NZ Canine

15/10/2026

Milli has to be one of the most misunderstood dogs I’ve had in for Walk & Trains for a while.

I think a lot of people would have been quick to label her as “aggressive” because she was lunging and barking at pretty much EVERY dog she saw.

The first clip is from our very first walk together, where I was just trying to get a feel for her reactions and understand what we were dealing with.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working on getting some foundations in place, building our relationship and making sure Milli can still hear and respond to me when her arousal levels are through the roof.

More recently, we’ve started getting her in and around other dogs and she’s absolutely smashing it!

Don’t get me wrong, she still has the odd reaction and we’ve definitely got more work to do, but I genuinely think there’s a big, soft, playful giant underneath that tough exterior she likes to put on.

The next step is to keep building on what we’ve done so far, with the aim of eventually getting Milli reliable off lead so she can have a lot more freedom.

She’s come such a long way in just a few weeks and I’m really proud of her. I can’t wait to see what she’s like in another few months!

14/10/2026

Not every dog struggles because they’re nervous or reactive. Some just find the world a little too exciting!

Raven is one of our newer Walk & Train dogs, and she’s convinced every dog was put on this planet for her to play with.

We’re working on helping her manage that excitement, improve her impulse control and understand that seeing another dog doesn’t automatically mean it’s time to engage with them.

Here’s a little snippet from one of our sessions, I’m working on her obedience, holding a down position despite me moving away and trying to tempt her out of it

It’s all about building those foundations so Raven can learn to think before she acts, settle when needed and still enjoy being her usual excitable self.

Early days for Raven but she’s doing really well so far!

PS yes I’m walking round in socks, my wellies are hurting my feetttttt

13/10/2026

Walk & Train sessions are about so much more than teaching a dog to walk nicely on the lead or how many commands they know.

We’re looking at the dog as a whole. Their physical health, behaviour, lifestyle, how they cope with different situations and whether their needs are actually being met.

All of these things can have a massive impact on how a dog behaves, and sometimes the things we notice have very little to do with training itself.

Meet Dennis, one of our newest Walk & Train dogs!

During our very first walk together, I noticed some movement that made me question whether he might be experiencing discomfort in one of his back legs. I’ve recommended that his owner gets him booked in with the vets to have this checked out.

It’s something that could easily be overlooked when the main focus is on getting a dog to behave or walk better.

For me a Walk & Train isn’t just about improving behaviour. It’s about understanding the dog in front of me and making sure we’re addressing the things that might be contributing to that behaviour in the first place.

Interested in our walk & trains? Drop me a DM for more info

12/10/2026

Five weeks ago, Amy’s owner described her as a dog who would “bark, lunge and bite the lead” whenever she saw another dog.

Today, she's enjoying walks alongside Nala, Zen and Axel, and I genuinely can't remember the last time I saw her react to another dog.

We've spent a lot of time building our relationship, channelling her frustration into play and helping her make better choices around other dogs. I'm honestly so proud of how far she's come.

Yesterday, her owner messaged me to say she'd seen two different dogs whilst out and hadn't reacted to either of them, which makes me even happier knowing that the progress we're making together is carrying over into her everyday life.

We're still working on helping Amy manage her excitement and learn to slow things down a little, rather than approaching every walk with her brain going at 1000mph! She's also got a huge amount of prey drive, but we're finding ways to channel all that energy whilst still letting her be Amy.

When I think about how limited her walks had become because of the worry of encountering other dogs, seeing her enjoying herself like this genuinely melts my heart.

She's still the same energetic, driven Amy, just learning how to channel all of that into something more positive. So bloody proud of this girl and excited to see how much further she goes.

08/10/2026

Our community has really been coming together recently and honestly, it’s so lovely to see🤍

We’ve got dogs working with us who have never been able to be around other dogs. Dogs who have been hidden away for months, sometimes years. Dogs whose walkers have refused to take them out. And owners who have been so worried about their dogs being around others that they’ve avoided it altogether.

And now, slowly things are changing

We’re creating a space where people don’t have to feel embarrassed about their dogs, where nobody is judging them for where they’re at, and where everyone understands that every dog is different.

Some of these dogs have a long way to go, and that’s okay. We’re not expecting miracles overnight, and we’re not expecting every dog to be best friends with every other dog.

We’re just working together, supporting each other and giving these dogs opportunities they might never have had before.

I think sometimes people forget how isolating it can be when you have a dog who struggles. You can feel like you’re the only one, like everyone else has these perfectly behaved dogs and you’re doing something wrong.

But you’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it all out on your own either.

Seeing everyone come together, watching these dogs have new experiences and seeing owners gain a little more confidence each time is what it’s all about.

No judgement, no shame, just people who get it, helping each other out 🐾🤍

07/10/2026

06/10/2026

Winnie joined us today for her first Walk & Train session 🐾

She’s been walking on a front clip harness, which I’m not a fan of. It was putting a lot of unnecessary pressure through her front legs and restricting her breathing.

Today we started conditioning her to a slip lead, and she picked it up incredibly quickly.

No harsh corrections, just teaching her what the pressure means. Every time she felt the lead, we turned with her and showed her that moving with the pressure gets her back to neutral, rather than pulling against it.

It didn’t take long before we were able to work around distractions, and she was doing really well.

Really looking forward to seeing how we get on with Winnie and how she progresses over the next few weeks. 🐶

05/10/2026

I started walk & train sessions with Amy 3 weeks ago today, and I’m so proud of how far she’s come already.

She’s a dog with HUGE amounts of prey drive, and a TON of frustration… this used to spill over into reactivity but these days I’m seeing so much more of the dog underneath all of that.

She’s playing, recalling, engaging with me, making better decisions and is learning she can just exist around other dogs without everything being a big deal.

There’s still plenty to work on, but in just three weeks she’s already made such a huge shift and is an absolute pleasure to take out.