GET TO KNOW US
I started Run With K9s to offer dog owners the option to be active and learn something new with their dog. For me it started with two of my dogs, Zoe and Jess, because they come from working stock and needed a job to keep them busy. The problem was, at the time, I could not find a dog trainer specialising in the sport of canicross so I had to learn about dog training first and then applying to canicross training for my own dogs. I went to a canicross coach but soon discovered and realised this about a lot of canicross coaches that training dogs is not their thing and for me it didn't make sense to allow someone to coach me in a dog sport completely ignoring the dog side of the sport. So I started learning and training ;)
​
I trained with CIDBT (Cambridge Institute of Dog Behaviour and Training), I am an accredited Dog Training Instructor and I am a member of GoDT (Guild of Dog Trainers) and CFBA (Canine & Feline Behaviour Association). I have trained dogs since childhood, just never called myself a dog trainer then, I bred Belgian Shepherds for show and conformation in my youth and had puppies shipped to the UK, the USA and Europe with amazing temperaments and performance achievements and I continue to follow their puppies' puppies even though my own Belgians are now gone.
I have plans of breeding Nyx and Ren in the future as they have amazing temperaments and they complement each other really well but first they need to be health screened and then we'll make plans.
​
I can say with pride that I am one of the very few dog trainers in the UK that actually train dogs successfully in this sport because let's be honest, you cannot expect a dog to perform well in a given sport without having undergone specific training. I have developed my own training methods to train all the canicross skills in simple and clear ways, for the dogs of course, that any dog can learn and would not fail in any environment/competition (race).
I now have 4 dogs, Zoe, Jess, Nyx and Ren, and also part of the team are my husband, my son and my daughter.​
​
It started with canicross for me but it did not stop there. I perfected my skills in Obedience and Behaviour Modification working with both my dogs and other dogs that needed a little bit of guidance, and I have trained in scentwork with ScentworkUK as this is another sport I find absolutely fascinating.​​
Training with my best friends is FUN!
I am a mother of two kids and now three dogs, wife and competitive runner – having started running in 2018 from a very low fitness level when my baby girl turned 1. I started running and I ran and ran and trained and improved my fitness until I managed to finish a 5k race in 20 minutes and 31 seconds – this was my goal for 2022. Besides being a Certfied Canicross Coach I am licenced in Leadership and Running Fitness and Athletics Coaching Assistant by UKA, trained in Canine and Human First Aid, CIDBT certified dog trainer, and experienced competitive runner, having designed my own training plans for 5k, 10k, XC races and sprint duathlon races - I qualified to represent Team GB at World and European Championships in 2022, and having trained our dogs and coached others to train their dogs for canicross. I like reading books about running and dog training and I design my own training plans to suit my fitness level, my age, gender and available time.Now my dogs come into the picture: Zoe (Border Collie) and Jess (Belgian Malinois), two working dogs that need a job, and our latest addition - Nyx, the Scandinavian Hound from a wonderful breeder in Wales. I call it a job but in reality it's just play for dogs - a game they want to play over and over again with me :) . So what else could I train them for if not more running :) This is how it all began. I started learning more about the sport and how to train dogs to do anything so that I can apply to canicross training with my dogs. It took time and patience to shape their behaviour into what you can see now and it still is a work in progress, but I can say for sure they love canicrossing with me, my son and my husband, especially my ball obsessed Zoe who is loving it as much as chasing the ball now. Training them and with them has strengthened our bond and we are pretty good at racing now although we race just for the fun of it. Canicross has given my dogs a purpose and something to focus on whilst their confidence has grown. It is so simple yet so effective and with amazing results in all dogs.My goal is to just race with my dogs and have fun and in the future to be able to tackle technical races like the TDM in France, endurance races like the ones TrailDog UK and CaniX organise and maybe represent my country or GB in international events.​
GET IN TOUCH IF YOU NEED A CARING, CONSIDERATE AND REALLY GOOD COACH TOO ;)
Online & in Nottingham UK
CONTACT ME
You can ask me anything canicross!