foundations for freedom
puppy programme
🏆 Award Winner 2026
Holistic Gundog Training Specialist of the Year & Canine Behaviour Excellence Award | Pet Products & Services Awards
This programme is built on my Regulation-First Model™, a framework I developed specifically for sensitive, driven gundogs who need more than standard obedience training.
The best time to begin isn’t later. It’s now.
Early foundation training for gundog puppies from 12 weeks to 6 months.
Congratulations on your gundog puppy!
You didn’t get a gundog puppy to wait and see how things turned out. You got one because you wanted a real partnership, a dog who works with you, stays connected with you, and genuinely enjoys being in your world.
The good news is that those things don’t start with formal training. They start right now, in the small moments, a look back at you on a walk, a name that means something, a puppy who finds coming back to you more interesting than running off.
Foundations for Freedom is designed for exactly this stage. Not pressure. Not perfection. Not drilling commands into a dog too young to understand them. Just the right foundations, laid gently, at the right time, so that adolescence doesn’t take you by surprise, and the dog you hoped for doesn’t feel out of reach.
That is exactly what Foundations for Freedom is for.
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place.
if any of this feels familiar, you’re in the right place.
You’ve got a gundog puppy and you’re already wondering whether you’re doing enough, or doing too much.
Maybe you recognise things like this:
- You want to start training early but you’re not sure what’s appropriate for this age
- You’ve read conflicting advice and aren’t sure what to trust
- Your puppy is already showing strong instincts and you want to channel them well before habits form
- You’re worried about adolescence, you’ve heard it can be hard with gundogs, and you’d rather get ahead of it
- Or you simply want your puppy to grow up feeling connected to you, not just obedient
None of this means you’re overthinking it.
Built on my Regulation-First Model™, because a puppy who learns to stay calm and connected now is far easier to train, and far more enjoyable to live with, when adolescence arrives.
When a dog feels calm enough to think, learning becomes possible.
What the programme covers
For Gundog Guardians who want more than just training
Rather than rushing into commands, Foundations for Freedom focuses on the things that make all future training possible.
Throughout the programme we work on:
- Recall foundations — building the early habit of coming back to you, before the world becomes too interesting to ignore
- Focus and engagement — helping your puppy learn that checking in with you is worth their while
- Gentle lead work — introducing the lead in a way that feels calm and positive, not pressured
- Settling — teaching your puppy how to switch off and rest, even in new or stimulating environments
- Confidence building — helping your puppy move through the world with curiosity rather than overwhelm
- Early environmental awareness — beginning to introduce the kinds of sights, sounds, and situations your gundog will encounter throughout their life
The dog you’re hoping for is already in front of you. These are the months that shape them.
What your programme includes
- A programme welcome box — including an appropriate whistle, dummy, and everything you need to get started
- Three private one-to-one sessions paced over 4–6 weeks, held at my fenced Purleigh-based venue or a real-world location, depending on what suits your puppy best
- Session reports after each session so you don’t have to rely on memory — everything is written up for you to refer back to
- Access to programme PDFs and a supportive community via my online portal at holisticdog.uk
- A clear starting pathway — so you know exactly what to focus on now and what can safely wait until your puppy is more mature
- Between-session guidance to help you continue the work at home in a way that’s simple and manageable
- One month of support after the programme completes — so you’re not left on your own the moment it ends
- Optional onward guidance into continued one-to-one training or a fuller programme as your puppy grows
These cues are not taught as isolated tricks. Instead, you will learn how to use them as part of a clear, calm conversation with your dog, helping them understand what you are asking and why it matters.
programme structure
- Three private one-to-one sessions paced over 4–6 weeks
- Sessions held at my fenced, secure venue in Purleigh or a real-world location, depending on what best suits your puppy’s needs at the time
- Session reports after every session so you have a clear written record of what was covered and what to practise
- Access to the Foundations for Freedom resource libraryincluding programme PDFs and a supportive community via holisticdog.uk
- Between-session guidance so you always know what to focus on at home, no guesswork
- One month of support after the programme ends, so you’re not left on your own once the sessions are done
- A welcome box to get you started, including an appropriate whistle and dummy
- Optional onward pathway into continued one-to-one work or a fuller programme as your puppy matures
Training doesn’t begin with behaviour.
It begins with regulation.
For puppies over 6 months, or for dogs already showing more complex behaviours, a different programme may be a better fit. This will always be discussed with you openly and honestly before you commit to anything.
Is this the right programme for you?
Foundations for Freedom is well suited to you if:
- Your puppy is between 12 weeks and 6 months old and safely able to go out and about
- You want to begin gundog training early, in a fun, thoughtful, pressure-free way
- You’d rather build strong foundations now than wait until recall, lead work, or over-arousal become established challenges
- You want your puppy to grow up feeling genuinely connected to you, not just trained
Your First Step
Foundations for Freedom is built around my Regulation-First Model™, the same approach I use across all my programmes, applied here from the very beginning of your gundog’s life.
Starting early doesn’t mean pushing your puppy. It means giving them the best possible chance of becoming the dog you hoped for, calm, connected, and genuinely enjoyable to be around.
If you’ve just got a gundog puppy, or you’re expecting one, this is the ideal time to get in touch. You don’t need to have a problem to ask for support. Starting before problems develop is exactly the point.
If you’ve got a gundog puppy and you want to start the right way, let’s talk.