The Creative Canine

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The Creative Canine Leading Scentwork & Scent Sports trainer, Annan
Transforming dogs lives through Scentwork. Training classes & 1:1
Kids Around Dogs Approved Professional

What do a Sheltie, a Poodle, a Springer Spaniel, a Malinois cross, a Lurcher, a Working Cocker, a 14 week old Cocker Spa...
14/10/2026

What do a Sheltie, a Poodle, a Springer Spaniel, a Malinois cross, a Lurcher, a Working Cocker, a 14 week old Cocker Spaniel and a 17 week old German Shepherd all have in common? đŸŸ

They’ve all started their scentwork journeys with me in the last week! ❀

Some have joined my Scent Sports classes, while others have had individual sessions, but they’ve all been introduced to the wonderful world of scentwork.

Different breeds, different ages, different personalities and different reasons for giving scentwork a go.

For some, it’s about providing an outlet for their natural instincts and giving those busy brains something to do. For others, it’s about building confidence, encouraging independence, developing problem solving skills or finding an activity they can enjoy without putting too much physical strain on their bodies.

Scentwork can be adapted to suit the individual dog. They don’t need to be a particular breed, a certain age or have any previous training experience.

Every one of these dogs has approached their introduction differently, and that’s absolutely fine.
We work at their pace, give them opportunities to think and work things out, and celebrate their individual achievements.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching them all get started this week and I’m looking forward to seeing how they progress.

Unfortunately, I was so busy enjoying working with them all that I completely forgot to take photos of most of them! 🙈😂 Clearly something I need to get better at!

Here are Coco & Mae who you have already seen recently; they are the only ones I did remember to take pics of! 😅

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I had the pleasure of meeting the beautiful Coco this morning, a lovely Springer Spaniel who can find the world a little...
12/10/2026

I had the pleasure of meeting the beautiful Coco this morning, a lovely Springer Spaniel who can find the world a little worrying at times. ❀

Her guardian wanted to explore how scentwork might help build her confidence, so we arranged an Introduction to Scentwork session.

During our session, we introduced Coco to our target scent, red Kong, worked on building her search drive, making finding the Kong exciting and rewarding, and then introduced the beginnings of her freeze indication. Coco absolutely smashed it!

One of the loveliest things to watch was Coco beginning to work things out for herself. Initially, she was looking for a little guidance, waiting to be shown what to do. By giving her time and space to think, process and problem solve, she started making her own decisions and discovering what worked.

This is such an important part of building confidence through scentwork. It’s not just about finding something hidden. It’s about giving dogs opportunities to make choices, solve problems and experience success through their own efforts.

Coco was a little unsure of me when I first arrived, so seeing her happily brushing past me to get to her Kong by the end of the session was just wonderful!

We also had a little help from her 14 year old brother, Buttons, who is blind but certainly hasn’t lost his brilliant sense of smell! He joined in the fun and even helped Coco out on a couple of occasions. 😍

Sadly, Buttons isn’t a fan of having his photograph taken, so you’ll just have to admire his beautiful sister instead!

Such a lovely morning watching Coco grow in confidence, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how she progresses.

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09/10/2026

A little Friday searching with Eddie and Blaze! đŸŸ

I managed to squeeze in some Kong searches with the boys this morning in between admin and heading out to see a client.

I made things a little more challenging today by using a new search area around my wardrobe. The bedroom was also noticeably colder, which can affect how the odour moves, so the boys had to work a little harder.

Even in a familiar room, changing the hide location or environmental conditions can give the dogs a completely different puzzle to solve.

Four searches each and plenty of nose work to keep them busy!

A lovely way to break up a morning at the laptop. 😊

Now, a little challenge for you 👀

Watch Blaze’s final search carefully. There’s a lovely moment where his body language changes as he picks up the odour.

Can you spot where he first comes into odour? Let me know in the comments what you see!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

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Some days just don't quite go to plan, do they? 🙈Today has been one of those days where I've had a perfectly good plan i...
08/10/2026

Some days just don't quite go to plan, do they? 🙈

Today has been one of those days where I've had a perfectly good plan in my head, and absolutely none of it has happened quite as expected!

One thing I've learnt from working with dogs is that sometimes you have to be prepared to change your plans, adjust your expectations and work with what's in front of you.

Apparently, today was my turn to practise that!

The boys have at least had a trip to the groomers, so they're looking considerably more presentable than I feel right now!

I'm declaring today done and looking forward to a quiet evening with my feet up!

Anyone else having one of those days this week?

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Look at these indications! 😍A Working Cocker Spaniel, a Collie and a Welsh Springer Spaniel, ranging from just 16 months...
07/10/2026

Look at these indications! 😍

A Working Cocker Spaniel, a Collie and a Welsh Springer Spaniel, ranging from just 16 months old right through to 9 years old, all doing some lovely work in class tonight.

Scentwork really can be for any dog. Breed doesn’t matter and age doesn’t matter. Dogs can learn to search, work odour and develop a clear indication in their own individual way.

An indication is how the dog communicates that they’ve found the source of the scent, and it’s always great to see how each dog develops theirs.

Three very different dogs, three lovely indications and some brilliant searching tonight.

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I spent this evening with the rather lovely boy, a working line Fox Red LabradorHis guardians had asked for some help wi...
06/10/2026

I spent this evening with the rather lovely boy, a working line Fox Red Labrador

His guardians had asked for some help with some behaviours they were struggling woth, so we spent time looking at the bigger picture rather than focusing on just one part of his behaviour.

When something isn’t quite working for a dog, there can be lots of different pieces contributing to what we’re seeing. Looking at their life as a whole can help us understand what might be going on and where we can make changes that will genuinely help.

We talked through what his day currently looks like, his health, diet and enrichment, as well as where he is being walked and whether those walks are meeting his needs.

We looked at some changes his guardians can make to his daily routine and, of course, introduced scentwork!

This boy absolutely threw himself into it, giving that Labrador nose and brain something to do while also beginning to build his confidence. We worked through some other simple training games to encourage focus and proximity, alongside some loose lead walking skills.

His guardians now have a few changes to start putting into place and some new things to work on with him.

He was great fun to work with and a really lovely way to finish my working day.

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I had a lovely update about Mae recently. When I first met Mae and her family, they were struggling with her reactions o...
05/10/2026

I had a lovely update about Mae recently.

When I first met Mae and her family, they were struggling with her reactions out on walks, but things at home had become difficult too.

Children regularly visit and stay, and Mae was finding having them around difficult. Her family showed me videos which gave us a much clearer picture. Mae wasn’t really comfortable around the children and her body language was giving us some important information about how she was feeling.

We looked at Mae’s life as a whole. Her diet, her physical and mental stimulation, her home environment, where she was being walked and what those walks looked like. We also looked at how she interacted with the children and, importantly, what her body language was telling us.

We put management in place straight away around the children while beginning to help Mae feel more comfortable around them. We talked a lot about her body language so the whole family could start recognising when she was uncomfortable and respond to those earlier signs, rather than leaving Mae feeling that she might need to communicate more strongly.

I’ve been told that alone has already made a huge difference.

Her walks are becoming calmer too. Her family are thinking differently about where they take her, we’ve introduced some new focus games and ways to help if and when things get tricky.

Then, of course, we introduced scentwork.

Gamechanger.

Mae absolutely loves having a job to do. It gives her an outlet, lets her use that incredible nose and brain, encourages her to problem solve and gives us another way to quietly build her confidence.

I’m really looking forward to our next session and building on the changes Mae and her family are already seeing.

Helping a dog isn’t always about working directly on the behaviour we’re seeing. Looking at what’s happening in the rest of their life, understanding what they’re communicating and making changes that help them feel more comfortable is just as important as the training itself.

It’s still early days for Mae, but hearing that her family already understands her better, that things at home are starting to feel easier and that her walks are becoming calmer is a pretty lovely update to receive.

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It’s been busy behind the scenes getting ready for new classes and programmes starting this month, and things are beginn...
02/10/2026

It’s been busy behind the scenes getting ready for new classes and programmes starting this month, and things are beginning to fill up! 😊

My brand new Beginners Scent Sports class in Dumfries starting on Tuesday 13th Oct, now has just ONE space left, which I’m absolutely delighted about.

I also have two spaces remaining in my Beginners Scent Sports class at Chapelknowe, starting next Wednesday 7th Oct, so if you’ve been watching my scentwork posts and wondering whether your dog might enjoy having a go, there are still a couple of opportunities to join us.

Then there’s my new Creative Puppy ProgrammeđŸŸ

This is the newest programme on my training schedule, and like all my classes, places are kept small, because I want the time and flexibility to properly support each puppy and their person.

It’s an 8-week programme with scentwork woven throughout, support between sessions, an individual online session before we begin and some brilliant guest professionals joining us along the way.

We start next Thursday evening at Chapelknowe, and I still have a couple of spaces available.

If you’ve been considering any of these but aren’t quite sure whether the class or programme would be right for you and your dog, just drop me a message. I’m always happy to have a chat first 😊

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Sometimes the most useful thing we can do when we're out with our dogs is notice.Not ask them to do something. Not call ...
01/10/2026

Sometimes the most useful thing we can do when we're out with our dogs is notice.

Not ask them to do something. Not call them away. Not immediately reach for a treat or try to change what they're doing.

Just notice.

What have they spotted? Has their body changed? Have they slowed down? Are they sniffing differently? Where are their ears? What are they choosing to look at, move towards or move away from?

Our dogs are giving us information all the time, and the more familiar we become with the little changes in our own dog's behaviour, the easier it becomes to recognise when something in their environment matters to them.

You don't need to know the technical name for every piece of canine body language to start getting better at reading your dog.

Sometimes it begins simply by watching them a little more closely.

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đŸŸ Got a new puppy and not quite sure what you’re supposed to be doing?There is SO much puppy information out there. Soci...
30/09/2026

đŸŸ Got a new puppy and not quite sure what you’re supposed to be doing?

There is SO much puppy information out there. Socialise them, but don’t overwhelm them. Train this. Don’t do that. Stop the biting. Stop the jumping. Make sure they sleep enough. Give them enrichment


It can all feel a bit much when you’re trying to work out what’s right for your puppy.

Throughout The Creative Puppy Programme, we’ll work on the practical skills you need for everyday life, but we’ll also look at what’s going on underneath some of those puppy behaviours.

Why are they biting? Why are they stealing things? Is it something we need to train, something we can manage differently, a need we can meet another way, or simply a very normal stage of being a puppy?

Alongside training, we’ll explore puppy development, body language, confidence, health, nutrition and grooming, with scentwork woven throughout the programme too. You’ll also have the opportunity to learn from other canine professionals who’ll join us during the programme, helping you understand and support your puppy in different areas as they grow.

I don’t want you to leave with a list of ways to stop your puppy doing things. I want you to feel more confident understanding what your puppy is telling you, why they might be doing something and what you can do to help.

After all, you’re not just training the puppy you have for eight weeks. You’re laying foundations for the dog they’re growing into and the years you’ll have together.

đŸŸ Starts Thursday 8th October
⏰ 6.30–7.30pm
📍 Chapelknowe Village Hall
đŸ¶ Maximum of four puppy and guardian teams

There are limited spaces remaining for this first programme, so if this sounds like the sort of start you’d like for you and your puppy, get in touch and we can arrange a call to chat through the programme and see if it feels like a good fit for you both 😊

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Address

Annan

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 8pm
Tuesday 9am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Thursday 9am - 8pm
Friday 9am - 8pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+447931656060

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