I specialise in Rescue and Rehabilitation cases and also work with
RATS (Rehoming Animal Telephone Service Charity) Rescue Kennels Team
How Can I Help You and Your Dog?
Why does my dog bark at everything? How can I walk my dog when she pulls so much?
My dog is stubborn. My dog doesn't listen. My dog never used to be like this? Will I have to rehome?
If any of these thoughts have ever crossed your mind then I am here to help.
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Life often throws changes and challenges at us, and as humans we have the ability to reason things out to adapt to them. This, however, is not always the case for our beloved canine companions. A new home, a new family member, a new lawn mower? Any of these things could potentially trigger a response that perhaps you weren't prepared for. There is a whole host of contradictory advice online and it can often feel overwhelming knowing what the right, or best next step is.
This is where speaking to an experienced behaviourist could be the right choice for you.
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I am qualified to help, using only kindness, patience and positive behaviour reinforcement. I have specialised in working with rescue and rehabilitation cases across a wide variety of different breeds and it is my passion to help people to understand and communicate with their canine companions. I don't judge!
I just aim to give you the skills you need to create a lifelong partnership and bond with your dog.
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To find out more about the different services I offer, please click here
Rescue Work
The joy of rescuing and why I love the work I do. My interest in working with rescue dogs began when I rehomed Molly, my first Kelpie. She and I worked our way through the many issues she had until we were such a solid team. I learned that the more I understood her 'language' the better we achieved our goals. This lead me to further reserach, and finally to qualify as a canine behaviourist and psychologist. I began to build my client base, and soon noticed that I was leaning more and more towards the rehabilitation field with anxious and fearful dogs. Not long after losing my Molly aged 16, I was called in to take a look at a very severe case in a local rescue centre. I was shocked that this 11 month old puppy could be so traumatised. With little or no back story, I had to listen to her. I knew she wasn't going to find a family to adopt her. She was dangerously fearful, had given most of the staff black eyes and split lips and she flashed her teeth if anyone went too close or moved too fast and they had named her Chaos. This case would take a long time to work through, so I decided to adopt her - I renamed her Luna. her issues were far more complex when I really started to unravel things, and the story is a rollercoaster, but she was the most honest teacher I could have had. I lost her to a seizure at the age of 4. I was devasted. The work I did with her, the techniques I had to invent, the fine tuning, the patience and love, no matter how hard theings were; her legacy. It is always so rewarding to watch the transition from chaos to calm! I was asked to work with another severe case for the RATS charity and have met some amazing, caring folk and brave dogs through them. I continue to work as their behaviourist and assessor. I now live with the sweetest soul, Rosie, another rescue Kelpie, who is blossoming and becoming braver by the minute. It's a joy to watch. Working with rescues, in kennels or in homes, really is the very best, most rewarding and cherished part of my job.
How I Work
It can be quite daunting to ask someone into your home to meet your family and accept that your dog is less than your perfect ideal. I am not here to judge anyone! Those of us in the profession often live with the most challenging dogs because we are able to cope with them, and we understand the frustrations and the heartbreaking feeling that often accompanies this situation. Sometimes it's just a simple re-adjustment to a niggle. Other cases are 'end of our tether' situations. Please don't worry. I spent 4 years living with a psycho border collie! My door handles were wrapped in socks, my drawer handles where chewed to within an inch of their lives... I know how hard it can be to shrug and count to ten when nothing seems to be working! So I'm called in... the first big step in your journey to a better partnership with your dog. I will never promise you a quick fix. What I will do is give you the ability to understand the reasons behind the behaviour. I will help you to 'read' your dog as well as they read us and the skills and techniques to help your dog be their best selves. There are numerous back stories for a lot of dogs I visit. I have to try to unravel how these have affected the dogs and teach you to teach them a positive behaviour. My watchwords are 'kindness', 'patience' and 'positive attitude'. I use reward based techniques only, whether they are food, toys or simply praise. Each dog is different and it is my job to work out which is the best solution so that you can carry that forward.
Flexible Services
Whis service is the most suitable for you? I offer several options; Face to Face where I will come to your home, meet as many of the family that are involved with the dog as possible, and look at how best to solve the issues at hand. Observing the behaviour of the dog and it's people will tell me a lot, so this is often my preferred option, especially when there are multiple issues to address. Online Consultations are a good first step if you need advice for a single issue. Often things like lead pulling, counter surfing, toilet training or jumping up can be solved with an online session. If I feel I need to know more and the issues are more complex then I will often recommend a face to face follow-up. Telephone services are also available. Sometimes we need support, even if it is just to tell us we are on the right track. That's where a phone call can be a good option. The emergency phone service is there if you need to speak to me immediately. Whatever the option, I will always do my very best to give you and your dog the support and encouragement you need.