Ally's Dog House - Home of It's Not Magic Dog Training

04/06/2026

Who would believe that Ginny was only adopted a couple of months ago?

This little rescue has come a long way in a very short time, thanks to the dedication and patience of her fantastic family.

Before finding her new home, Ginny’s life had been anything but easy. As far as anyone knows, she spent much of her early life surviving on an allotment, learning to rely only on herself and keeping her distance from people and other dogs. Eventually she was taken into care and given a second chance.

The behaviours that helped Ginny survive weren’t so helpful once she moved into a loving home. Barking, lunging and reacting to dogs on walks, as well as struggling when visitors came to the house, were all signs that she didn’t yet feel safe in her new world.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been working on building Ginny’s confidence, helping her feel secure, and teaching her that her family can handle the things she finds worrying.

Today, here she is putting all that hard work into practice in her local park.

Just a short while ago, her owners weren’t sure they would ever feel comfortable walking her there because every dog they saw felt like a challenge she needed to deal with herself.

Now? She’s learning that she doesn’t have to carry that responsibility anymore.

Progress isn’t about creating a “perfect” dog—it’s about helping dogs feel safe enough to make better choices. Ginny is proving that with the right support, patience, and training, even the most worried dogs can learn to relax and enjoy life.

Confidence is growing, trust is building, and Ginny’s future is looking brighter every week.

31/05/2026

Meet Bill, our Collie x French Bulldog youngster!

Bill had his second training session this week and, honestly, we were so busy working that we forgot to take any new photos! These pictures are from Session 1, but trust me when I say he’s grown a lot in just three weeks—and it’s looking increasingly likely that he’ll take after the Collie side of the family in size.

Bill is a bright, energetic youngster with plenty of enthusiasm for life. Like many puppies his age, that energy can sometimes leave his owners feeling a little overwhelmed.

One of the biggest lessons from Session 2 was the importance of consistency. With Mum unable to attend this session, Bill had been receiving slightly different messages from each owner. Understandably, this had left him feeling frustrated and confused, which was showing up as behaviours that looked like stubbornness or selective listening.

The reality? Bill wasn’t being difficult—he was simply trying to work out which set of rules applied.

Once everyone understands the same training approach, dogs like Bill can make incredible progress.

Today’s takeaway: consistency isn’t about being strict—it’s about being clear. When we give our dogs clear, predictable guidance, they’re far more likely to succeed. Bill’s owners have a great plan moving forward, and I’m excited to see what he achieves before Session 3! 🐶✨

14/05/2026

What’s merited puppy Bailey’s very proud and happy face in the first photo?

A super brilliant recall on his first | Home of outside training session and look at him go!

Look at those ears!

This didn’t just happen…Bailey and his family have been doing lots of homework behind the scenes after our previous 2 indoor sessions where we laid the foundations for success out in the real world.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

01/05/2026

Meet one very special little lady Nora - every dog is special but this one is even more so as she’s completely deaf and has been from birth.

She’s now one year old and is a really switched on little girl but her parents were having some difficulties with her barking a lot and were unsure how to teach her that it wasn’t acceptable and she was struggling like most puppies to focus outside amidst the distractions of real-life.

Nora had simply learned that barking got her attention - she however had the luxury, unlike her owners, of having no clue how very loud and annoying it was and she was just like any puppy who needed help to do things brilliantly outside as she does inside.

So at home of we adapted and started working on some sign language to help communicate with Nora so that she could understand which of her behaviours were going to get her attention and which weren’t.

Nora has absolutely flourished, her barking has reduced significantly at home and outside and her extended range of behaviours taught via sign language has made walks so much more fun and enriching for her and her family.

27/04/2026

27/04/2026

Who would believe wee Max here is a Cockapoo? He looks so more much more Cocker than Poo doesn’t he!

What he is, without any doubt, is a very clever young boy. Full of puppy spaniel spirit, energy, drive, the concentration time of about 20 seconds in a good day and the impulse control of well, erm a certain dog trainer within reaching distance of a glass of red wine..

So his mum was a little dubious about how, after a couple of indoor training sessions with home of , he would cope with training real-life out in the park and look at him…lots of focus, concentration, making great choices and using his beautiful brain finding a lovely balance between mental and physical activity leading to a much calmer tired boy when he got home.

Great work Max…you knocked it out ‘at’ the park!

04/11/2025

I cannot tell you how heartening it is to get this feedback just 24 hours into my new adventure focussing on training.

While I’ve trained for nearly a decade now, it’s been alongside doggy day care and boarding; and despite taking advice from so many of you the change has been nerve wracking.

More news of the change soon but in the meantime if you have any queries about training for your four legged friend with at please get in touch.