It's All About The Dog

**Big muscles. Big feelings. And sometimes, a very busy brain.** 💛

Meet the gorgeous Archie!

Archie is a big, strong bull-breed mix who recently joined his new family. At home, he’s a wonderfully chilled-out lad. But step outside and his whole demeanour changes - he becomes hyper-alert, scans his surroundings and pulls with considerable strength.

Bull breeds can be incredibly powerful and determined dogs. They can also be sensitive to pressure, quick to become frustrated and capable of travelling from 0–100 in a split second.

That combination doesn’t need us to become stronger, firmer or more controlling. It asks us to slow down, look beneath the behaviour and work out what the dog needs from us.

Sometimes, that means asking:

🐾 Is this dog physically comfortable?
🐾 Do they feel safe?
🐾 Have they learned how to navigate the world on a lead?
🐾 Are they already overwhelmed before the reaction happens?
🐾 What are they trying to communicate?

Today wasn’t about teaching Archie lots of new cues. It was about listening, observing and gathering the full picture.

And underneath all that muscle, Archie showed us just how responsive he is. With quiet body movements - no pulling, repeated instructions or battle of strength - he simply followed.

When you share your life with a powerful dog, using your brain rather than your brawn isn’t only kinder - it’s far more effective.

Archie doesn’t need more pressure or a long list of obedience cues. He needs help learning how to navigate life as a family dog, one manageable step at a time.

Sometimes the most valuable training session is the one where we slow down and make sure the foundations are solid before trying to build anything on top. 💛

🐾 **What a lovely way to finish our Scent Games course.** 🐾

This week we wrapped up four weeks of sniffing, searching, tracking, trailing and, most importantly... having fun together.

For our final class, we explored some simple scent games that are easy to recreate at home or out on walks. You don't need fancy equipment or a huge garden to enjoy scent work - just a little imagination and a dog with a nose (which, thankfully, they all come with! 😉).

The best part? The learning didn't stop when everyone went home.

I've already received a fantastic video from one of our teams, who has built their very own scent wall in the garden! How cool is that?! 🤩 Seeing people take ideas from class and make them their own is exactly what these courses are all about.

It was also lovely to hear that several teams have been practising the Mantrailing skills we introduced and are thinking about joining us on the trails soon. I can't wait to see where those adventures lead.

My hope with Scent Games has always been simple: to show people that scent work isn't just a sport - it's a wonderful way to spend time with your dog. Whether you fall in love with Scent Detection, Tracking or Mantrailing, or simply hide treats around the house and turn your walks into little sniffing adventures, you're giving your dog the chance to do something they were born to do.

When it comes to scent work, we're only limited by our own imagination... and I think this group proved that beautifully. 💚

Thank you to every team for making the last four weeks such a pleasure. You were an absolute joy to work with.

And a special mention to our missing teammate this week... you were very much missed, and we hope to see you and your wonderful dog again soon. 🐶💚

**🐑 From "What on earth is this?"... to "I've got this!" 💙**

Our Herding Game course came to an end this week, and what a joy it's been to watch these teams grow together.

There have been moments of brilliance...

Moments of confusion...

Moments of absolute chaos (because let's be honest... herding breeds don't always read the lesson plan! 😂).

But every single one of those moments has been part of the learning.

Over the last few weeks we've explored everything from setting the environment up for success and developing handler skills, through to creating movement, managing those inevitable "wrong" choices, working through sticky moments, introducing verbal cues, adding distance and speed, and finally bringing in stop and direction-change cues.

What I've loved most, though, isn't any individual exercise.

It's watching the partnership develop.

Seeing the dogs begin to understand the game, watching the handlers become clearer in their communication, and seeing both ends of the lead grow in confidence together.

Because that's what this has always been about.

Not creating perfect dogs.

But building a team that enjoys working together while giving these incredible dogs an outlet for the instincts they've been bred for.

A huge thank you to both teams for trusting the process, embracing the wins, laughing through the wobbles, and making the Herding Game course such a pleasure to teach.

I really hope I'll see you all again soon. ❤️🐾

Just some puppingtons looking cute and practising a new recall game 💙

Tomorrow is the last day of the course with these lovely guys.
What an absolute pleasure they've been to spend time with 💙

**"But I need to keep him on a short lead... he's so strong!"**

It's something I hear all the time.

Over the weekend I spent the morning with the lovely Woody, a young Labrador whose humans wanted to make their walks feel calmer and more enjoyable.

When our dogs are big and powerful, it's completely understandable that our instinct is to hold them tightly. It feels safer.

Ironically, it's often that tight connection that creates more tension.

The session wasn't about teaching Woody to walk in a perfect heel.

It was about helping his humans discover that the lead isn't a steering wheel - it's simply a safety line.

By changing *how* we held the lead, *how* we moved with Woody and *when* we chose to give him more space, we saw a dog who was able to slow down, think and make better decisions.

The best part?

Woody isn't an aggressive dog.

He's a wonderfully social adolescent who's still navigating hormones, exciting smells and a teenage brain that's very much a work in progress.

Our job isn't to control every step he takes.

Our job is to help him make good choices.

One walk at a time. ❤️🐾

And just like that, another class course comes to an end...

... and Monday evenings just won't be the same without them.

This lovely lot are our Puppy Beginners group, who were taken good care of by KayNine Training

They'll be missed, but hopefully we'll see them all again soon 💙

A selection of super Saturday faces to share with you 🥰

There are certainly worse ways to spend your days 💙

Today was my very first Walks That Work session... and I loved every minute of it. ❤️🐾

Today's student was the very handsome CJ, a young rescue who has only been with his new family for a few months.

Like many recently rehomed dogs, walks are exciting... very exciting! Every pigeon, every cat, every dog and every new sight, CJ has something to say, and he certainly isn't shy about sharing his opinions!

The wonderful thing is, we didn't spend today's session trying to stop him being a dog.

Instead, we helped his humans understand **how** to walk with him.

How to hold the lead.

How to move with him.

How to recognise when he's still able to learn... and when he's becoming overwhelmed.

How to help him before things become too much.

One of the biggest lightbulb moments? Realising that changing **our** movements can completely change how a dog responds on the lead.

Dogs are incredibly sensitive to what we do with our bodies. Sometimes, the smallest changes from us can make the biggest difference to them.

CJ worked so hard today. We had a few real-life challenges along the way (because that's life!) but by the end of the walk he was making much calmer choices, recovering more quickly and showing us exactly what he's capable of.

I'm looking forward to hearing how Team CJ get on over the coming weeks.

Because that's what Walks That Work is all about...

Not perfect dogs.

Just happier, more confident walks for both ends of the lead. 🐾💙

**"I know where we are... and I can't wait!" 🐑🐾**

One of my favourite moments in any course is seeing the dogs arrive for week two.

Last week they walked into a brand new environment, not quite sure what was going on.

This week?

They knew exactly where they were... and they were more than ready to get started! 💙

That's something we see time and time again in our classes. When dogs have positive experiences, they build happy expectations. Training becomes something they *want* to do, not something they have to do.

This week's Herding Game focused on one simple idea...

**Movement.**

One step at a time, the handlers learned how to move *with* their dogs, rather than simply trying to direct them. Clear communication, teamwork and plenty of thoughtful training.

And yes... there was some seriously impressive herding on display! 🐑✨

It's amazing how much these dogs can achieve when we're working *with* the instincts they've been bred for, rather than trying to suppress them.

I can't wait to see how these two teams progress next week. They're off to such a brilliant start! ❤️