Lancashire Canine Academy

03/12/2025

✨ Christmas Closure & Post Op Update ✨
aka Marcia finally sits down for five minutes

Right my lovely lot, a little update as we head into the most chaotic month of the year

My last in person private training session will take place on Thursday 11th December before I head off for my operation. Slots are extremely limited, so if you need a pre Christmas tune up for your little cherub, pop me a message

If I can’t squeeze you in, don’t panic, I’ve got a whole network of wonderful local trainers I can signpost you to. We love a bit of teamwork in Lancashire ❤️

I’m not putting a date on when in person training will resume. I’m determined not to rush my recovery this time. I know, who even am I 😂

Online private training will restart on Monday 5th January so you’ll still be able to pick my brain from the comfort of your sofa, pyjamas encouraged 🧘🏼‍♀️

Group classes will continue as normal in the new year 🥳

Daycare and Dog Walking will close at 5.30pm on Friday 19th December and reopen at 7.30am on Monday 5th January.

Plenty of time to book your dogs in while you do some Christmas shopping or go for a boozy Christmas lunch 🥂(no judgement here 🥴)

Thank you all for your patience, kindness and for always cheering me on, even when I’m held together with tea, willpower and a slightly chaotic schedule.

I’m looking forward to healing properly, enjoying Christmas with my sons and coming back in the new year with functioning insides and far fewer painkillers

Here’s to a calm December, a smooth recovery and a 2026 that owes me big time ❤️🐾

02/12/2025

Just got back from a home visit and honestly people crack me up.

I asked this lovely client about her dog’s daily routine and she immediately went whisper mode and said she sleeps in my bed like she was confessing to a crime.

Babes, I don’t care if your dog sleeps in your bed on your head wrapped round your neck like a warm hairy scarf or starfished across the mattress while you cling on for dear life. You do you hun!

The only time I’m bothered is if your dog guards the bed like a nightclub bouncer and you’re stood there holding a cup of tea waiting for permission to sit down.

If that’s the case message me!

If not crack on with your nightly ritual of negotiating with a creature that weighs 12kg but somehow controls the entire mattress 😂

Sleep tight everyone ###

02/12/2025

🐶✨ Introduction to Scentwork – This Sunday! ✨🐶
7th December | 10:30–12:00 | £50

Fancy a dog that’s happily snoozing while you put your feet up, stick on a Christmas film, and sip a Baileys hot chocolate without feeling guilty?
Great. Bring them to Scentwork.

Scentwork is basically the canine equivalent of doing a full Tesco shop on the 23rd of December — it proper tires them out.

Your dog gets mental stimulation.
You get peace, chocolate, and the ability to watch Elf without pausing every 3 minutes to yell

“GET OFF THE TREE”.

Limited spaces, so book on before your dog books themselves on out of pure desperation for enrichment. 🎄🐾

www.lancashirecanineacademy.co.uk

01/12/2025

🎄DECEMBER 1st ✨⭐️

I’m not trying to sell you anything.
Just sharing a little December reminder from me, Stanley and Ember.

I’ve always loved this month. The twinkly lights, the nostalgia, the warmth of old memories, and that moment Silent Night starts and suddenly you’re one wobble away from a festive emotional breakdown. December has always held its own kind of magic for me.

But somewhere along the way, it also became… a lot.
The pressure.
The comparison.
The idea that Christmas has to be Instagram-perfect, colour-coordinated and come with a price tag that makes your bank account cry.

So here’s your gentle reminder

You don’t need matching family pyjamas
You don’t need a Christmas Eve box that looks like it was curated by Santa’s personal shopper
You don’t need perfect decorations or a spotless house
You don’t need any of it to have a beautiful Christmas

What you do need is a moment to breathe
A moment to smile
A moment to find joy in the small, simple things already around you

This December, slow down
Let go of the commercial chaos
And let the magic come from the imperfect, ordinary moments that actually matter

And if I sound unusually calm and zen… I’m just channelling my post-op recovery energy early. Can you tell? 😂✨

30/11/2025

🎉 Huge congratulations to today’s newly qualified (and freshly refreshed!) Canine First Aiders! 🎉

Everyone absolutely smashed it today.

As always, we put all of our college work placement students through the course so they’re fully prepared to step in confidently during any emergency situation at LCA.

We also welcomed three brilliant local dog walkers and an aspiring dog professional who all threw themselves into the mix of theory, practical demos, hands-on practice and real-life scenarios.

From bandaging “patients” to learning life-saving techniques, you all did amazing and should be really proud of yourselves.

❤️🐾 NEXT COURSE DATE

Our next Canine First Aid workshop will take place on Tuesday 20th January, 10am–12pm.

It was specifically requested to certify the local dog wardens, but it’s open to anyone else who’d like to book on and learn these essential life-saving skills.

Thanks for spending your Sunday with us and investing in the safety and welfare of the dogs in your care.

Well done team!

29/11/2025

It’s Saturday and I’ve woken up with a massive spot right in the middle of my forehead. Proper Rudolph energy 🦌

Busy day ahead: covering Grace’s Scentwork class first thing, then interviewing a college student for a work placement, then building a plastic shed 🙈 (don’t ask), followed by assembling staff lockers so my OCD for tidiness can calm itself down 🧘🏼‍♀️

The Christmas shop still needs finishing so it looks social-media worthy and I can do my dramatic “It’s time” Mariah Carey reveal 🎄

Just as I typed all this I remembered I said I’d go Christmas shopping at Oswaldtwistle Mills with my little sister this afternoon… so let’s be honest, the job list is already doomed. we will be drinking Prosecco by 2pm 😂🙈

Best finish this brew and crack on before this spot grows legs and starts paying rent.

Hope everyone else is having a good Saturday! 🎄🫖✨

28/11/2025

When you try to cheat the system but end up smelling like… a freshly groomed spaniel 🙈

This morning I took my camper van to the garage to get the diesel heater looked at. It might still be under warranty, but only just. So naturally, I did what any self-respecting woman does when trying to charm a mechanic – bit of makeup, spritz of perfume, hair brushed, the lot.

Fast forward eight hours of working with dogs, in the rain, in and out of daycare, being licked, jumped on, drooled on and used as a human nap mat.

After work I popped round to my sister’s for a post-week catch up.

Naomi: “Is that you?”

Me: “What? Do I smell of dog? I’ve literally just left work.”

Naomi: “No… you smell like a dog that’s just got back from the groomers.”

So basically, I left the house this morning smelling like a woman trying to blag a free repair… and returned this evening smelling like a pampered Cockapoo after a blueberry facial.

LCA: where even the humans get a full eau de groomers makeover. 🐶✨😂

28/11/2025

🚨 RANT MODE: FULL VOLUME 🚨

Let me just say this LOUD and CLEAR because some people genuinely need educating…

If you can’t see your dog, then your dog is NOT under your control. I don’t give a single shiny s**t how “friendly”, “good with everyone”, or “he just wants to say hi” you claim they are. If they’re a country-f**king-mile ahead of you, they’re basically a free-range liability.

Ember is due to (edit* could potentially) start her first season ANY day now. I’m being responsible, vigilant, and doing everything right.

Meanwhile, there are four intact male dogs in our locality whose owners trail behind them like they’re on a sightseeing tour… while their lads are off bumbling into other people’s space with the confidence of drunk lads at closing time.

And do the owners hurry up? Do they recall them?
Do they hell.
Just the classic “He’s friendly!” shouted from so far away it may as well echo.

Friendly doesn’t matter.
Recall matters.
Visibility matters.
CONTROL matters.

Here’s the rule, and it’s not complicated:

📣 If your dog is out of sight — especially if he’s rocking a full set of crown jewels and zero recall — he should NOT be off lead.

I am NOT risking my young bitch’s safety, health, or future because someone else can’t be arsed to keep their dog within sight.

So please, for the love of everyone’s sanity:
👉 Keep your dog close.
👉 Keep your dog visible.
👉 And keep your “he’s friendly!” excuses to yourself.

Rant absolutely not over — but paused. 😤🐾

27/11/2025

🎉 WELCOME TO DAYCARE, BAXTER & BLOSSOM! 🎉

Today we welcome the most adorable new duo to the LCA family…

🐺 Baxter – a handsome 2-year-old Pomsky with movie-star eyes and the confidence of a man who knows he’s fabulous.

🌸 Blossom – his 14-week-old baby sister who has already decided that every member of staff is her new best friend.

Both of them are settling in beautifully.

But, in true LCA fashion, there is of course one resident who is absolutely not impressed that yet another puppy has joined the crew.

Cue the photo of Stanley perfecting his iconic “I did NOT sign up for this” eye roll. 😂

We’re so excited to have Baxter and Blossom join the pack — they’re going to fit right in (even if Stanley needs a minute).

🐶❤️ Welcome little ones!

26/11/2025

People ALWAYS say to me:

🗣️ “I bet Ember is sooo well trained!”

Which is basically like saying to a painter & decorator:

🎨 “I bet your house is immaculate and freshly glossed every week.”

Reality check:
Yes, Ember’s recall is phenomenal.
Yes, her scentwork detection is so good she could probably get a job at Manchester Airport.

But could I leave a bacon butty on the coffee table while I nip into the kitchen?

Not a chance! 🙈🙈🙈

Because the job you do… absolutely does not guarantee you’ve got your own life together off duty.

Some elite-level real-life examples:

👩‍⚕️ Nurses:
Spend all day telling people to drink water.
Go home.
Live off 3 coffees, a biscuit and vibes.

🧁 Bakers:
Make stunning cakes all day.
At home?
Their oven is used for storage.

🧘‍♀️ Yoga Instructors:
Teach calm, balance, inner peace.
At home?
Swear at the washing machine because it ate a sock.

🚗 Mechanics:
Fix everyone else’s car with no problem.
Their own dashboard has looked like a Christmas tree since 2019.

🌿 Gardeners:
Create beautiful gardens for clients.
Their own lawn?
Looks like it’s waiting for a David Attenborough documentary.

🐾 Me, Dog Trainer:
Train dogs with precision and boundaries.
Also me:
Can’t leave food within Ember’s gravitational pull or she inhales it 😂

So now I NEED to hear yours…

👉 What job do YOU do — and what’s the thing you absolutely DO NOT do at home?

Go on — make me feel better. Drop yours in the comments 😂🐾

25/11/2025

LAST 2 SPACES LEFT 🚑🚨🏥

🚨 WHAT IF YOUR DOG STOPPED BREATHING? 🚨

No sirens.

No flashing blue lights.

No ambulance is coming.

In that moment… it’s you.

Your dog’s life rests in your hands.

💔 A paw pouring with blood.

💔 A throat blocked by a toy.

💔 A body collapsing from heatstroke.

Do you know what to do? Or would you freeze?

Every second counts.

Your actions could mean the difference between life and death.

That’s why we created the LCA Canine First Aid Workshop – to give dog owners the confidence, skills and calm head needed when the unthinkable happens.

🩺 DOG FIRST AID WORKSHOP

📅 Sunday 30th November – 11:00 AM

⏱️ 2 hours

💷 £60

From choking to heatstroke, seizures to shock – we’ll teach you how to be the lifeline your dog desperately needs.

⚠️ Just a couple of spaces left.

👉 Book now – because when seconds matter, knowledge saves lives.

www.lancashirecanineacademy.co.uk

24/11/2025

🎉🐾 HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY CHARLIE! 🐾🎉

Today we celebrate the gentlest soul on four paws — our incredible school therapy dog, Charlie.

He brings comfort to anxious little hands, supports children who need a moment of calm, and brightens every classroom he walks into. The kids adore him, and honestly, so do we all.

Outside of school, he’s Stanley’s best friend, he patiently lets Ember hang off his ears without a single complaint, and even though he doesn’t live with me, he still feels like a little part of my extended furry family. And yes… he even has a book written about him, because dogs like Charlie deserve stories told about them.

Happy 4th Birthday, Charlie.
Thank you for the love, the comfort, and the magic you bring into every day. 💛🐶✨