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Maher & Hound Dog Training & Behaviour

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Maher & Hound Dog Training & Behaviour

Maher & Hound Dog Training & Behaviour 'Specialist Dog Trainer of the Year' 2024, London & South East 'Most Patient Dog Behaviourist' South East 2022. IMDTB accredited

We blend expertise with passion to offer tailored training solutions that foster a harmonious bond between you and your dog. I love helping dogs so much that I left a 20-year career in fashion PR to retrain as a dog behaviourist and trainer. I am fully qualified and accredited as a Dog Behaviourist by the IMDT - the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers, and I’m proud to be vet-recommended. No two dogs

are the same and I approach each one uniquely and with empathy. My mindset extends to the dog's owner, too; building a bond between owner and dog makes training a pleasure for you both. I offer behavioural modification programmes and individually tailored puppy, dog and pet gundog training. I also have personal experience with anxious dogs: my beloved Jack Russell Tiggy was reactive and frightened and it was helping her regain confidence which inspired my switch in career. I am passionate about staying up-to-date with science-based research and in 2021 I completed a year’s mentorship with Steve Mann, the founder of the IMDT and author of Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy and Dave Brice, head of Dog Behaviour at the IMDT. In 2021 I was also awarded ‘Dog Trainer of the Year’ Hampshire. You can read all about my experiences with dogs in this feature about me in The Telegraph (pinned on my page). When I’m not working I’m usually with my family, out with our own dogs; we have five, including Fred, the rescue ‘Hound’ proudly honoured in my company name: Maher & Hound.

19/02/2025

Darcy - what a wonderful testimonial 🙌🏻👇

“ Game changer! We weren’t enjoying walking our English pointer any more. It was just nail-biting and a bit hairy each time. And so we’d started to just use secure fields because we knew she couldn’t just run off and entertain herself. But that was getting boring for her and us too.

Working with Karen has completely turned it around.

We’ve gone from a having a dog that just buggers off to entertain herself and feeling we weren’t meeting her needs, to really understanding what lights her up and we now have a dog that wants to engage with us when out! And checks in!!! And comes home satiated even though we’ve not really walked far.

We can see how much she likes to work too. It’s lovely to witness the changes in her and it’s strengthened our bond with her outside.

I love watching her fly through the air when we’ve pipped the whistle to then send her off to search for her new favourite toy.

I’ve also realised that it’s less about the distance, and more about what we’re doing together outside.

This is the best thing we’ve done with Darcy and it has given us such a great foundation on which to build.

Karen has a wealth of knowledge, lots of empathy and really gets to know YOUR dog and what will work for them and you. It felt truly effortless working with Karen and no doubt we will be back to do more bits very soon.

Thank-you Karen. Loved every minute and Darcy is thriving now thanks to your help “

Thank you 🫶🙌🏻

25/01/2025

Just a reminder that I am more active (I'm mostly posting) on Instagram. If you need dog training tips give me a follow on there 🙌🏻🫶

20/01/2025

🫶 Fun with Edie & Bonzo

🙌🏻 I’m wearing the Cyclone 3L Shell Jacket in Captain’s Blue
AND the amazing
GP Pro Trousers in Blueberry - you will see lots of dog trainers in these (because they are THE best trs in terms of fit, comfort, durability and they have lots of pockets). I wear mine almost every day whilst training

❤️ Because the jacket and trousers are designed to last in harsh outdoor settings, they are both wind and water-repellent and fairly Spaniel proof too (the
mud just brushes off)

😍 The lovely team at have kindly given us an exclusive discount for a couple of days

👉 Use KAREN15 for a 15% discount on all products from 20/1 to 22/1

📸

07/01/2025

🫶🙌🏻

07/12/2024

🫶 We are staying cosy today away from the ⛈️🌪️🌩️ and my dogs are loving this bed that kindly sent them.

🔑 One of the key things I look for in a dog bed is does the bed allow my dog to sleep in the way that they naturally like to sleep? Because this is so important for proper quality sleep

💤 Some of my dogs love to sleep covered (my terriers) or curled in a ball with a smaller bed with sides (Fred, my Hound), Bonzo likes to sleep flat out on his front, side or back (the Spaniel sprawl 😂 ) and this bed allows him to do that and the sheepskin topper keeps him warm

😉 It’s so comfy that I quite fancy a lie down on it too

☺️ BTW adult dogs need 16-18 hours sleep a day and puppies 18-20, so the choice of bed is really key to achieving this 👌🏼

23/11/2024

🌟 Online Training Client Testimonial 🌟
"He's a different dog, and it's the best feeling in the world" Thank you to Lydia and Sputnik for this testimonial 💙🙌🏻

13/11/2024

🥇 Success story:

🚀 When I first met the very gorgeous Scooter I popped a long line on him and he was soooo fast he had me doing circles around the park like a helicopter 😂 He moved at this speed whether he was on a long line or a short lead

🧐What did we do about it?

😎 We gave him a job to do

🫶 We taught Scooter to retrieve (he’s amazing), and we taught him to recall, stop, turn and hunt to the whistle

⏰ This took time - there are no quick fixes

😊 But what I will say is that within the first session, as soon as I taught Scooter to hunt to the whistle he switched his focus on to us and he looked at me like ‘wow, woman you can hunt too’

🥰 Now Scooter comes to my Pet Gundog workshops and he’s excellent and I regularly get updates of Scooter off lead, checking in and stopping and recalling to the whistle

🙌🏻 He goes on holiday with his family and he’s great.

Oh and he’s able to switch off and relax too

🏆 Well done team Scooter

📷

09/11/2024

Over on Instagram 🙌🏻 (reminder that most of my training tips are there)

26/10/2024

🦁 Folkvang Sungazer aka Bonzo in (ambassador)

A dream of a dog 🥰

24/10/2024

🤴 Meet Duke, from London, we’ve worked together online for a few months - working through general puppy and adolescent training and some little bits of anxiety. We met in person recently and did some Gundog training together and it was soooo much fun

🚀 He’s a natural Gundog

📲 Everybody that I work with - we get the initial foundations in via online coaching as it is the most efficient way to do so.

➡️ And then, as and when it’s needed (which it often isn’t) I work with people on a 121 basis in person, but I now reserve all of my in person services for my coaching clients.

🤩 Its fun working with dogs all over the world, even if I don’t get to meet them all 🥲

20/10/2024

👉🏻 The last one is super important. But ALL of the them are very important

🐶🧦 Please share the posts with a Spaniel owner

09/10/2024

🤩 Fun fact, I wanted to work with dogs for years... but I didn't, because I was told I was 'too soft with dogs'

☹️ I never really understood this because my dogs had great lives, were well mannered, but fun and they were happy.

🫶 So I carried on loving dogs whilst working in PR

🙌🏻 But now I work with likeminded people all over the world Online, we have fun and we get great results and the dogs are living happy, fulfilled lives

🥰 So winning awards for this work really does mean the world

06/10/2024

Bonzo and I always have the best time with Becky Contented Gundogs Training Club 🫶

01/10/2024

❤️❤️❤️ this so much from my client Dr Martha and her wonderful Springer puppy Churro 🫶

29/09/2024

😊 One of the most common questions I get asked is “how many hours a day do you walk your Working Cocker Spaniel to get him so tired and relaxed and happy?”

😃 The answer is about 1 hour a day, 6 days a week. 1 day he doesn’t walk at all. He has a rest. No walk, no training, some play and some scatter feeding, a chance for his body and mind to rest

👍🏻 And he settles really well that day too

Because:

💤 If you have a Pet Gundog the answer to calm does lie in teaching them to switch off and that sometimes we do nothing. And they do often need to be taught to do this.

✌🏻And the answer to calm also lies in some kind of Scentwork or Pet Gundog training - this isn’t a ‘want’ it is a ‘must have’

🤓You cannot train any dog’s natural instincts out of them. All dogs are born with certain genetics and instinctive behaviours, we need to work with these. Not suppress them.

😬Buying a high drive Working Line dog and expecting them to be happy doing a heel walk to sit in a cafe as their daily stimulation is usually going to lead to some sort of behavioural issues such as guarding, barking at noise, pulling on the lead, inability to settle, inability to focus on walks, destructive behaviours and many more

💰The answer is often to then suppress these behaviours, to spend hundreds / thousands of £ (kerching) treating these behaviours as isolated issues - when in a lot of cases these issues would not have arisen if the Pet Gundog had an outlet to express their natural dog behaviours / instincts and to do what they are bred to do

📞📲Please get in touch if you need help with your Pet Gundog, I currently work Online helping more than 50 Pet Gundogs all over the world

Address

Incuhive IBM Hursley, Hursley Park Road
Wi******er
SO212JN

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 6pm
Tuesday	9am - 6pm
Wednesday	9am - 6pm
Thursday	9am - 6pm
Friday	9am - 6pm

Website

https://www.maherandhounddogtraining.com/contact

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Videos

Spaniel vibes 💤🫶 #spaniel #workingcockerspaniel #gundog #dogsofinstagram #cockerspaniel #funnydogs

🫶 Meet Brodie. Every Spaniel lover needs to see this cuteness! Send it to your fellow puppy lovers too! Or tag them below 👇 🚩 Spaniels don’t come with an off switch, so they need to be taught that nothing is happening and to switch off 😉 Many people make the mistake of just trying to tire Spaniels out instead of teaching them to switch off and that sometimes nothing happens 📞📲 There are lots of ideas on my page re settling and switching off, but please get in touch for details of my online training programmes if you would like more individually tailored help #dogtrainer #spaniel #puppy #workingcockerspaniel #gundog #dogsofinstagram #cutedogs

😊 One of the most common questions I get asked is “how many hours a day do you walk your Working Cocker Spaniel to get him so tired and relaxed and happy?” 😃 The answer is about 1 hour a day, 6 days a week. 1 day he doesn’t walk at all. He has a rest. No walk, no training, some play and some scatter feeding, a chance for his body and mind to rest 👍🏻 And he settles really well that day too Because: 💤 If you have a Pet Gundog the answer to calm does lie in teaching them to switch off and that sometimes we do nothing. And they do often need to be taught to do this. ✌🏻And the answer to calm also lies in some kind of Scentwork or Pet Gundog training - this isn’t a ‘want’ it is a ‘must have’ 🤓You cannot train any dog’s natural instincts out of them. All dogs are born with certain genetics and instinctive behaviours, we need to work with these. Not suppress them. 😬Buying a high drive Working Line dog and expecting them to be happy doing a heel walk to sit in a cafe as their daily stimulation is usually going to lead to some sort of behavioural issues such as guarding, barking at noise, pulling on the lead, inability to settle, inability to focus on walks, destructive behaviours and many more 💰The answer is often to then suppress these behaviours, to spend hundreds / thousands of £ (kerching) treating these behaviours as isolated issues - when in a lot of cases these issues would not have arisen if the Pet Gundog had an outlet to express their natural dog behaviours / instincts and to do what they are bred to do 📞📲Please get in touch if you need help with your Pet Gundog, I currently work Online helping more than 50 Pet Gundogs all over the world #dogtrainer #dogtraining #spaniel #workingcockerspaniel #gundog #cockerspaniel #dogsofinstagram #gundogtraining

Happy 2nd Birthday Bonzo. Thank you for all of the giggles 😆 The drive for the cuddles is higher than the drive for the retrieve... 🤗

#spaniel #dogtraining #dogtrainer #workingcockerspaniel #gundog

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Our story. How can Maher & Hound help you?

IMDTB Qualified & Certified Behaviourist: compassionate, science & reward based dog & puppy training & behavioural consultations in Hampshire.

Are you struggling to get your dog back in the park?

Does your dog find it hard to settle calmly when left alone?

Does your dog have interaction or reactivity issues with other dogs or people?

Do you have a rescue dog that is anxious or shy?

Are you are struggling with your new rescue dog?

Does walking your dog sometimes leave you stressed and frustrated?

Karen Maher IMDTB, founder

I know what it’s like to have a dog who is reactive, frightened on walks and who struggles with confidence - it’s heart-breaking. And helping a dog go from anxious to full of life through a series of bespoke coaching methods is the reason I became a behaviour consultant.

I have spent many years studying how to remedy behavioural issues and learnt first-hand with my own Jack Russell, Tiggy. On rehoming her, she would instinctively lunge at other dogs and bark to scare them away, but I soon worked out how to calm her and instil a change in her nature. She eventually became a joy to take on walks and my beloved companion. When she died I was spurred to create a legacy for her by helping other troubled dogs.

I left a high-profile career in fashion PR to pursue canine behavioural therapy and helping other people’s dogs gives me so much satisfaction. I also offer one-to-one training, bespoke puppy and adolescent dog training and specialise in recall for Hounds, Labradors, Spaniels and other working breeds.

No two dogs are the same and I approach each dog uniquely and with empathy. I extend this mindset to every dog’s owner too, because I understand first-hand how difficult behaviour can impact and the helplessness that can be felt. I stay updated with science-based research, CPD and believe in ethical practices.

Now I have five dogs of my own, including Fred, the rescue ‘Hound’ proudly honoured in my company name: Maher & Hound.

To find out more about my services or to book your free discovery call:

07789 436075

20% discount on behavioural consultations to rescue dogs