About Clara
Dog Trainer - BSc (Hons), PG Dip, VSAPDT.
From a young age, I always knew I wanted to work with animals, owning every creature under the sun at some point. As I grew up, my love focused on dogs and horses. I headed to University to study BSc (Hons) Equine Science, achieving a first-class. Upon completion, I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Animal Therapy at the McTimoney College of Chiropractics. Alongside this, I founded a bespoke doggy daycare in Wimbledon. The daycare was small and focused on quality over quantity, ensuring each dog had a playful, enriching day and was not overwhelmed by a loud and busy environment - like most commercial daycares.
It was here that I found myself watching the interactions between the dogs, finding myself wondering how I could further my understanding of canine behaviour. With a postgraduate diploma under my belt, I enrolled in the Victoria Stilwell Academy (VSA) for Positive Reinforcement Dog Trainers, where I carried out in-depth studies into every part of a dog’s psychology and anatomy. I am now a certified dog trainer with the VSAPDT, practising Positive Reinforcement Dog Training.
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I am always looking to widen my knowledge in the canine field, thus, I will be embarking on an MSC Clinical Animal Behaviour in 2026 to qualify me as a Clinical Animal Behaviourist.
What is Positive Reinforcement?
In a nutshell, Positive Reinforcement Training rewards the behaviours you 'like' and ignores or redirects those you don't. Positive Reinforcement encourages problem-solving and facilitates the growth of the human-animal bond. The behaviours produced are stronger than those taught through aversive methods. They allow the dog to make educated choices about their actions rather than being scolded and not taught what behaviour we would rather they carry out instead. Thus, creating a happier and more confident dog in the long run. I love watching the bond grow between clients and their dogs as they begin to speak the same language and understand each other.
I am passionate about animal welfare and rescue. At home, I have an ex-racehorse and an Australian Shepherd with whom I enjoy training in my spare time.
For more about me, check out my social media below!
