The Polite Dog

30/03/2026

I said goodbye to my big, beautiful girl 💔

Almost 14 years of loving her… how incredibly lucky I was.

Billie was ginormous, friendly, happy-go-lucky, a handful, and completely full of love. She was by my side through everything—career changes, study, travel, marriage, and babies.

She shaped me, not just as a person, but as a dog trainer.
She helped me show that big dogs can be taught with kindness, patience, and positive reinforcement. She reminded me how important regular vet care is, and taught me how to support and advocate for a senior dog’s quality of life. Having a great vet clinic is incredibly important.

She adored our babies and helped us raise three little girls who know how to respect dogs, listen to them, and treat them with kindness.

And in the end, she reminded me of the hardest lesson of all—that saying goodbye, even when it’s the kindest and right decision, can feel overwhelming and impossible to carry.

My heart is broken. I don’t quite know who I am without her yet.

Thank you for everything, big girl. I’ll miss you forever 🤍

19/03/2026

28/01/2026

🩵🐶

A little life + work update! We’re still in San Francisco, and it’s definitely been a wild ride. We had hoped our time here would bring a better family/work balance so I could fully take advantage of the incredible trainers and programs available — and maybe even confirm my brain still works after three kids 😂 — but our schedule had other plans.

That said, there have been some beautiful positives. I’m currently volunteering with a local rescue that has truly impressive systems in place to support animals, reduce stress, and educate the public. I’m now Fear Free Shelter Certified, and it’s been such a powerful reminder of just how much I love working with animals.

Billie is now 13 (still can’t quite believe it!) and we’re managing her health closely with our vet. She’s constantly admired here in California — and soaking up every bit of the attention.

I’m making it a goal to share more updates and behind-the-scenes moments here, so stay tuned for more 💙

21/01/2026

Prong collars outlawed! These cruel training devices are designed to cause a dog pain around their neck. I've seen some very graphic images where prong collars have cut through the skin causing serious injuries.

Animal behaviourists have made it clear - negative reinforcement is totally unnecessary- positive reinforcement works, so why would we ever allow dogs to be hurt in this way?

Soon this will be illegal. Another long fight - but we got there.

As this legislation comes forward we will be proposing other changes- what animal protection laws would you like to see?

07/08/2025

The Cruel Irony of Punishing a Dog Already in Distress

There’s a painful irony in the dog world: Dog's being punished, who are already struggling to cope, who are often reacting because something in their world already feels punishing, frightening, or overwhelming.

Instead of asking, "What’s happening inside this dog? What are they trying to communicate?" instead " lets punish the dog"

A shock.
A spray bottle or collar
A prong collar, choke chain etc.

That dog is often already in distress. Their behaviour was a symptom, not the disease. Their reaction was an attempt to say, “I can’t handle this. Help.”

And yet, people respond by piling on more stress, more fear, more aversion, and then somehow framing it as a favour.

“I’m correcting him for his own good.” “She needs to learn.” “This is how you train a balanced dog.”" Now they can go off lead and be a dog".

You can’t scare fear out of a dog, but you can shut them up.
You can’t correct trauma into trust, but you can shut them up
You can’t punish away panic, but you can shut them up.

Quiet doesnt mean coping

My approach is that dogs need understanding. They need to be heard. And we owe them the grace to ask why before we decide how to respond.

This doesnt mean i dont believe in boundaries, or guidance.

It means I believe in being fair, being compassionate, and working hard to reduce worries whilst striving for change not just shuting the undesirable behaviour down.

22/06/2025

A worthwhile read

Dogs are increasingly being prescribed medications to treat "problem behaviours", but experts suggest non-drug solutions could be better.

10/06/2025

Just because your dog doesn't growl or bite when your child handles them roughly, it doesn't mean they should have to tolerate it. There are fallout effects to rough handling, whether it's from adults or kids. Dogs will tolerate things, until they don't.

People come to me after a dog bite and almost always say something to the effect of "we were doing XYZ and we've done that a million times before and he's always been "fine.""

But "fine" doesn't mean comfortable. Tolerating something isn't the same as actively enjoying something.

The onus is on the parent to teach children age-appropriate ways to interact with dogs.

The responsibility of safety is NOT on the dog. It is on the adults to supervise and to teach the kids, about safe interactions, about how to ask the dog for consent and to use management and barriers when an adult is not 100% actively awake and supervising. And to be clear, 100% active supervision means eyes on the dog and child, not just physically in the same room but on your phone or making dinner and distracted.

Let's reduce dog bites and increase safety for the sake of our kids and our dogs.
And as adults we need to model safe, appropriate interactions for children with our dogs.

Read more here: https://rescuedbytraining.com/2024/06/03/setting-good-example-for-children

20/05/2025

Actual scenes !

22/04/2025

NEED A STRONGER CRATE

Dogs are not what we consider Denning animals, not like badgers or foxes.

SOME dogs do look for small spaces for safety when scared or to feel safe when resting, some dogs look for human comfort, it's as always, down to the individual dog.

I seen a post recently with the image saying they needed a stronger crate.

My issue with the picture was the emotion this image screamed at me.

This image shows me a dog that doesn't cope in a crate.

This image shows a human looking to." fix" it by using a stronger crate, not dealing with huge emotion this dog went through to do this to a crate.

( caveat: if they did it wasn't mentioned)

The other thing this represents to me, if we don't think about the emotions when it's THIS VISUAL, it's no wonder so many dog who are quiet and hop in willingly for a goodie are mistaken for being comfortable.

I'm not condemning the use of safe spaces, not at all, but I don't agree with dogs being shut in something they are not coping with, and this screams not coping.

12/03/2025

Too much too soon WILL cause issues.
It is a really common occurrence with newly adopted dogs.

Congratulations on your new dog.
I know you want to take them to the beach, the pet store and your café....however can I ask for a few minutes so I can explain just what your dog has gone through.....and why you need to take the next few weeks SLOW.
Your new dog has had it's whole world turned upside down.
They don't know you.
They don't know if they can trust you.
They don't know if they are with you for an hour or forever.
They may have been in various scary places.
Other houses, rescues, the pound and likely ALL of these in the past few days or weeks.
Your dog has stress hormones surging through their brain, they are STRESSED....they need to decompress, they need STABILITY in their environment and from you.
They need time with you and their new environment.
They need to know that the tree outside may rustle against the house and that's OK.
They need to know that those normal creaky noises in your house are OK and that at 3.45 the neighbours bang their door shut.
They need to know when it rains that tapping sound is OK.
They need to know that when the door opens they won't be moved somewhere else again.
They need to trust that YOU are safe even when you have had a bad day, you will still give them food and that they can close their eyes around you.
You know what your good intentions are with your new dog, your dog however has NO idea what is happening.....only that everything has changed and it is scary.
They do NOT need other new environments yet. Take it SLOW.
Dogs that have just been adopted need TIME. There is no need to rush out the next day and take them to all the places you want to go with them.....They need the opposite.
Let them decompress, let them inspect a new area of your house or yard every day or two. Walk them up and down outside your house for a few days (and only there), let them sniff, and sniff some more. Let them p*e freely.....it may be boring for you, but not for your dog. They need to know what is happening around them and they learn that through their nose, eyes and ears.
They NEED this.
They need to learn to TRUST you.
The long walks can wait, the café will still be there in a few weeks and you can visit the pet shop alone until they are ready.
Your bond together is the MOST important thing to concentrate on right now.
You will never regret taking it slow and it can save your dog and yourself from making the very same mistakes that can lead to people rehoming in the first place.
All the very best with your new dog.