First Class Canines

14/01/2025

Every dog owner needs to check out this course!!

11/01/2025

My face when I realise it was six years ago today that I brought home this back yard bred mutt.

I suddenly had to learn how to coexist with an adolescent pup who was into everything.

But building our partnership became my new obsession, and the start of my dog training journey.

Everything I have achieved over the last year, would not have been possible without the beautiful bond I had with Wilson 💕

10/01/2025

Much deserved!

🎉 We’ve got some exciting news! 🎉

We are absolutely thrilled to share that Honest Hounds has been chosen as a finalist for the iAwards Canine Business of the Year! 🐾✨

This recognition means the world to us—it reflects the incredible community we’ve built together and the passion we pour into supporting dog owners and their pups every single day. 💛

We couldn’t have done it without YOU—our amazing members, supporters, and followers. Your dedication to building stronger partnerships with your dogs inspires everything we do. 🙌

The winner will be announced this month, but honestly, just being recognised as a finalist is a huge honour! 🐾

03/01/2025

I’m gonna miss this little one when she goes home 🥹absolutely loved having her to stay 💕

30/12/2024

2024 has been full of crazy changes. And as I’ve still had dog walks and a puppy staying with me over the festive period, I’m taking a much needed break in January, whilst running a reduced service in the mean time so I can fully recover from my Christmas illness.

All sessions that have already been booked for January will be going ahead but I will not be taking on any new bookings until February 3rd.

Exciting plans for 2025! Looking forward to working with more of you and helping you and your dogs live your best lives!

Happy New Year 🥳

27/12/2024

The 3 faces of Tilly:

AAAHHHHH
Zzzzzzz
&
Why aren’t you stroking me?

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you all have a lovely day. Remember to advocate for your dogs and give them a safe space to sleep away from the festivities

22/12/2024

It astonishes me how many people either can’t read a dog’s body language, or don’t care enough to do anything.

I had to intercept way too many dogs today to prevent rude, overbearing greetings, and dogs who had switched into prey drive charging towards Tilly. I am trying to show her that I have her back so that she doesn’t feel the need to react to the dogs who ignore her signals (basically all of them).

She lacks confidence around other dogs and chooses never to approach or interact. When she is approached, she gives as many appeasing signals as she can, and makes herself as small as possible. But this could easily turn into reactive behaviour if she feels she has no choice.

Dog owners, if you see a dog looking uncomfortable with being approached, RECALL YOUR DOG. Put them on a lead if you know they like to charge at other dogs.

If you want to be able to read your dog and speak their language, get in touch to find out how I can help you become a body language expert!

13/12/2024

Meet Tilly. Tilly is staying with me over the Christmas period. She’s a 6 month old Golden Retriever and she looooves humans.

She’s not very confident at the moment so we’ll be working on that over the next few weeks. But it has made her an absolute dream to walk as she mostly wants to stay close by!

Anyone who joins me in my social walks over the next few weeks will get to meet her. The next walk is this Sunday. Get in touch if you’re interested in joining!

10/12/2024

Not being a superstar today at a new walk location 😮

We were both absolutely freezing afterwards though. Glad to get back to the car! 🥶

22/11/2024

Worried about how you’re going to manage a houseful at Christmas, with a dog who doesn’t like strangers?

Want to enjoy the big day without worrying about your dog’s reactivity?

Book now and receive 20% of all my tailored programmes until the end of November!

Message to book your free phone consult 📞

20/11/2024

I've not been on social media much recently so thought I'd re-introduce myself. 👋

I'm Leah and I'm a Canine Relationship Coach.

I help people all over the country to overcome the barriers they face in their relationship with their dogs, and to achieve the joy of canine companionship they first imagined.

I work with owners to support them in:

resetting the relationship they have with their dog

solving reactivity and behaviour problems

creating the perfect canine companion

And I do that through my uniquely tailored training programmes.

I started First Class Canines at the beginning of the year, and what a journey it has been!

I’ve been lucky enough to be mentored by Jess Probst as part of the mentee program which has deepened my knowledge and allowed me to work with some incredibly dedicated owners, as well as collaborate with other amazing trainers.

Helping my customers achieve things they thought were impossible has been immensely rewarding.

Next year, I will be welcoming a new addition to my home. Stay tuned for lots of training tips and puppy cuteness!

If you’re interested to find out more about the way I work, send me a message to book a free 15 minute phone consult.

Share a picture and a little something about you and your dog in the comments below... 👇

17/10/2024

Check out the new price guide on my website. Just click the button and it will download automatically!

09/10/2024

We found a lost dog in the car park of our walk. I put her on the front seat whilst I got Nova out the car and she made herself right at home 😂

We took her with us on our walk to see if we could find someone looking for her (we did).

For a dog that is “reactive”, Nova coped incredibly well. They had a little sniff of each other and then when Nova was allowed more freedom on the long line, she couldn’t care less that we had an extra dog.

23/09/2024

Back to work this week and I got to see the gorgeous Lily, looking very smart after her weekend haircut 🐾

20/09/2024

How much sleep does your dog get?

Did you know, dogs need about 18 hours of quality sleep a day?

I don’t mean just napping on the sofa next to you. I’m talking about quality, uninterrupted sleep.

Let’s face it, if your dog seems to be asleep next to you, they’ll soon be awake and alert the second you move.

It’s good practice to allow your dog to have a few hours throughout the day away from the rest of the household to nap.

Quality sleep allows them to recharge properly, preventing those problematic behaviours that are a result of over-tiredness. It also helps them to absorb and process any training you may have done.

16/09/2024

I finally have answers as to why I’ve been so sick and have antibiotics. Should be back to normal next week!!