Dog Training
Your Dog Is Not the Problem.You Just Haven't Had the Right Support Yet.
You have tried. You have really tried.
You have watched videos, read books, attended classes, maybe hired a trainer already. And still, every walk is a battle. Every knock at the door sends the whole household into chaos. Every visit to the vet is something you dread for days in advance.
You love your dog. That has never been in question. But if you’re honest, there are days when you wonder whether things will ever actually change.
How the Programmes Work
Lady’s K9 Academy offers structured training programmes at three levels, each designed to match the complexity of the case and the time commitment required to achieve real, lasting results. All programmes include personalised assessment, bespoke training plans, ongoing support between sessions, and direct access to your trainer throughout.
Foundation Programme
Eight weeks of structured one to one training designed for dogs with manageable behavioural challenges who need a clear framework and consistent handling. Sessions run every two weeks, with WhatsApp support and access to training resources throughout.
Behaviour Programme
Twelve weeks for dogs with more established behavioural challenges. Six sessions, bi-weekly, with a full bespoke plan, ongoing trainer support, and regular check-ins to track and adapt progress in real time.
Transformation Programme
Sixteen weeks for the complex cases. Eight sessions with the full weight of the Lady's K9 team behind you. Includes the option for group walk integration once appropriate, and a plan that extends beyond the programme itself to make sure progress is maintained long after the sessions end.
Intensive
For dogs and owners who need to move faster. A concentrated block programme designed to create significant change in a short window, followed by a structured support period and scheduled check-in sessions. Built for crisis cases, recently rehomed dogs, or owners who simply cannot wait months to see results.
What It Actually Costs to Stay Stuck
It is not just the walks. It is the way you plan your whole day around avoiding certain routes, certain times, certain triggers. The way you scan every street before you leave. The way you apologise constantly to strangers and then feel angry at yourself for apologising.
It is the isolation. The cancelled plans. The friends and family who stopped offering to look after your dog because they didn’t know how to handle them.
It is watching other people walk their dogs without a second thought and wondering what you did wrong.
You didn’t do anything wrong. You are dealing with a dog whose needs were never properly understood or addressed. That is not a failure of love. It is a gap in knowledge and support. And it is fixable.
Training That Is Built for Dogs Like Yours
Lady’s K9 Academy’s training programmes are not designed for the straightforward cases. They are designed for the dogs that other trainers struggle with, turn down, or run generic programmes at without ever really addressing the actual problem.
Every dog we work with gets a training plan built around them specifically. Their breed. Their history. Their triggers. Their household. Their owner’s life. Not a template dropped onto a situation it was never shaped to fit.
The approach is balanced, science-based, and grounded in years of real-world experience with high drive, reactive, and complex dogs. We use what works for your dog, which sometimes includes positive reinforcement only and sometimes includes the kind of clear boundaries and structured pressure that certain dogs genuinely need to feel secure.
We will always be honest with you about which applies to your dog and why.
Who Is Doing This Work
Joanna Emslie founded Lady’s K9 Academy after years of working alongside military working dogs as a reservist, time spent in the military working dog rehoming sector, and the deeply personal experience of rehabilitating Lady, a former military dog with severe behavioural challenges who most professionals refused to work with.
Gemma Knott, Lady’s K9 Academy’s lead trainer, brings a BSc in animal behaviour, professional experience at the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, specialist credentials in assistance dog standards through Assistance Dogs International, and a current IMDT Level 4 qualification in complex behaviour modification. She works primarily with the Puppy Programme and with clients whose dogs need a structured, data-driven approach.
Donna Jarvis brings over a decade of specialist experience with high drive breeds, five years working with military working dogs, a BSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, an Advanced Canine Behaviour Diploma, and three dogs that compete successfully at Crufts. Donna handles the cases that require the deepest level of specialist input.
This is not a generic dog training service. The team behind it is built for the complexity that most services walk away from.
What Clients Say
Spaces Are Deliberately Limited
Lady’s K9 Academy does not run an open-door training service. The level of support built into every programme is only possible because the client numbers are kept small. We take on a limited number of new training clients each month to make sure every dog gets the attention their case actually requires.
If you are considering getting in touch, do not put it off. Waiting lists form and the next available space is often weeks away.