Hi, I’m Emma!

I’ve loved dogs for as long as I can remember. As a child I would beg for a dog every… damn… day, but living in a city in Italy, it wasn’t right or fair in my mum’s eyes. So she promised me that when we moved to England we’d get our first dog straight away… and that’s when my obsession and love grew stronger and stronger.

My first dog Mia and me, age 5 in England

Ever since I moved, dogs have been at the heart of my life, but it all truly began with one very special dog; Tilly.

Tilly was a rescue with several behavioural problems that were extremely overwhelming for me as a kid. I had no clue at the time how or why to fix those issues with her, so it made everyday life very emotional to say the least. Because I was extremely shy as a child I found it very difficult to express my issues to people but as I got older I felt like I needed to grow for Tilly to give her the life she deserved.

Journey with Tilly

So joining a dog training club started… Tilly was my world so I felt responsible to guide her the right way even if I would find It difficult. We ended up helping each other as that’s what soul mates do. Tilly ended up teaching me patience, empathy, and the incredible resilience of dogs. Tilly is the reason I have this dedication and love to help what some call ‘untrainable dogs’ and it’s just not true! Every dog is so special and deserves the best life. I really appreciate the time I had with her.

Tilly practicing weaves

Now, I’m proud to run my own dog training business that I ended up calling Free Spirit Dogs, because the main factor of what I do is to ensure the main goal; to give a dog freedom! And this is a dream come true. There’s nothing that brings me more joy than helping people who are struggling with their dogs and showing them what’s possible with the right support and understanding. Because to me, there’s no such thing as a bad dog—only dogs who need to be heard, understood and guided.

My mission is simple: to create happier, healthier lives for dogs and their humans. Every dog deserves a chance to thrive, and I’m here to help make that happen.

But training is only one part of the story…

I’ve also introduced Structured Pack Walks into my work as I noticed this is a huge part of the training process.

Free Spirit was created to help dogs rehabilitate naturally, by doing what dogs are meant to do; move, socialise, and learn from one another in a safe, balanced environment. And lastly be free! I’ve seen first-hand the power of the pack—how being surrounded by calm, confident dogs helps dogs have the confidence to trust and follow, then relax.

Relaxed pack

I noticed how difficult it was for many people with reactive dogs to find a dog walker that is okay to walk them with their well-behaved pack. This is very understandable! So I’m here to help the owners that are struggling with their dogs that are showing any behavioural issues, we should all work together.

With the right structure and leadership, it’s possible to create real transformation with so-called ‘problematic dogs’… through first, carefully guided one to one sessions that establish a nice bond between me and your dog, to then, gradual introduction to a well-balanced pack of dogs.