About Me
Ethical Dog Trainer & Behaviourist
Lovely to meet you!
Hello, I’m Maria, a qualified dog trainer and behaviourist and the founder of Four Paws Training Academy and Trails.
I help caregivers understand their dog companion and support them through the hardest of times.
Whether you are welcoming or supporting a rescue dog, struggling with behaviour, or simply want to understand your dog better, I’m here to help you build confidence, knowledge and a stronger relationship.
My approach is kind, ethical, practical, knowledge led and individual to both you and your dog, with no force, fear or punishment.
Looking for a different approach to dog training?
You may be thinking about getting a new companion and want to start off on the right paw, be supporting a rescue dog as they settle into their new life, or be struggling with behaviour that you simply don’t understand.
Perhaps walks have become stressful, your dog struggles around other dogs or people, or everyday situations have become difficult for you both.
Whatever has brought you here, we’ll start by looking at why the behaviour is happening, what your dog is communicating and what they can cope with.
From there, we can introduce safety and management, practical, force-free training that works at your dog’s pace. This will be by building confidence, understanding and skills that can be used in real life.
Why this is the only job for me...
For me, dog training or behaviour has never been about making dogs simply do as they are told. It is about understanding why they behave the way they do.
Behaviour is communication.
By looking at the whole dog (Their body language, emotions, environment, experiences, physical comfort and individual needs), we can begin to understand what they are communicating.
My role is to help you recognise those little details too, giving you the knowledge and confidence to support your dog throughout everyday life.
Knowledge is key and understanding creates success.
"We can't sing Maria's praises enough!"
Booked some private sessions with Maria to help with an overly stimulated and energetic puppy who couldn't calm down. She helped us with games and exercises that were fun, engaging and rewarding with our pup. His attention towards us has improved; he's now able to calm down much quicker, and we've been given the tools to ensure we're giving him the best training and interaction we can to ensure he's a happy pup! The exercises were excellently explained, clearly demonstrated, with well-defined progression to increase the level of interaction and difficulty to stimulate our pups body and mind. It's not hyperbolic to say she's changed our lives as things have improved so much. We can't sing Maria's praises enough!
Don't struggle on your own...
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