holistic Gundog Training & Behaviour in Essex
Nina Fotara KCAI (WG) Kennel Club Accredited Instructor, Working Gundogs
🏆 Award Winner 2026 — Holistic Gundog Training Specialist of the Year & Canine Behaviour Excellence Award | Pet Products & Services Awards
Award winning gundog trainer with 15+ yrs experience
Does your gundog stop listening as soon as you step out of the door? Do you worry about their safety, or yours? Do you feel like you’ve tried everything?
Do they drag you along? Are you frustrated and exhausted by the constant battle? or have you started avoiding walks all together?
Do they head in the other direction as you desperately try to call them back? Are you worried you might lose them, or worse?
Do they become overwhelmed at the sight of every squirrel, bird, rabbit, ball, dog or jogger they see? Are you worried they might get into trouble when out of sight?
Or are they reactive to dogs, people or the world in general? Do you just wish you could enjoy a relaxed walk together?
or do you simply wish you could channel their amazing instincts? or want to work them or compete?
If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not failing your dog. You just haven’t yet found an approach that works for the dog in front of you.
That’s what I’m here for.
Kennel Club Accredited Instructor, Working Gundogs (KCAI WG) · 15+ years experience · Currently completing Level 6 (degree equivalent) Certified Clinical Canine Behaviourist
What can you expect when working with me
“I help owners who’ve already tried other trainers and felt like nothing has worked. Let understanding replace effort.”
I work with gundog owners who’ve often already tried other trainers, read the books, watched the videos, and still feel like something isn’t clicking. My approach looks at the whole picture: your dog’s nervous system, their instincts, the dynamic between you, and what’s actually getting in the way.
Programmes, private sessions, home visits, and online support worldwide.
Tell me about your dog. We’ll take it from there.
“Having tried several different trainers over 3 years, I finally found Nina.”
Your gundog doesn’t need more cues.
They need regulation!
When a gundog is over-aroused, overwhelmed or unsure, adding more cues doesn’t create clarity, it creates pressure.
When your dog can sit beautifully at home but seems to forget everything the moment you step out of the front door, it’s not as simple as “not listening.”
Dysregulation can look like:
All signs the nervous system isn’t settled enough to think clearly.
It’s often mistaken for:
But regulation looks different.
It looks like:
Real change begins when their nervous system is stable enough to learn and training only sticks when the mind and body are calm enough to learn.
“Even now, two years on, I am continuing to see improvements in my relationship with my dog.”
Balancing Both Ends of the Lead
From chaos to calm.
Most dog training focuses entirely on the dog.
My work focuses on “balancing both ends of the lead”.
Because when a dog is overwhelmed, overstimulated or shut down, they cannot think clearly, no matter how well they “know” a cue.
And when the person on the other end of the lead feels confused, pressured or exhausted, training becomes harder too.
Real change happens when we bring calm, clarity and regulation back to the partnership.
That is the foundation of everything I teach.
What That Looks Like In Practice
- We slow things down.
- We remove the noise of conflicting advice.
- We help your dog learn how to regulate in the real world, not just perform cues in training sessions.
- We give you the understanding and tools to guide them with clarity and confidence.
Because when both ends of the lead are steady, everything else starts to fall into place.
Tell me about your dog. We’ll take it from there.
“My relationship with my dog has improved immeasurably.”
real change in real lives
From chaos to calm.
Nina’s holistic approach helped me understand Freddie’s needs instead of just trying to correct behaviours. That shift has strengthened our bond and made our training feel purposeful. He now loves his retrieval work, and I feel confident again.
Mark & Freddie, Essex
We went from zero recall to feeling confident on walks again. Nina understood our spaniel in a heartbeat, and her force-free approach was exactly what we’d been searching for after trying other trainers.
Miriam & Mabel, Essex
We felt stuck with Dennis’ prey drive and didn’t know where to begin. Nina helped us piece together the final puzzle, and for the first time, we feel like we’re moving forward with clarity and confidence.
Melisa Laycock-van Spyk
Walks had become stressful and anxiety-inducing. One dog was reactive, barking and lunging, and his brother began copying him. We saw improvements from the first session, and walking is no longer something we dread.
Ben Ringer
How It Works
1. Book Your Free Consultation
During the call we will chat about your issues, plans and goals and from there decide the best route forward for you and your gundog. This will also help to make sure your first session is focused and productive.
2. If you have an In-Person Assessment (with Personalised Plan)
During your consultation, I assess your dog’s behaviours and patterns in real time. You receive a detailed write up of your session and a written pathway outlining exactly what needs to change and how we’ll approach it.
3. Choose the Right Support Structure
Following your consultation, we discuss the most effective way to move forward. Most clients continue through one of my structured programmes for deeper, lasting change.
4. Build Calm, Reliable Behaviour in the Real World
Together, we develop regulation, clarity and practical reliability, so your dog can think clearly and respond even outside the house. This is where the chaos settles and training starts to hold under real-life distraction.
Tell me about your dog. We’ll take it from there.
Structured Support for Lasting Change
Most meaningful change isn’t a one-off consultation.
My structured programmes provide the support, accountability and clarity needed to build calm, reliable behaviour beyond the training field.
Calm & Connected
Foundation work for dogs and guardians who need stability first.
Structured foundation support for when everything feels overwhelming and you need to stabilise. This is where we slow things down, build foundations, regulation, restore clarity and create a steady starting point for both you and your gundog. Ideal when you want calm, structure and direction before moving into deeper or more complex work.
Explore Calm & Connected by clicking the link below:
Rapid & Reliable
For dogs who have foundations but need sharper skills under distraction.
Structured support to address the behaviours disrupting everyday life. We focus on recall, lead walking, impulse control and real-world reliability, building clarity and consistency under distraction. Designed for dogs who need more depth and repetition than a short reset, but not the full complexity of long-term intensive work.
Explore Rapid & Reliable by clicking the link below:
Freedom & Focus
Comprehensive, high-level support for lasting transformation.
Comprehensive, high-level support for complex or deeply rooted challenges. We work at a deeper level, building precision, regulation and long-term reliability across environments and situations for both ends of the lead.
Designed for guardians who want not just change now, but the understanding and skill to navigate future challenges with confidence.
Explore Freedom & Focus by clicking the link below:
Not sure which programme is right for you?
Call me for a chat about your dog.
*Your booking includes a pre-consultation call to clarify your goals before your full assessment.
“It’s not just about the recall, it’s about not dreading the walk in the first place“
“When your dog can’t relax, neither can you, and that takes a toll no one else sees“
A well-trained gundog isn’t controlled, it’s connected
Nina Fotara KCAI (WG) at Confident Canine® in Essex is a proud winner of two Pet Products & Services Awards 2026 —
Holistic Gundog Training Specialist of the Year and the Canine Behaviour Excellence Award.