For over 20 years, I have trained civilians, members of the police and the military in fear management and personal safety. This training involves enabling individuals and groups to better manage their fears to overcome challenging situations in a more calm and controlled manner.

In 2021, an unexpected challenge entered my life: a Sprocker Spaniel named 'Buddy'. Buddy came with numerous challenging behaviours including leash pulling, resource guarding, reactivity towards other dogs and fear-biting. Buddy's previous owners sought guidance from other professional trainers who approached these behaviours using positive only methods. Although some success was achieved with basic obedience commands, the more severe issues persisted. At only 11 months old, one trainer advised euthanasia was the only option.

Buddy's owners reached out to the dog shelter community, but were turned away because Buddy had a bite history. When I learned that an appointment had been made to euthanise Buddy, I was deeply affected. I could not imagine a young dog of just 11 months old being written off, so my wife and I adopted him and he became part of our family.

As I navigated each of Buddy's behavioural issues, like many dog owners I began searching online for answers. This quest led me to the Will Atherton Academy and I began implementing Will's principles. The subsequent improvements in Buddy's behaviour were so powerful and effective that I decided to become a professional dog trainer to assist other dog owners to overcome challenging behaviours and learn how to build a relationship of trust with their dog, just as we have with Buddy.

Since then, we have adopted another dog, Indi, who is 12, deaf and had a bite history. I have worked with her to address some deeply ingrained habits, such as aggression towards other dogs, leash pulling and repetitive barking, proof that you certainly can teach an old dog, even one that can’t hear you, new tricks!

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