Flavia - Ridge Dogs
Dog Reactivity and Confidence Builiding Specialist
Location: Bristol
Working Area: Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Bath & North East Somerset
Specialties: Dog reactivity - I love helping and seeing reactive dogs learn to relax around other dogs, stop taking themselves so seriously, and just enjoy being dogs!
Owner/Dog relationship strenghtening - Overall, I really enjoy helping owners work on and strenghten the relationship between themselves and their dog, and lean how to bring the best out of each other! They key to this is building a relationship based on trust, fun and good communication-- and built on lead walking, recall, meeting your dog's needs and allowing them to just be dogs safely and responsibly.
Services Offered:
Social Walks
Fundamentals Group Training Walks
1:1 Bespoke Training Sessions
1:1 Kickstarter Training & Relationship
Strengthening Packages
6 or 12 Week Training Programmes
Remote Collar Training
Social Pack Hikes around the Mendips and/or South Wales
Instagram: @Ridge_Dogs
About Flavia
I've grown up around horses, dogs, and in countries where street dogs were common and would often watch them for ages - fascinated by their behaviour! Previous breeds I've owned include german shepherds, terrier mix, rottie x kelpie, lurcher x husky/wolfdog.
I have had several rescue dogs and provided ad-hoc dog care for years prior to doing formal training. My traing journey began as I was struggling to nail down the reason for my own large male dog's reactivity towards other dogs until I started working with Jess Probst - we had definitely masked it, but the underlying feelings remained, and he was no longer the care free, goofball dog, he'd originally been and was living under a lot of stress/pressue.
Through working on our relationship, play, and strengthening trust, we managed to (both) ditch the apprehensive outlook on life, and get back to enjoying it!
Favourite Part Of Being A Dog Trainer?
My favourite thing about dog training is getting dogs offlead for the first time, and also seeing the owners and their dog learn to speak the same language and start really working together as a team! It makes me ridicously happy when people (and dogs!) feel the stress lift and say to me they're starting to actually enjoy their dog!
Favourite Breeds
Having had large breeds my whole life, I'm a sucker for big dogs (particularly guardy/aloof ones!). However, these is something to be said for practicalities of the medium to small breeds!
My Dog
I have a large Rhodesian Ridgeback who, despite being an innate guarding breed and naturally wary of strangers, is a relatively "take-anywhere" dog these days. A lot of work was in prevent human reactivity and it's been worth it! He has a history of dog reactivity, having a short fuse and wanting to take down any dog he'd meet.
These days, he a lot less stressed and enjoying life - with other dogs around too. He is cheeky though and if you give him an inch he will take a mile. He is a mix of a goofy jester with some Defender in there. His inituion with dogs is something I trust and he can tell me a lot about dogs these days.
Whilst he is big, he can also be gentle and sensitive and is an absolute asset in helping some of the shier dogs I've worked with build confidence around large dogs.
He's also a great teacher for ownners and plays a vital role in helping them work on their intentions and energy. He’s naturally biddable, but no pushover—he knows when someone doesn’t mean what they say. Hence why, if given an inch, he’ll take a mile, not out of defiance, but as a mirror, showing people the importance of clarity and follow-through.
Overall, he is a large goofball, who loves long walks, and playing with his rings and/or tugs and we are currently working towards our SR1 in GRC.
