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As a dog behaviourist, my work centres around helping owners to understand their pets through the lens of dog psychology. We don’t ‘train’ dogs. We assess and evaluate them so we can understand their temperament, their motivations and their needs. We look at the relationship they have with you and show you what needs to change to help that relationship flourish. We show you what small changes can provide big wins to the experience you have with your dog when you understand from their point of view. And we teach you how to communicate with them in a way that is optimal for them.
All the Puppy Questions you ask Google - answered by the professionals.
The Puppy Survival Guide.
Case Profiles.
Explore our case profiles, which dive into some of the specifics of working with certain breeds or groups of dogs. We look at common behaviours that many owners face, and which activities and techniques are most beneficial to creating long term success. You may notice that certain techniques, like place work, are used with almost every dog that we work with - with very good reason! We will be keeping our case profiles updated regularly - so if you can’t see your dog, either check back later, or send us an email so we cover your case profile next!
It’s high time that this breed got a special mention on the case profile list. With their infamous reputation, you’d think that they’d have appeared sooner. But the truth is, I don’t work with many, and when I do - it’s never for aggression. The three issues which I do see most commonly are fear of traffic - Separation Anxiety, and being too friendly with people.
Hold onto your butts - in this case profile, we discuss the delightful assassins of the dog world - the pocket rockets, the Swiss army knife, the lethal teddy bears. The 10kg workout, the professional nightmares. The Working Terriers.
In today’s case profile, it’s time we had a little chat about the literal Golden Child of the dog world - the breed that ‘definitely never has any issues, ever’ - and the challenges that come with training the breed the also happens to be my very earliest childhood memory of a dog - The Golden Retriever.
In this case profile, we revisit one of the most popular dogs on the planet, and one of the dogs that we see most often for behavioural issues - the Cockapoo.
Here we explore one of the world’s most famous breeds - and a breed that we know very well! The Labrador. This walking contradiction most commonly suffers with two issues that people would expect the least - a distrust of strangers and a fear of loud noises.
In this case profile, we explore some of the most common behaviours that clients experience in a group of breeds that only have two speeds - On, and Off. The Cheetah of the dog world that also doubles up as a couch potato - the Sighthound.
Learn about the most common issues that we resolve in German Shepherds - the dog that pays a behaviourists wages!
As a sausage dog owner myself, it’s high time we discuss the most common issues that we resolve in miniature dachshunds- yep, its barking like a Doberman!
Learn about the most common issues that we resolve in border collies - including lunging at cars and bikes, nipping and biting children, and fear of loud noises.
Learn about the most common issues that we resolve in european street dogs - including territorial and possessive behaviour, reactivity and aggression!
My favourite breed, the most emotionally intelligent dog on the planet, and the dog that will redefine what it means to be calm - lets talk about the Spaniel!
Big Topics.
The heavy hitters, essential information and difficult topics of dog ownership and training.
Today, I stick my hand into the metaphorical hornet’s nest. I walk where angels fear to tread! Let’s talk about dogs, children, safety and dog bites.
In this article, we’re going to explore some of the most commonly correlated behaviours - and talk about how these can end up resulting in dog bites. If your dog has bitten you - fair warning. You’re probably going to be called out on some of your less desirable attributes.
It’s the middle of summer, and we’re in currently “off season”, but fear exists all year round, and there are still cases we work during the summer months. In this article, we cover a crucial topic of working with fearful dogs - the difference between the Empathic human experience, and the concept of ‘mirroring’ - how these two psychological experiences clash, and become dangerous when working with fearful dogs.
The big one. In this essay, we look in depth about the word and the science that causes more arguments than any other in the dog training world. Dominance.
It’s time we talked about littermate syndrome, and why I no longer take on littermate pairs for rehabilitation work.
If someone were to tell me that I have a resource guarding case, and I had to place a bet on what type of dog it would be, I would bet on a Cockerpoo. So why is this supposedly perfect family pet so prone to this kind of issue? Why does it start so early, and what can you do about it?
In 2022, James travelled to California to train with Cesar and his team at the world famous Dog Psychology Centre. There is no greater privilege.
“Dog’s do know how comfortable you are with yourself, how happy you are, how fearful you are, and what is missing inside of you.”
— Cesar Millan
Separation Anxiety Files
If you’ve ever looked for advice on separation anxiety, at some point you have been advised to do counterconditioning. It may not have been called that - It sounds more like ‘pick your keys up and put them down a bunch of times, And no - it doesn’t work. Usually. In this episode, we explore why.
A lot of puppies would appear to struggle with Separation Anxiety. But is that really whats going on? Or is it something else - that needs to be approached differently?
It’s high time that this breed got a special mention on the case profile list. With their infamous reputation, you’d think that they’d have appeared sooner. But the truth is, I don’t work with many, and when I do - it’s never for aggression. The three issues which I do see most commonly are fear of traffic - Separation Anxiety, and being too friendly with people.
When people say that their dog has Separation Anxiety, what they think they’re treating is called “True Separation Anxiety”. But most of the time, what they actually have is something else.In this article, I want to teach you how to identify what type of Separation Anxiety you’ve got, and what to do about it.
Separation Anxiety is one of those behavioural issues that has for such a long time been left in the proverbial corner when it comes to dog behaviour. In this series - I want people to learn why old systems don’t work - so that you can all start to make meaningful progress on your dogs separation issues.
My favourite breed, the most emotionally intelligent dog on the planet, and the dog that will redefine what it means to be calm - lets talk about the Spaniel!
Fear Season Articles
It’s the middle of summer, and we’re in currently “off season”, but fear exists all year round, and there are still cases we work during the summer months. In this article, we cover a crucial topic of working with fearful dogs - the difference between the Empathic human experience, and the concept of ‘mirroring’ - how these two psychological experiences clash, and become dangerous when working with fearful dogs.
As we reach the halfway point of Fear Season 2025, I wanted to explore one of the biggest debates when it comes to working with fearful dogs - whether or not it is right to give affection to, or otherwise try and reassure a fearful dog - and how you might go about this.
Let’s take a fresh look at fireworks night. What works, what doesn’t, and what can you change?
“Know your least bad options. Know your progressions - and learn how to nurture these decisions in the short term, to open up opportunities for something even better in the long term.”
Over the last few years, it has become increasingly common to work with clients with fearful dogs, who have been described medications to resolve issues such as fear of loud noises, going on a walk, fear based reactivity and Aggression…In this article, we’re going to focus on a few key reasons why medication isn’t going to resolve major problems relating to fear.