Nearly 6 years ago, we brought home our first puppy.  With the best intentions, we could never have foreseen:  Covid Lockdown, her getting attacked at 5 months old, mast cell tumour at 7 months old, another attack a few months later, not to mention me being completely overwhelmed by my chronic pain and health status.  Like all dog guardians, we did what we could, what we thought was best, with the knowledge we had at the time, following the best training advice we found.  It wasn't working for our now 'reactive' (struggling) dog.  For her, I delved into researching how we can make things better, tried multiple training programmes - some excellent, some not so much - but they weren't the right option for her.  They didn't help the underlying root cause.  

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Dogs don't need to have a traumatic life like hers to struggle and rely on coping mechanisms - just a small disruption in their early stages, even when we're doing our very best, following all the standard guidelines, can cause their need for coping mechanisms - just like we might turn to smoking, vaping, drinking, over-eating, constantly fidgeting, cleaning or biting our nails... These are all coping mechanisms, and if you have some, you'll know that if you're stopped from doing one, another will take its' place - this is what we see in dogs.  Stopping one coping strategy only to have another, often more disruptive one, take it's place.  

We then adopted a dog that was in need of a home:  His story is on my Facebook Page .  Long story short, we were a prime example that a rescue dog in their own home and even in the first days, weeks, sometimes months in their new home - is NOT the dog you will be getting.  Fully aware of his guarding issues which were remedied in a few weeks, Odin was terrified of women, and his initial good relationship with our other dog took a big turn for the worse.  In the end it took nearly 6 months for a female person to be able to enter a room and him not to react, and 9 months of gradual building for the dogs to live together 24/7.  3 years on, we're still working on him, and our other dog, and we still have good and bad days.  I very affectionately call my dogs d!ckheads - but they're free to express their emotions, seek support and be themselves - on the good days and the struggling days - just as they are.  

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We've been on a healing journey together ever since, in addition to the masses of rabbit holes of information I've delved in to to find the best possible help for our family!

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This experience along with that gained helping others to build better relationships and support systems in their household, allows me to empathise and guide you in helping your dog, building that place of safety for them. 

I am a trainee in the Hemene Approach to Dog Development.  With specialised and expert mentorship from Kim and Shaun Ellis of The Wolf and Dog Development Centre, plus an international network of Instructors to draw experience from, the journey for you and your dog to build that life-long close understanding relationship and to repair those disruptions at the core of the behaviours you are seeing, starts here.   

Hemene is a word that comes from the First Nations People the Nez Perce. 

It has 2 meanings: 

• Wolf

• We are One, We are the Same. - We are connected

With this approach, we draw on lessons learnt from the wolf, to support and take your dog back through early stages of development - from the den site, to expanding their world and building their confidence with you at the core for safety and support - and guess what:  There's not a hint of pack leader, alpha or dominance in sight.  Forget what you know, or think you know, and immerse yourself in a world you never knew you needed. 

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View our introductory free recorded webinar - essential viewing prior to enrolment, and I guarantee you some lightbulb moments and some tips you can implement straight away. 

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Fully supported programmes to suit your budget, set realistic timelines to work from and guide you through healing the gaps in your dogs' development that could have any number of unknown causes.  Loss is often a factor here:  A puppy leaving it's mum has suffered a loss, a re-homed dog has suffered a loss - in our mind we've just provided them with an amazing forever home!  To them, they've just lost everything they knew - when we empathise with this, we can start to understand that we don't even need to do anything 'wrong' for these gaps to appear and coping mechanisms to set in.  When you're doing your best with the knowledge you have, it is not your fault.   

My longer programmes set the expectation of the time needed to support your dog in working through the underlying causes that now result in undesirable behaviours - they will thank you for learning how to understand and support them. 

If you're doing everything 'right' as per modern dog training, and they still just can't (key word, they're not stubborn, it's not they 'won't') make progress - it's time to look at the root cause.

I support dog guardians in building relational connection - a deeper bond - with your dog, enabling you to have a better understanding and for them to learn that you can provide the safety they need.  We look at the root causes behind the behaviours you see and work at a developmental level to resolve these, over traditional training that often band-aids problems, or closes down behaviour while the underlying problem still sits there waiting to resurface.  There is absolutely a place for modern, science based positive training for people who choose to with well regulated dogs, but for a lot of dogs the underlying causes need to be supported first.  

All behaviour, everything a dog does from chewing the doorway and jumping up, to playing with their dog friend or humping your aunt Judith, to lying on your side of the bed or poking your visitors with a ball constantly unable to settle is communication - we can understand a lot from them if we remove the notion of being 'naughty' or 'bad' or without purpose - and start understanding what they are showing us.  Part of this journey is learning to understand your dogs' language, building your relationship, listening to their story and getting you on the same page! 

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Suitable for all dogs:

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Puppies:  Start before they come home.  Learn how to choose a puppy that'll suit your lifestyle, then set them up for success and learn how to create a safe environment and develop a strong unconditional bond and source of safety, before you take them out into the world without knowing that you're their safe place, wherever you are!  Preparing your puppy and ensuring they have all the skills they need, and all the skills that YOU need to support them, will save you a potential lifetime of undesirable behaviours and the costs that come with repairing those behaviours.  Spending the time and effort now, will save you a small fortune in the future.  

Re-homed dogs: Whatever their history, good or bad, when a dog is rehomed (puppies included) they suffer a loss.  This alone can cause a developmental gap - add to that a poor history and it's no wonder our beloved adopted pups struggle so much.  Re-homed dogs often mask how they're feeling for the first few days, weeks or even months, with their true feelings showing and undesirable behaviours emerging weeks and months down the line, when we wonder what went wrong?! - set them up for success from the second you get them home.  

Adult dogs:  If your adolescent or adult dog you've had from a puppy is struggling, despite your best efforts, there can be very simple but impactful reasons why.  It's important to understand that it's likely not your fault, or at least nothing you were aware of - we only know what we know, and we can do all the training, read all the books and still come up short, blaming ourselves or the dog - a tiny developmental gap in their early weeks of life, or in their first few weeks in your home (remember, they've suffered a loss leaving mum), can shape the course of their life no matter what training you do.   

The good news whether you have a re-homed dog, a puppy, or a dog that has just struggled since a puppy or after a traumatic event, is that we can go back and repair this gap, no matter the age of the dog. 

It takes time, it can be hard work.  Our emotional state can have a big impact on our dogs, which means being open to become more self aware is an important part.  It may mean working on yourself too as your dog potentially draws out thoughts, feelings and struggles you've previously locked away - but the act of progressing and growing together with your dog will create the most beautiful partnership, and a point where 'training' isn't required because your dog will naturally:  walk beside you, see you as the most interesting thing in the park, recall to you, come to you when they're worried for support and live a far more harmonious life.  Put in the time now so that the remaining years with your dog are simpler and less stressful for you both. 

These programmes will include:

• 2 x initial 2-3 hour sessions in 1 week to ensure you're on the right track and we can tailor to yours and your dogs needs

• 2 x  2 hour sessions in your home per month (roughly every 2 weeks) (month 1 is 3 sessions as per the point above)

• Whatsapp / phone call support as needed - ask your questions & send videos of behaviours as they happen - respect a reasonable reply time

• A new facebook community of people on similar journeys where you can upload photos, videos, questions and get advice

• 4 months access to The Wolf and Dog Development Centre Online Foundation course, including over 50 bite sized, in depth videos to support your learning journey, together with 2 x live zooms per month to hear from the community and discuss your questions - Valued at £675

Places will be limited to 2 new clients per month.