Cailin and her GSD Serge

Throughout my life I’ve tended to go ‘all in’ on things I love. School wasn’t a place I enjoyed, so I left at 16 and went to work full time. I moved through a few different jobs, never quite finding my passion, until I started working with SportScotland teaching multi-sports to children and young people. I gained multiple teaching and coaching qualifications and started studying with the Open University, achieving a BSc with Honours in Psychology. I then started working for Midlothian Council, teaching swimming, then gained a pool lifeguard qualification, going on to become a lifeguard trainer.

Growing up, we always had animals. When I was born, my parents had Boo, an Old English Sheepdog. After Boo passed we had hamsters, rabbits and guinea pigs. When I left home I had a cat, Petra. It wasn’t until 2020 that I’d have my very own dog. I wanted a miniature Dachshund, but they say you get the dog you need, not the dog you want, and at the end of November 2020, I brought home 8-week-old GSD puppy, Serge. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best time to get a dog! You’ll no doubt remember, we went back into lockdown, on Boxing Day that year. So, no puppy training classes, no travelling away from your home, no socialisation.

That ‘all in’ approach came in handy. I looked up endless videos, tutorials, information on training. I completed the AbsoluteDogs ProDog Trainer programme, the British College of Canine Studies Level 3 Diploma in Canine Behaviour, Diploma in Canine Health and Nutrition and a Canine First Aid course.

But as weeks went on, I started noticing things with Serge. That puppy gangliness wasn’t changing, he seemed unsteady on his feet, he was falling over. A trip to the vet left us with more questions than answers and we scheduled x-rays. The diagnosis? Severe, bi-lateral (both hips) Hip Dysplasia, osteoarthritis, and a partially dislocated left hip. He was only around 9 months old. Now I had an adolescent, high drive, high energy working breed, on restricted exercise. On lead only.

I went all in again, teaching him scentwork and MANTRAILING! Mantrailing was something we could do on lead, it worked his body in a way that was suitable, but importantly it worked his brain. Mantrailing is great, it builds focus and teamwork, and it’s suitable for any dog that has a nose. Which was just as well as Serge was now extremely dog reactive. Mantrailing was something we could still do, as there’s no reason for dogs to interact.

We also started working with a brilliant new trainer, the one and only Nick at Esk Valley Dog Training! Through Nick I developed and expanded my understanding of canine body language and psychology, and the interplay between reactivity, pain or health concerns and past experiences.

I’m delighted to now be joining the team, bringing Mantrailing, and my reactivity experience to help and support other owners with their reactivity struggles.

Trail on! 🐾

Cailin and Serge