Hello, animal friend. I'm Ann.

I've shared my life with animals of every kind for as long as I can remember — dogs, cats, sheep, a ram, a very large pig boar, ex-battery hens, and an ex-racehorse among them. I've kept at least one horse since I was fourteen. If it has fur, feathers or hooves, chances are I've loved one.

That love runs deep. I gave up eating meat as a child, not long after watching Watership Down and feeling a rush of empathy for animals I couldn't shake. I still can't. I have no time for cruelty of any kind, and I take real pride in the bond I build with every animal in my care — which is exactly why I trained in positive methods, and why I'll never use anything else.

My path here wasn't a straight line. I got partway through an MSc, spent time working in the NHS, then retrained as a personal trainer. But a few years ago, I finally listened to what I actually wanted — to spend my life outdoors, working with animals — and I haven't looked back since.

It started by noticing what worked for my own dogs, including rehomed dogs, some reactive, some written off as "untrainable." Certain things helped, consistently. So I began sharing those same tips with other owners — and Spogan grew from there.

I believe it's our responsibility, as dog owners, to understand why a behaviour is happening — not just to suppress it. I will never put a prong collar on a dog, and I will never bribe one into simply complying. If that's the kind of training you're looking for, Spogan genuinely isn't for you. But if you want to understand your dog, properly, I'd love to help.

Ann @ Spogan x