Barker’s Academy

24/06/2025

Despite the gloomy clouds, the Tuesday morning gang had a lovely walk this morning. It is good to be back after a week off and I’m super excited to meet the June class intakes tonight! 🥰🐾

16/06/2025

🚨 Puppy and Adolescent Course Updates! 🚨

Our June 6-week Puppy and adolescent Courses are now FULL – thank you for all the interest! 🐶💙

The next courses start in the evening of Tuesday 19th August at Plumpton College. At just £75 for six weeks, it is one of the most affordable investments you can make into ensuring your puppy lives their best life! So, if you want to appropriately socialise your puppy or get support with the challenging adolescent stage, and start their training off on the right foot using postive, force free training methods, don’t wait – spaces are limited and filling fast!

📩 Ready to join or want to learn more?
Drop me a message or head over to my website to enquire! https://www.barkersacademy.com

14/06/2025

A reminder that I will be away on holiday from Tuesday 17th - Sunday 22nd and I will not be contactable during this time ☀️

Any enquiries will be replied to on Monday 23rd ☺️🐾

13/06/2025

This is what I mean by allowing your dog to forage on walks! Dogs are so incredibly smart and will forage for the plants that their body needs, with grasses like this boosting fibre intake and aiding digestion. It is of course important to supervise your dog when they are exploring to ensure they aren’t coming across anything dangerous, but allowing them to forage and express this natural behaviour is a fantastic way to enrich their life and reduce stress levels. You can also encourage simple foraging behaviours in the home environment through the use of snuffle mats or even simply scattering their usual food for them to find out in the garden.

10/06/2025

Got an adolescent dog?

Or maybe an adult dog who hasn’t quite left that challenging teenage stage fully behind them!😅

Do you dream of a dog who walks calmly on lead, doesn’t launch towards every dog they see, and can relax at the pub like a total pro?

Believe it or not, the ‘wild’ working cocker pictured here once bounced through four different homes—he was labelled “too much,” unable to settle, and just too much of a firecracker indoors to cope with.

Fast forward to today: with time, patience, understanding and positive reinforcement-based training, he now strolls beautifully on lead, recalls away from distractions, and chills out in even the busiest settings—while still living his best spaniel life 🐶💫

If this sounds like the transformation you’re after, I’ve got a few spaces left in my Adolescent & Beyond group class starting Tuesday 24th June, 8–9pm at Plumpton College.

For just £75 for six weeks—this course is a brilliant and affordable investment for your dog’s behaviour, confidence, and your bond together🐾

Pop me a message or send an email to [email protected] to grab your spot!

Ensuring your dog lives their best life!

🐾Level five qualfied dog trainer 🐾

🎓FdSc in Canine Training & behaviour🎓

🤓Practical experience in Rescue🤓

🤩Fully insured and dog first aid trained🤩

❤️Positive, science backed methods only❤️

09/06/2025

Ready to build a stronger bond with your dog? Join our next set of six week training classes starting in June!

Whether you’re starting out with a new puppy, navigating the tricky teenage months, or wanting to brush up your adult dog’s skills, our positive, force-free classes are designed to set you and your dog up for success! They are also fantastic for newly rehomed dogs💫✨

Puppy (7pm) & Adolescent+ (8pm) classes.

Start Date: Tuesday 24th June

Time: 7-9pm

Location: Plumpton College

A fun and supportive environment to build confidence, learn essential skills, and strengthen your relationship from the start 🐶

The large amount of space this fantastic venue has to offer means my classes can also cater for nervous and reactive dogs. If you would like to build your dog’s confidence around other dogs and people, as well as teaching them how to behave calmly around distractions, these classes will be perfect for you!

My classes use positive reinforcement and force-free methods to create happy, motivated learners and deeper connections between dogs and their owners 💕

Run by an FdSc Level 5 qualified dog trainer with experience in rescue and a variety of other animal care backgrounds- you will be in good hands! 🤗

Spaces are extremely limited, with only one space remaining on the puppy course – book now to secure your spot! 🐾

https://www.barkersacademy.com

04/06/2025

🌿 The Power of Decompression Walks 🌿

Because your dog’s mental health matters too.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by your dog’s training? You’re not alone.
Many owners come to me feeling overwhelmed, plagued with the idea that they’re failing their dog. The pressure of meeting certain expectations has become amplified by certain dog trainers in the media’s spotlight who push the idea of becoming a ‘pack leader’ or ‘alpha’ towards dogs and needing to be consistent through prolonged training sessions.

But here’s the truth:
Dog ownership doesn’t have to be exhausting. It should be joyful — for both you and your dog.

That’s where decompression walks come in.
Instead of focusing on turning every walk into an arduously long training session, decompression walks allow your dog to simply be a dog by encouraging them to:

✅ Sniff
✅ Forage
✅ Explore
✅ Take in the world at their own pace

When we prioritise our dog’s natural behaviours, we support:

🧠 Mental well-being
💛 Emotional regulation
🐾 Stronger connection between you and your dog
💤 Calmness and relaxation at home
🚶‍♀️ More enjoyable, stress-free walks for both of you

Training still has a place — of course! But sprinkling short sessions into walks that are mostly about relaxing, exploring and having fun is not only less stressful, it’s also more effective.

So let go of the pressure.
Take a breath.
And go for a sniffari. 🌲🐶

You don’t need perfection. You just need to strive towards the goal of ensuring your dog is living their best life! 🐕

If you find your dog struggles to decompress on walks, feel free to reach out to me and we can get you on the right track 🐾

https://www.barkersacademy.com

04/06/2025

Lovely morning walking this gorgeous bunch 🤗

03/06/2025

Lovely little Freddie the border terrier puppy practicing his auto sits at kerbs during his puppy 1-2-1 session. If you would like to get the ball rolling on your puppy’s training, feel free to get in touch or check out my website https://www.barkersacademy.com 🐾

I also have a very limited number of spaces left on my six week puppy course starting Tuesday 24th June at Plumpton College, 7-8pm. Led by a degree-qualified dog trainer with real-world experience in areas of the animal care industry, including experience in rescue and caring for assistance dogs, you’ll be in safe, knowledgeable hands. Spaces are limited and filling fast, so pop me a message now to secure your pup’s place!

Let’s set them up for a lifetime of success 🐾🐶

27/05/2025

The Tuesday morning gang enjoying their social walk this morning 🤗

Barker’s Academy’s mission is to ensure every dog is living their best life! The walking service is no different, focusing on giving dogs a premium experience that keeps their bodies moving and their minds buzzing. Each structured walk focuses on sniffing, exploring, and foraging, with dogs encouraged to express their natural behaviours. This approach not only makes every outing enjoyable and fulfilling—it also supports high standards of animal welfare 💫

For group walks, dogs are carefully matched with buddies who have similar play styles and behaviours. Groups are kept small, with a max of four dogs at a time, to keep things safe and offer that personal touch. I also offer personalised solo walks for dogs who prefer their own space or need a bit of extra support 🐾🐕

If you’re interested in your dog joining the Barker’s Academy dog waking gang, get in touch with me either via message or through my website https://www.barkersacademy.com

I am happy to walk any and all breeds, big or small, and I’m fully insured, first aid trained with an FdSc in Canine Behaviour and Training 📚