Welcome — before we meetPlain-English, science-based help for dog training, behaviour, everyday handling, and practical owner guidance. No fluff. No drama. No mystery fixes. Just calmer handling, clearer thinking, and useful guidance that works in real life. |
What you can expectA free first meet-and-greet
Clear, practical advice you can actually use
A focus on everyday life, not just tricks in isolation
Support for dogs, cats, routines, handling, transport, and household manners
Science first. Nonsense second.
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A little about how I work
Decades at the highest levels of animal training and handling, now brought back down to earth for ordinary households, ordinary pets, and the very real problems people quietly struggle with every day.
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I have spent decades working at the highest levels of animal training and handling, including receiving a commemorative award from the London Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch, the mounted unit associated with Royal ceremonial and public-order duties. After the Paris Olympics, and one of my old clients medalling yet again, I thought I was retired. I thought I was finished. I retired to the beautiful Fraser Coast. My retirement lasted about five minutes. It started when I was out on the beach with Tutu the Trickster and saw an older gentleman being virtually towed along by his dog. I knew I could help. So instead of walking up and saying that to strangers, I quietly put offers of help into local community pages and started donating assistance to seniors and people needing support, including disability clients, free of charge. Somewhere along the way, this next chapter was born. It turns out I was not quite finished after all. |
Good training should make life feel calmer, clearer, safer, and far more manageable.
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Too much advice, too much noise
There is endless pet advice online — endless opinions about behaviour, feeding, products, and “experts.” The problem is that loud advice is not always good advice.
Why this mattersYou will often hear that a product or food is “recommended by scientists,” but when you look more closely, the science is not always as independent, as relevant, or as useful as it first sounds. That started to frustrate me with my own animals, so I went back to the source. I spent time properly researching feeding, behaviour, handling, and care, including formal study in canine cognition through Duke University’s Dog Emotion and Cognition course taught by Brian Hare. The goal is simple: to take away confusion and give you practical, science-informed guidance that works in real life. |
Science first. Nonsense second.The point is not to drown people in theory. The point is to separate useful information from marketing noise, fashionable nonsense, and advice that sounds impressive but does not really help.
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Simple lessons. Real control.
The details vary between horses, dogs, cats, and large performance animals. The underlying logic does not.
The principleIt is not about brute force. You cannot physically control a thousand-kilogram horse once it is already running. By then, it is too late. The real skill lies in influencing the animal before the movement escalates. That same principle applies beautifully to pets. That is why the focus is not just endless repetitions of “sit, stay, come” in isolation, but what the animal is learning before the obvious problem even starts. |
The things that matter most
Small changes early make everything easier later. |
A simple way to start
A very effective beginning is often a small cluster of lessons close together. It creates structure, early wins, and a much clearer idea of what will help most.
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Clear starting pointWe work out what is actually happening, not just what it looks like on the surface. |
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Early structureInstead of random attempts, you leave with a sensible framework and the right few priorities. |
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Quick winsMost people can use two or three simple changes immediately and start feeling relief straight away. |
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Real progressIf habits already exist, we are not starting from scratch. We are reshaping what has already been learned. |
Think of it like learning to drive
You do not begin with speed. You begin with control, timing, awareness, and confidence. Pets are no different — and in some ways they are much harder than cars, because they have instincts, emotions, habits, and opinions. That is why the early lessons matter.
Free meet-and-greet
The first meeting is free of charge. It is simply a chance to understand what is happening, see how I can help, work out where to start, and make sure we are a good fit.
What happens in that first meetingWe look at the main issue clearly and calmly.
We identify likely patterns, triggers, and practical pressure points.
You leave with a small number of useful things to start doing immediately.
We work out the best next step rather than guessing.
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I am really teaching you
This matters. The goal is not to send a pet away to be mysteriously “fixed.” The goal is to show you what to do, because you are the one there every day.
Not fifty instructionsYou will usually get a small number of very clear things to work on before the next session. Not a textbook. Just the right few things. |
Less dependencyA good trainer should not leave you feeling dependent forever. A good trainer should leave you feeling more capable. |
Better everyday resultsOnce the right pieces click, everything begins to feel much more manageable at home, at the front door, on walks, and around normal routines. |
Yes — we may film a little of it
From time to time, I may take a very simple before-and-after video as part of building educational material around real pets, real people, and real progress.
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Nothing dramatic. Just a clear little record of where things started and how far things have come. Many clients end up loving this because months or years later they can look back and see just how much changed. If your pet is included, it is because there is genuinely something worth showing — charm, personality, potential, progress, or simply a journey that other people would learn from. |
What to bring with youWhatever collar, lead, or harness you currently use
Any training tools you already have
Water and a bowl if you prefer your own
Any notes you want me to know in advance
A muzzle if your pet already wears one comfortably
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Why I’m talking to you, not the pet
The best handlers do not rush in and stir the animal up. They do not pile pressure onto an already heightened situation.
The calm beginning is deliberateFor the first 10 to 15 minutes, I may speak almost entirely to you and barely acknowledge your pet at all. That is not rude. That is good handling. No excited squealing. No immediate patting. No leaning over the face. No “hello gorgeous” while the poor thing is already over threshold. At the same time, your pet is learning that I am not arriving to create pressure. We start by lowering the temperature, not raising it. |
What I’m quietly assessing
That calm beginning tells me far more than a noisy greeting ever could. |
House sitting, daily visits, and check-ins
Even if you are only asking for support with routines, welfare, transport, or short visits, there is often some small behavioural issue that can be improved at the same time.
Common extrasDoor rushing, pulling, barking, scratching furniture, jumping up, and overexcitement can often be improved while I am already there. |
Routine mannersThere may also be room to improve behaviour around gates, cars, bowls, feeding time, visitors, and general household handling. |
Use the time wellIf I am already there, we may as well use that time well and make life easier, not just get through the visit. |
A final word
Every pet is different. Every household is different. But the principles that make things work are remarkably consistent.
| Clearer handling | Less noise | |
| Less pressure | Better timing |
Once those are in place, everything becomes simpler — and often much easier than expected.
Cool reading — articles coming soon
Short, practical, plain-English articles designed to cut through confusion and explain the things owners commonly ask.
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Why Do Dogs Eat Grass?
Common behaviour, often misunderstood. |
Kibble vs Tinned vs Fresh
What actually matters, beyond marketing. |
Who’s Running This House?
Leadership without nonsense. |
Front Door Frenzy
How to stop the chaos at the door. |
Get Down — Stop Jumping
Why it happens and how it gets reinforced. |
Calmer. Clearer. Safer.
The aim is not perfection. The aim is to make everyday life with your pet feel more manageable, more informed, and a whole lot less stressful.
The Pet Professor 