Looking Back on 2025 at The Paw-sitive Experience

As the year comes to an end, I wanted to take a moment to look back on 2025 — what it’s been like running The Paw-sitive Experience, working with dogs every day, and continuing to learn and progress in work I genuinely love.

Always Learning, Always Progressing

One thing that hasn’t changed this year is my focus on learning and progressing.

Dog training is something you never stop learning. Every dog is different, every owner brings something new, and every situation teaches you something if you’re paying attention. Throughout 2025, dogs have stayed firmly at the forefront of everything I do — understanding them better, supporting them more effectively, and helping owners build strong, practical relationships with their dogs.

This year I’ve felt more confident in my training (it’s taken time to get over the imposter syndrome), clearer in my communication, and more settled in how I work. Not because I’ve stopped learning — but because I trust my knowledge while continuing to build on it.

Training, Walking & Real-Life Dogs

Both dog training and dog walking continue to make up my day-to-day work — and both are roles I genuinely enjoy.

Dog walking is well established and something I take a lot of pride in. Managing groups safely, understanding individual needs, and working with dogs in real environments is skilled, responsible work built over time. It’s not just about exercise — it’s about structure, trust and consistency.

Training works alongside that. Whether I’m working with puppies, adolescent dogs or adult dogs, the focus is always on real-life skills that help dogs and owners live well together.

What My Own Dogs Continue to Teach Me

My own dogs remain some of my biggest teachers — especially this year with the addition of Honey.

Honey has brought very different challenges compared to my other dogs and has needed more support, patience and understanding. Living with those challenges day in, day out is a reminder that dogs aren’t comparable, and progress looks different for every individual.

Working through Honey’s needs has reinforced why kind, thoughtful, ethical training matters so much — and why there’s never a one-size-fits-all approach.

Working Through Chronic Pain

This year has also meant continuing to work through chronic, ongoing pain.

Plantar fasciitis, peroneal tendonitis and knee pain aren’t short-term injuries — they’re daily realities. Both dog walking and dog training are physically demanding, on-your-feet jobs, and there are days when finishing work means having very little left physically.

Some days are harder than others. But the dogs still need walking, training still needs delivering, and responsibility doesn’t disappear. Managing pain, pacing where possible and continuing to show up has simply been part of this year’s work.

It isn’t something I often talk about, but it’s part of the reality behind the scenes.

Building Strong Foundations in 2025

Alongside the hands-on work, 2025 has been a year of strengthening the foundations of the business.

Updating the website to improve SEO has made it easier for people to find The Paw-sitive Experience and understand what I offer. Adding branding to the van was a big investment, but one that’s made daily work easier and helped make the business more visible and recognisable.

These changes support everything else and help the business grow in a steady, sustainable way.

Looking Ahead to 2026

As I look ahead to 2026, I feel focused and motivated.

I’ll be continuing with dog walking and pushing the training side of the business further. I plan to add more classes and workshops, and once the weather improves, I’ll be bringing back the gundog-based training course. I’ll also be continuing my Level 6 Advanced Canine Behaviour course, building knowledge that directly feeds back into the work I do with dogs and owners.

Both training and walking are jobs I love. They’re demanding, but they’re meaningful — and that’s what keeps me moving forward.

Looking Forward — Together

As we move into the new year, I’d love to hear from you.

Is there something you’d like more support with in 2026?

Are there classes, workshops or courses you’d love to see?

Is there a goal you’d like to work towards with your dog in the coming year?

And for you personally — what would you like your dog’s life to look like this time next year?

If you’d like to share ideas, ask questions or talk about training options, you’re very welcome to email or WhatsApp me. I’m always happy to chat things through.

Thank You

Finally, thank you to everyone who has supported The Paw-sitive Experience throughout 2025 — whether you’ve trained with me, walked with me, followed along online or recommended me to others.

Your support genuinely means a lot, and I’m looking forward to what 2026 brings.