Get Your Travel Coat On
Parting with your hard-earned cash is hard — and finding the right trainer to hand that cash to can be even harder. There’s so much choice and so many conflicting ideas about what’s “best.”
Now, I’m not here to tell you which training method to use — that’s a post for another day. What I am saying is: don’t let distance be the reason you don’t work with someone you actually believe in.
Supporting local businesses is great (I’m here in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch doing exactly that), but that doesn’t mean the best fit for you is five minutes down the road.
When I First Got Sam
I tried some local trainers at the start. Nice people, good intentions — but they didn’t quite bridge the gap for me. The information was there in a way but, it just couldn’t be applied in real life. They didn’t give me the reason behind things, the breakdown of how my dog saw the world. Those were the things that would have helped me understand and apply what they were telling me.
Eventually I reached out to Nick at Bear Basics up in Yorkshire. We had a phone consultation, but he could only take me so far remotely. He pointed me towards Sam’s Canine Academy in Swindon.
Swindon’s about a 90-minute drive each way, but I trusted Nick and made the trip. It was so worth it. That experience led me to join a mentorship over near Reading — another two-hour drive, every couple of weeks, for four months.
That mentorship changed how I worked with dogs.
It’s the reason Foundation K9 exists in the first place.
Distance Doesn’t Matter — The Right Fit Does
The right trainer might not be in your local area. Hell, even if you’re local to me, you might not vibe with me — and that’s fine. I’m not the trainer for everyone.
But if you find someone whose way of teaching actually makes sense to you, go for it. Book a phone consultation. Yeah, it might cost a few quid, but it’ll help you figure out if they’re the right fit.
Ask yourself:
Do they actually listen to what I’m saying?
Does their advice make sense to me?
Do I leave that call feeling clearer and motivated to work?
Even if they’re hundreds of miles away, there’s usually a way. You could plan a few sessions across a week — make a trip of it. A bit of clever planning goes a long way.
Boarding’s the Same Story
It’s not just training — the same thing applies to where I board Sam when I go away.
Sure, there are local options here in Dorset, but I drive her all the way to Swindon (no, I’m not obsessed with Swindon, I promise) to stay with Laura at West Country Dogs.
Why? Because I know I’ll get the same dog back that I dropped off. I know she’ll live in Laura’s house, be treated like one of her own, and come home settled — not some wired fruit-loop, stressed and with no recall.
I’ve even told Laura, if anything ever happened to me, she’d keep Sam. That’s how much I trust her.
So yeah, I’ll happily get up at stupid o’clock and make that drive, because peace of mind beats convenience every single time.
Final Thoughts
Basically — look beyond your doorstep. The right trainer, mentor, or boarding option might not be on your street, and that’s okay.
Close is convenient. But peace of mind, trust, and proper progress?
Those are worth travelling for.