WHOLE DOG BEHAVIOUR
"Karolina is the best trainer we've had"
Previously: The Positive Canine
About Me
Hi, I’m Karolina! I'm a Level 6 Certified Canine Behaviour Consultant, and I LOVE helping dogs feel safe and understood, and helping their guardians love life together.
My journey began with my own sensitive dog, who showed me just how emotionally complex dogs are and sparked my commitment to compassionate, evidence based behaviour support and training. Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to understanding the why behind behaviour and helping dogs and their humans thrive together.
I'm very passionate about rescue dogs, and I’ve volunteered in Romania supporting street dogs, public shelters, and spay/neuter campaigns. I adopted my first ex-street dog from Spain who was my absolute world, and I'm now a proud dog mum to two Romanian Rescues. I’m currently a Canine Behaviour Advisor for rescues working to improve welfare and education in Romania.
After spending five years at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, assessing dogs for rehoming and creating tailored training plans, I decided to take a leap of faith and start working for myself - my hope is that with the right, accessible support, we will see less dogs findings themselves in rescues for behaviour related reasons. I am a supporting member of The Pet Professional Guild and ICAN, and I follow the UK Dog Behaviour & Training Charter’s code of conduct and ethics; I never compromise welfare for training goals.
Led By Compassion
I am dedicated to using welfare focused, science based methods that prioritise your dog’s emotional wellbeing. This means I do not use fear, pain, intimidation or punishment in any part of training or behaviour work.
Instead, I focus on rewarding your dog for behaviours you want to see more of, and guiding them toward alternatives when something isn’t safe or appropriate. For behaviour challenges, I use proven techniques such as counterconditioning, desensitisation and environmental management to help dogs feel safe and make better choices without pressure.
This kind of training builds trust, encourages thinking and learning, and makes the process enjoyable for both ends of the lead. Whether we’re working with a nervous rescue, a feisty adolescent, or a dog with a bite history, positive reinforcement works for all breeds, ages and temperaments.
This training also gives dogs the chance to make choices, which is especially important for fearful or reactive dogs learning to feel safe in their environment. It boosts confidence, strengthens your bond, and supports long term behaviour change without fear.
I do not use or recommend aversive tools such as:
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Shock, prong or choke collars
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Slip leads or lead corrections
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Spray bottles, air cans or physical punishments
These tools can suppress behaviour temporarily but can also increase fear through learned helplessness, stress or aggression over time. Unfortunately we may not realise until it's too late. There’s simply no need for a “firm hand”. If positive reinforcement can teach a wild animal to voluntarily offer a blood sample, it can absolutely help your dog learn to feel safe, confident and understood.