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Bark To Basics, Manchester (2026)

10/05/2026

Meet Vic !

As you can see from his body language alone, Vic has not-so-great relationship with anyone who isn't his owner..Vic is a working line border collie who has seriously struggled with his reactivity, coupled with his predisposition to herd, for a good few years now.
He's a very nervous boy but he has learned through behaviour rehearsal that lunging at someone and attempting to bite = that person going away.
After an incident with a jogger a few months ago Vic's owner sought our help so he could begin living a happy, normal life. We got to work !

After a good few attempts at coming up the lead to give me a good telling off with attempted bites, Vic learned this doesn't make me back away, we showed him it equals nothing. No added pressure, no trying to make friends, I simply didn't move - his first lesson was that this behaviour will not control his environment and the people in it any longer, and that there are positive things to get involved with in my presence instead. After a few minutes, this clicked & I was able to take his lead and he was happy to follow. For the first time a stranger could walk beside Vic without him continually lunging up at them. Now realistically, we can't expect people who aren't used to dogs behaving like this to tolerate or replicate what I did in session, so our main focus was providing Vic with some clear boundaries and structured reinforcers so he understood that there are different & less offensive ways to ask for space.

We made a start by walking past people, he's a typical border collie and incredibly intelligent, so he very quickly didn't want to lunge at passers-by, after we successfully passed a person we offered him a nice reward and provided him with some decompression outlets so we could set him up for success for the next trigger. This worked a treat, and while he still didn't want to be my best friend he was happy to receive a reward from his owner which is completely understandable ! We had Vic calmly passing people, bikes, kids and dogs in no time. During his training we suggested some minor adjustments to make him abit more fulfilled and comfortable long term such as providing an outlet for herding behaviour - all that drive needs a constructive place to go! You'll see this is one of my go to suggestions for working breeds as they really do need to feel like they've worked to be happy, and it's a great confidence builder for nervous dogs - alongside a larger bite proof muzzle for walks and training to allow for better pant room, treat taking and drinking.

We are still on step one with Vic but he now has some homework to complete over the next few weeks and I'm really looking forward to seeing him progress even further. He did great! Well done Vic 🙌🏼🐕

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07/05/2026

Meet Misty !

Misty is a very pretty German shepherd who came in to work on her strong pulling on the lead and reactive behaviour towards passing dogs. Misty is only young, so I'm really impressed with her owners and how proactive they've been - there's no point in waiting until she's 3x her size and weight to get on the right track 🙌🏼 we got to work !

Despite being a puppy, Misty was experiencing some intense behaviours surrounding her dog reactivity and pulling, some lines of German shepherd are bred specifically for tenacity & if that's combined with inherited nerve or insecurity, how they direct that tenacity can cause some problems ! Thankfully Misty has a beautiful temperament and was really eager to learn. We worked on some key foundations such as handler engagement and loose leash walking, we spoke about how consistent tension on the lead can make some dogs feel trapped and exacerbate reactivity.
Through our structured hand feeding, using food as a clear reinforcer rather than a distraction & focusing on the very basics a young dog like Misty will need to master, she took to her new routine in no time at all.

We gradually began working Misty around dogs at her pace and she did amazingly well with this, particularly when two little dogs reacted at another passing dog ! Puppies tend to have poor impulse control and we spoke about ways we can improve this going forward, but in this particular circumstance when passing other reactive dogs, we gave her a little more room and helped her make the right decision - instead of feeling the need to join in with the barking and lunging, she sat quietly, observed without fixation and engaged with her owners for some tasty high value rewards !

Lastly we focused on some structured decompression techniques that we can implement to help Misty relax and build an off switch. This is a really important thing to build with any working breed from a young age - it helps them understand that they can relax and reduces the likelihood of developing hypervigilance, self employment and holding onto stress - all in all it helps improve recovery time from minor stressful events so we can build, maintain and improve upon neutrality and tolerance for long term results.

Misty is currently practicing her homework, we are eager to see her again and her progress !
Well done Misty !

28/04/2026

Meet Oslo !

Oslo is a handsome Great Dane who came in to work on his Reactive Behaviour, his owner had tried training before but the last one was abit too afraid to get close to this big boy, but that's nothing new to us here! Oslo is reactive towards passings people & dogs, his owner traveled all the way from Chesterfield to come and get this behaviour sorted with us and I just love to see that kind of dedication 🙌🏼 Oslo is a large boy which made his reactivity all that more difficult to control when he would lunge, bark and pull toward a trigger. Upon meeting Oslo, we took our time and worked on a little self soothing & decompression and after one minor attempt at telling me off, I was able to take the lead and we quickly became friends as he's really a big sweet boy at heart - we got to work!

Once I had taken the lead after taking the time to get to know Oslo, we worked on leash pressure and communication. The last thing you want with a dog of this size is them lunging or rearing up ! We taught Oslo's owner how to use the slip while maintaining a slack lead as we built a nice relaxed heel. Oslo took to this beautifully and quickly learned that the heel position is the best place to be on a walk. After a few repitions to ensure he and his owner were ready, we began working him around triggers. We had discussed that often times, it's not people that are a massive trigger for dogs like Oslo but trigger stacking can impact tolerance and stress can be redirected towards people who want to come over and say hello to an impressive dog like him. It's similar to how road rage for us works, it's the car Infront of you that's stressing you out but you might direct that stress at the person sat next to you. Thankfully he has a brilliant relationship with his owner so he was really eager to please and make the right decisions.

We spent 5 hours in total with Oslo and had him passing dogs and people closer than ever before, calmly, relaxed and without a reaction. Our half day sessions are split into 2.5hrs across a day so we can give our client dogs and owners a well deserved break, alongside little breaks to observe dogs passing us - during one I got a lovely big kiss from Oslo right in my eye, so it's safe to say we built up some trust which is great progress for him ! He wasn't bothered by our additional handler who assists with larger breeds, despite the handler being a male. We spoke about hand feeding and how this is going to help create long term change for Oslo, our end goal is to have him happy, relaxed & neutral to triggers while maintaining his ability to communicate his feelings effectively with his owner without having to react if uncomfortable - we spoke about how this becomes a reliable way to ask for space, when our dogs react one of two things happen - either they are removed from the trigger OR the trigger is removed from them, all they learn is it works and encourages rehearsal of the behaviour again and again. Ontop of covering body language and communication skill sets for his owner, we also covered how trigger stacking plays a role across a 72 hour period and how we can help mitigate the adrenaline and cortisol response via self soothing techniques that will help him hit his REM sleep cycle and as a result, improve tolerance for the next day. The relief on his owners face at the end of our session is something I live for 🙌🏼

It was a pleasure to work with this big lovely boy, and to be honest I was expecting far worse ! Oslo has bags of potential and I can't wait to see his progress in a few weeks time! He currently has some homework to be getting on with until we see him again to maintain, proof and further the skill sets taught in session 🐕✅
Well done Oslo !

02/04/2026

Meet Goldie !
Goldie is a lovely rottweiler who came in to work on her Reactive Behaviour towards passing dogs. Goldie is full of beans & struggled to contain her excitement in general & due to her size, walking her was nowhere near as enjoyable as it could be despite her lovely temperament -
We got to work !

We made a start by swapping her harness out for the slip & began teaching her some leash communication in a quieter area. Now that food was involved, she was ready to earn it and offer us engagement in the heel position. Goldie took to this really well & was eager to learn ! We gradually moved her into busier areas at her pace to work her around environmental distractions aswell as her biggest trigger - dogs !
Goldie took to this beautifully and we maintained her food drive under threshold during training.

Alot of people don't recognise that a dog bring overly friendly is classed as reactive - if left, it's a fast track to a form of reactivity called barrier frustration. Luckily Goldies owner was really proactive and wanted to get this behaviour resolved for Goldies benefit which I love to see ! We had Goldie passing multiple dogs with out a problem in no time at all !

Goldie will be 6 weeks into her homework now - practice makes perfect 👌🏼we can't wait to see her progress. Well done big girl !

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22/02/2026

Meet Kuro !

Kuro is a Handsome Akita who came in to work on his reactive behaviour when passing dogs.
Kuro is the litter mate of Rex who we featured back in November - both of these lovely boys have been experiencing similar issues, letting us know there is likely some genetic influence at play. Kuro was experiencing some mild nerve & frustration towards other dogs when passing them, he didn't quite understand he couldn't approach every dog and that not every dog wouldn't enjoy him coming up to them and when passing dogs in some circumstances there were clear signs of insecurity, which isn't all that uncommon for a dog of his age - we got to work !

We made a start by swapping out Kuros harness for the slip to begin forming a nice slack leash heel to reduce pressure on the lead and as a result, lessen frustration while building handler engagement. Every akita owner has heard the same thing - the breed is stubborn, hard to train, unwilling, not eager to engage etc and while Akita are an independent breed, they absolutely can be trained ! I'm so thankful that both Kuro and Rex have found themselves great homes who are dedicated to training and have taken a proactive approach to stop issues now before they become habitualised. After a short period of repitions on the slip and using some high value, tasty rewards, Kuro quickly clicked on that the heel position was the best & most interesting place to be. With breeds like this, Half the battle is convincing them that this is their idea 😂

My favourite thing about working with primitive spitz breeds is the "what's in it for me" attitude. Alot of trainers and some first time owners find this really frustrating, but it IS a sign of higher intelligence! A dog who can question you is intelligent not ignorant - you have to make it worthwhile. Once we had proofed in the leash skill sets we began gradually working around triggers at a comfortable distance - Kuro did brilliantly and calmly walked past plenty of dogs with no problems, taking rewards all the while. We always ensure to include some decompression periods for our Reactive clients so they can practice natural behaviours for self regulation & decompression.

Kuro and his owner have been working hard on their homework and maintaining these new skill sets👏 which I love to see - Well done Kuro ! 🐕

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16/02/2026

Meet Nova !

Nova is an Olde english Bulldogge who came in to work on some arousal & nerve based reactivity alongside her over exuberant behaviour in the home. Nova wouldn't want to go on a walk, she would shy away or refuse to come at all to put her harness on. Once on the walk, she was all over the show, pulling and not paying any attention to her owner. On top of all of that, once she was home she couldn't be calm ! She would run around, jump on her owner or guests and hump them too ! This was making walks an ordeal for everyone involved & just not as enjoyable as they could be for Nova or her owners - We got to work !

We made a start by ditching the harness. Over head harnesses are the most reoccurring common cause for dogs avoiding a walk, some dogs find them uncomfortable, some aren't a fan of th constant pressure they cause when the lead us attached - we opted to move Nova on the slip and she took to this beautifully. We worked on repitions for a period so she understood that the heel position was where all the good stuff happened, she clicked on quickly and we began working her around passing people, dogs, kids, bikes, prey animals.and plenty more distractions without any reaction, nerve or arousal- just a normal, chilled out walk at last !

Nova smashed this portion of her session and remained in a nice slack leash heel, offering her owner engagement and was finally able to enjoy a nice, calm & relaxing walk now that she had clear structure that still allowed for her to practice natural behaviours for decompression. Once home, for the first time in a long time Nova wasn't running from room to room, throwing herself on her owners, trying to hump anyone's legs and going mental 🤣 instead she jumped on the sofa and went to sleep. When we work on multifaceted issues like this we always work to resolve the root cause and the symptomatic behaviours, such as the avoidance of going on the walk before hand and the over arousal behaviours after the walk, quickly fall into place - saving owners alot of money and time.

If you've seen Novas before and after you can see just how much happier she is to go on her walks now, orginally she would hide in the living room or sulk at the top of the stairs - now she's calm and happy to go on her walk, it's clear to see the hard work her owner has put into Novas homework !
Well done Nova ! 🐕

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12/02/2026

Meet Dexter !

Dexter came in to work on some pretty intense reactive behaviour towards passing dogs, passing people, bikes/scooters & prey - Dexter has previously been in training, but the last trainer struggled to get near him over the course of 4 hours & had turned "getting close" into a fun, rewarding game. Dexter enjoys conflict, theres no nerve here - and that's fine, when channelled into the right place! We got to work!

Upon meeting Dexter his owner had already pre warned me he would try to take a good run/lunge at me & he did exactly that. In his previous training, everytime he would throw himself at the trainer they would remove themselves - it illcited a response that Dexter enjoyed. I watched his body language & behaviour during our interaction & while there was barking and air snapping, he wasn't flagging, his tail was in line with the spine while he gently wagged it, happily. He was immediately confused when lunging at me didn't = the flight response, he settled in under 2 minutes & we became friends quickly, allowing me to handle him quickly. He's actually got a brilliant temprament with people !

This is a really common problem we see here all the time - a nervous dog will benefit from subtle body language being listened too before they get to the point of lunging at the trigger, removing yourself from a lunge in that scenario is common sense, the dog is already overwhelmed & thinks lunging or running at the trigger - the fight response- is the only way they will be heard as the other behaviours to ask for space will have been missed or ignored - With THIS behaviour, removing yourself teaches the dog this is a fun game "i can make things run & scatter if I do XYZ" which is rewarding for a highly driven dog like Dex who has found some enjoyment in conflict. Its important to note this isn't a flaw - many working lines of GSD are specifically bred for this trait for both work & sport. When channelled into an appropriate outlet, while teaching the individual when it is and is not okay to practice, you can further your dogs obedience & impulse control.

The real problem here was Dexters dog reactivity. During our pre session phone call we discussed how the root cause would likely be dogs & high arousal, and that everything else would be a symptom of being in that highly aroused state on a daily basis. During the assessment portion of our session Dexter didn't bother lunging at me at all now he had realised i'm no fun 😂, but he did still attempt to lunge at passers by & would fixate heavily on dogs in the distance. We opted to move him off of his front clip harness & began some operant conditioning on the slip lead in the heel position in a quieter area before gradually moving him into busier areas around triggers - the results with people, bikes & scooters were clear immediately & he showed us he could let these pass him easily now he had a structured "job" . The root cause of the adrenaline & cortisol cycle were clear as day - we continued to work.around a variety of triggers with plenty of decompression breaks, Dexter did beautifully & showed us how capable he is ! We still have some proofing to do, but he really impressed me & was nowhere near as bad as he could've been thanks to his owners proactive approach 👏

Dexter now has some homework to practice until we see him again to further his progress, he really benefitted from having a little "job" to achieve on his walks - we've also reccomended his owner look into a sport to help provide a healthy outlet, to give all of that drive a constructive place to go. Our next step is tackling the remaining reactivity toward passing dogs as this is a little more habitualised, he's in great hands with his owner & a very intelligent shepherd, I've no doubt he is will to do wonderfully going forward in his training-
Well done Dexter ! 🐕✅️

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03/02/2026

Meet Knox !

Knox is a gorgeous Doberman Pinscher who came in to work on his Leash skills on walks with his owners. Knox would pull ahead on the lead and not offer much engagement, wasnt super quick to listen to commands, he also showed some fixation toward passing dogs which was adding to the pulling problem - we got to work !

We could see there was some clear apprehension & insecurity when knox would see or pass a dog, this feeling was undoubtedly adding to the pulling ahead, we taught Knox's owners some key body language and behaviour to keep an eye out for, not only in Knox but in other dogs too. What looks like a friendly dog approaching another to most of the general public, isn't, and this is how "out of nowhere" dog fights can occur ! Knowing how to read dogs is so important, it means you can stip problems long before they begin. As we were discussing Knox's history, we spoke about the type of play he engages in when meeting a new dog - for us, chase games are common amongst small children, but for dogs, chase is a common way to break tension when feeling overwhelmed, insecure, anxious or nervous.

We began teaching Knox & his owners a nice dlaxk leash heel in a quieter area of the park around minimal distractions, he took to this quickly and showed us he was eager to learn and engage for some tasty high value rewards - from there, we began gradually increasing distractions at his pace to proof in his new skill set. Knox is a rescue, and typically in our sessions we have to do some relationship building to really get both dog & owner on the same page - but this was needed for this boy. He had bags of enthusiasm and a really great relationship with both of his owners 🙌

We had Knox heeling and relaxed around passing dogs of all shapes and sizes in no time at all, we've set him up with some structured decompression homework to help him relax after a walk and yo promote better handler value going forward on top of a few minor tweaks to his daily routine - well done big lad !

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24/01/2026

Meet Bear !

Bear is an Alaskan Malamute x German Shepherd who came in to work on some Barrier Frustration towards other dogs on walks. Bear is still a puppy, I'm so impressed with how proactive her owner has been in getting this sorted now before she becomes a bigger dog ! Bear would bark and pull when passing other dogs, she was just about to begin her secondary development period where these behaviours can become habitualised! We got to work

We made a start by swapping out her old equipment for the slip. We did this so we could focus on some basics before moving onto her reactivity - we worked in a quieter area and made a start on engagement building, conditioning in a heel and hand feeding basics - Bear took to this beautifully and was really eager to work for some tasty high value rewards ! Once we'd proofed this in and Bear knew what we wanted from her, we began to work on her reactivity by passing other on leash dogs.

While in the heel position, bear walked past multiple dogs without a reaction in no time. Because of her mix we discussed some fun outlets for the desire to pull aswell as outlets that may be useful for if/when she develops a preydrive. We spoke a little about primitive breeds and to my relief, Bears owner is very primitive breed savvy ! This is always a key element I cover when working with primitive and spitz breeds as they tend to operate a little differently to that of a German Shepherd or spaniel. Typically, they have a very "what's in it for me attitude" which can be really frustrating for owners who are new to primitive spitz - and while I appreciate it can be frustrating, it does signify higher intelligence - If your dog is independent & intelligent enough to question you, they won't simply do as they're told unless it's worthwhile ! This is something I love about spitz breeds & why doing your homework before choosing one is paramount. Knowing your dogs unique breed specific traits means they will be alot easier to train and maintain 🐕

Bear did beautifully in session and we can't wait to see her again soon, next time we will be focusing on progessing maintained engagement around distractions and increasing distractions at her pace - well done good girl !

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19/01/2026

Meet Moose !

Moose is a gorgeous German Shepherd who came in to work on his reactive behaviour on the lead. If you've seen the before & after video of Moose's first session with us (in comments), you'll have a good idea of how Moose could behave when passing dogs including those that he knew well - he would pull, lunge, bark & throw himself about abit ! He's a big dog for his breed & his size made this all the more harder for his owners - we got to work !

We made a start by swapping Moose off of the head collar & onto the slip to teach him leash pressure & communication, Moose had already been on the slip so he was nicely conditioned to the tool already, all we had to do was change the method to suit him. We generally advise against head collars for reactive dogs but completely understand why so many reactive dog owners, particularly large & giant breed owners, tend to default to them. The additional pressure caused by the head collar can further frustration and mar communication between dog & owner, if in fight and flight unnecessary tension can make your dog feel abit trapped turning a small amount of frustration into a more stressful situation- it varies from individual to individual of course, but for the majority we find they tend to make things worse. His owners are very open which I love to see-
We worked on leash skills & engagement for a period & he took to these foundational skill sets beautifully & quickly. Moose showed us he can offer maintained engagement while in a slack leash heel - this needs some further proofing, but for his first session he did wonderfully !

From there we began working Moose around other dogs in a range of environments. We had Moose passing dogs without any fixation or reactions in no time at all - the difference was night & day. He was calm, nuetral & much more interested in offering the behaviours we wanted in return for something tasty & high value. We spoke about the root cause of reactivity for Moose, as he's not ab aggressive dog whatsoever. Moose was experiencing a form of reactive behaviour called Barrier Frustration, it's something we see alot of here and it can be caused by genetic predisposition, experiences in environments such as daycare or dogs prone to high arousal. Thankfully his owners are really dedicated to his progress and had been really proactive in getting him the help he needed to have a nice chilled walk !

Moose has been busy practicing his homework for the last few weeks & has made a ton of progress with his reactive behaviour, he's coming back in for a touch up soon and we can't wait to see him again - Moose and his owners are a prime example of what dog training is all about, we can show you how but the golden work, the daily dedication is done at home between owner and dog 🙌

Well done Moose 🫎 👏

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Bark To Basics

10/05/2026

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