The GSD Hub with Jenny Gould

30/07/2026

29/07/2026

The Highs Only Matter Because We’ve Felt the Lows

This photo appeared in my memories today.

Tao, winning one of his Championship tickets during 2022. The year that became our most successful ever. Six Championship tickets, Joint Top Dog of the Year, and an award that, until then, had only ever been won by Border Collies.

Looking back, it would be easy to see that year and think everything simply fell into place.

It didn’t.

Behind every photograph, every rosette and every celebration are countless moments that nobody sees.

Covid brought everything to a standstill.

Then Tao suffered a slipped disc injury. I can still remember wondering whether he would ever walk normally again, never mind return to the competition ring and perform at Championship level. At that point, tickets and titles meant nothing. I simply wanted my dog to have the chance to enjoy life again.

Even before that, there had been years spent helping him cope with the show environment. Tao wasn’t always the confident competitor people remember. He was reactive, overwhelmed by the atmosphere, and there were times when simply getting him into the ring feeling comfortable was the biggest success of the day. Long before we were chasing tickets, we were chasing confidence, calmness and enjoyment.

None of those challenges were part of the plan, but they became part of our story.

And I honestly believe they made every success that followed feel even more meaningful.

Dog sports have an incredible way of taking you from the highest highs to the lowest lows. One weekend you leave the ring feeling invincible. The next you’re driving home questioning every decision you’ve ever made. There are injuries, disappointments, mistakes, self doubt and moments where the finish line feels further away than ever.

Yet somehow… we keep coming back.

Not because we enjoy the disappointment, but because we know what waits on the other side of perseverance.

Every now and then you have a day where everything clicks. A show where your partnership shines. A few precious minutes where years of work, setbacks, laughter, tears and determination all come together.

That feeling is almost impossible to describe.

It’s adrenaline.

It’s relief.

It’s pride.

It’s knowing that every setback, every difficult decision and every time you chose not to give up led to this moment.

The trophies are wonderful. The titles are incredible. But they aren’t what keep me coming back.

They simply remind me of everything it took to get there.

Because without the lows, the highs would never feel quite so extraordinary.

Pic courtesy of the late great Brian McGovern

28/07/2026

🐾 The Little Things Matter

💡Focus on Progress, Not Perfection💡

One of the quickest ways to lose motivation is to expect perfection too soon.

We all do it.

We compare today’s training to where we hope to be months down the line, and suddenly it feels like we’re getting nowhere.

But training doesn’t happen in giant leaps.

It happens in tiny moments.

A slightly quicker response.

A calmer reaction.

A better decision than yesterday.

A distraction your dog recovered from just that little bit faster.

Those moments can be so easy to overlook because they’re not dramatic.

Yet they’re often the clearest signs that your training is working.

Progress isn’t always obvious in the moment, but when you look back over weeks or months, those tiny improvements have quietly transformed into something remarkable.

So instead of asking yourself, “Why aren’t we there yet?”

Try asking…

“Are we a little better than we were last week?”

If the answer is yes, you’re moving in exactly the right direction.

Because in dog training, the little things matter. 💚

💬 Looking back over the last month, what’s one area where you and your dog have made progress, however small?

25/07/2026

🐾 The Little Things Matter

💡Make It Fun. Make It Worth Their While.💡

Dogs don’t wake up each morning hoping to complete another training session.

They wake up hoping something good is going to happen.

As trainers, it’s our job to make sure those two things become the same.

The most enthusiastic dogs aren’t always born that way. More often than not, they’ve learned that working with their person is exciting, rewarding and enjoyable.

Every successful repetition.

Every game.

Every celebration.

Every moment of genuine connection.

It all adds up.

Training shouldn’t feel like a chore that has to be endured before the rewards arrive. The training itself should become part of the reward.

When our dogs can’t wait to work with us, everything becomes easier. Enthusiasm grows, confidence builds and learning happens naturally.

So next time you train, don’t just ask yourself, “What did my dog learn today?”

Ask yourself…

“Did my dog enjoy learning it?”

Because that’s what makes them want to come back and do it all again tomorrow.

Because in dog training, the little things matter. 💚

💬 What’s one thing your dog absolutely loves during training? A favourite toy, game or reward? Share it below!

24/07/2026

The homes I dream of for my puppies might surprise you… ❤️

People often assume that because I compete in dog sports, I’m looking for sports homes for all of my puppies.

The truth is, nothing could be further from it.

Do I love seeing my puppies succeed in sport? Absolutely. It makes me incredibly proud. But it’s never been the reason I breed.

What I hope for is a full life.

Family adventures. Holidays. Beach days. Woodland walks. Evenings curled up on the sofa. A dog who is involved in everything their family does.

Today’s photo is of Nushi (Miss Tiffany from my recent litter), who is just four months old and already out paddle boarding with her family.

When I saw this picture, I couldn’t stop smiling.

Not because she’s doing something spectacular, but because she’s doing exactly what I had hoped for. She’s out there experiencing the world with people who clearly adore her.

If one of my puppies goes on to compete, wonderful. I will cheer every success along the way. But I never want sport to be the whole story.

For me, ribbons fade.

A lifetime of adventures, love and belonging never does.

That’s the life I dream of for every puppy that leaves my home. ❤️

24/07/2026

The homes I dream of for my puppies might surprise you…

One of the biggest assumptions people make is that, because I love dog sports and have dedicated so much of my life to competing, I must be looking for sports homes for my puppies.

The truth is, nothing could be further from it.

Do I love seeing my puppies succeed in sport? Absolutely. Every qualification, every win and every achievement makes me incredibly proud. Watching dogs I have bred fulfil their potential alongside owners who adore them is a wonderful feeling.

But sport has never been my priority when I choose a home.

What I dream of is a puppy growing up with a full and active family life.

I want them to have adventures. I want them to go on holidays, explore beaches and forests, curl up on the sofa after a long walk, and be included in everyday family life. I want them to be cherished for who they are, not simply for what they can achieve.

If sport becomes part of that life, brilliant. I know better than anyone how much joy it can bring. The friendships, teamwork and sense of achievement are something very special. But I never want competition to become the sole purpose of one of my puppies’ lives.

Today I received this photograph of Nushi, who many of you will remember as Miss Tiffany from my recent litter.

She is only four months old and already out paddle boarding on the sea with her family.

The moment I saw the photo, I smiled.

Not because she’s doing something extraordinary, but because she’s doing exactly what I hoped she would be doing. She’s experiencing the world, making memories with her family and living the kind of rich, active life I wish for every puppy I breed.

Please don’t mistake this as a criticism of sports homes. Some of the very best competitors I know give their dogs incredible lives away from the competition ring too, and I have enormous respect for them.

This is simply my philosophy.

The competition ring should add to a dog’s life, not define it.

For me, the greatest success isn’t measured by rosettes, qualifications or titles.

It’s knowing that one of my puppies is waking up each day loved beyond measure, included in every family adventure and living the fullest life possible.

To me, that’s everything.

21/07/2026

🐾 The Little Things Matter

💡Be Present. Be Patient. Be Their Calm.💡

We spend a lot of time thinking about what our dogs need to learn.

Better recalls.

Straighter sits.

Calmer behaviour.

More focus.

But sometimes the biggest influence on our training isn’t the exercise…

It’s us.

Dogs are incredibly good at reading the people they trust. They notice when we’re rushed, frustrated or distracted just as quickly as they notice when we’re calm, patient and fully present.

That doesn’t mean we have to be perfect. We all have days where things don’t go to plan.

It simply means remembering that every time we train, we’re teaching with more than our words. We’re teaching through our body language, our emotions and the energy we bring into the session.

The calmer we become, the easier it is for our dogs to learn.

Sometimes the greatest gift we can give our dogs isn’t another training technique.

It’s our patience.

Because in dog training, the little things matter. 💚

💬 Has your dog ever reflected your mood during training? I’d love to hear your experiences.

18/07/2026

🐾 The Little Things Matter

💡Celebrate the Small Wins💡

It’s easy to become focused on the big milestones.

The perfect recall.

The loose lead walk.

The first competition.

The qualification.

The title.

But every one of those achievements is built on hundreds of tiny victories that came first.

The first time your dog chose to look at you.

The first successful pass by another dog.

The first confident stay.

The first moment they truly understood.

Those little wins deserve celebrating.

Not because they’re the finished product, but because they’re proof that you’re moving in the right direction.

When we recognise progress, we keep ourselves motivated and we help our dogs enjoy the journey too.

Never underestimate the power of celebrating the small things.

They’re often what make the big things possible.

Because in dog training, the little things matter. 💚

💬 What’s one small win you’ve celebrated with your dog recently that made you realise you were making progress?

17/07/2026

Hands up who has a splooter???🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️

16/07/2026

“Lifetime support.”

It’s a phrase you’ll see on so many breeders’ websites and social media pages. It should be there too. Every responsible breeder should be there for the puppies they bring into the world.

But what does lifetime support actually mean?

The answer will look different for every breeder, because we all have different lives, different circumstances, and different ways of helping. There isn’t one right way.

For me, it means being there whenever I can, not just at eight weeks when a puppy leaves, but months and years down the line. Sometimes that support is a phone call, sometimes it’s a message, sometimes it’s helping solve a training problem, and sometimes it’s far more hands on.

Yesterday I spent time with one of my puppy owners and her beautiful 16 week old youngster. We met up with the puppy’s mum and another trusted dog who are exactly what this baby needs right now. Safe, sensible, experienced dogs who can help teach the social skills that no human ever truly can.

Finding those dogs, and the people behind them, isn’t always easy. It can feel like a minefield. Being able to offer that kind of support is something I value enormously.

Watching her leave tired, happy and just a little wiser was incredibly rewarding. She had gained valuable experiences and I went home knowing I’d helped in the best way I could.

Perhaps that’s what lifetime support means to me.

Not just answering questions, but continuing to invest in the dogs I have bred. Helping where I can, when I can, for as long as they need me.

It is one of the reasons I breed so infrequently. When I have a litter, my life revolves around those puppies, and long after they leave, they never really stop being “my puppies”. I love being part of their journey, celebrating the highs, helping through the challenges, and watching them grow into the dogs they were always meant to become.

For me, that is what lifelong support looks like.