Ethical Dog Training

06/03/2026

🌱 Randolph 🌱 this big guardian breed mix used to be so distressed, hyper vigilant and reactive in busy park environments, around other dogs he’d gnash his own tongue, making his mouth bleed. He’d whirl, lunge, bark, growl, couldn’t take food, barely recognising he was on the other end of the of a lead to someone. Completely disregulated, a puddle of fear and stress.

Today he meandered around the botanics in the sunshine, handled many dogs nearby, often moving back to his two Dads for connection and treats under his own steam, and finished off with his first puppaccino from the ice cream van. Best, best boy.

Summer is coming boys, huge well done on your efforts. 🖤

20/01/2026

“SIT”

It’s one of the first things we teach our puppies. We ask (tell) our dogs to sit often, for a number of reasons.

This client had been advised by someone to “make their dog sit when they were behaving unacceptably”. To *demand or enforce the sit if necessary*. They tried. They trained using food, sometimes physical force.

Things looked better briefly. Then worse.

A lot worse.

🪑 If your dog is struggling
🪑 If your dog is anxious
🪑 If your dog is reactive
🪑 If your dog is aggressive
🪑 If your dog is afraid
🪑 If your dog is overwhelmed
🪑 If your dog is overstimulated or excited

…do they need help with their external reactions, their “behaviour”? Of course.

What about what’s happening inside?

Is insisting they “sit/stay” when they are approaching terror or rage or excitement going to change those feelings?

[Spoiler alert - maybe - though often in the opposite way you hoped]

The people who come to us care as much (if not more) about their dog’s state of happiness and well-being as they do their visible behaviour.

Find someone willing to support you - and your dog’s individual needs. Who understands how science and a planned intervention with solid method works. Change how they feel for the better. Not just how they behave.

Then their behaviour change can be lasting, and positive - just like your relationship with them.

Compassion over Compliance.
Supported by data.
Grounded in science.

25/11/2025

🩷🩷 Bibi 🩷🩷

This girl. This transformation. This family.

Absolutely beautiful what love can do, and she’s not done yet.
stylist

22/11/2025

✨ Freya ✨

This elegant, sensitive lurcher had been feeling overwhelmed on walks, resulting in big bouncy behaviours on lead and some reactivity towards other big dogs. Her wonderful, bright family got in touch, we got to work.

Second session today saw her meet and greet all manner of situations - calmly and quietly moving off when it was clear she’d rather not get involved, politely instigating play and contact with bigger dogs too! We discovered there’s a lot more instances where she’s processing a lot more than her people initially realised - and was struggling to make that known peacefully - so her behaviours got “bigger”.

Watching her unfold, connect with her people, think, respond, learn - and behave differently has been so beautiful this frosty gorgeous morning. Amazing work from this gang. 🫶🏾

Special thanks to graduate student for the unplanned/impromptu play which helped build her confidence even more! 🎓

12/11/2025

👀😬

11/11/2025

Hot take: RESOURCE GUARDING DOESN’T GO AWAY WHEN YOU RESTRICT THEIR RESOURCES. Whatever your dog guards - simply removing access is unlikely to help and often makes things worse.

💂🏻‍♀️your management will fail one day
💂🏻you’re only human, they’re quick and motivated
💂🏻it does nothing to address how your dog feels
💂🏻it can make things a lot worse
💂🏻it doesn’t teach your dog much - except possibly that special things are in short supply - this does not them *less* special…

Last week this young malinois would absolutely have bitten someone who tried to remove her chew. She meant business.

This week she BROUGHT IT TO ME, and asked me to hold it so she could enjoy the benefit of my opposable thumbs, whilst her person and I worked on other training protocols. 🥳🤣

Thank you to her wonderful people for their trust and commitment. Well done 🫶🏾🖤

31/10/2025

Ethical Dog poster child Mara is ready 👻

Happy Halloween everyone!

📸
Model
Sheet:

🎃👻🐶

31/10/2025

30/10/2025

Resilience refers to the ability to successfully adapt to stressors, maintaining psychological well-being in the face of adversity. It’s the ability to “bounce back” from difficult experiences - not avoiding them. We have a real hand in this with our dogs.

New Vet environment. New people, smells, strange dogs in close quarters. Noises. After a car journey.

This young shepherds last vet visit was hard on him - he *really* didn’t like his experience during assessment/treatment and has displayed big resistance to entertaining the idea of a vet again. This is obviously a problem.

We entered, and he wanted to leave immediately. His anxiety intensified. We worked through this; supportive, communicative in a way that actually helps, and navigated the situation together. He leaned on us when he needed to - until he didn’t need to.

Within 20 minutes he was calm, inquisitive, making self controlled choices and we left softly without incident - but with a confident, happy, assured young dog, his trust and bounce intact.

How we handle these situations really matters.

29/10/2025

Sudden change in your dog’s behaviour? Vet check. Before anything else, tell your Vet.

A quick example: shared with permission.

Last month a client contacted me because her adult dog suddenly refused to walk. This began with sitting down on the pavement.

The trainer she engaged before me put a slip lead on her dog, told her to “march him” and correct/punish him when he slowed or stopped. She did try this, and he became reactive to having his collar and harness on, and aggressive when asked to leave the front door.

The vet check, before I agreed to take the case revealed he sadly had quite far gone cancer, was in a lot of pain, and he was tired.

You can imagine the emotional impact that news had on this person, without the added grief of the previous measures put upon a sick dog trying to communicate his discomfort. He’s now in treatment and his next few months look very different to his last.

We must, *must* address root cause - pain, sickness, fear, anxiety, excitement, hormones… etc - and not just look for a quick fix for behaviour that’s inconvenient to us.

All behaviour is communication. Some people roll their eyes at that take, and that’s ok. Ignore it at your own risk if you will, but don’t ignore it at theirs.

Vet check for new/sudden changes first. I’m here for you both right after. 🫶🏾

✔️

28/10/2025

“Resource guarding” is absolutely no joke. Most of the things well meaning people try first to “fix it” - make things much worse.

This amazing young malinois was using her teeth to let us know she’s really uncomfortable with people (anyone) around her valuable things. Her bright, experienced person immediately identified the issue and we got to work.

Within a single session she offered us her very high value treats, and relaxed enough to lean in for a snuggle whilst she enjoyed them. Incredible.

This stuff doesn’t go away without the correct intervention- your dog needs to FEEL DIFFERENTLY to behave differently.

Get help, get it as soon as you see your dog holding any worry around things that are important to them. There’s so much we can do.

21/10/2025

Many young dogs are excited by the world. They very often live in “the moment”, are present in ways we struggle to be sometimes - and they are connected to their environment in ways we are not. I believe that forms part of our deep love for our dogs. Your walks together should be enjoyable, safe, connected and easy for both.

If your dog is pulling on the lead, or dragging you around, there’s a variety of reasons that - and there’s so much we can do to change it and make walks gorgeous for you both.

Well done and thank you to this stunning young golden and his equally gorgeous mum for working to connect and navigate the world in way that enriches them both.