Your dog's training journey

starts here!

Darwin the vizsla as a small puppy sitting the middle of the training field looking at the camera.

Hello,

I'm Jen

And the dog you see beside me (and in the logo!) is Darwin, my vizsla! My journey working with dogs began as a dog walker and sitter, but training and behaviour have always been my passion. I've been destined to work with dogs since I was a child, and growing up with a reactive dog sparked my interest in understanding how our dogs think and feel and how to train them ethically and effectively.

I now have over six years' experience delivering group classes, covering everything from puppy basics, recall and lead walking, to gundog skills, to training the perfect pub dog and so much more! I have been fortunate to spend much of my career under the mentorship of qualified behaviourists, and am a former Trustee for the Animal Behaviour and Training Council where I had the honour of working alongside leading professionals in the industry.

I'm proud to deliver modern, effective training that puts your dog's welfare first. I am a qualified, accredited trainer with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers and am dedicated to continuing my education to make sure I bring you and your dog the best training available, which is why I am well on my way towards achieving a degree in canine behaviour.

Modern, effective training

Dog training should be fun - for you AND your dog. That's why you should work with trainers who don't just train but study training and behaviour - because being effective at the expense of our relationship with our dog is not enough. Good trainers take the time to learn how your dog experiences the world and to tailor their training to serve both the humans and the dogs they work.

Using positive reinforcement, Darwin Dog Training will set you and your dog up to succeed from day one. You'll develop your communication with your dog, gain a deeper understanding of why they behave the way they do and learn easy-to-understand training principles that you can apply to every day life. You and your dog will be able to leave class with the skills to keep developing together and to face all of life's challenges; together, as a team.

Lincoln the brown and white collie sitting amongst some small pink flowers looking to the right.

Remi the merle collie standing in heathland looking to the left and penting.

Origin Classes

Origin Puppy classes are the first step on your and your puppy's training journey. Across six weeks, you'll cover socialisation, skills that will be the building blocks for your training for life, basic obedience such as recall and lead walking and life skills.

Origin Adolescent & Adult classes are perfect for older dogs who haven't trained with us before, and are the next step for those who have completed Origin Puppy. Adolescence is a tumultuous time, when problems tend to arise - this class will keep you on the right path, building on the foundations you've laid and preventing issues before they develop.

Where to Find Us

Darwin the vizsla sitting in grass with bluebells in the foreground, looking to the left.

Adapt & Evolve Classes

Our Adapt & Evolve masterclass series is here to help you take your training to the next level!

The Adapt Your Recall and Adapt Your Lead Walking three- and four-week courses will dig into why dogs (and people!) often struggle with these skills and we'll look at your dog's individual and breed-specific traits to make sure we're setting them up to be successful and working with their unique personalities, not against them.

Our Evolve Series courses are perfect for those who really want to see what they can achieve with their dogs. If you've already trained with us before and you and your dog don't want the fun to stop, you can get in touch to let us know you'd like to be invited to our Evolve classes. Exclusively for returning customers, these invite-only courses will cover a range of fun, engaging and inspiring training topics to put you and your dog to the test!

Such great training today in our Origin Adolescent & Adult class! It was so lovely to see how all the dogs were so excited to be back after their first class last week! 🥰🐾

We worked on handler skills such as marker words and different reinforcement protocols, as well as developing important life skills like recall, lead walking and stays.

#ipswichdogtraining #ipswichdogtrainer #martleshamsuffolk #martlesham #dogtraining #puppytrainingsuffolk #dogtrainingipswich #positivereinforcement

Welcome to Our 5⭐️ Venue!

There's a reason I train at Dan's Meadow! I trained here for years before and I'm back now because I couldn't pass up the chance to return. 😍

This safe, secure and secluded venue has ample parking and sooo much space to train, surrounded by beautiful Suffolk countryside. All that nature means your dogs are learning to listen around the smells of the great outdoors, as well as people and dogs - so you're ready and set to go on fun adventures together! 🐾

Did you know about fear periods? 🤔

These are normal development periods in our young dogs, where they may seem mpre fearful (particularly of new things) than they used to!

Continued socialisation and training from puppyhood, through adolescence and into adulthood is one of the best ways to safeguard against fear periods to ensure our dogs grow through them into happy, confident individuals.

Give your dog days off to decompress, always offer safety and reassurance when they're worried and remember to be patient with them.

If you're looking for support and guidance while you raise your dog - get in touch with me today. 🧡🐾

Here are my top tips as a dog trainer for teenage dog guardians!

🤓 Learn to understand your dog!

It's easy to feel frustrated with our adolescent dogs - but they're going through a tough time in their lives and many unwanted behaviours are really just signs that they need our support. Working with a trainer who can help you learn why your dog is behaving a certain way and what you can do to meet their needs and set them up for success can prevent problems developing & make adolescence easier for everyone.

☝️ Get back to basics.

As our dogs' brains rewired during these development phase and the world becomes wayyyy more distracting, many things we thought we'd mastered and which they used to find easy, start to become a lot harder. We can absolutely make progress even during adolescence but, if our dogs are struggling with something, going back to basics to refresh and rehearse those foundations will keep us on the straight and narrow!

🤝 Remember that you need support, too!

We're all humans, and we all benefit from the right support. If you're feeling overwhelmed, frustrated or lost - you need help. You don't have to struggle through it all alone, so find a trainer you click with so you can get through this with someone in you (and your dog's!) corner.

🐶 Group classes!

Studies have shown that attending group classes for the first year of their life can reduce the likelihood of dog to dog aggression. Socialisation during puppyhood is important, but we can't forget to keep teaching our teen dogs those invaluable lessons. Get them into regular, well-managed classes so both you and your dog can build the confidence and skills you need to succeed out and about.

Book classes with us now via our website: www.darwin-dogtraining.co.uk

#dogtrainingipswich #ipswichdogtrainer #ipswichdogtraining #suffolkdogtraining #dogtrainingsuffolk #dogtraining #puppytraining #martleshamsuffolk #martlesham

This is one of my favourite things to teach a dog who loves to chase. It's no good teaching our dogs to come back and stay still by our side when they have the opportunity to chase something - a much more exciting and intrinsically rewarding thing to do! This exercises lets us dogs chase, but safely redirects them.

As with anything, it's important we practice this lots and build a big reinforcement history for recalling from a chase before we start messing with it. But, we won't always have a toy to hand, or we might be in a situation where we do NEED our dogs to come back and stay close to us. So how do we make sure we still reward our dogs, so we don't undo our training?

Here are some ideas for different reinforcement strategies when you can't throw a toy like you do in a planned training session:

🐾 run away yourself so they can chase you!
🐾 throw treats for them to catch
🐾 toss treats short distances for them to dash/pounce and sniff for them
🐾 interactive play such as tug
🐾 if your dog has another established behaviour they find fun, like a hand touch, you can throw a few of these in for high energy, feel-good interaction followed by whatever you'd usually use to reward those behaviours

#dogtraining #puppytrainingsuffolk #dogtrainingsuffolk #puppytraining #puppytrainingipswich #dogtrainingipswich #martleshamsuffolk #suffolk #martlesham #recalltrainingipswich #recalltrainingsuffolk

If you're living with a wild child 🤪 of a dog - I feel you! 😂 We've all been there. Whether puppyhood was a rough ride or a breeze, now adolescence is here and the real game begins. If you're wondering where it went wrong, or worrying you've left it too late with your adult dog - we're here for you.

Just a few spaces left on our adolescent and adult course starting in November - so book online today via our website at the top of the page. See you there! 💜

#suffolkdogtrainer #suffolkdogtraining #dogtraining #ipswichdogtraining #ipswichdogtrainer #dogtrainingipswich #dogtrainingsuffolk #puppytrainingipswich #puppytraining #martleshamsuffolk #martlesham

This can be one of the toughest times of year for dogs and their humans. Even if your dog is okay with fireworks, I highly recommend taking these steps anyway as noise phobias can arise at any point in a dog's life - it might be because they get a fright one year, or they could develop them due to health issues (eg pain is associated with noise phobias). Having a familiar routine that reduces the likelihood of startling events and helps your dog feel calm and safe can never hurt, and could prevent fear developing.

Working on noise desensitisation and/or counter conditioning are both great ways to prepare our dogs for firework seasons, but both of these take time that we don't have if we're worrying about supporting our dogs during the 2025 firework season. They also don't guarantee that our fearful dogs won't need additional support, or that our dogs couldn't develop fearful behaviour if they have a particularly frightening experience with unexpected, loud fireworks.

If you have internal rooms like en suite bathrooms, these can often be the quietest place to set your dog up. Some owners also report benefits from things like pressure vests and homeopathic remedies (always check manufacturer guidelines and speak to your vet if you're unsure what's suitable for your dog) but this is limited.

It's also important to check that your leads and harnesses are in good condition and fit well, and that your home and garden are secure, as many dogs go missing at this time of year due to bolting out of fear due to fireworks. Make sure your dog is away from external doors when they're not secured, and that your fences and gates are all safe and secure.

And perhaps most importantly - it is 100% okay to comfort your dog. You cannot reinforce fear, it always feels bad to be afraid and allowing our dogs to seek comfort and reassurance from us is absolutely okay. 💜

#fireworks #dogtraining #dogtrainingipswich #dogtrainingsuffolk #dogtrainingmartlesham #ipswichdogtraining #ipswichdogtrainer #suffolkdogtraining #suffolkdogtrainer #dogtraining #puppytraining

Off lead walks are a privilege not every dog & person can enjoy for a variety of reasons.

If you want relaxing walks with your dog off lead, you need to make sure you can do so safely and with consideration of those around you. That's why training a reliable recall is so vital.

There are lots of things our dogs need to master to be safe off lead! Managing their arousal levels around distractions, disengaging from distractions that have caught their attention, engaging with us around all the noise, smells and sights of the big wide world, recalling in a thousand different scenarios... the list goes on!

If you're aiming for these kind of walks, I cover the foundations you need in my Origin classes and even have a recall-specific masterclass available right now. 🏃‍♀️

#suffolkdogtrainer #suffolkdogtraining #ipswichdogtraining #ipswichdogtrainer #dogtrainingipswich #dogtrainingsuffolk #dogtraining #puppytrainingipswich #puppytrainingsuffolk #puppytraining #recalltraining #martlesham #martleshamsuffolk

The last one is definitely the most interesting fact to me!

So often, we stress ourselves out or feel guilty about not training often enough. Consistency and regular training is important - but it doesn't take as much time as you'd think.

Studies show that dogs can actually learn something more quickly with a single training session 2-3 times a week, rather than training multiple times a day. They can also retain their learned skils for at least four weeks without practicing, so a holiday or life event shouldn't derail your training.

I'm not saying it's bad to train every day - if you have the time and you enjoy it, go for it! Training is great for bonding and enrichment, so there's no need to skip it if you have the time. You can also vary what you work on, too, so you still give your dog time to consolidate what they learned the day before, ahead of the next time you work on it. But you don't need to stress or panic over not grinding every day.

Amazingly, recent research suggests our dogs' memory and learning is improved by chewing after a training session. This might sound bizarre - but there are also studies showing humans learn better if we rest our brains immediately after working on a skill, so this makes sense!

#dogtrainingipswich #dogtrainingsuffolk #ipswichdogtraining #ipswichdogtrainer #suffolkdogtrainer #suffolkdogtraining #martleshamsuffolk #martlesham #puppytraining #positivereinforcement #rplus #dogtraining #dogtraining

Nothing beats the feeling of seeing your puppies bond with you and learn that they can rely on you for support and guidance as they take on the world. 💜

Watching them experience things for the first time, grow in confidence and helping them develop the skills they need to thrive and become the dogs they are destined to be is a huge privilege. 🥰

#dogtrainingipswich #dogtrainingsuffolk #dogtrainingmartlesham #suffolkdogtraining #martleshamsuffolk #ipswichdogtraining #ipswichdogtrainer

My mission is to provide every dog and human who works with me, with the advice, support and guidance they need, want and deserve.

Me & my dog go everywhere together and he had to learn a lot to make that possible! That's why I don't just teach your dog to sit and stay, I also help you and your dog develop the skills you need to enjoy adventures and quality time out in the real world.

Whether you're around wildlife, other dogs, humans or anything else life throws at you - you'll know what to do, so you can stay focused on having fun and making memories.

#dogtrainingipswich #dogtrainingsuffolk #suffolkdogtrainer #suffolkdogtraining #martlesham #martleshamsuffolk #dogtraining #dogtrainingmartlesham

What is dog training to you? Yes, we teach our dogs specifics behaviours that we can ask for on cue - like sit, stay or down - but to me it's more than that. Training is about how we interact, communicate and connect with our dogs.

The lessons we teach them and the methods we use to do it will form the basis of our relationship with them, teaching them as much about us as we learn about them.

Training our dogs to do X or Y can make our lives easier. Building their confidence, making training fun and setting them up for success makes both our lives AND theirs easier.

Open up your and your dog's world with ethical, effective training from Darwin Dog Training. Book online today via our website.

#ipswichdogtraining #dogtrainingsuffolk #dogtrainingipswich #dogtrainingmartlesham #martleshamsuffolk #suffolkdogtraining #suffolkdogtrainer

Hello from me (Jen) and Darwin! We're looking forward to meeting you all in classes soon. Keep an eye out as the website will be going live very soon.

#dogtrainingsuffolk #ipswichdogtraining #suffolkdogtraining #positivereinforcementdogtraining

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

Follow us on Instagram

@darwin.dogtraining

Your dog's training journey​

starts here!​​​​​