A lifelong learner, behaviour-led trainer and passionate advocate for dogs

I believe every dog has a story worth understanding.

For me, dog training has never been about creating perfectly obedient dogs or teaching behaviours for the sake of appearances. In fact, the word obedience has never sat comfortably with me. It often brings to mind endless drills, precision heelwork and dogs expected to suppress their natural behaviour simply to comply.

That's not why I do what I do.

I believe dogs deserve to be understood as individuals with emotions, needs, instincts and their own unique personalities. Living happily with a dog does require skills, guidance and clear boundaries—those are incredibly important—but I want those skills to grow from trust, communication and understanding, rather than fear, frustration or simply trying to control behaviour.

My goal is to help families build dogs who can confidently navigate our human world while still being allowed to be dogs.

Every behaviour has a reason. Rather than asking "How do we stop this?" my first question is always "Why is this dog finding life difficult?" Understanding that answer allows us to create lasting change instead of simply managing symptoms.

My journey with animals began in 2008 while studying Level 3 Animal Management at Usk College alongside an NVQ Level 2 in Agriculture. What started as a love of animals quickly became a full-time farm sitting, pet sitting and dog walking business, giving me invaluable hands-on experience with hundreds of animals.

When my daughter Rose was born, I stepped away from the physical side of the business to pursue what had always fascinated me most—animal behaviour.

Volunteering with rescue organisations, including the National Animal Welfare Trust, Celia Hammond Animal Trust and Wagtails Rehoming Centre, opened my eyes to the emotional lives of dogs and the lasting effects that fear, trauma and difficult early experiences can have. It became clear that if I truly wanted to help dogs, I needed to understand not only what they were doing, but why.

That curiosity has never left me.

Since then I've dedicated my career to continuing education, studying with some of the world's leading behaviour professionals and organisations, including Compass Education, APDT, Fear Free, Kids Around Dogs, Karen Pryor Academy, Michael Shikashio, Sarah Fisher, Sarah Whitehead, Christina Spaulding and Grisha Stewart.

I'm proud to be a CBATI-KA (Certified Behaviour Adjustment Training Instructor – Knowledge Assessed), allowing me to teach Behaviour Adjustment Training (BAT), an approach that helps fearful and reactive dogs learn through safety, choice and emotional resilience.

I'm also continuing my professional development through the COAPE Level 6 Diploma in Canine Behaviour.

Because the day I think I've learned everything is the day I stop being the trainer I want to be.

Parker's Canine Training has grown into far more than one-to-one training.

Alongside behaviour consultations and family dog training, I run Safe Space Saturdays, children's education through Kids Around Dogs, and I'm developing Safe Space – Resilience in Nature, a community project that brings together dogs, people and nature to build confidence, resilience and wellbeing.

I'm also creating the Parker's Learning Hub, making behaviour knowledge, practical guidance and family-friendly education available to more people than I could ever reach through one-to-one work alone.

One of the most influential programmes I've completed is Christina Spaulding's six-month Unlocking Resilience course.

It completely changed the way I think about behaviour.

Today I don't simply look at what a dog is doing. I look at their nervous system, physical health, genetics, early development, emotional wellbeing, environment, learning history and family dynamics. Stress affects every part of a dog's life, from learning and decision-making to sleep, digestion and behaviour, and understanding that allows us to support the whole dog rather than simply trying to change what we see on the surface.

That understanding shapes every consultation I carry out.