Hi there! I am Tamie, and I own a GSD named Toto, who is the same handsome dog you see on the home page.

Toto is a working-line, backyard-bred “lemon”. Now, I don’t mean all backyard-bred dogs are lemons, but I do highly recommend people do their research and purchase puppies from an ethical breeder to avoid the challenges Toto and I have faced.

Toto’s parents are both livestock guarding dogs, and Toto was bred for the same purpose. He could have become a very different dog, but I made countless and honest mistakes as an inexperienced first-time dog owner. Unfortunately, these mistakes and missed opportunities meant that Toto became quite reactive. That is when we faced our wake-up call, and I started my journey of becoming a dog trainer.

The same dog, who has a biting history and could not go anywhere because of his big feelings, is now competing on the field with me and has traveled to many challenging and interesting new places. Toto’s high drive can be switched to focus thanks to the training we have learned and practiced, and he has earned himself greater freedom since we worked to test and prove his recall.

What I’d love for you to take from that quick summary of our journey is that if you are experiencing the same struggle, you are not alone. We experienced fear of the unknown and of how Toto would react. I felt overwhelmed and emotional about horrible incidents we experienced as a result, and I watched my dog over-energised and destructive, scared of what he might do next.

If you’ve experienced any of this, but have no idea how to make a change - I can empathise. Your dog isn’t just ‘behaving badly’- they’re communicating. Together, we can translate their chaos to find out how to fulfill their needs, to build trust between you, and to create a partnership where both of you thrive.

With a strong focus on building conflict-free, meaningful relationships between you and your dog and offering access to a collaborative network with other professionals in the pet care industry, I will help you unlock your dog’s full potential both physically and psychologically.

Got any questions for me? I’d love to hear them! Find our contact information at the bottom of the page or find us on social media.