Ori, Debbies orange rescue dog running out of the sea with a harness and a longline on.

Understand your dog.
Everything else gets easier.

One to one work for families who want to stop managing their dog and start living with them.

a photo of all Debbies dogs sitting together on a sofa

What is going on right now

You love this dog. That was never in question.

But you brace yourself every time the doorbell goes. You put the dog in another room when people come round, and then feel guilty about it. You cannot have the children’s friends over without one eye on what the dog is doing. If there are two of them, you have learned which combinations work and which end in trouble.

Outside is its own problem. You dread the walk, you apologise to people in the park, and you have started going out earlier, later, or somewhere quieter so you do not have to deal with it.

You see other dogs lying settled outside cafes with their owners and you cannot imagine how they got there from here.

And somewhere underneath all of it is the quiet worry that you have got something badly wrong, or that this is simply what your dog is and you are stuck with it.

What it costs you to leave it

It is easy to forget that dogs are sentient. They have emotions, and we control nearly everything about their lives. Where they go, when they eat, who they meet, what they are allowed to do with their own day.

When a behaviour gets ignored rather than understood, two things build at once. Your frustration, and theirs.

The behaviour gets louder because it has to. Visitors stop being invited. The children stop asking to have friends over. The dog spends more time behind a door. The walks get shorter. And the relationship you wanted when you brought them home slowly turns into a daily job you are not enjoying.

None of that is a training failure. It is a translation problem.

A photo of Debbie and Ori when they were in Cyprus

What we do instead

Good Life for a Good Dog

Good Life for a Good Dog is one to one work on understanding your dog, and then changing what is not working from that starting point.

I look at why the behaviour is happening. What your dog is trying to communicate. What need is not being met. Then we help them make better decisions themselves, rather than you spending the rest of their life correcting them.

No drills. No constant nagging. No tools that work by making your dog uncomfortable.

We start in your home, where your dog is at ease. If your dog struggles with visitors, we start on Zoom so the first session is not the first problem. As confidence grows we move to a secure field, then out into the real places you have been avoiding.

The first shift usually happens in the very first session, because that is where the explanation starts.

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The work itself

One to one sessions with me
Built around your dog rather than a syllabus. In your home, then a secure field, then out into real life as your dog is ready.

A plan that belongs to your dog
Their learning, environment, genetics and personality, and the needs behind what they are doing.

Everything included alongside it

Access to the Total Welfare App. Your dog’s welfare and progress tracked properly rather than guessed at. I am the only licensed Family Dog Mediator in the UK with it.
Unlimited WhatsApp support. Things go wrong on a Tuesday evening, not in a session. Message me when they do.
Zoom support calls. For anything unexpected that cannot wait for the next visit.
Video feedback. Send me what you are doing between sessions and I will tell you exactly what to change.
The DIAL Method. A 40 minute video and workbook to help your children understand their dog, and to help you navigate the parenting of them living together successfully.

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What people say

Jo and Kenny

“I took my three year old Sprocker, Kenny, to Debbie because we were really struggling with loose lead walking. He now walks so much better, he is calmer, more focused, and genuinely enjoys his walks. Debbie has helped me understand him on a completely different level.”

Rosie and Max

“Debbie has guided us through real life situations, nothing planned. I am clearer on Max’s body language, how he communicates, and slowing down to let him just be a dog when we are out together. The progress has been huge. I just wish we had met sooner.”

Zeiba, Saoirse and Lumi

“Thanks to Debbie’s guidance and training, we have the most wonderful, gentle, well balanced German Shepherd imaginable. Her calm, knowledgeable and thoughtful approach made all the difference. When we adopted a tiny Shih Tzu earlier this year, quite the contrast, Debbie guided us through every step of introducing her and helping us balance life with two very different breeds and a busy family with children.”

My promise to you

Within the first month you will have a stronger relationship with your dog, and the training will feel easier than it does today.

Not a perfect dog. Not a dog who never gets it wrong. A dog you understand, and who understands you, which is the only thing that lasts.

Availability

I take five one to one clients a month.

That is not a marketing line. Unlimited support between sessions and video feedback only work if there are five people sending them, not fifty. When the month is full, it is full.