Is Gentle Dog Training Right for You and Your Dog?
Our clients typically come to us for two reasons:
- They are looking for someone who can work with and (potentially) walk their dog one-on-one while they are at work.
- They are looking for help changing their dog’s walk-related behaviour, which is most often anxiety, reactivity, or hyperarousal.
This is not training in the way we often think of it (obedience or trick training). Instead, it is more of a tooling-up for both you and your dog while at the same time working to increase confidence and calm.

We’ll begin by looking at your dog in their home, their physical well-being, and their walk equipment – we know they are unable to have a calm walk if they are already hyper-aroused or stressed before leaving the house.
New tools and techniques will be practised in the house, moving to the garden, then the front of the house, before moving out onto a walk. Dogs can only learn new skills when they are in a calm headspace, but dogs – like us – can learn to self-calm, so that’s where all Gentle Training begins.
We are not generalised trainers. Our expertise is in helping dogs and their people when walking becomes problematic. We are not a good fit for you if you want specialist help with another area of dog behaviour, such as separation anxiety or aggression, but you can ask for a referral to an excellent trainer or behaviourist for these behaviours.
But if your walks are a struggle, leave you feeling stressed, or have become something neither of you looks forward to, then YES – we can help!

We can teach:
the ability to focus on each other regardless of what is happening around you.
how to increase confidence, especially during your walks together.
when and how to stop and process the environment.
how to exit a situation before things go pear-shaped.
how to reduce reactivity at home and outside.
hazard awareness and avoidance.
a solid, achievable walk replacement at home (for the bad days).
not to pull or be pulled on the lead.
calmer, connected, and more positive walks.
We can help:
dogs who seem anxious, fearful, or lack confidence,
dogs who react with noise, fear or fury while out in the world,
dogs who experience lead frustration (usually dogs who are social off the lead),
dogs who pull on the lead,
dogs who have erratic lead behaviour, such as weaving or rearing,
dogs who find it hard to focus,
dogs who are scared of new humans (like dog walkers!) coming into the house,
dogs who have poor recall.
Why are all dogs sometimes reactive?
Our dog’s behaviour can cause us anxiety and angst, but for our dog, it’s just the natural result of the emotions they are feeling in response to their environment. It’s not “bad” behaviour, and they aren’t being naughty. They just feel afraid, confused, frustrated, or angry. Anxiety and fear are common emotions for dogs to experience when out in our busy 21st-century world, and the things that trigger this discomfort are as diverse as:
a carrier bag blowing in the wind,
a large lorry rumbling past,
an unknown dog on the other side of the road, or
the half-melted body of a snowman on the field.
Indeed, almost anything can trigger anxiety, even a sound or a smell. Our own emotional responses like frustration, anxiety, fear, or anger can be contagious and add to the discomfort our dogs experience, which can make them feel even more unsafe. So, we can see that anxiety and fear are just natural responses to feeling unsafe in a busy, noisy, and confusing world.
Some reactions seem dramatic – like my dog, Raffi, running away with his tail tucked if I pick up a pair of scissors – but this is just how scissors make him feel. His reaction is his body trying to keep him safe. It’s the stress response we call flight! Most walk-related behaviour that feels difficult or embarrassing to us is no more than our dog trying to keep safe in a situation that they experience as threatening.
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