New Forest Dog Training Academy

16/10/2025

I’m heading to the table top sale on Saturday evening selling doggy first aid kits! Come along and support a great charity…🐾

07/10/2025

🐾 Puppy Classes in Sway – Start Your Pup Off Right! 🐾

Got a new puppy? 🎉 Give them the best start with fun, friendly, and positive puppy classes right here in Sway!

✨ What we offer:
✅ Small, supportive group sessions
✅ Positive, reward-based training
✅ Safe space for appropriate Socialisation with other pups
✅ Recognised Kennel Club Puppy Foundation Award

👩‍🏫 Led by an experienced, qualified trainer who loves helping puppies grow into confident, well-behaved dogs.

📍 Location: Sway (easy parking & indoor space)
📅 Next course starts 15th October 8pm – limited spaces!

👉 Book now to secure your puppy’s spot and set them up for a lifetime of good habits!

📩 Message us today or visit https://form.jotform.com/252462413557356

🐶 Let’s make training tail-wagging fun!

A dedicated professional dog training service located in the New Forest. Offering kind, compassionate training/education for owners and their dogs covering Hampshire and Dorset. Classes in Hale, Sway and Christchurch

04/10/2025

Aww, Kennel Club Puppy Graduation!!

It's not only the puppies that make these classes so special, but also the wonderful owners, who bring humour, lots of laughter, and dedication to helping their puppies succeed.

Congratulations, Peggy, Gizmo, Bonnie, Taylor, Joey, and Winnie - keep those halos shining bright!

Next Class begins on 15th October....

22/09/2025

Had the best time doing a puppy consultation with another pup parent — and of course, sweet little Elsie stole the show! 💛🐕

We talked through the joys (and challenges!) of raising a puppy. From crate training to managing the need for sleep, how to successfully build reliable toileting patterns and safe socialisation in the big wide world...

Elsie is already such a smart, curious little pup, and it’s clear she’s in great hands. Can’t wait to see her grow into a confident, happy dog! 🐾

Love supporting each other through the puppy phase — it really takes a village (and a lot of treats). 🦴😂

Fancy joining Elsie at puppy classes?! The new term begins on the 15th of October!

21/09/2025

Going back to basics- Building blocks - Magnificent Milo!

You can’t build a house on poor foundations; each brick is carefully placed to provide strength, with the aim of adding bricks until the chimney sits proudly on the roof!
If a brick becomes loose or cracks appear, then the strength in the walls becomes compromised, progress is slow, and the chimney may never appear!

Dog training is just like building a house… We need to set the foundation! Clarity in training is vital, brown and white, just like Milo, no areas of beige!

We humans often muddy the waters, often saying one thing and meaning another, or not really knowing what behaviour we are expecting to see, and then changing the goal posts daily!

We have been reviewing Milo’s bricks! What does he understand from the cues that he has learnt? Does he respond to the cues or wait for further instructions?! What does a recall mean?

I love this question… What does a recall mean to you and to your dog?
What are your expectations? And importantly, what do you expect from your dog?

20/09/2025

When your world turns upside down, and not just for Loki!

Becoming a parent is a truly life-changing experience; everything in your life changes, including new routines, sounds, smells, and lots of visitors. You also juggle a lack of sleep and try to remember what day of the week it is!

Then we begin to observe the changes in your dog's eyes.
Life changes, and all the security of the routines is gone, no longer being the focus of so much attention, and not to mention dramatic changes in parent behaviours!

Adaptability and safety are always at the forefront – Keeping newborn babies safe and NEVER trusting that your dog will be fine- You just never know…

Boundary training is at the top of my list in training. Adding physical barriers / such as baby gates, mat settling / bed settles, allows for a sense of relaxation for parents and dogs alike!

Loki has a new brother and is learning all about settling on the floor rather than on the sofa, learning new routines, and incorporating barriers with the home to allow time to “chill”!

Changes take time….

10/09/2025

Boys will be boys!!!

The rise of the teenager! The testosterone king! Ready to find his queen!

Moose has been the absolute model Labrador, a straight-A student with brains, beauty, and eyes just for his mum, until a few months ago, when grades began to drop! His impeccable lead walking began to falter, and the trail of finding his true love became so strong that he couldn’t resist leaving his calling card on just about all vertical surfaces in the big, wide world!

He can’t help the way he feels. Mother Nature is preparing him for fatherhood, and while his brain is changing, everything that he once knew about loose lead walking has been temporarily shelved!

We can’t fight the feelings he has; he can’t help the way he feels, but we must remind him of what he is more than capable of achieving while keeping everyone safe. He is a truly wonderful boy with hidden strength when he needs to get to the perfect spot to leave his scent!

Training is back to reinforcing the basics! The stuff that he already knows- nothing tricky, just a reminder with lots of yummy food rewards while the chemical implant works its magic!

07/09/2025

Check the “trash bin” 🗑️

I’m popping over lots of emails that don’t seem to be arriving and they have been filtered into the “trash” 🤣

The good old spam software! Please do add me as a contact when you send over an email so you don’t loose me! 🥹

06/09/2025

The absolute joys of a sighthound 🥰

Life is rough for Blue - having to leave the comfort of his sofas (yes plural!) to head into the forest for a walk.. 😀 whilst trying to ensure that the warm spot stays warm in his absence…

Blue doesn’t really want to go for walks.. he has begun to stage some sit down protests resulting in him being carried home or spending more time deciding which sofa to navigate to next…he wants to stay at home..

Once on the forest he has an absolute blast- the magnificent of a sighthound going full speed ahead!

Nothing aversive has happened on his walk, numerous vet checks have ruled out any health concerns - he just enjoys duvet days!

Training focused on FUN, unleashing Blue’s love for running, chasing bungee toys that acted like a chasing lure, along with running food finds and rewarding momentum! He had a blast… 💥

Sometimes, we need to spice up our walks, add variety and become the cheerleaders for fun and engagement

No stopping and protesting when the games are just beginning!!

02/09/2025

So exciting!!!! Puppy classes are returning home to SWAY tomorrow night!

It’s been a while since we had the pleasure of using the village hall for training, and now we are back. I love training in a hall, especially this one, as it has so much space!

Puppy health and safety is always my concern, training outside in fields and open public spaces always concerns me, not only battling the elements of the British weather, but also the risk of illness from the environment.

The good news for Sway is that we are the only dog club, reducing the risk even further! We use high-level veterinary disinfectant during and after the sessions to ensure that we keep everyone safe, too!

Let the games begin…!

02/09/2025

“No one puts baby in the corner! “Well, often behind bars!

Control and management are crucial when bringing home a new puppy, safety being paramount. Having a confident puppy, happy to spend time in their pen or crate, can really be a lifesaver, especially when your eyes in the back of your head can’t quite see what is happening!
A crate is never a punisher (not like the cupboard under the stairs, like poor Harry P!) but a happy place, where glorious things happen!

01/09/2025

Middle Child Syndrome! 🐾

This is Moss. He is the most photogenic collie I have ever had the privilege of sharing my life with.. He loves to pose!

He is an incredible collie, awesome collie mind, loves life, and adores training, people, water, and using his brain! (sounds like a collie dating profile!)

From day one, he exhibited OCD behaviour towards light and shadows, and water! Working his mind, providing outlets to channel his herding brain was the focus from day one!

I love training him; he makes me think outside the box, and he is the complete opposite of Storm.

He reached championship level in obedience at the age of three- A BIG error in my part! Success is good, but way to fast for him- we stopped, built our foundations stronger, and being the “middle child”, the light and focus shone on Storm and the dream to make him a champion!

Reflecting on your training and rebuilding the foundation for high-level obedience is imperative – like all training, going “backwards” then allows you to build stronger foundations, setting dogs up to succeed, setting goals, with small achievable steps.
This season, Moss has been my primary training focus, and the time is now. He has matured, his focus and level of success in training have dramatically improved, and he looks and feels incredible..

No longer in the shadow of Storm, his journey to the green-edged cards and a champion title can truly begin….