A Celebration and a Reflection - How thedogcalmer Evolved

Every journey has a turning point. For me, that moment came when I began to write down what I had spent a lifetime learning from dogs and horses. What started as a few handwritten notes has now evolved into thedogcalmer’s fully accredited six-part training pathway — a reflection of decades of dedication, learning, and quiet determination to help people truly understand their dogs.

My Papillion Moose!

This week saw a red-letter day for me — and for thedogcalmer.It marks the fruition and evolution of my life’s work.

Over thirty years ago, I began to document what had, until then, lived only in my head. I had already spent the first forty years of my life learning from animals — dogs mostly, but horses too. Then, at forty, my sister Lesley — a schoolteacher and my lifelong cheerleader — brought home her first dog.

Late to the party perhaps, but keen and curious, she joined my classes and experienced my teaching first-hand. She also listened, patiently, as I shared my frustrations — why did some people seem to “get it” and others didn’t?

I wasn’t an academic by nature; my learning had always been hands-on experience and working alongside great trainers. I could feel what dogs and horses were telling me, but putting it into words for people was another skill entirely. Lesley, with her teacher’s insight, helped me see that I could do better — that communication is as much an art as understanding behaviour.

She encouraged me to write everything down: the steps, the thought process, the “what ifs”. Through that, I discovered just how much knowledge I carried — and how much I was expecting others to absorb in one go! Writing it all down helped me realise that people, like dogs, need time, clarity, and repetition to truly learn.

As my notes grew, so did my confidence. Seeing my knowledge on paper gave me a new sense of worth. Those early scribbles became structured lesson plans — from puppy to advanced — each exercise carefully broken down, each problem anticipated.

In time, those lesson plans became the foundation of my Instructor Course, which went on to be fully accredited. With Lesley’s help (and now her well-deserved pay!), we created a professional course layout that eventually led to both my Instructor and Behaviour Training Courses gaining accreditation. I taught them throughout the early 2000s, sharing what I had learned with others who wanted to teach in the same calm, thoughtful way. The classes themselves were regularly updated, but in 2005 they underwent a complete revamp — transforming from a 12-week programme with 12 students, to a 6-week, small-group format with just 5 students per intake. That change allowed for deeper learning, more individual attention, and a far more personal experience for both instructor and student, before I eventually took a much-needed break from teaching.

This summer marks another milestone — a relaunch. The prospect of formal accreditation inspired me, over the summer, to redraft once again, joining the six stages into a single 36-hour accredited training pathway.

It’s more than a qualification; it’s a promise. A promise that every client, every student, and every dog that walks through our gates receives not only excellent care and quality teaching, but the benefit of decades of learning, refining, and heart.

Me and my big sis fooling around, back at the beginning!

It’s more than a qualification; it’s a promise.A promise that every client, every student, and every dog that walks through our gates receives not only excellent care and quality teaching, but the benefit of decades of learning, refining, and heart.

And for me — it’s the continuation of a dream my sister helped me see was worth sharing.

“thedogcalmer isn’t just a name — it’s the sum of a lifetime spent learning how to bring calm, confidence and connection to dogs and their people.”