Northern Canine

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Welcome to Northern Canine! We cover Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen and beyond!

Our training helps your dog be READY to listen, RELAXED at home and capable of making RESPONSIBLE choices - even when life gets distracting.

23/09/2026

"𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈."

A friend reminded me of this when I was doubting my journey. It wasn't a big conversation, just a sentence. She was right.

Operation Shepherd was a dream in a group chat until Westmac came along with Mr Multi. Getting to him meant driving over 1,000 miles twice in a month. I'd never driven longer than 3 hours - but that's how Moose was arriving.

I thought Diesel would only ever walk on a halti. My second trainer piled on more equipment - canny collar, flat collar, harness. It took someone who actually broke down his behaviour to tell me to take it all off and teach him instead.

To learn more, I had to leave the system that taught me everything I knew. It gave me everything I wanted with Diesel, but left giant questions unanswered for Aspen - probably the most genetically nervy dog I've ever had. Her answers only came from trusting myself and exploring further.

The flashy obedience I wanted from Aspen meant building real confidence first by consistently showing her she could do something, even when it scared her.

To keep growing as a trainer, I had to step out of my teachers' shadows - not because I wasn't grateful, but to explore further. So here I am, running a business I never intended to run.

Every one of those valuable lessons came from doing the uncomfortable thing first.

We all have to do uncomfortable things, in dog training and life. But that's where the growth happens 🌲

20/09/2026

You are wasting your time.

Stop training thresholds like car doors - train this instead.

If your dog can't hold a basic sit while you move, it is highly unlikely that it will respect thresholds when you ask it to stay in the car and open the door.

I get asked a lot about teaching dogs to stop rushing out of house doors, crate doors, car doors etc.

It’s a layered skill. Impulse control of course. But do they understand what you are asking?

Can they hold a position like sit or down while you turn around?

Most people walk backwards begging “Wait Buddy, Wait, Wait”

The good news is, I can help you fix it - then thresholds take care of themselves 🐾

🌲 Northern Canine | Dog Training

13/09/2026

𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 6 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙊𝙡𝙙 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 🐾🩵

🎓 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 6 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙄'𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 6 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙤𝙡𝙙:

𝗦𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝘁. 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽. I teach my obedience commands in small, clear steps - this translates into clear boundaries with a dog that understands regardless of distance, distractions or what I'm doing with another dog.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. Barber shops, open spaces, country walks, coffee courtyards, private fields - around people, kids, other dogs, and just the two of us. Dogs learn and grow so much through play, so it has to work anywhere, not just at home.

𝗗𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 - a skill that also needs to be taught and practiced everywhere. Some days we get straight out of the car to do nothing. Other days we do nothing before our walk, after play or even in the middle of a training session. Indoors or outdoors - our off switch is as consistent as our on switch. This also allows him time to just take in the world around him.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘆. Unless you are a pigeon - but that's a story for another day! As a german shepherd, Moose likes to shout at new things, scary things and random things. All breeds go through fear periods where something a puppy was previously fine with is all of a sudden frightening. How we navigate these times of suspicion is really important to how he develops the ability to work through something he is unsure of.

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹. You'll notice this is only one of two obedience related commands on this list. For me, recall isn't about always taking him away from something. Recall at this stage is about relationship. If he wants to spend time with me and I have value to him, then it is much easier for him to pick me over the environment or distractions.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 - 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻, 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗳𝘆! Yes, obedience is important and looks flashy, but for a puppy, learning about the world, our relationship and how to simply be a dog will always be more important to me.

𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘵 Westmac 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘺 🩵

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲, 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 - 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠🌲

Paw Seasons Paddock and Strichen Dog Park

10/09/2026

🐾 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗮 🐾

Mila is an 11 week old Cocker Spaniel. Her owners spent years researching which breed would be right for them and learning about basic training methods - which is lovely to see as a trainer because it means that they are already aware of what they are hoping to achieve…and let's face it, every breed comes with their own quirks!

At this age our main focuses are her relationship with her owners and teaching Mila how to react to new environments and distractions. For Mila, a lot of this will be done through play and using space in the environment to allow her to choose to interact with us, and be rewarded for it ⭐

As she grows we can encourage more obedience across a variety of situations but we want her to learn that no matter what is going on around her, being in tune with her owners has a lot of value.

Her owners came prepared with questions about things they had read online and some hiccups they were noticing - which was really refreshing!

People often feel uncomfortable asking their own questions during sessions or in messages but I always welcome it! I absolutely love my job and I am more than happy to talk about anything to do with dogs! I know my lane and will tell you if the question is better asked to your vet, groomer, etc.

Rest assured there is no judgement here - only a helpful hand 🤝🏼

07/09/2026

🔍𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲?

I had an interesting conversation with a client earlier today about verbal cues, body language and vocal tone with their adorable spaniel puppy (who you’ll meet soon) 🐾

Aspen and I have been working together for 2 years so she is very good at understanding what I am asking without any verbal commands.

Moose and I have been building foundations for nearly 4 months so he wants to be engaged too, but isn't on Aspen's level of knowledge or understanding.

Teaching a dog with body language and visual cues is closer to how dogs communicate naturally, which can help them learn quicker. It's also a great skill to have in your back pocket if your dog's hearing ever fades with age.

🎥 Something fun for you to try out with your dog:

Can you do hand signals and body language for commands your dog knows without saying anything?

If not, can you ask your dog in a whisper?

🐕 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖 𝙜𝙤 𝙄'𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙤𝙨 - 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡!

05/09/2026

🐾 Meet Remy 🐾

Remy is a 1 year old german shepherd and her owners have done a fantastic job on her foundations so far!

During today’s 1 to 1 session we addressed some of Remy's habits - like screaming to tell the whole world that she is leaving the house and then continuing that energy on the walk and pulling at the end of the lead.

We tried a couple of behaviours to get Remy in a calmer, quieter frame of mind before setting off. For her, a game of “find it” was the best option as it gave her brain something to focus on while helping regulate some of the excitement.

Once we got moving, I wanted to teach Remy lead pressure, but I also wanted to teach her an alternative behaviour for when she reached the end of the lead. This is an important step because Remy was a bit unsure of what was being asked of her. She also has a tendency to walk with her back end sideways so I introduced a spin and then used that movement to teach her that the reward is coming from behind her.

This way when Remy does hit the end of the lead she will spin around towards her owner instead of continuing to pull forward and her overall walk is straighter because the anticipation of the reward placement has changed.

Remy and her owner are a lovely pair to work with and I can't wait to see them again soon!

If too much excitement and pulling are part of your daily routine - go to the link in my bio or give me a message to book
your 1 to 1!

04/09/2026

The best days are spent with dogs 🐾

03/09/2026

Meet the Dogs at Northern Canine 🐾🌲

02/09/2026

🐾 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲 🐾

Last week I got to meet Frankie - an energetic puppy who loves to chase anything that moves, like everyone's shoe laces. He is beginning to figure out exactly how to get the reaction of people around him and it isn't always for the right reasons!

📣 Often I see owners turning themselves into squeaky toys by accident. It's human nature! Something hurts or it is the 5,000th time we have said no in the last 10 minutes and we get animated.

However for a lot of dogs, puppies especially, getting more animated and more expressive in our 'No' can actually increase the excitement of the game.

It doesn't mean we let them run wild and never hold a boundary - it just means we need to make sure we are actually telling the dog no, in a way they understand.

🧘🏼‍♀️ I will be working with Frankie's owners on teaching impulse control through play, giving him an outlet for his love of chasing things and teaching him how to work through different levels of excitement. As well as teaching Frankie all about the 'on switch', his owners and I will also be reinforcing his 'off switch' as he learns to settle around guests and exciting things.

📨 𝘐𝘧 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘺 - 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺!

30/08/2026

💡 One of the most important things a dog trainer told me when I started trying to ‘fix’ my old reactive dog, Diesel:

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬”

What kind of dog training advice is that? 😂

It was the kind of statement that removed just enough guilt for us to actually make progress.

You see, I had taken a trainer's advice to avoid dogs. I had a few sessions with a different trainer and couldn't even make it out the driveway without him kicking off - even with all the sausages and squeezy cheese I tried to offer. I honestly figured at this point this was just going to be it for us 💔

Fast forward and a year later he was on a caravan holiday where other people would say sorry when their dogs barked and he just walked on by! 🤯

So what changed? Other than how we trained him, I found a trainer with knowledge of dogs like mine. A trainer who didn't dwell on how we wound up there or why it took us so long before we asked for help again. He assessed the dog and we all moved forward.

🎓 My training is constantly evolving and I know a lot more than I did back then. Diesel may not be here anymore but he is definitely the reason I am here.

I'll never forget that feeling when my trainer showed me what was possible, then taught me how to do it. All because when I started to anxiously explain stuff he said “You don't know what you don't know.” I hadn't chosen to make my dog reactive, I just didn't know what else to do.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱, 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 - 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 - 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵.

No judgement here, just education and advice. Because we all deserve to learn from a trainer who remembers what it was like at the beginning of their journey too 🤝🏼

Address

Mintlaw

Website

https://northerncanine.softr.app/

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