Skyhardt Dog Training

08/03/2026

Changes at Skyhardt

We have some news for our lovely followers and clients. From April 2026, Kate will go back to university to study for a PhD in dementia care. Obviously this will mean some changes in the business, which we've set out below.

Pet Sitting

We will continue to support existing clients with pet sitting, subject to availability. Existing clients always take priority for bookings. Dee will have some capacity to take on new clients, subject to existing commitments of course. Please feel free to enquire with your preferred dates, and we will see what we can do.

Training Walks

Dee has some capacity for training walks for new clients. Please feel free to enquire.

Dog Training

Kate will have very limited time available to spend on training. Dee has returned to training, also with limited availability, and has a waiting list already. This means that while we will still support past and current clients wherever possible, we may need to refer you to one of our local colleagues if you have an urgent new issue or require extended training sessions. We recommend the following:

Jenny at Feral Hearts: Dog behaviour and training solutions
Em at Train & Nourish
Amy at Paws Up Dog Training

We would trust all the above with our own dogs, and thoroughly recommend their services.

Many thanks for all your support, as we move into this new stage for the business.

10/01/2026

The judges of the Supreme Court in India are pushing uneducated, unscientific plans to “remove” street dogs from their homes (the streets). They need to stop and listen to voices of those who actually know these dogs

08/01/2026

We’re under a severe weather warning for wind and snow in the East Midlands, for overnight and tomorrow. Please take care if you’re out with your dogs!

If you’re unable to walk your dog and you need some ideas for what to do instead, I have two book recommendations for you. Both happen to be written by friends of mine, but don’t let that put you off. These are available for Kindle, so you can grab them in time for tomorrow!

First up is Stop! Walking Your Dog by Niki French https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stop-Walking-Your-Dog-Over-Excited-ebook/dp/B09MJB1K65. I trained with Niki, so clients of mine will probably recognise some of the things she recommends.

I also recommend The Vet Says Rest by Laura Carter https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0C5D8DJNM.

Both books will give you great ideas for games and training techniques you can do to give your dog a different kind of workout at home. Stay safe everyone.

Photo is Fenrir, enjoying the enclosed woodland at Kalianna Grove yesterday. There was no snow but plenty of icy mud. The huskies loved it!

01/01/2026

Happy New Year!

There are some big changes coming at Skyhardt in 2026, but don't worry - you'll be the first to know about them. In the meantime, we wish everyone a happy, peaceful and satisfying new year.

23/12/2025

What is your dog planning for the Christmas period?

Arty heard that some of his favourite people are coming to visit. His plans involve ambushing our visitors for tummy rubs, taking up as much space as possible on the sofas, and possibly rolling in the mud on Christmas morning. He’s open to further inspiration though. Please leave suggestions in the comments!

15/11/2025

I’m spending my weekend looking after the gorgeous Kiki, while her humans have a well deserved holiday. So far this evening we’ve enjoyed watching Strictly, and now Keeks wants an undisturbed nap please Kate. She’s an elderly matron and her wish is my command, but I’m going to have to tiptoe past in a minute to get my pizza out of the oven!

08/11/2025

We’re having a training hiccup with Sky at the moment.

I work, work, work on recall with the huskies. They are not the easiest dogs to own, and they’re never off lead unless we’re in a secure area (they’re exercised in a secure area 3-4 times a week, and they have daytime access to a large garden, so they’re not missing out). Nevertheless, good recall is vital for their safety, in case our management fails.

Over the summer we worked hard, with positive reinforcement of course. I could get running recalls from all 3 dogs over any distance, separately or together. It’s not easy. We’re fighting the genetics of independent spirits; huskies being used to pull sleds in winter were turned loose in summer to fend for themselves. As well as genes that favour running, pulling, assessing the environment and taking independent action to keep the team safe, most huskies have very strong prey drive. So It’s hard work to get reliable recall, but it absolutely can be done.

Then I made a mistake. I stopped working on it. I do always reward the dogs for getting back in my van at the end of a session - otherwise why would they want to end their fun? But I didn’t practice and reward enough in between.

The boys are still rock solid. But Sky decided it’s more rewarding to look at me when I call her, and trot off round the field on important husky business. My bad, I messed up. So what am I doing about it?

First is preventing rehearsal. If she gets to practice not coming to her recall word, it will lose all its value. So she’s back to dragging a 5m biothane long line, clipped to her harness. Just wearing it makes her aware she can be caught more easily, but I can step on it if needed (she has a warning word - gentle - that I use first, so it doesn’t jerk her unexpectedly).

Second is practising: at home, in the house and out, while on or off lead, with high value rewards. Sky is particularly motivated to get to the rewards before the boys, which works in my favour.

We’ll get her recall back, and once we do we’ll take the long line off again. Have I learned my lesson? Hopefully. Only time will tell.

Kate and Dee provide dog training, walking and pet sitting in the Nottingham area. Message us, or email [email protected] to get started.

27/09/2025

I was driving home today, when I saw a man walking a lovely Irish setter along the pavement. The dog looked up at him, he popped his hand in his pocket, and passed the dog a treat. They carried on their way, with the dog walking calmly by his side.

I'm privileged to see so many of these interactions around our streets. Lots of people interacting positively with their dogs, and rewarding the behaviours they want to see.

It helps make up for the prong collars, slip leads and yanking dogs around by their collars that sometimes make me really sad.

I'm lucky to live where I do.

22/09/2025

We've been lucky enough to have the amazing Jack Fenton aka The Dorset Dog Trainer staying with us, as part of his charity challenge in aid of MIND. I'm going to leave it to him to tell you what he got up to in Nottingham, but safe to say we had a packed day of activities.

You can find more details of Jack's fundraising campaign here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jack-fenton-1755591736364 and follow his adventures on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/thedorsetdogtrainer.

Help Jack Fenton raise money to support Mind

14/08/2025

See this face? This is the face of a dog who caught a rabbit (a great achievement for a blind dog), answered her recall cue and came right up to me, and would *not,* under any circumstances, give up the rabbit to me.

I had to go and ask for some help. When my rescuer came over she was sceptical whether we could even catch Sky. But Sky walked right up to us, and basically said "Oh hello, you seem new. Would you like this rabbit?" And delivered it straight to the poor girl's hand. Thus making me look like an absolute blithering idiot.

Thanks, Sky.

We work hard on "Drop it" now!

If you'd like some help with a dog like this, I get where you're coming from! Drop me a message to get started.

11/08/2025

What Nobody Tells You About Dog Behaviour

Good welfare is the foundation of good behaviour. My rescue husky, Arty, proved that to me.

When a dog feels safe, healthy, and understood, good behaviour often follows naturally. That’s why I assess every dog before training—making sure all their needs are met.

Arty’s early life was rough. Meeting new people, he’d roll onto his back with stiff legs. What looked like a belly-rub request was really nervous appeasement. He often raided our rooms for chocolate (never enough to harm him). Formal training? Forget it. Even light pressure made him disengage.

So I ditched the training plan and focused on welfare: comfy beds, lots of clean water, human contact, play with our other dogs, healthy food, and secure fields for his favourite perimeter walks. Lead walks were tricky, but patience and reassurance worked.

We never went back to structured training—because we didn’t need to. His manners improved, food theft stopped, and last Christmas he calmly met a room full of strangers, politely refusing a biscuit (he’s picky) and eventually asking for a real tummy rub—relaxed and happy.

For Arty, welfare came first, and the behaviour followed.

If you'd like help with your dog's behaviour, I work in person in Nottingham and online worldwide—message me to get started.