Meet Meg

Dogs have been my thing for as long as I can remember, since bringing home my first ever dog of my own, Bertie, at 8 years old - I’ve been hooked.

Bert was a dream boat, the most laid-back border terrier in the land (a rarity, I know!), but then came Lottie. Lottie was a hard-core typical terrier, with the ‘small dog syndrome’, hatred towards dogs, and prey drive to match. We took Lottie to training classes to help her reactivity towards other dogs, and fear towards men. But after being told at 10 years old to spray my dog with a water bottle, to shake a tin of coins, and to use a citronella collar - I wasn’t convinced that dog training was for me.

After finishing high school, I chose to study my Level 3 in Animal Management at Bishop Burton College, I completed my work experience at a local dog rescue and fell in love with the idea of working in rescue. I stayed at Bishop Burton to complete my BSc and MSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, whilst completing a training module on the side, as I thought it would be clever to teach my then 13-year-old Lottie how to ring a bell when she needed the toilet. So clever in fact that she found this hilarious and rang it profusely for the next few months, in hopes of a slice of cucumber.

But this was a real turning point for me, realising that there wasn’t just one way to ‘teach’ dogs, and how to really understand them and help them learn. I threw myself into learning more about positive reinforcement and what it actually means (rather than the stuff you see online about being ‘cheese tossers’), and dedicated lots of time to research on the welfare implications of aversive methods, techniques, and tools. I quickly added laws and legislations onto my geek list (dogs, science, BSL).

After volunteering and working in rescue centres as a kennel hand, I realised that I could help more dogs with my new lust for life of ethical training. I currently work for multiple rescue organisations as their behaviourist, as rescue initially sparked my love for the simple joy of doing good for the dogs.

I’ve dealt with some tricky and complex dogs in my time, but Fig was another level. Seized by police, rescued from a severe welfare case, and ended up in a pound - she had a couple of issues. Refusal to eat, go for a walk, go in the car, big fat scared of everything, resource guarding; you name it, she did it. But underneath all of these behaviours was a very present anxiety in the form of a silly amount of appeasement, which I really don’t blame her for, considering her past. Luckily, I’m a sucker for a project, and anxious dogs - so we got on pretty well.

I’ve had Fig for almost 2 years now, and she’s come on leaps and bounds. She’s not perfect, and never will be, but I don’t want a perfect dog who constantly has to mask their behaviours and innate breed-specific needs. All I ask of her is to behave appropriately, reliably, and to be a well-balanced dog, and it’s up to me to guide her.

I always say that my training is 50/50. 50% is training your dog, and the other half is training you. I help to make things easier, having fresh eyes to spot body language and differences that you may have overlooked, it’s much easier than taking advice from what Mr TikTok Trainer says online.

After owning and working with dogs with a whole plethora of different behavioural difficulties, I understand! I’ve been in your shoes, it’s not easy - especially when you have people telling you what you’re doing is the ‘wrong way’ and that you should invest in a quick fix. I focus on the root cause of the behaviour holistically, tailoring plans to both yours and your dog’s needs to reach the same, shared end goal.

If you have any questions, or even just want a chat about what you’re struggling with, feel free to contact me!