I specialise in working with dogs who struggle outside, especially those who are over-aroused, prey-driven or distracted. I support dogs and their guardians in lowering arousal, building engagement, and developing a calmer, more connected partnership outside. My work centres on helping you step into your dog’s world, not competing with it.

How I Found This Work

I entered this space through my own dogs.

My cocker spaniel, Roger, loves life. The problem was he loved everything more than he loved listening to me. Wildlife, scent, movement, once outside, I didn’t exist.

It didn’t matter how exciting I made myself, how many repetitions we practised, or how high-value the rewards were. Roger wasn’t being disobedient. He was over-aroused. His nervous system was flooded.

Trying to train through that level of stimulation wasn’t effective.

That’s when I began specialising in prey drive management and structured scentwork. Instead of fighting his instincts, I learned to channel them. Scentwork gave Roger a productive outlet. Engagement training taught him to check in and think, even when excited.

Walks became collaborative rather than chaotic.

My other cocker spaniel, Norman, presented the opposite challenge.

Where Roger found the world thrilling, Norman found it overwhelming. New environments, unfamiliar people, other dogs. He was anxious, reactive and easily flooded.

With Norman, speed was not an option. Progress required patience, predictability and trust.

We worked at his pace:

• Building quiet engagement in low-pressure environments

• Strengthening his trust in me as a source of safety

• Reducing reactivity through structured exposure

• Using scentwork to give him purposeful focus in new spaces

Scentwork became a stabilising framework for him. It gave him something concrete to do. A job. A clear task in environments that previously felt threatening.

Instead of scanning for danger, he learned to search. His confidence grew not through force, but through clarity and repetition.