I believe that you, as the dog owner, need to be fully involved in the process of rehabilitation. You will not only learn about how to get the best from your dog, you will also gain a lot of skills that will help your own confidence. My way of working is based on dog psychology and common sense and, to that end, I believe in keeping things as simple as possible.

All of my methods involve positive reinforcement only. I do not endorse harsh punishment methods

MEETING JESSIE - the dog reactive border collie
In February 2010, I took on a border collie rescue dog. I was told she was four months old, and that she was good with other dogs. Jessie met our dogs at the rescue, and she was fine. However, it very quickly became apparent that she was highly dog reactive, something we discovered when we attended a cani-cross event a week after we had her. Eventually, I received her documents from the charity and, it turns out, she was five and a half months old when we had her. Those formative weeks of puppyhood can make so much difference. When seeing another dog, Jessie completely loses the plot, lunging forward, snarling and barking in a high state of arousal. As a dog behaviourist, I realised that if I couldn't get her right then your average dog owner would have no chance. Here began an epic journey, which at the time of writing this paragraph, I am a month into. To follow our story, please click here.

My intentions are that, if I can successfully rehabilitate Jessie, I will specialise in reactive dogs. So, if you do have a reactive dog - and apparently there are a lot more out there than one can imagine - please do follow Jessie's progress.