Hi! My name is Laura and this is my boy, Smudge. Scroll down to read a little bit about me, why I have put this course together and what it is all about!

I have been studying dog behaviour for around 15 years since rescuing our first family dog, Smudge. He had all of the typical problems that most people avoid getting rescue dogs for - reactive with other dogs, zero recall, destructive in the house, high prey drive, separation anxiety, pulling on the lead, etcetera. I tried every *TRAINING* method in the book - clickers, positive reinforcement, avoidance, ignoring bad and praising good, bottles filled with stones to shake, water spray, distractions with toys and food, obedience classes… you name it! We tried it and it didn't work. Or it did for a few days / weeks until the novelty wore off, or it was just so impractical that it would never work long term. More to the point, even if it did work, it always felt like it was managing and masking the problem rather than fixing it at the core. 

Luckily I stumbled across the concept of dog psychology or “dogmanship” which is about understanding natural dog behaviours and learning how to speak their language, rather than getting dogs to understand ours (which is what training does). Of course, I was very much learning as I went in the early stages, but even still, we saw drastic changes almost instantly and within a year or so we had a “normal” dog! 

Being raised around many animals, it was something I took to quite naturally but I went on to study Animal Behaviour and Welfare (specialising in canines) at university, worked at boarding and rescue kennels, travelled overseas to study dog behaviour in Jamaica and South America and began helping friends and family with their dog problems. One recommendation after another and another led to the establishment of my own dog behavioural business, which later joined forces with another local dog psychologist, successfully helping thousands of dogs and owners to date. 

After working with many owners and dogs, it became apparent that most people experiencing problems were missing the same important fundamentals that a human-dog relationship should have, and that's why I decided to put this course together. As the name suggests, the Foundations of Dog Psychology will give you the core knowledge needed for a healthy human-dog relationship which is the bare minimum you should know if you’re a dog lover, walker, sitter, groomer or dog owner (with or without any problems). 

I didn’t know this approach existed for a long time, it's never mentioned in training books and the difference between training and psychology is something I wish someone had explained to me a long time ago. I truly believe many more dogs, especially rescued / traumatised dogs, could be helped if people understood and incorporated dog psychology into their relationship. 

Smudge, the naughty dog on death row from the pound, not only went on to become the best family pet anyone could wish for, but also to help rehabilitate 100’s of other dogs directly on our pack walks, and thousands more through the career path he pushed me down. Some may argue that the dog that I went out to rescue that day, really ended up rescuing me, igniting a lifelong passion and career. 

He passed away in 2020 but lives on through all the lessons he taught me and every single dog I manage to reach and help - he couldn't not get a mention!