My love for dogs was always evident but started officially at the age of 9 with a rescued border collie/husky/corgie cross called Tess. Later on, as an adult, I got into dog training by necessity – my husband and I homed Jackson, a Serbian ex-kill shelter, ex-street, ex-hunting dog and I was thrown in at the deep end. ‘Reactive’ dogs weren’t really on my radar before that point (our female pointer who we’d had from a pup was still an adolescent and high energy but no trouble) and I had to learn fast! It became my mission in life to help this huge character – a generally nice-natured but also extremely wayward, wild, strong-willed yob – thrive in the domestic and somewhat unsettled lifestyle we’d imposed on him, managing (and re-training, as far as possible) his sometimes dramatic dog (and horse, cat, chicken) reactivity, extreme prey drive and crippling separation anxiety / barrier frustration. In June 2024, after over 8 happy, chaotic years with us, he died and we are still reeling from the loss. It was far from an easy ride at times, but I’d give anything to have him back for one more minute (even one more freak out!) and his legacy – my passion for understanding and helping troubled dogs – remains.

I continue to enjoy playing at scentwork, obedience, urban agility (dog parkour), canicross, heelwork, trick training, gundog inspired (retrieve / whistle exercises) training, and dock diving with 11 year old Stevie, a German Wirehaired Pointer and all round golden dog. Since Jackson left us we homed two more young adult male rescue dogs – Vinnie, a pointer from Budapest (who had been kept on a chain / wire before escaping and was completely shut down when he came to us) and Harry, a GWP/GSP cross from Turkey (who was also found on the street and is still slightly worried about life and craves love). I am working on incorporating my learnings from Tamryn Fudge (The Shamanic Dog Trainer), Dr Isla Fishburn (Shamanic Practitioner, Kachina Canine) and Dr Marta Niccolai (The Foundation for Shamanic Studies) into our lives and interbeing, as well as still using some of the more traditional dog behaviour training and exercises that I learnt during the (Stevie &) Jackson era.

I am continuously studying dog behaviour, mainly with the School of Canine Science but also on other platforms (IMDT, Tromplo, Janet Finlay, Simone Mueller, amongst others). Along with continued commitment to theory I have undertaken practical training with the precise and disciplined dog super guru that is Robert Kranjcec of Alpha Dog Team (Croatian champion and global competitor in IGP dogsport) and others who helped me along the road with Jackson (two of whom were the lovely Sue Gunson of Swaydogs and Peter Butler down in the New Forest) and am lucky enough to have done in person two day workshops with Sarah Whitehead, with Alex Lato and with Corinne Wrend, and a masterclass with the guru of play, Craig Ogilvie.

My aim is to help other people and their dogs blend their lives harmoniously and strive to help individuals understand, interact and bond with their dog better and to have happier, less stressed, more satiated, thriving dogs. Via my online presence as @nomadthiefdogtrainer I encourage people to work on important canine life skills which help to reduce the stressful situations many dog owners experience. My focus is on firing up owners and dogs with enthusiasm about enjoying spending time together. I introduce people to a whole raft of simple games and exercises spanning many disciplines (obedience, trick training, play, scentwork and agility). I use positive, motivational based methods, combined with strong boundary setting and leadership where necessary. I pride myself on being a practical, creative and adaptable trainer. I want everyone’s dog to become a great friend that they have the best fun with. I am passionate about helping people deal with the struggle, isolation and stress of coping with a reactive dog and helping them practically both short term manage and long term rehabilitate their dog, as far as possible and safely, whilst being realistic about what they are likely to be able to achieve. I also particularly enjoy working with high energy or working breed dogs living in pet homes.

I am not yet still available for client work but I will soon be offering trapped emotion energy clearing sessions (see Emotion Code)