25/08/2026
How do we define success when training dogs?
So often, with my clients and with myself, the biggest obstacle isn’t the dog’s behaviour — it’s our own mindset. When we try to push past previous bad experiences, the stories we tell ourselves can hold us back more than anything else.
Even as a professional dog trainer, I carry my own mental barriers, especially when it comes to my dogs’ journeys. My dog Jellybean has helped me raise many foster puppies. She’s also been exposed to some really poor behaviour from people I once considered friends, and a few tough encounters with unregulated dogs along the way. Over time, that built a reactive mindset in her. For a long time I believed she was too far gone to ever enjoy social situations again.
My partner and close friends gave me the strength to challenge that belief. This weekend we introduced Jelly to a good friend’s new puppies and their adult dog. There was tension and some clear boundary-setting on her part, but overall she did incredibly well. I wouldn’t leave her unsupervised with them, yet she showed me something important: with calm, confident leadership and the ability to handle the tension when it arose, she is neither too far gone nor too old to keep growing.
We so often create scenarios in our heads that tell us we can’t do certain things. Those stories settle into our bodies as tension and stress. By pushing my own boundaries, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of what my clients face every day. To every one of you who is challenging old narratives and choosing growth over obstacles — you are amazing. It’s one of the hardest things we do as dog parents, and I’m grateful to every client who lets me walk that path with them.
I will keep pushing for a better life for my own dogs and for my clients. Being part of these journeys has been a true gift. Training dogs has had a profound impact on my life; it’s the happiest I’ve ever been.
Thank you all again for letting me be part of your story. I’ll share some photos from the weekend along with this.
Thank you for reading.
Matt