Mabel and I

08/03/2025

Happy International Women’s Day.

A big thank you to my fantastic team who I am so proud of:


birch11

To the women who offer me so much support:





And of course to all the women who have supported me in the past and to my clients who continue to strive to be the best for their dogs.

27/02/2025

28/01/2025

16/01/2025

Yesterday and today I saw clients who were using these instruments of torture.
They were told to use them by their previous “trainers”
They were told that they didn’t hurt.
They hurt and damage the delicate neck, the thyroid gland, the trachea….many get terrible arthritis in their neck as they age, from this equipment.

I train humans.
I train humans to treat their dogs with kindness, love and care.

Does pain and intimidation work?
You bet it does.

Does the little boy threatened with a beating clean up his room before his dad gets home? Of course.

 Does the little boy down the street clean up his room just as well when his dad promises a hot fudge sundae if he gets it accomplished?

I don’t know. Maybe the little boy who is threatened cleans up his room better? Maybe the boy excited to get a hot fudge sundae does a better job?

One relationship will leave the child living in a state of fear. Emotional scars will last.
Nobody wants to live their life afraid of what’s around the corner.
Nobody should want to inflict this on their dog.

I want my dogs to be happy and excited when I walk in the door. Happy about what fun we will have and what wonderful thing we will do next. Not afraid about what will happen and what pain will be inflicted.

Can’t believe this kind of stuff still goes on, but it does.
It’s not OK. It does hurt.
It really really does.
❤️‍🩹🐾

Grateful to have made a difference today.
We can’t help every dog, but for those that we do help, by training and educating their humans, their lives have been changed forever. 

11/11/2024

Refreshed First Aid Course completed for another few years with the lovely Kerry Stubbs and the lush venue of Aquatic Canine Therapy - ACT Now!

16/10/2024

Halloween can actually be scary for our dogs. Here are some top tips to plan ahead.

08/10/2024

So proud to be part of such a fantastic team 💓

We did it! Another year as one of the Three Best Rated Dog Trainers in Newbury and super proud.

08/10/2024

Autumn walks and my favourite

02/10/2024

Book classes, workshops, harness fittings and other services here. URL@ https://www.annabalchdogtrainer.com/book

29/09/2024

What kind of walk are you going on today?

Do you feel that your dog needs a 'proper' walk, twice a day? Think again, your walks might not be meeting your dog's needs.

18/09/2024

JOIN US for our 'LOAD UP YOUR LEAD SKILLS' workshop! 🤩

Perfect for working on:
☑️Stop your dog pulling on lead.
☑️More attention from your dog around other dogs and distractions.

✅ Theory & practical elements
✅ Personalised advice for each dog
✅ Fun, positive, game based training methods
✅ Friendly atmosphere

Saturday 5th October
9:30am - 11:00am
Curridge WI Hall
£40

Book here: https://www.annabalchdogtrainer.com/book

16/09/2024

Do you feel that your dog needs a 'proper' walk, twice a day? Think again, your walks might not be meeting your dog's needs.

16/09/2024

This is becoming a welfare issue!

Im tired of hearing “the vet says there is no pain” by a guardian after they have taken their dog to the vet. It leaves me deflated and frustrated and feeling so sorry for the dog.

Myth Bust:

PAIN CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN ANY ANIMAL (dog, cat, horse or hamster), by anyone!

* A quick palpation - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

WHY?

The dog may shut down due to environmental factors or dislike of a strange human touching them, they keep still to get it over with ASAP!

The dog may be over aroused or overwhelmed by the clinical environment (excited/scared etc) to the point that adrenaline is so high it blocks pain!

* Blood Tests - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

There is currently NO blood test that can detect pain.

* Diagnostic imaging - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

Yes they can pick up a variety of conditions, but even the GOLD standard MRI doesn’t pick up everything, but NONE of them can detect PAIN.

Just because a source cannot be found doesn’t mean there is no pain.

PAIN is subjective, it is whatever that being (human or animal) perceives it to be!

Pain can come in many different forms, it is extremely complex, and can effect the individual in many different ways. A dog may get injured, the injury may have healed, but the pain remains … this is known as maladaptive pain.

Behaviour can be a HUGE indicator for PAIN:

* There could be a change of behaviour that has been directly caused by PAIN.

* There could be a worsening of behaviour due to an increase or new presence of PAIN.

* There could be a lack of “normal” behaviour due to PAIN.

* There could be behaviours that are present but that the guardian/owner don’t deem to be problematic that are indicators of PAIN.

* The dog may have ALWAYS displayed behaviours that are indicators of PAIN, but they have been ignored and put down to “just the way they are”.

* There may be NO problematic behaviours at all …. And the dog might still be in PAIN!

* The dog might be energetic, always on the go … and still be in PAIN.

* The dog might be lazy … and still be in PAIN.

* The dog may zoom up and down stairs … and still be in PAIN.

Diagnosing PAIN is not simple and can be difficult to get on top of.

A PAIN relief trail can be great! But often only one type of analgesic is tried and sometimes this doesn’t get results leading to the ASSUMPTION that there is no PAIN!

Here’s why:

* The drug was only trialed for 2 weeks - when living with chronic pain it can take longer to relieve. 2 weeks is not enough.

* The drug used wasn’t targeted to the type of pain the animal is feeling; soft tissue, bone, nerve or a combination of all.

It might take a number of different medications or a combination OVER TIME to see a difference.

ALWAYS keep in mind, NO ONE can rule out another being’s PAIN.

NO ONE. Not me. Not you. Not a Doctor. Not a Vet.