Originally from South Africa, I grew up around all sorts of animals. My first dog was a Maltese poodle called Jodie who was just the sweetest ball of fluff. Growing up we didn’t know much about training our dogs, but for some reason, we always ended up with well-behaved dogs.

Our next dog was a Boerboel who as a puppy gave me my first real bite. Looking back, trying to take a bone from a chewing puppy wasn’t a good idea.

Nevertheless, I was stunned that dogs actually bit, and from then on out I took a keen interest in dog behavior and training.

I left South Africa when I was 24, seeking adventure and travel, and ended up in Scotland. I just loved the history, the people and the culture. Edinburgh felt like home.

If you’ve never been, come!

My next dog was a cocker spaniel, Winnie. I put my knowledge about training and animal behavior to the test and she was the best dog in the world.

Don’t we all say that 🙂

Owning a gun dog was a different ball game all together – she needed lots of attention, games, and it kept me active.

That made me realize just how dogs can keep their humans active and adventuring.

Unfortunately, I lost Winnie to cancer in 2016. I was devastated. If you’ve ever lost a pet, you’d know how traumatic it is.

Since then I’ve been hard at work building Tail Academy. I’m passionate about training all kinds of dogs so that they and their families can live their best lives together.