Reactive Dog Training

Home
United Kingdom
Buxton
Reactive Dog Training

🐕 Claire Lawrence: Head Trainer for Reactive Dogs
❤️ Recover your dog owning confidence
📲 DM me to learn more
⬇️ Apply to work with me

We’re not here to play it safe. We’re here to break the silence around reactive dogs, challenge outdated industry standards, and build a movement — through music, merch, and message — that turns judgement into understanding and shame into strength.

14/05/2026

People often see the training clips now… the chaos, the energy, the constant movement with Dot and Logan.

But, my life with dogs didn’t always look like this.

For a long time, my house was quiet. My dogs were older. Slower. Softer in a way. Their needs changed, and so did my lifestyle with them.

Everything became more peaceful. Calm walks. Slow mornings. Time in the garden together.

And honestly… I got used to that version of life.

Then these two came along… and suddenly my world flipped upside down again. 🤣

My house went from serenity to pure chaos.

There’s barking, training plans, enrichment, management, muddy paw prints, interrupted cups of coffee… and some days it genuinely feels non-stop.

And, if I’m honest, there are moments where I miss the quietness of the older dog years. I think that’s normal to admit.

But, at the same time… Dot and Logan brought something back into me too.

They brought movement back into my life. Purpose. Structure. Challenge.

They get me outside. They make me think differently. They’ve pushed me to grow in ways I probably wouldn’t have if life had stayed comfortable and still.

And, whilst younger, driven or reactive dogs can absolutely test you… there’s also something incredibly special about building that relationship together over time.

I think every dog gives you a different chapter of life.

The older ones taught me calmness and peace.
These two are teaching me resilience.

And honestly… I’m grateful for both

13/05/2026

The dog changed… when the owner understood what they were actually looking at.

There’s so much conflicting advice out there for you to decipher through

So, if you’re ever unsure of what to do or who to listen too, remember one thing

Try to understand on a more deeper level

12/05/2026

Sometimes the biggest breakthrough in dog training comes when you stop asking so much from your dog and simply start noticing them instead.

So many owners get caught in a cycle of teaching:

“sit”
“leave it”
“stop”
“no”
“come here”
“don’t do that”

And, before long, both the dog and the handler are frustrated, overwhelmed, and disconnected from one another.

But, dogs are constantly offering behaviours naturally throughout the day.

A moment of calm.
A check in.
A disengagement from a trigger.
A softer response.
A better choice.

And, when we learn to CAPTURE those moments instead of constantly battling for control, training soon starts to feel lighter for everybody involved.

That’s exactly what I’ve been doing with Logan lately.

No pressure.
No drilling.
No conflict.

Just quietly following him, observing him, and rewarding the behaviours I want to see more of.

And honestly? Sometimes that creates far more meaningful learning than repeatedly asking for behaviours the dog isn’t emotionally ready for yet.

Training doesn’t always have to be loud, forceful, or complicated.

Sometimes progress looks like calm observation, good timing, and allowing the dog to succeed naturally. 🖤

11/05/2026

This video has been doing the rounds online and has rightly been reported for animal abuse.

Because that’s exactly what this is.

What you’re seeing isn’t ‘leadership’.

It isn’t ‘discipline’.

And it definitely isn’t training.

It’s a dog experiencing frustration and emotional overload… being physically overpowered instead of taught.

If a dog is struggling to settle in a crate, the answer is not fear, force or strangulation.

The answer is understanding why the dog is struggling in the first place.

Have their needs been met?
Do they understand how to switch off?
Have we actually taught calmness?
Have we reinforced patience?
Do they feel safe?

Dogs are not born knowing how to regulate frustration. Just as children aren’t.

That’s something we teach through guidance, repetition, clarity and more importantly, kindness.

Which is why, with Logan, you can see at the end how I’m reinforcing the behaviours I do want:

😌 calmness,
🧠 thinking,
😎 disengagement,
🧘‍♀️ and emotional control.

Not submission through fear.

Because, when people use force like this, one of two things usually happens:

1. The dog shuts down emotionally and learns helplessness. 😵‍💫

Or…

2. The emotion is still there, but it gets pushed deeper and eventually comes out somewhere else, often in ways people then label as ‘unpredictable’. 🐾

Real behaviour work takes patience.

It takes timing.
Consistency.
Understanding.

But there are absolutely better ways than this.

Dogs are intelligent, emotional animals.
And moments like this don’t solve behaviour problems…

They create them.

10/05/2026

Reactive dogs can be tough and it’s easy to fall into the trap of looking at the negatives all the time

So, today I want to know, what does your reactive dog do, that makes you laugh or smile?

Tell me below ⬇️

09/05/2026

When you’re only 6 inches tall but still arrive like you own the place 🥰

Lovely to see Alfie so happy 😁

08/05/2026

You know what I love most about this program?

It’s not perfection.

It’s the moments that used to feel impossible… becoming normal again.

This is what progress actually looks like.

A dog who once couldn’t even wear a muzzle calmly existing outside in one with confidence and trust.

Handlers getting real engagement back from their dogs around people, movement, distractions and other dogs… instead of constantly fighting for attention.

Dogs learning how to move with their owners instead of against them. Starting with freedom on a long line… then gradually building the skills to walk calmly on a shorter lead without tension, panic or conflict.

A dog hearing noises in the garden, noticing them… and then choosing to disengage and come away instead of exploding into barking and chaos.

And, this is the bit people outside of reactive dog ownership often don’t understand…

These moments?
They are HUGE.

Because for many of these owners, there was a time they avoided walks, avoided people, avoided windows, avoided life… because they never knew what would happen next.

But, now look at them.

More awareness.
More trust.
More understanding.
Better decisions from both ends of the lead.

And, then this clip…

Honestly, this one is my favourite.

No big celebration.
No dramatic obedience routine.
Just a dog calmly watching a man walk past with two dogs… while talking on the phone…

And an owner sitting there in complete disbelief because six months ago, that moment may have felt impossible.

That right there?

That’s why we do this.

07/05/2026

I don’t just work with reactive dogs because it’s my job.

I work with them because they’ve shaped my life.

They’ve broken my heart, changed my plans, taught me patience, forced me to grow, and shown me what it means to love something that the outside world doesn’t always understand.

So, when I speak to reactive dog owners, I’m not just speaking as a trainer.

I’m speaking as someone who knows what it feels like to live it.

The worry.
The judgement.
The exhaustion.
The tiny wins.
The grief.
The deep, complicated love.

And that’s why this page will never just be about training.

It’s about understanding.

Your dog.
Yourself.
And the life you’re trying to build together.

06/05/2026

Your dog isn’t stubborn.
They’re making a choice.

And right now… the environment is winning.

Most owners try to fix this by:

* Repeating commands
* Getting louder
* Getting frustrated

But, your dog already told you the truth:

👉 You’ve lost value to them, in that moment

Start here instead:

* Move more
* Reward engagement
* Stop talking so much
* Start becoming relevant again

That’s when everything can change.

05/05/2026

Yesterday reminded me of something important.

Not everyone is ready to take responsibility for their own or dog’s behaviour.

And, that’s exactly why I protect the space inside my challenges.

Because, when you do get the right people in the room…

This happens 👆

This right here is why I do what I do.

Not because a dog suddenly becomes perfect…

But, because the owner changes how they see everything.

Read that again:

👉 “The more relaxed I am, the better she is.”
👉 “I don’t feel like I’m failing anymore.”
👉 “I’m not embarrassed anymore.”

That’s not obedience.

That’s understanding.

And that’s what actually changes behaviour long term.

🚫 The 30 Day Challenge is now closed but will reopen again in September

The environment in these challenges matters.

The honesty matters.

The people inside it matter.

If you’re watching this thinking:

“I need this… but I missed it”

You’ve got two ways forward:

📞 I have a small number of 1:1 consults remaining for May available
(for those who want direct, personalised support)

🎓 Also, at the end of this month, I’ll be running a live webinar where I’ll break behaviours and understanding of them down, showing you what’s really driving it and how to start changing it.

Rehabilitation isn’t about quick fixes or false promises (with me anyway).

It’s about finally understanding your dog and yourself.

And when that clicks?

Everything starts to shift.

04/05/2026

If your dog ‘suddenly reacts’, remember it didn’t start there.

It almost always starts here …in the moments they thought about doing it.

The moments they begin to feel those emotions rising.

Most people miss it and that’s why it can feel like nothing changes.

Watch how I use my markers to give Dot a way out, before things escalate.

Watch it and you’ll see 👀

Address

Buxton

Website

https://linktr.ee/highpeakdogs

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Reactive Dog Training posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service in Buxton?