03/06/2026
How I entered into the world of dog training.
12 years ago, I wanted a dog 😂 I thought how hard can it be, even though I had no experience with dogs at all. We didn't even have a dog growing up.
When I saw Thor and Storm as puppies, I was instantly smitten. I didn't even think to research it or question getting two at once.
I did crate train them, but eventually let them sleep with me. They pulled on lead and I thought it was normal. Storm was a terrible jumper. Thor had mild resource guarding over food. I took them to puppy class, right through to advanced. Overall, they were quite well behaved. I put them into daycare because I was told that was what you do. We went to dog parks because I was told that was what you do.
Then.
1. Thor got expelled from daycare for fighting.
2. Thor and Storm started fighting.
3. Storm got incredibly difficult on lead.
4. Thor started getting into fights with random dogs.
In a nutshell, I did everything wrong from the beginning. I didn't do my research, and that was on me.
So I hired a trainer. Their behavior didn't improve. It actually got worse. I got told to rehome one of them. I thought, no way. This is my fault and I'm going to fix it.
I volunteered with the SPCA and CDA for experience. I met the right trainer who taught me exactly what was wrong. I learnt not all dog trainers are equal, and you need to find the right one. I learnt dog psychology and why it matters, not just obedience.
It took alot of work, but we got there. I changed my entire life and I changed my dogs entire routine. It took some time, tears and serious commitment, but it worked. Then came Stella 🤣
And I decided I wanted to help people who were also struggling with their dogs, like I once did.
Six years in, and I'm still here. I'm a particular type of trainer. I will explain to you what you need to do and why, and show you how to do it, but I stand firm by the owner has to put the effort in. I won't suit everyone with this approach and that is fine by me.
But I get it, from personal experience. I'm not here to judge how you got here, I am here to help correct it. We owe it to our dogs.
