For as long as I can remember I have been around animals, dogs in particular. The earliest training class I ever went to was puppy class when I was 5 years old with my Alaskan Malamute, Diamond. I always thoroughly enjoyed going to classes with my dogs and even at that age I insisted on doing as much of the training as I possibly could!

I was about 7 years old when I really got hooked on training though, with my dog Scruff. We did obedience classes together, agility classes and in my spare time at home we did lots and lots of trick training! I remember keeping a training diary with a list of his tricks and a list of things we would work on and learn. It truly amazed me how I could communicate with this animal who can’t speak our language and teach him how to do so many great things!

I enjoyed training so much that when I turned 13 years old and got my pony Thowra, I taught him how to do various fun tricks as well using the same positive, reward-based methods. Some of my favourites of his are: ‘say please’, ‘smile’ and ‘bow’. He particularly enjoys ‘fetch’ and likes to randomly pick things up and give them to me. He also likes to give kisses when he thinks you might have treats, just incase!

It wasn’t until I adopted my current dog Jack (the cute face on my logo) in 2017 that I really looked into doing dog training as a career. When he first came home, he was definitely a challenge! He didn’t have any training whatsoever and had extreme separation anxiety to the point where I couldn’t walk to the next room without him screaming and getting an upset tummy. He has taught me so much since I adopted him, and he continues to amaze me on a daily basis with how intelligent he is and how quickly he picks up new things.

That brings us to where I am now: qualified as an IMDT trainer and ready to make a difference and help other dogs like Jack become once in a lifetime companions.

As for where I’m going, every day I am continuing to learn. Just as it is with our dogs, education is a lifelong journey. I continue to study and keep up to date with training methods and how dogs learn so I can do the best by these animals and their humans.