Dogs Matter

04/03/2026

I am considering restarting our very popular sports foundations group, It is a class that looks at all the stuff around any sports that you intend to do with your dog - focus, communication structure, reinforcement structure, learning skills, proprioception etc etc
Great foundations are what I attribute to Pies continued success in a variety of sports.

The class would likely be fortnightly on Sunday afternoons or Wednesday early evenings.

Best suited to pups/young dogs

Let me know (ideally on email [email protected]) If you are interested or if you have any questions. FB page manager is super unreliable. So avoid that if you can!

23/02/2026

What you see here is simply miraculous, well, sometimes it certainly feels that way.

Relish is a fairly typical adolescent Australian Cattle Dog. He’s impulsive, wild at times, fast-moving, quick to react and slow to relax. What you can’t see is that the sheep are just around the corner. Relish would happily herd them all day long. But this here, this shows progress.

Sometimes it can feel like we have two dogs: the indoor version and the outside one. Inside, mostly calm and relaxed. Outside, wild beast mode is activated. Being outdoors becomes a predictor for adventure, excitement, movement. Add a prey animal into the mix and our dogs’ brains just 🤯 whatever rabbit, squirrel, or sheep gets in the way becomes a target for that surge of emotion.

Learning to relax, truly relax, in an environment that holds huge potential for excitement is a key part of raising a thoughtful, responsive canine. It’s not about suppressing instinct. It’s about helping them build the skills to regulate it.

And at this time of year, it’s even harder. We don’t linger in the garden or sit on park benches; we rush to avoid the rain. Outside becomes brief, intense, functional. Inadvertently, we teach our dogs that being outdoors is an event, something that comes with urgency and adrenaline.

So when a young dog like Relish can pause, breathe, look, and choose calm, even knowing the sheep are nearby, that’s not small. That’s not luck. That’s learning. That’s emotional growth.

It may not look dramatic to anyone passing by, but to those of us living it, it’s nothing short of miraculous.

My advice would be to try and find those moments in your day, linger a bit on a walk so your dog can just be, when its warmer try having a door open long enough your dog stops seeing it as a special event. These moments add up.

02/02/2026

There's been a lot of discussion recently about livestock worrying, and dog training methods, with new legislation coming in for both, is stirred up a lot of strong feelings.

I am not nieve from the issues, far from.

I believe livestock should feel safe, and I also believe dogs should feel safe, people too for that matter!

My goal is to facilitate people in training their dogs without using intimidation, force or coercion.

My dogs respond to me because they are keen and excited about what might happen, not because they are afraid of what will happen if they dont.

I'm here to advertise the last two spaces of the next positive control around sheep course, it's a great course, I'm so very proud of it and what it achieves, the link is below.

https://bookwhen.com/dogsmatter =ev-sb7qp-20260315100000

Photo is of Pie calmly watching the sheep, holding them off me so I can put hay out without being mugged!

If you have any questions feel free to ask 🙂

28/11/2025

For anyone who has attended the sheep course before, in the new year we have an opportunity for a top up - revisit, refresh and chance to catch up with new stuff!

🧡

https://bookwhen.com/dogsmatter/e/ev-sxjzu-20260125133000

27/11/2025

Goodness this is full already! Sorry folks that missed it, I'll get new dates out ASAP!

The next sheep course is now ready to book!
This is a SUPER popular course - one I’m incredibly proud of. It’s real-life work, focused on how to live in the real world, with real distractions, using only kind training methods.

People say it’s not possible… and I say: hold my beer.

If you have any questions, please email: [email protected]

Being able to walk in the countryside with my dogs is one of my greatest pleasures. Understanding how we ensure not only our dogs are safe, but also the people and animals we share our spaces with, is a true passion of mine.

I’ve recently read some posts on social media bashing positive training - well we definitely shouldn’t believe everything we read! I just want to reassure you: I am absolutely not naive to the challenges of walking a dog in the wild. And I’m certainly not naive about different training methods.

I choose to train using relationship-based, positive methods - not just because they align with my ethics, but because I KNOW they work.

This course is what I would describe as a relationship reset, great for anyone really needing to review and develop their relationship with their dog, building a positive and cooperative one, full of trust and fun.

Booking link here:

https://bookwhen.com/dogsmatter/e/ev-s0svx-20260111100000

Photo of current attendees Stan and Phil, isn't this image gorgeous it sums up what the course is all about really 🧡

07/11/2025

And another opportunity at our lovely barn 🙂

I have a couple of spots open for young dogs in our Beginner Urban Freestyle workshop at the Dogs Matter barn on the 29th November at 11.15am.

Perfect for puppies or young dog's who've started some training! We will have such fun learning new skills, try new trick, obstacle and obedience elements and exploring new concepts.

Come join us!
Book here:
https://bookwhen.com/theurbandog

07/11/2025

Great opportunity for a local Detection Dog trail.

Detection Dog Trials Prelim Trial Saturday 6th December. Held at Dogs Matter Devon EX5 4BW. 1 indoor and 1 outside search. You can use any legal odour.

Come and join us for a festive trial! ☃️🤶🎄

Here is link to book. If you have any questions about DDT trials then please email me [email protected]
https://Paws4teaching-appointments.as.me/?appointmentType=85055673

31/10/2025

Pie-rate says Happy Halloween 🎃

11/10/2025

I am a firm believer in having good hobbies, I love meeting people and hearing all about the bonkers exploits that they get up to in the pursuit of theirs, even if it's a non dog hobby 😉🤭😆

So partly because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and partly with the idea of giving Pie a hobby away from her main career, we went to SWATs Rally show today.

Pie was super, I may have let the side down in our first round 🫣 ... but she still came home with two good results, we learnt a lot, we had a lovely day out together, what could be better!

So now I have to ask what are your hobbies? Does your dog have a main career sport and a hobby activity?
I'd love to hear about all the bonkers things that people do!

31/08/2025

We had a lovely party with happy dogs and people and some funny Party games - human scentwork is HARD, which makes us appreciate our dogs even more.
Thank you, everyone, for coming, but special thanks to Gillian for organising! 🤩

28/08/2025

Much fun was had at yesterday's Scent club 🐶🐾 so much that I forgot to take photos 🤦‍♀️ but look at these superstars !

26/08/2025

Road trip!!!

In 2026 the Positive Gundog conference is going to SCOTLAND I'll be there presenting a couple of workshops, looking forward to it and a trip up north.
A really good value event, and a real positive bost for the training year.

Hopefully see some of you there 🙂

Professional Dog Training Services