The Little Dog Team
Emilie
I was born in London and have lived here for the last 10 years. I love London, but when I adopted Molly in 2024, I realised how helping a little dog through behavioural challenges is extra hard in the city! We can’t avoid anything, there’s no accessible quiet field for a breather, and trying to find other people going through the same thing is almost impossible. Then you add to that having a small dog - it’s not easy being 1ft tall, surrounded by crowds, being asked to stay calm on the Central Line. But all of this is easier when you have the right support, a community to help you through it all.
That’s why I started The Little Dog Club.
Founder
Molly
Molly is a 3 year old Shih Tzu x Jack Russell Terrier (a “Jack Shiht”). I rescued her when she was 1, and she arrived skinny, matted and terrified. It took a week for her to stop barking at my other half and months for her to stop panicking at anything with wheels. She struggled with various issues when I got her, the biggest challenge being her fear of strangers. Helping Molly is what made me realise what it really means to be a dog’s human. She now helps other dogs and loves using play to do this - be it to help a shy dog feel better, or to help a cocky teen learn some social etiquette!
Special trick: will do a perfect heel for anyone she thinks might have snacks for her.
President (of Playtime)
Amberley is a 6 year old chihuahua. Previously a breeding girl, she retired at 5 years old and found her way to me. She has 12 children and 8 grandchildren, and she has lived in 3 different countries! Amberley is a confident, happy-go-lucky little dog who wags her tail at anyone who greets her and thinks every packet opening is for her. She didn’t know how to do much when she arrived with me - couldn’t climb up/down stairs, hadn’t spent much time with dogs that aren’t chihuahuas, didn’t even know “sit”. But she’s a confident, enthusiastic girl and picked everything up so quickly.
Fun fact: 2 of Amberley’s grandchildren have met Nick Jonas.
CTO (Chief Treat Officer)Amberley “Bambi”
Our approach
I believe that every dog and human is unique, so what works for one family won’t be suitable for another. There are so many ways to train a dog, and you’ll hear a lot of strong opinions about what you should or shouldn’t be doing. I’m not here for that. I’m here for calm, enjoyable walks, a drama-free home, and helping you live the life you want to live with your dog.
On meeting your dog and you, I’ll start building a picture of what I think is going to be the most effective approach for your team. Typically, this includes the foundations of dog psychology, learning to read your dog’s body language, and understanding how to build trust in your relationship with your dog. On top of that, we might do things like build food/toy drive, obedience work and specific breed fulfilment activities. I will never make you use a particular tool if you don’t want to, and I will always make adjustments to the training to make sure it’s realistic for your schedule.
Another important aspect of my approach is that my dogs help yours. Dogs learn so much more quickly from other dogs, be it to learn how to be socially appropriate, make friends, or even just to learn from a confident dog who can show them that things like the tube aren’t so scary after all. Plus, I’ve been through various behavioural issues with my own dogs which means that, when it comes to helping you, I’ve been through it myself, and can actually empathise with the ups and downs of the journey!
Dog training can be such a rewarding, enjoyable experience, even in an environment as busy and chaotic as London! When you’ve got the right community to support you, life with a spicy little dog can be so much fun.
Contact us
Interested in joining the club? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!