Hi I'm ally

I'm a professional coach, trainer and life long dog person, and I'm passionate about supporting people who want to build a relationship dog to thrive in real life, not just in a training hall. 

Outside of training you and your dog, you'll likely find me doing something cool with Otis, at my allotment or enjoying a good coffee. 

Basically, a normal human who happens to be slightly obsessed with dogs. 

It all started with one very special, but slightly chaotic Sprocker spaniel... 

When I bought him home, I thought I knew what I was doing. I quickly discovered knowing how to teach a dog to sit, was extremely different from knowing how to help a dog who was struggling with the world around him.There were things I got right, things I got wrong and plenty of moments where I'd wished someone had simply said "You're not failing, let us help you work out what your dog needs". 

We tried lots of classes, focused heavily on obedience and I tried all the things I thought would help. Then we found  Honest Hounds, it became a turning point.

Instead of simply focusing on Otis not reacting, I started to understand why he was reacting and advocating for him. It gave me the confidence in the one percent wins and now you get the happy spaniel you see today. 

We're still learning...

One of the biggest lessons I've learned through working with dogs is that I will never know everything. I'm constantly learning, attending workshops, developing my own practical skills and challenging my own assumptions. 

I'm quite happy to tell you "I don't know, let's go find out or I know someone who would". Honestly, that used to scare me but I now think it's important as good support isn't about pretending you have every answer, it's about being willing to find the right one. 

Otis is also still learning, I'm constantly fine tuning or developing our partnership skills, because that partnership brings more fun and hobbies than my partner, Kim, cares to count! 

Why am I different?

I don't want to create picture perfect dogs, I actually want to know when you're dog steals your clothes, because if they steal it they wear it! I want to help support you in creating a lifestyle that you and your dog thrive in, that you can navigate the every day together.

I'm also a trained professional coach, and that experience has become a huge part of how I work with humans and their dogs. As knowing what to do is only one part of the puzzle, you need to also know the why. 

My role isn't to stand beside you and tell you everything you're doing wrong, it's to help you understand your dog, make sense of what's happening, give practical tools that fit into your actual life and make you a brew with some biscuits when you need it.