About Your Dog

15/08/2025

When you join About Your Dog you join a community of like minded caregivers. I have found that a sense of community helps people to feel less isolated, thereby keeping everybody motivated.
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Not only that, this is a judgement free zone. So you're safe with me.

15/08/2025

We cannot make change when we are not in the right emotional state for learning. So, here at About Your Dog MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS!
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I never want you OR your dog to feel overwhelmed or defeated. Anything you might find frustrating or scary will be approached in small, manageable steps with as much support as you need. And, I promise to always hear things from your perspective ❤️
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Your dog has mental health too, so we pay him just as much attention. We work a lot on establishing consent, as control helps our dogs to feel safe. If you care about your dog as an emotional, sentient individual, you are in the right place!

15/08/2025

Did you know..? The key to better behaviour is a happier dog! That's why your dog's happiness is my priority here at About Your Dog.
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I don't believe in causing your dog harm to get results, and evidence has actually shown that positive methods are most effective by a landslide! In an unregulated industry it can be hard to know who to trust, and that's why I am here.
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I will teach you to communicate with your dog in a way that reinforces your bond rather than damaging it. Before you know it, you'll be solving problems yourself and enjoying spending time with your furry friend once again 😍🐾

09/08/2025

The art of planning ahead, scanning the environment and checking first is a skill we reactive dog guardians master.

We are the alert, the speedy and the highly skilled of the dog world. No one can get a treat through a muzzle with better precision or shift as smoothly across the street.

Are things not improving in your reactivity? Try my reactivity challenge. Link in the comments.

09/08/2025

Hey everyone 👋 I helped set up a charity in Hampshire with a good friend. Our mission is to give people with low income access to science based training and behaviour support. This might mean that we buy somebody a muzzle, we pay for a dog walker, or they may even get a full behaviour consultation and treatment.

The charity is in memory of her dog Neo who passed away last year. We are asking for a £1 donation in his name, 100% of the money goes to the charity ❤️
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/thegooddogproject?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwMD6tNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp4JuJwH5lyFSKM1e0SD98P9hvnUEsrVz11HjUu-h6MT4wVF7SrDYYJM85j82_aem_VBuLhT81Sl8LDUg_0KDniQ

Thank you for your generosity ❤️ If you feel you may need access to the charity please follow The Good Dog Project and we will let you know as soon as that help is available!

Iʼm raising money to support The Good Dog Project. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

07/08/2025

More Balanced trainers wisdom 😜🤣

05/08/2025

Minnie 🐾
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This little senorita from Spain has come to me for some ❤️ As with many other street dogs, Minnie finds things quite scary, and so we are going to build her confidence, making her the best version of herself.
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Do you have a that needs some support? We don't need prong collars and shouty voices, we need trauma informed care. Find out more, or book a ✨️FREE 15 MINUTE WELCOME CALL✨️ via the link in my bio 🫶 I cover everywhere up to London!
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26/07/2025

Cheddar gets a little overwhelmed sometimes and he needs to be as close to him hoomans as possible 🥹

19/07/2025

Rocco 🐾 This handsome chap has come to me for some separation problems and other classic issues. He is 10M so his family are already doing so well coping with that tricky adolescent stage! Welcome to the family Rocco 😍

09/07/2025

Yet again a balanced trainer has tried to set me a ridiculous challenge (a set up)
Just like this one i had from a local trainer beginning of the year.

"I currently have a particular twitchy dog with me at the moment. I am more than happy for any force free/ positive only trainer to pop along and take him out of my van and walk him through town with lots of other dogs around show me exactly how you'd work him completely force free. No telling him no ect no spacial pressure... it has to be 100% free of any force whatsoever"

Let’s be clear:
That’s not a challenge — it’s a setup.
No ethical trainer, regardless of method, should be throwing a stressed or reactive dog into a situation they’re clearly not ready to handle.

As a force-free trainer, I work with dogs, not against them. I don’t flood them, push them past their thresholds, or risk their welfare to prove a point.
I use science-based methods that build trust, resilience, and long-term behavioural change — and that starts with meeting the dog where they are.

Force-free doesn’t mean passive or permissive. It means strategic, ethical, and kind. It means using smart training instead of shortcuts.

In force-free training, we use thoughtful management, desensitisation, counter-conditioning, and reinforcement-based strategies to build behavioural change gradually. That’s not weakness — that’s ethical, evidence-based practice.

Setting a dog up to fail isnt proof of anything except poor judgement.

08/07/2025

Pebbles (& Ziggy) 🐾
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This photo is so badly focused because of the intense tail wagging taking place 🤣
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Pebbles (left) is struggling with her tolerance for handling. She finds it waaaaay too scary when people want to poke and prod her, but luckily her humans have been working really hard to rebuild her trust. Using some work by Jean Donaldson along with and general confidence building, we are hoping to build Pebbles back up in no time!
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29/06/2025

The vet dismissed this dog with "no pain". We do not tell you to push further for no reason, not everything can be seen in a 10 minute examination.