Surrey Gundog Training

29/06/2025

🕺💃 Dancing in the kitchen.
Something I never used to do.
Not because I didn’t want to… but because I didn’t feel safe enough to let myself.

Healing isn’t linear. It isn’t always pretty. Sometimes it’s tears, silence, or survival mode.
But sometimes, healing looks like this.
🎶 A random solo dance party while making lunch, Hamilton blaring in the background, and a quiet voice inside whispering…
“You’re safe now. You’re home. You’re YOU again.”

Today I felt that.
Today I danced.
And for the first time in a long time… it felt amazing.
This is what healing can look like.
Messy. Brave. Beautiful. Alive.
All witnessed by my best friends

To all of my amazing clients who have supported me. I cannot thank you enough. Your kindness and generosity has been overwhelming in the most beautiful way.

18/06/2025

🌿✨ “You’re just like Krista from FernGully.” ✨🌿

Once, someone special said that to me… and without even knowing, they paid me one of the best compliments I’ve ever received.
Krista, the wild, curious, fiercely protective fairy who cares deeply for her forest.
And FernGully? One of my all-time favourite films. If you don’t know the Batty Rap, where have you been?!?
(Also… Batty, voiced by Robin Williams? ICONIC. The tree crash scene lives rent-free in my head forever.)

It got me thinking… if we have soul characters, what about our dogs?

🐾 Is your dog a bold and chaotic Simba or a sweet, sensitive Belle?
🐾 Are you Krista to your Labrador’s Batty?
🐾 Or are you a Gandalf raising a pack of mischievous hobbits?

I genuinely believe our dogs mirror our inner worlds, sometimes matching our energy, sometimes teaching us through contrast.
Training and behaviour work is never just about the dog. It’s about understanding both of you.

These are the Disney characters that my dogs most remind me of…..

🐾 Left: Dougal

Disney Match: Bagheera (The Jungle Book)
• Calm, watchful, serious vibes — probably the responsible one of the crew.
• Keeps the others in line, but secretly soft-hearted underneath that cool exterior.
• Probably rolls his eyes a lot but would take on a bear for his pack.

🐾 Middle: Delphi

Disney Match: Giselle (Enchanted)
• Full of sparkle, warmth, and joy — like she could burst into song at any moment.
• That happy little face just radiates sunshine.
• She’d charm a squirrel out of a tree and still race you through the forest like a rocket.

🐾 Right: Mac

Disney Match: Kristoff (Frozen)
• Solid, loyal, a bit serious on the outside — but he’s got a huge heart.
• Probably tries to act unimpressed but would 100% jump into a river for you.
• The grounded one who carries the emotional load for everyone else.

So tell me…
✨ Who would your dog be in a film?
✨ And what character do you think you are when you’re out there together, adventuring in the real world?

Drop your answers in the comments, I’d love to know! 🧚‍♀️🌿🐾

16/06/2025

Just a bunch of legends, staying on the path…
(No magic, just messy consistency!)

I get asked a lot especially by spaniel owners how I manage to walk my dogs in the real world without them vanishing into the woods or launching into full scent-mode madness.

Truth is… it hasn’t been easy, quick, or perfect.

Take Delphi. She’s as birdy as they come. It’s taken time, patience, and a lot of reps to get her to the point where we can go pretty much anywhere with confidence.

And then there’s Mac, my beautiful black Lab, who’s both socially awkward and a hunting machine. Think: Hannibal Lecter with a nose for wildlife 😅

None of this happened overnight. It’s been consistent training, real-life messiness, and knowing that progress isn’t linear, especially when you’ve got a busy life too.

But this… this little clip of them just bimbling along, on the path, content that’s the kind of win I love most.

🐾 Because consistency beats chaos.
🐾 Because dogs don’t need perfect, they need patience.
🐾 Because small wins become big ones when you stick with it.

Got a wild one you’re working with? Drop a 🐥 or 🦴 below, I see you!

15/06/2025

Life sometimes throws unexpected challenges. Right now, I’m facing one of those moments, and my beautiful community has encouraged me to let people in.

If you feel called to support or simply share, here’s a little bit of what’s happening behind the scenes. Every kind word, donation, or share means the world. 💛

Hi, I’m Louise a mum of three, and someone who’s finally finding the courage to … Louise Peach needs your support for Help Lou protect her home & her children

08/06/2025

🎥 Real-life training, real-life progress! 🐾This little clip might not look like much… but to me, it’s gold ✨Delphi (aka Ginger Ninja 🥷) heeling beautifully on our walk through the woods, a place she’s found really tough in the past with all the distractions.Life’s been full on lately and training hasn’t been the top priority (because… life!). But that’s the beauty of it, progress doesn’t need perfection.I’m gently weaving bits of training into our everyday walks again, and she’s showing me she’s ready.It’s never too late to pick things back up. And honestly? Sometimes the quietest wins feel the most rewarding. Drop a 🐾 if you’re celebrating the small wins too, I see you!

07/06/2025

🪵 Resting is part of the walk, too. 🌿

I sat here this morning at Frensham (my soul place) and just… paused.
No rushing, no agenda, just me, my dogs, and this beautiful view.

It reminded me of a friend I used to walk with, and his dog who loves to stop at every bench along the way, sit down, and just take it all in.

I didn’t walk with them today, but the stillness brought them to mind… and gave me permission to sit, too.

It’s easy to get caught up in the “keep moving” mindset, especially when life’s busy. But there’s something really powerful about slowing down. Sitting together teaches our dogs calm, and presence. Something working dogs need installing.

And honestly? It teaches us the same.

Rest is part of the walk. Stillness is part of the work.

Where’s your favourite place to sit and just be?

06/06/2025

If you’re juggling life and still showing up for your goals tell me what yours are! Let’s cheer each other on 👇

Most people on here know me as a dog trainer, the one who’s in the woods before breakfast, pockets full of treats and covered in muddy paw prints 😅

But there’s more to me than that.

I also train for triathlons 🏊‍♀️🚴‍♀️🏃‍♀️ squeezing in sessions between clients, family life, and the million things we all juggle. It’s not always easy (in fact, it rarely is), but it reminds me of why I do what I do. Yes, it’s a choice I actively make 🤪

Pushing through the hard days, learning to breathe when it’s tough, celebrating the smallest progress… (progress of 0.1% is better than perfection) it’s all the same stuff I teach my dogs. I’ve also met some of the most important people in my life through dogs & triathlons.

And honestly? The two go hand in hand. Training dogs has taught me patience. Training for triathlons has taught me resilience.

I’m not perfect. I get tired. I fall off routines. But I always come back to it, just like I do with the dogs.

So here’s to the dog people who are also doing the other hard things, quietly, consistently, and with a lot of heart ❤️🧡🖤

P.S be careful if you train your dogs with me. You may end up swimming in a lake or doing a triathlon (Sorry Rachael 🤣🫣).

05/06/2025

Hey everyone 👋
I know it’s been a while since I posted, life has been full on (as it often is when you work with dogs, juggle family, and try to stay warm in a British summer😅).

But I’m still here, still doing what I love, working with amazing dogs and their humans, learning, growing, and showing up each day. Sometimes we need to go quiet to realign, and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I’ve also been completing my BSc 🤪

Thank you for being here.
I’ll be sharing more again soon – including training tips, behind-the-scenes moments, and some brilliant dogs I’ve had the pleasure of working with.

Taken this morning at our training ground in Egham. It’s a soggy boots type of day!!

If you’re looking for support with your working dog, gundog or just want to reconnect, drop me a message 🐾

10/03/2025

Spring/summer training

Yes, you read that correctly. We are approaching better weather 😁🤩 which means more daylight to train & spend time with our dogs 🥳🥳.

We have the following classes available:

Intermediate Gundog group - for clients who already train with me or a 121 before to ensure suitability.

This will be a 4-week course with each lesson being 90-minutes.

Each week will have a different focus/topic

Starting 3rd May at 10am (17th May, 31st May & 14th June)

Maximum of 6 dogs

Please email [email protected] for further details or to book a space ☀️

14/02/2025

Yesterday I took Dougal toThe Renew Centre to find out what was going on after an injury. To say it was a stressful day is an understatement. I was so worried about all the possible scenarios & the prospect of him having a GA.

I’ve been lucky enough to accompany Kassie Woods with Sunny on a couple of occasions & watch his stem cell treatment. I already knew that the team there were incredible. I didn’t, however, imagine I would be there as a client with one of my own dogs.

I made the decision very early in his injury to self refer after seeing my GP vet to ensure there was nothing requiring emergency treatment. This made me think about all the dogs I see who are lame & have been lame for a considerable period of time. This could be because owners haven’t seen the changes because they are subtle to the untrained eye (dogs are stoic) or they may be having x-rays & other investigations with their GP vets. Most owners are unaware that they can refer themselves or request a referral to specialists like this.

I don’t want to upset anyone but in my humble opinion we are failing a vast majority of our dogs. They are being left to live in discomfort due to a lack of communication around what is available. I could have spent £1500-£2000 with my GP vet who wanted to do x-rays under GA. Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful for my GP vets, they are great & we receive wonderful care.

I have some clients who have spent £5K+ on visits to the vets & seeing Dynamic Dog ‘specialists’ who still have a lame dog & no closer to knowing why. As professionals we need to know our boundaries & know where to signpost our clients to ensure the dogs get diagnosed as quickly as possible. My advise for what it’s worth. Save your money on a Dynamic Dog Assessment & go to see someone like the team at The Renew Centre.

Just to clarify is it’s 1) illegal for someone other than a vet to ‘diagnose’ anything 2) talk to diagnosis with clients or medication 3) talk about diagnosis to the vet.

18/01/2025

Morning all,

I’ve been very quiet on socials over the last few months. This is due to being in the last few mo the of my BSc & trying to juggle work, uni & family.

I’m still running workshops & 121’s over the winter & will be reintroducing classes from spring 🌼 when uni has finished & I can focus. I have been lucky enough to collaborate with Surrey Dog Behaviour & run monthly workshops at the most beautiful grounds in Bordon, Hants.

I’m looking for your help if possible. I need;

Working Labradors between 2-6 years old
Working cocker spaniels between 2-6 years old

They will be taking part in my dissertation project looking at;

“Do working cocker spaniels and working Labrador retrievers differ in intellectual and cognitive abilities relevant to their roles in working environments?”

If you have a spare couple of hours on Saturday 8th February to participate please comment below or send me a DM. All participants will be anonymised.

*picture of a cute baby Arya being cheeky to make you smile

24/09/2024

❤️ALL OF THIS❤️

Showing gratitude & thanks to our amazing dog.

When we change the language we use it can have an incredibly powerful & profound impact on our view of the world.

When I was a nurse we were encouraged to refer to their ‘injured’ or ‘weaker’ limb as ‘recovering’ & ‘building strength each day’.

Bribe = Thank you
Command = cue/verbal cue
Reactive = fearful/anxious/under confident/in pain/traumatised

There are so many words we use which set us up for a negative interaction with others & our dogs. Some of the words we use can be linked to our own emotions around our dogs & their behaviours.

My older dog Dougal had struggles with Resource Guarding when he was younger. As I’m human there were occasions where I would be distracted by my children or tired from a busy A&E shift. In those moments of not being present I would accidentally trigger his guarding & he would communicate clearly with a growl. I learnt quickly that to help him I had to be present in that moment & to do that I would apologise to him calmly & quietly, I’m sorry mate. That was completely my fault.’ It was a way for me to acknowledge his self control in warning me I had made an error & rectifying it quickly.

What thank you’s do your dogs enjoy?