AMIE CONNELLY

Head Trainer & Co-Founder

Unleashing your ‘pawtential’ with your best friend! 🌟

Hey, I’m Amie and I’m one half of Canine Pawtential.

I’ve been working with dogs and their awesome humans for the past 5 years and it really is my absolute passion in life.

My journey started with volunteering at puppy training classes when I was going through Puppy School with my own two Jack Russel Terriers, Ronnie, and Reggie. They are my soul dogs and the very reason I got into my dog training career. At first it wasn’t easy and from the beginning, I did the very thing that everyone strongly advises to avoid… I got littermates. To say it was a huge challenge would be an understatement! In doing this though, it led me to gain as much knowledge as possible about dogs and their behaviour. Once I started, I just couldn’t get enough!

Ronnie and Reggie are now 6 years old, they’re both wonderful dogs in their own right but, they do both come with their own special quirks. Reggie is what I would say, a proper Jack Russell! He has a high prey drive, loves to bark and is very tenacious and independent when he wants to be! This has caused me to research a lot into the Terrier breed to find ways to channel all that energy into his training. It hasn’t come without bumps in the road and he’s still a work in progress but, isn’t everyone? Ronnie has been living with undiagnosed, chronic pain for pretty much his whole life. We’ve never been able to really understand what or where is sore for him, this is still l an ongoing investigation, but it has caused a lot of behavioural issues over the years. He’s reactive to other dogs, including his brother, he has been aggressive towards household members, and he used to resource guard quite heavily too. Throughout the years, we’ve worked with a specialist veterinary behaviourist, trialled a lot of different medications and worked through behaviour modification programmes to help him become a happier and healthier dog. We still have the odd little incident but now, he’s able to lead a more comfortable life.

My experience with my own dogs, volunteering at training classes and working with dogs as a dog walker gave me an incredible and valuable insight into working with dogs. How they express their feelings, emotions and how they interact with the environment around them and truly inspired me to kickstart my own career of working with and supporting other dog guardians and their four-legged friends. I wanted people to feel heard, supported and listened to as it was something that I had been lacking throughout my journey with my own dogs.

I’m dedicated to helping humans how to teach their dogs through kindness, support and bonding methods using positive reinforcement. I’m currently a certified and accredited trainer with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT) and a Gold Member of the Pet Professional Network (PPN). This means that I follow the most ethical and up to date methods of training to ensure you and your dog can create a connection that is strong, reliable, and trustworthy. As part of my ongoing development, I regularly attend workshops, courses, and webinars to keep my knowledge up to speed and be able to continue to bring my clients exciting, new ways to build that connection with their dog.

So, if you are looking for support with your dog, let’s chat! I am very excited to get started on your training journey with you.

Amie 😊

LYNDSEY MACKINNON

Head Trainer & Co-Founder

Hi, I'm Lyndsey, the other half of Canine Pawtential!
My journey working with dogs began when I welcomed home my first puppy, my little Chihuahua Lucy. Not long afterwards, I joined the largest Doggy Day-care in Europe where I worked my way up to become a senior team member, working with over 200 dogs a day! Whilst here, I worked with and learned about so many different breeds, studying their body language, individual quirks and personalities.

Like most new pet owners, I made a few mistakes unknowingly with Lucy. I have since spent the last 6 years learning everything I can about anxiety in dogs and how best to support them. Lucy has gone from being a severely anxious, reactive dog, to a much more relaxed girl, which egged me on to share with other puppy owners the mistakes that I naively once made, to prevent them from doing the same!
I then relocated to Scotland and became a full-time dog groomer, however my passion for dog training took over as I realised that I desperately wanted to work with each dog to help them feel comfortable with being groomed instead of just making them look pretty, and I swiftly went full time in the dog training industry. I have been studying for the last 7 years with a number of providers such as The IMDT, Canine Principles, The Dog Training College and more, I am currently level Four Qualified with the IMDT in Canine Training and Behaviour Consultations and I regularly attend webinars, courses and read books to keep my knowledge up to date and ensure that I am training using the most ethical and modern techniques. I am also a qualified Puppy Training Specialist and I am a member of ICAN (International Companion Animal Network). 3 years ago I also welcomed home my second dog, Mango the Whippet. Mango is a typical, laidback Sighthound, who has sparked a light in me to learn more about how Sighthounds are bred and how instinct plays such a huge role in their training. For example, I tried to get my super speedy Whippet to enjoy running through a hoop once and I have never seen anything move slower! However, incorporate a chase into it and we have speed!

I recently welcomed home my first human baby, Millie. This has been a new journey as I certainly have no idea how to train one of those! I feel this has benefitted our customers as I can relate and understand some of the difficulties that come with living with both human and canine children. I am always sharing my top tips and training that has helped us along the way so far.

I am truly devoted to giving dogs a voice and educating owners on new, positive methods within dog training.