Planet Pup

29/03/2025

I love hiking at this time of year and seeing all the flowers coming out. We chanced upon a glade of wood amenones and I couldn't resist a photo 🥰

26/03/2025

This beautiful girl is Púca, a sweet golden retriever pup.

She was 7 months old when we started working together. Púca's parents have recently had a baby and we're struggling with her obedience, recall and leash pulling, as well as some reactivity towards people. She loves people so much that when she couldn't reach them, she would become frustrated, resulting in lungeing and pulling.

We started our 6 week obedience course with her and she did fantastic. Her mom and dad put super work into her and they had really quick and really great results with her.

She is an absolute sweetheart and I have no doubt will become a wonderful companion to their tiny human and will be a super family dog 🥰

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17/03/2025

This handsome boy is Bruno.

Bruno is a labrador, who absolutely adores people. He is a really big boy and knocked people over easily. He also absolutely loves to jump on people, which makes getting rid of the behaviour even more difficult to eliminate. He also needed some work on his recall and his heelwork.

We started with our 6-week obedience course and his family threw themselves headfirst into the training.

His family really did an incredible job with him and by the end of the course, he had improved massively. t they have been doing the homework. They made such amazing progress, that we would often have time over in each session to progress farther than I usually would or to teach a few tricks.

His family really did an incredible job with him and by the end of the course he had improved massively.

I am so delighted with these guys. They should be super proud of themselves ❤❤❤

15/03/2025

This beautiful girl is Harley, a Chow Chow/Labrador cross.

Her family called me in as she was generally jumping up on people, knocking people over, stealing food off of the kitchen counters and the dinner table, and in general, being a little bit difficult to motivate and control.

Despite possessing some of that strong will that you often get in chow chows, she was also one of the sweetest dogs that I've ever had the privilege of working with. She had such a wonderfully soft personality and really loved to please her family.

Within only three sessions, her owners had gotten the jumping under control and Harley was now sitting waiting patiently on a mat while her family ate dinner. She had stopped jumping on the counters nearly entirely and had improved immeasurably.

She really showed fantastic progress over the weeks that we worked together and her parents should be very proud 🥰🐾🐕

13/03/2025

Meet Larry and Millie.

Millie is a little older than Larry and tends to be pretty well behaved.

Mr Larry (the lurcher) is a teenager and is giving his parents all of the trouble that you can expect from one. Larry is very much what we refer to as a "Party dog". Larry loves people and loves other dogs and as a result can be a challenge on the lead and is very difficult to get a recall on.

We had a little difficulty in motivating him at the start, but once we figured him out the training has been going well. He can now be walked on lead and his recall is much better (If not yet perfect, but his family are working on it).

In this videao you can see that his family have been working on a double spin with the two dogs 🥰 They are doing a super job. This was at the end of a session and you can see, Typical to who he is, larry lost interest before little Millie did 😄 I still have a few sessions left with these guys, but they are doing super well so far.

10/03/2025

Beach days are the absolute best.

Tyson is a big fan of all things beach 🥰🥰🥰
Car was wrecked by the time we got home, but Tyson and my daughter had fun and that's what matters most.

08/03/2025

This lovely little lady is Layla, a Cavachon/Poodle mix.

Layla's mom contacted me before Layla arrived at their home and we did the 8 week Baby Dog Obedience Course. She was determined to get training right with their pup from day one, making sure that she acclimated well and that she responded well to their children, as well as having the children understand how to interact with her.

Layla turned out to be an absolutely lovely little lady. She was so sweet and affectionate and was super intelligent, picking up on training really well. She had a little trouble with potty training in the beginning, but based on her age, this can sometimes take a while. By the end of the course, her potty training was under control though, and she passed the course with flying colours.

Her family did a wonderful job with her and she was such a pleasure to work with. 🥰

06/03/2025

This handsome boy is Sparky.

Sparky was a behaviour case, who came to me with several issues, including human and dog aggression. Sparky came from a farm and also had very typical border-collie tendencies. He was a fearful, anxious boy who struggled to make sense of the world around him and used his teeth and his voice to keep the scary things away.

I worked with his wonderful mom, Nadine, who put such fantastic work into this boy. She made super progress with him, diligently doing the homework and yielding fantastic results.

I wanted to give a massive shoutout to her for her persistence and faith in the process. He was an incredibly challenging dog to live with and Sparky was so lucky to have ended up with someone like Nadine, who was willing to work with him and put the work in to get the family dog that they had hoped for.

I am super proud of these guys.

10/02/2025

I often get asked about neutering and I couldn't agree with this more.

Many people are not aware of the effects that early neutering can cause. My general consensus nowadays, is if you don't have to, don't. A qualified behaviourist will be able to give you the best advice for your dog.

The Hidden Impact of Early Neutering on Your Dog’s Behaviour

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention—the behavioural effects of neutering dogs too young.

We’ve all heard that spaying/neutering helps with population control and can prevent certain health issues. But did you know that doing it too early can actually increase the risk of behavioural problems?

Why timing matters:
Hormones play a huge role in your dog’s emotional and behavioural development. When we remove them too soon (before full maturity), we can unintentionally cause:

- Increased fear & anxiety – Early neutering has been linked to heightened sensitivity to stress, making dogs more prone to fear-based reactivity.
- Reduced confidence – Without the hormonal guidance they need, some dogs struggle with social interactions, becoming more insecure or even more defensive.
- Higher risk of aggression – Contrary to popular belief, early neutering doesn’t always "calm a dog down." In some cases, it can lead to frustration-based aggression, especially in males.
- Excessive excitability & poor impulse control – Hormones help regulate brain development, and removing them too soon may contribute to hyperactivity or difficulty focusing.

So when should we neuter?
The best time depends on breed, size, and individual temperament. Larger breeds, in particular, benefit from waiting until at least 18-24 months to ensure proper bone, joint, and brain development. For smaller breeds, a little earlier *may* be appropriate, but it’s always best to discuss with a behaviour-conscious vet.

Neutering is just one piece of the puzzle – while it has its benefits, it’s not a magic fix for behaviour issues. Training, socialisation, and meeting your dog’s mental and physical needs play a far bigger role in shaping a well-balanced companion.

30/10/2024

Hi all!

With Halloween just a day away, we wanted to remind you that many dogs find this time of year as scary as we humans do, with all the strange sights, costumes, and wavy things on the lawns.

Be mindful, if your dog is going out trick or treating with you and the kids that the costumes and bustle might be a bit much for some dogs, so ensure that your pup is up for it, before bringing them with. And be sure to keep to keep your candy and chocolates out of paws reach 😉

10/06/2024

Meet Simba, a beautiful Bernese Mountain dog.

When I started working with Simba, he was 11 months old. He was fearful of visitors to the yard and had started showing aggression towards some men. He would creep up when they weren't looking and take a snap, finally making contact with someones pants leg. This was especially problematic as the area that Simba was kept during the day was something of a working yard, with several people entering and leaving the yard throughout the day.

When I first met Simba, he showed significant fear and nervousness towards me as I walked in. I had initially been told that it was generally just men, and particularly those with loud voices, but even speaking softly and doing as much as I could to make him feel comfortable, he only really came close to me towards the end of the session.

I put a plan in place with his owners, starting with making sure that Simbas diet was on track and that his mental and physical needs were being met, as well as starting with some simple counterconditioning exercises towards strange people. Even within the first week, there was a massive improvement in him. He came running up to me on week 2 and within 10 minutes was not only taking food out of my hand, but letting me pet him.

Due to personal issues in his family, I couldn't continue with them past our third session, but the progress that these guys even managed to make in those short three sessions was significant. Simba's life and their's was greatly improved, with him still being nervous of men, but his aggression had not resurfaced since we started working together, and his fear of strange people markedly reduced.

It was a pity that we could not finish working together, but I just wanted to give a shout out to the work that was put into Simba in the time that I was working with them, and the super results that these yielded. I can always see when clients put the work into their dogs, and watching improvements in the dog and owners life, like I could see with Simba, is really what makes my job so rewarding to me.

A big well done guys. You did a super job with him ❤️

07/06/2024

All the dramatic lighting 😁

05/06/2024

This is Cody the Papillon.

Cody is a great example of why these dog's are also called butterfly dogs. This ears are just to die for 🥰

04/06/2024

Little Bruno, at just 5 months old is already picking up on loose lead heeling like a boss 😎

I'm always amazed with puppies. They are very seldom perfect, but when you consider that this little pup has literally been alive for only 5 months, his ability to comprehend, his intelligence and willingness to comply with what we ask... I just find them incredible. Hes a little rock star ❤

These guys did a super job with this boy. He's a sweet natured, lovely boy and has the kind of personality that I hope that every family with a new dog is lucky enough to find.

I have no doubt that this little guy will grow up to be a wonderful member of the family ❤

03/06/2024

I miss this goofy dog every day❤
She had personality in spades 😄

31/05/2024

Buddy ❤

Golden Retriever/Labrador Poodles really do make the most adorable puppies ❤❤❤

29/05/2024

Flashback to before Tyson's elbow injury, when he was learning to fly 😊