5–10 minutes
Check in
Everyone says, in a line, what they’ll work on today. Out loud or in the chat, whichever you prefer.
Side by Side sessions
Train alongside other dog people
Little and often is what makes training work, and it’s easier with company. Join a short online session, say what you’ll work on, do it alongside others doing the same, and share how it went.
Don’t wait until you have a problem. Small, regular sessions help build your dog’s confidence and your relationship, long before anything goes wrong.
How a session works
Check in, be there, check out
30 to 40 minutes on Zoom. It’s company, not a class: you bring your own dog and your own plan, and I train one of my own dogs alongside you.
About 20–30 minutes
Be there
We all get on with it, mics off, cameras on if you’re happy to. Every ten minutes or so there’s a gentle reminder to let your dog rest.
5–10 minutes
Check out
How it went, and one thing that went well. Small wins count.
Indoors or out. You don’t need to be at a computer. Join on your phone wherever your dog is most comfortable, in the house, the garden or out on a walk, as long as you have a signal and somewhere safe to prop the phone up.
What you could work on
Anything reward and choice based
Any dog is welcome, with or without a problem. These are the kinds of things I suggest for building confidence and the relationship:
- Free work: letting your dog explore different surfaces, smells and food while you watch how they move and cope
- Sniffing and scent games: searches, scatter feeding and sniff-led time
- Pattern games: simple, predictable games that help the world feel manageable
- Settling on a mat: a place your dog learns means rest
- Enrichment: food puzzles, chewing, foraging and digging
- Cooperative care: teaching your dog to say “yes, go ahead” to handling, nail trims and the vet
- Muzzle training as an ordinary, happy skill, long before it’s ever needed
- Check-ins and recall games: your dog choosing to come back to you
- For puppies: gentle introductions to the world
- Or your own homework from your trainer (see below)
Not sure where to start? Book a First Step Call and you’ll leave with a short written method chosen for your dog, ready to bring to the sessions.
When
Several sessions a week, at different times
Mornings, lunchtimes and evenings, on different days, to fit around work and family. €6 a session. Come once, or as often as you like.
New to Side by Side? Get in touch first, so I can say hello and check it suits you and your dog. Tell me which times would work for you: I’m shaping the timetable around the first people to join. I’ll then send you the link to book.
Sessions are in English, on Zoom, on a phone, tablet or computer. Once we’ve been in touch, you book and pay online, and you can add several dates at once. Groups are small, and sometimes it may be just you and me. Prices are in euros; UK cards work fine and your card converts the amount. Booking terms are in the Terms.
House rules
So everyone, dogs included, feels safe
- Reward and choice based methods only, and no aversive equipment on camera.
- If your dog is struggling, pause and let them rest. I can’t assess dogs in a group, so if something worries you we’ll look at it properly another time.
- If your dog has ever bitten, please start with a First Step Call so I understand your dog and your plan first.
- Sessions are never recorded.
Already working with a trainer?
Bring your homework
You’re welcome to bring the homework your own trainer has set, as long as it’s reward and choice based. I won’t take over or change your plan: questions about your dog go back to your trainer.
Trainers: if your clients would find it easier to do their homework with company, you’re welcome to send them along. Email me and I’ll tell you how it works.
Ready to train side by side?
Get in touch, pick your times, bring your dog, and say what you’ll work on.