Sinnamon is one of those dogs that once they enter your life, you know you will live through the biggest heart break of your entire life one day, morbid I know, but so heartbreakingly true. She deserves the world and more. I picked Sinnamon out of the whole litter and I just knew she was my girl, it was instant connection. It's funny, because she wasn't the one that ran to me or the one that was obsessed with me, nor was she the one that my partner at the time wanted to pick, she was just special and I loved her quirky and laid back nature. Sinnamon joined our family at 9 weeks old and what a rollercoaster of emotions came alongside this. When I was 18, I had worked with animals, but never in the training department, but I had no idea about show lines vs working lines. This became very apparent, when she was nothing like every Goldie I ever met in my life. Was I overwhelmed? Did I cry everyday? Yes, to both! However, this girl taught me everything, she gave me room to make mistakes, tested me when I needed testing and became the best dog I could ever own. Sinnamon is basically my whole personality, she has my heart and will forever be the dog I look at and not understand how I got this lucky. Her amazing attitude and patience in everything we try is breath taking. She has allowed me to not only learn, but has joined me in my career to work with many nervous/reactive dogs as well as socialise puppies appropriately. Every time I throw something new at us, I know she has my back and will let us succeed together, she has been through scent-work, trick training, obedience and agility with me. As someone who is desperate for knowledge and more experience in this industry, having a dog like Sinnamon is a dream come true and I owe all my success this far to her special soul.
Sherlock is a very special dog, as most Rough Collie owners know, this breed is extremely sensitive, smart and chatty, but once you own one, you can never imagine your life without their quirky nature. Sherlock is an amazing example of nurture over nature. Now, I am a massive believer that genetics matter like crazy and are an important component to judge and determine any dogs potential. However, at 4 months of age, we were walking past a group of primary school children on a trip out, we were away from home on holiday in Brighton to take him to the beach for the first time. Being this tiny fluff ball just pottering along, the children all started screaming. This caused him to go in to complete 'flight' mode, lunging out on to the street and completely freezing with the sudden harsh pressure from the lead, which did save him from the cars nearby. At this point, I no longer had the same puppy, I had a traumatised dog that refused to walk, panicked at pressure on equipment and a couple days later was snarling, lunging and barking at children. My heart was broken for my boy. So we begun working on building him up again, going completely back to square one with everything and the journey was long, but he is now a very happy go lucky dog, that is very neutral to his environment. He has taught me so much about allowing dogs to have options, give consent to greetings and it being okay to not have the most friendly dog out there! I look back on our journey and am so proud of how far he has come and completely relate to him at times, as I definitely don't want to hug everyone on the street either. Sherlock is now helping clients learn handling skills as well as happily engages with many by his own choice. The beauty of this, is watching him make decisions, I am just his voice, advocating for my boy is very important. Sherlock also part takes in agility and really loves trick training, he would play all day if we let him, but is also the most snuggly and loving dog I have ever met. Sherlock is also an amazing dog for clients who need work around distractions and has been extremely helpful with teaching other dogs to be calmer and more focused around dogs. I am so proud of his journey and wouldn't change it for the world. I of course wish his life was only ever joy, but if anyone knows how to make the best out of a bad situation, it's my Sherlock, he always looks at the bright side of life and I really couldn't ask for anything more. He has enlightened a passion and a unique understanding for owners with nervous dogs, knowing you're not alone and knowing there is a way up is just the first step, I took it, now Sherlock and I can help you take it too!
Now, where to start with this little sausage! He is definitely not the dog you would look at and think- 'wow, that's a trainers dog'. However, this was never the expectation of him when we decided to welcome him in to our family. Snicker's came home with his then family, as a very nervous, worried and stressed little puppy. With that, ended up living some time in the middle of London, where his behaviour continued to worsen and his confidence hit a whole new low. Snickers' owners loved him very much and reached out for help to ensure he grew in confidence and was less overwhelmed by the world. Now, we don't keep all our clients dogs, we promise, but the owners soon realised that his genetic composure and environment did not go well together and he needed a life where things wouldn't be so loud, busy and overwhelming the second he stepped outside. In that moment, knowing this little dude already had a bite history, we knew he was the perfect addition to our team to have the time to grow in to the awesome boy he is today. Snickers now lives a life full of snacks, naps, chews and off lead walks. Snickers however, after lots of work, can also enjoy a dinner in the pub and join us in a town outing if that's what we are doing. However, he is most happy zooming around with his friends and sniffing out trouble. Snickers will forever be labelled as a 'reactive' dog, but that label doesn't define or own him anymore, he is a tiny little soul with so much desire to please, have fun and enjoy the pleasures of life. Going from barking, refusing to move, hating everyone that came near him and instantly biting, running away and barking in fear of every dog he sees and having a toilet accident almost every time he spotted another living being out and about, he is happy to understand that the world isn't that scary when you have humans to trust. Snickers is an exceptional little learner, he loves trick training, his favourite trick ever is picking up things off of the floor and putting them in a container, the second we bring them out, he goes straight for it. We call him our little 'bin man', out on a mission to clean. He is also amazing at destroying toys and would happily eat a Great Dane portioned meal everyday, he also thinks slow feeders are for losers, but we've come to a mutual agreement, that his portion sizes and enrichment bowls/toys will stay the same. Snickers was a very unplanned addition, but we wouldn't change him for the world, he makes us laugh everyday and seeing him grow in confidence and love life, love his walks and learn how to make friends, has been one of the most rewarding experiences in our life.