About Me

My Story

I became interested in training dogs back in 1994 when my first puppy, a little Shetland Sheepdog puppy, called Dali joined our little family. Back in those early days, I made all the mistakes new puppy owners made, and I ended up with a pup that was destructive and loathed being left, even if I only went for a quick 30-minute shopping trip to the local supermarket!

This is where my journey to become a dog training instructor and behaviourist started. As I struggled with my little Sheltie's behaviour, I read all the books I could find on dog training and although some of them were pretty good, my little Dali didn't respond the way the books told me he should. So I decided I needed some extra help and joined our local dog club.

Joining the dog club was a revelation, I got the help I needed from the trainers there and with their help I soon started to reap the rewards of the obedience training we did there. They gave me advice on how to deal with his destructive traits and taught me the importance of teaching a puppy to be left alone when we needed to go out.

It was through volunteering, watching the classes and before long starting to assist the trainers that my passion for dog training and behaviour was awoken. Joining that club literally changed my life!

I would not be where I am today without the help, guidance and support I received in those early days from the people running that club, their volunteer trainers and the members that trusted me to help them train their dogs.

Many years have passed, but my passion for dogs, dog training and behaviour have never diminished. I have learned through my experiences, honed my skills as a dog trainer, studied Canine Behaviour, the different dog training methods available and attended training days plus numerous seminars. Over the years I have developed my Fun | Focus | Play® method of training animals that is not about force or using the leash to correct the dog, but one that is fun for both dog and owner.

My Fun | Focus | Play® Training method is thoroughly modern, innovative and based on the latest understanding of canine behaviour.

I have written 2 books to date: “No Pulling Allowed: From Painfully Disappointing Drag to Delightfully Relaxing Stroll” and “Dogz Thinkz Differentz” (both available from Amazon) with a third book set to be released later this year.

If you’re looking for a skilled and innovative dog trainer, who understands what makes dogs tick, can help you achieve a greater understanding of your dog’s behaviour, while at the same time help you build confidence in your ability to handle the challenges that come with owning a dog, give me a call today.

What My Clients Are Saying...

"
My first contact with Natasja at Nightsabre was after we rescued our Lurcher. Bracken was reactive to people and most especially other dogs, in most other areas she was what you would expect from an excitable 2-year-old with high energy and very high chase drive.

Natasja came to assess her needs and we started on one to one training sessions for the next 4 weeks, after which Natasja thought she may be ok to attend weekly mixed classes. All the while we practiced the skills that we had been taught and watched her progress from week to week.

We have benefited tremendously from Natasja teaching us how to help our dog, turns out our pup is pretty good!

I have been around dogs for years but have a much better understanding and level of communication now thanks to Natasja softly-softly and fun approach.

Bracken is already as good as we want her but we will continue to go to classes because it’s great fun for us both.

I highly recommend Natasja at Nightsabre, her love of dogs and ability to train their owners is clear to see."

Steve Jones

Owner of Bracken

"
My adolescent Hungarian Vizsla and I went to Natasja after she was recommended by a fellow Vizsla owner.

He had begun to react to other dogs and some humans. She was brilliant with us and taught me how to engage him in games which trained things like disengaging from triggers, how to settle on a mat, impulse control harnessing his gundog instincts and so much more.

With the patience of a saint she tolerated his goofy personality, cheeky jumping dog snogs and my awful habit of saying commands over and over and over!

We still use the techniques she gave us. Learning with Natasja fuelled a growing interest in dog behaviour and contributed to having the confidence to keep learning and to start working in the industry, walking reactive dogs.

I will always be grateful to her for helping both of us."

Helen Ward

Busy Reactive Dog Walker from Bournemouth

"
I started taking my dog to Hoopers training classes because he loves being with me and learning new things. We started attending Hoopers in March 2020.

In a fairly short time, Henry earned his Level 1 & 2 Rosettes. In order to achieve this, he had to learn to turn in different directions, to move away from me and to read my body language as this helps him to go in the right direction.

These skills are great fun at Hoopers classes but they are also useful when we are out on walks.

Natasja is an excellent trainer. She gives clear instructions and also demonstrates with her own dogs.

If Henry or I make a mistake Natasja pinpoints where I have gone wrong and helps me put it right. All the training is reward-based and there is no pressure on either dogs or handlers.

We are having fun, learning lots in the process and building a stronger bond between us."

Cynthia Metcalf

Owned by Henry

Fun | Focus | Play® by Nightsabre Dog Training

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