duke and his handler grew in leaps and bounds achieving goals we never thought possible. When I started my business, I had the goal of saving just one dog from euthanasia due to behavioural concerns, Duke was the first dog to fulfil that goal. He taught me more than I can put into words. It was an honour to be there today as you crossed the rainbow bridge, sweet boy. I’m so proud of you and your family, the commitment to do whatever possible to better your life is not something I see too often. No more pain mate, fly high and say hi to Sunny for me 🌈🐾❤️

02/06/2026

Welcoming little Miss Koko to the DANE fam! Cuteness overload!!! Can’t wait to watch you grow 🥰

15/05/2026

Out and about with Rocky RockStar this morning! Learning some lead skills and investigating the world 🙂
Anyone wanna weigh in on what breed he is? There’s wire haired Jack Russell terrier in there for sure but a touch of something else we’re not quite sure of! 🐕

11/05/2026

A have posted a number of times about poor quality die cast snap clips failing; sometimes incidents were avoided, sometimes not (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4131933883499368&set=pb.100057411851667.-2207520000&type=3 . The clip that broke last week was that of a reputable brand that I have used for many years without issue.

This serves as a timely reminder that restraints should not replace good obedience and conditioning; sometimes unforeseeable circumstances occur.

Last week I was working regionally. I was walking Rinty in a park mid-afternoon when a kangaroo bound past us at a distance of only a metre or two. Rinty has instinctually responded and lunged towards the roo and I’ve pulled back on the lead to restrain him. The clip broke and Rinty was running after the roo. I immediately told him to “come” and he returned straight to me.

An act of predation in such close proximity is probably the most challenging situation to recall a dog. If I was being totally honest with myself, I was only 75% confident that Rinty would recall simply because his recall had never been tested against this extremely high level of motivation; it’s not every day of the week that a roo hops past us in the street.

What we have done since Rinty was 8 weeks old, is condition that recall is not optional; it is an absolute! If I tell Rinty to come, he must immediately be back by my side. This is for his safety and the safety of others. This is the primary reason Rinty recalled last week against the highest level of competing motivation which had never previously been tested.

There is no “choice” in recall ...... Ever! For the safety of your dog and the safety of others.

25/04/2026

Lest We Forget

24/04/2026

17/04/2026

Cuteness overload 🥰 welcoming little Mr Flint to the DANE fam, big goals for this lil fella!

23/03/2026

Handsome boy 😍 long time client Diesel on a home visit while his owners were on holidays

23/03/2026

Teddy and Polly the cutest duo learning how to 🧘 relax, take a load off, master the subtle art of doing sweet F.A. (Oh and developing confidence in new situations with moderate stimulation, including triggers for fear based reactivity such as other dogs and men in hi-vis).

23/03/2026

Super dooper proud of Miss Skyla and her handler, so many hours put in to making this beautiful girl an A class Assistance Dog!
Here we are fine tuning some movements to help with her Public access work on public transport such as buses and trains. 😍🥰