Workshops
Tamasine works regularly with Sally Talbot of Happy Hounds and Dawn Seago of Mantrailing UK.
All workshops offered are supportive and non-judgemental. You will be made to feel welcome and Leadchanges specifically chooses workshops that enhance and support the behaviour work that clients are working on. This does not mean that others can’t attend! You do not have to be facing behaviour challenges with your dog to take part – but please be aware that many of the dogs taking part might need space and we encourage everyone to be mindful and compassionate towards each other. Most workshops will not have more than around 8 dogs maximum in attendance.
Leadchanges regularly invites Sally Talbot of Happy Hounds to teach workshops in Scentwork and Parkour. She also combines these two activities in her unique “Sherlock Bones” events and Mind/Body classes.
In addition to the Happy Hounds live workshops in association with Leadchanges, Sally also offers a variety of online classes that are perfect for those who have puppies, older dogs that might be arthritic, dogs recovering from operations and for people who can’t get out and about. They are also totally suitable for those that prefer to work at home rather than attend a group class and they are the perfect addition to all behaviour work. You can find out more about those on the link above.
Inner Game – How to have a Happy Dog:
The majority of issues we see in dogs are the result of stress and anxiety. If you are struggling with any behavioural issue, this workshop will be for you. If you haven’t got started with behaviour support, it will give you a great head start in tackling the challenges you may be facing but it is equally relevant for those who are about to welcome a puppy or rescue into their homes.
What goes on, on the inside of your dog is what is manifests on the outside in the form of behavioural issues. This workshop is designed for dog guardians and pet professionals alike in order to learn how to guide and support the dogs in their lives who need some help. Even if you don’t have any behavioural challenges with your dog, it is also designed to help participants prevent problems arising in the first place. To this end we also include puppyhood and adolescence which can be challenging times for dogs and their humans alike.
It is not uncommon for people to contact me because they are worried about walking their dog. They may just be embarrassed because he or she barks too much, jumps up or pulls hard. Many have lost confidence because their dog is a reactive dog or their dog may have been attacked by other dogs. Whatever the reason, or for no reason other than to learn how to be the best human for your dogs, this workshop is for you.
In conjunction with Happy Hounds, we use a combination of slide shows, discussions, demos and practical hands on work to help participants learn how to further develop the relationship with their dog(s). For those who need support and confidence building, we are there to support you in a non-judgemental environment and can offer ongoing support.
Who should attend? Guardians and pet professionals alike.
Anyone who has adopted dogs, has a reactive dog, may have a puppy farmed dog, is a seasoned dog guardian or even if you are a first timer or just about to get a puppy. We also welcome any one working or volunteering with rescues, dog walkers, groomers or pet sitters – in fact anyone who would like to know more about how to help dogs live their best lives.
The workshop is for humans only but dogs will be present for you to work with – an opportunity for you to have fun and learn without pressure.
Next Inner Game Workshop – October 25th 2025
What is Parkour?
Dogs learn to interact with their environment and learn to complete obstacles such as climbing, balancing, jumping, crawling and so on. These skills can be transferred to their everyday environment making walks much more fun. It is suitable for all dogs or all shapes and sizes, young and old and can be a great way to build their core strength, and muscles, aiding those older joints, as well as helping younger dogs to use their body with awareness and control.
It is great way to build focus and patience. and is fun for both dogs and their humans. It also creates a “mind space” allowing dogs to slow down their thinking and it is amazingly effective at helping reactive dogs have an alternative behaviour to perform when around other dogs in order to create fun and nice associations in their presence. Parkour is versatile and an easy activity to carry into the environment so that you can incorporate various exercises into your daily walk.
Parkour is something that is also easy to do in the garden and in the home. It can even replace the walk for a while during times where you may want a reactive dog to decompress, or it gives your dog brain work to do when the weather is horrendous or you are not feeling 100%. It is an activity that people of all abilities can do.
These workshops are taught by accredited trainer Sally Talbot
What is Mantrailing?
Mantrailing is when a dog uses his nose to find a person, because they are missing or maybe just for fun.
Each person has a unique scent, made up of all the debris that falls off our body as we go about day to day life. It might contain your skin cells, sweat, hormones and bacteria. As we move our scent billows from us and moves around with the air before settling and sticking in the environment.
We give the dog an article, contaminated with the scent of the person to sniff. Then our dogs can follow these trails of scent to locate that specific person. This life saving skill is used by search and rescue, police and military forces across the world. However, Mantrailing is not just for use by professionals, but is also a great activity for anyone who wants to spend quality time with their dog.
Mantrailing UK coaches pet owners and their dogs to learn this amazing game as a sport for fun. The following is a fantastic article about how it all works.
Read more here – https://www.mantrailinguk.com/post/what-is-mantrailing
Interactive exercises involving brain work create the BIGGEST improvement in rehabilitating dogs or dealing with behavioural issues. They help build resilience against fear and anxiety by growing the hippoccampus and shinking the fight/flight responses of the amygdala. This makes Mantrailing a perfect sport for confidence building in all dogs including puppies.
For those working on behavioural issues, it is an activity that builds on what you will already be doing and enhances it. This is because a it is an interactive activity “done with you” and this type of activity best suits neurological development. The great thing about Mantrailing is that you won’t even need to have finished putting all your foundations in place to attend.
The dogs love it and all dogs of any breed or age are welcome, even those who are more wary or reactive to people and/or other dogs. It can help dogs that might usually get over stimulated in the environment and it helps build a better or renewed relationship between them and their humans.
Find out how Mantrailing can help your reactive dog:
Scentwork
Taught by TDS (Talking Dogs Scentwork) Elite Trainer Sally Talbot. This teaches your dog a specific scent – it is NOT about just looking for food. Often for behavioural work it is suggested to owners to let dogs seek out food as an enrichment exercise – however, as those of you who have been reading through some of these pages already know, it is interactive work with you that makes the difference. In fact, some enrichment exercises alone can leave a dog feeling unsupported and worried through lack of guidance. This is also why in Sally’s scent work she uses the TDS method of active and not passive indication.
Active indications suit all canine characters and skill sets and dogs rely less on the skills of the handler. Passive indication is quite hard for a dog and does not suit all – which is why in certain professional jobs where scent work is needed, not all dogs will make it. Active indication can also be taught in one workshop, leaving you with the ability to go home and work confidently and without the need for pre-taught behaviours. These workshops are suitable for all dogs and handlers or all abilities even those without any previous training or knowledge.
The food scent and for some dogs, scented toys used, are all safe and appropriate. This means we do not use strongly scented herbs nor things like gun oil which is toxic to dogs. You will safely be able to continue practicing at home.
These workshops are suitable for all dogs including worried, fearful, over busy and even dogs that are reactive to both dogs and/or people. The environment is set up to make it safe and comfortable for each dog so when booking, please let us know if you have any specific needs and where necessary, dogs can even work on their own when it is their turn.
Please note – sometimes numbers will be restricted if we have reactive dogs attending, however, we will keep you updated as to the next available workshops.