Hello, I’m Caroline
I’m the founder of Road to Confidence, a trauma-informed behaviour practice for dogs who are fearful, avoidant, shut down or defensive, and for the people who love them.
How it started
After a period of significant personal change, I found grounding in fostering fearful dogs at my rural home near Limoges. Dogs who needed time before they could even begin to trust.
Woody, my foster fail, showed me how pressure-based training advice could make fear worse when his underlying emotional needs weren’t being met. He wasn’t stubborn or difficult. He was scared, confused and doing his best to cope.
Then Pocket arrived, with avoidance he had practised for years. Everything I’d learned became essential. His progress wasn’t fast and it wasn’t a straight line, but it was real, and it became the foundation of how I work: trust, choice, and gentle, predictable days.
Today I help guardians and their dogs move from fear to confidence, with structured, compassionate support.
Fear is not a training problem. It’s an emotional experience and a way of surviving, and it deserves compassion, not correction.
Fear changes relationships. It makes dogs hide, freeze, avoid or defend themselves, and it makes guardians feel ashamed, overwhelmed and scared of making things worse. Dogs can’t work through it alone, and their people shouldn’t have to either. Road to Confidence exists to close that distance.
What I bring
Qualifications
- Level 3 Certificate in Canine Training and BehaviourOfqual-regulated qualification awarded by AIM Qualifications, studied with The Dogenius Institute · completed January 2026
- Level 5 Diploma in Canine Behaviour PracticeIn progress
Training
- Moving Beyond Fear & AnxietyLighten Up Dog Training · 2025
- Success with Impulsive DogsLighten Up Dog Training · 2025
- Frustration MasterclassLighten Up Dog Training · 2024
- The Lighten Up Toolbox: dog skills for resilienceLighten Up Dog Training
- Messages of TrustTrust Technique
Experience
- Foster carer and behaviour support volunteerLes Amis des Animaux, France
- Long-term work with my own dogsWoody and Pocket, both with fear-based behaviour
The way I work
- Fear is not a failure, it’s communication.
- Safety comes before training.
- Trust is built, not demanded.
- Slow is fast.
- Every dog gets a say.
- You should leave feeling capable, not dependent.
- I’m honest about what’s realistic, and I won’t promise outcomes nobody can guarantee.
Let’s take this one step at a time
Tell me about your dog. I’ll reply personally.