I get it - you know dogs. When you go to a BBQ, all the dogs love you and people call you the dog whisperer. You've spent enough time with dogs to know how they're supposed to behave.

Which is exactly why it's so frustrating and embarrassing that your dog is so, er, challenging. I mean, at home, your dog is an angel. I know that. You know that. The postman... questions that. But knows it deep, deep down.

It's just that when you go on a walk and see other dogs, all hell breaks loose. Instead of the dog whisperer, you imagine passersby calling you the, "poor lady with the crazy dog."

It just feels so unfair that Carol down the street has a dog that has no training and it seems to just do everything perfectly. But you know you spend more time trying to train your dog and you still get the dog that's hard to handle!

Here's the thing: yes, if your dog is reactive, there's a problem. But you should also know, it's not your fault. The truth is?

Some dogs challenge us no matter how hard we've tried to do everything, "right." It's unfair. It sucks. It's embarrassing and it's frustrating. And the dog is never happy about it either.

Yes, your dog is likely unappy too. But here’s the good news:

CHANGING YOUR DOG’S BEHAVIOUR TO A FOCUSED, RELAXED WALK IS NOT ONLY POSSIBLE, BUT THE SOLUTION STARTS RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.

STEP ONE:

Teach your dog that you have his/her back no matter what and that the best choice in any situation is to focus on you. Your dog can walk calmly past other dogs, people, motorbikes, ANYTHING, because you’ve taught them that it’s their choice BUT the best choice is always you. Your face, your voice, your direction.

STEP TWO:

Picture a loose leash no matter where you are with your dog, or what’s around you. By what’s around you I mean your dog’s toughest distractions, and by focus on you, I mean your dog will WANT to listen to your voice and commands because they know you’ll guide them safely past their nemesis if they just stay calm.

STEP THREE:

MASTER WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MASTER. You may have heard it before: your own thoughts and feelings affect your dog’s behaviour. If you can’t change your own habits, you won’t be able to change your dog’s. Learn without judgement what YOU need to do for your dog. And speaking of feelings, you can look forward to how it feels to be the envy of the neighbourhood with your dog, instead of the struggling lady with the crazy dog.

ENTER… FRANTIC TO FOCUSED… the at-your-pace learning course to train YOU to teach your dog how to give up their reactivity to other dogs (or anything else that distracts or scares them) and focus on you, anywhere you are. Even if you only have 15 minutes per day - you'll be amazed how a little consistency each day pays off over time.

And who’s going to guide you along the way? ME!

That’s right, I am! If you want a formal and cliche intro, I can tell you that I’m qualified through the National Dog Trainer’s Federation and that I’ve been working with reactive dogs and all sorts of behaviour problems for over 7 years in person and more recently, online to reach more people like you. And it works.

Less formally? I love seeing that moment on someone’s face when they realise that what they thought wasn’t possible, is actually happening. I see it all the time with the owners of difficult dogs. And I’ve been lucky enough to see it hundreds of times.

I might not see your face when you have your breakthrough, but I still want you to experience it. But snap a selfie if you can.

Other than helping you help your dog to impress you and your neighbours, I also like travel, music and the underwater world. And I get to train other species than dogs! Monkeys, emus and dingoes are among the other animals I’ve trained with.

In fact, the main training I do with these other species is very relevant to you and your dog. It’s often about working through fears and getting more comfortable with the things around them. When your dog is reactive, your dog is most likely experiencing fear and discomfort and will be happier when we help them through it.