Helping dogs move better, feel better and live well.
Hi, I’m Tracey!
Over ten years ago, my German Shepherd began barking and reacting to other dogs and people. Like many owners, I assumed it was a training issue.
What I didn't realise at the time was that he was living with pain in both shoulders.
Treating his physical discomfort helped enormously, but it also taught me something that would shape the direction of my career: behaviour rarely exists in isolation.
Our dogs don't separate their physical wellbeing from their emotional wellbeing. Discomfort can affect confidence, resilience, tolerance, and behaviour. Equally, stress and anxiety can influence how a dog moves, rests, and copes with daily life.
That experience led me to study behaviour, canine fitness, movement analysis, therapeutic exercise, chronic pain awareness, and canine wellbeing so that I could better understand the whole dog.
Today, Shaping Dogs is built around a simple belief:
When we understand what our dogs are communicating, we can support them more effectively.
My approach
Whether your dog is showing signs of reactivity or anxiety, struggling with a sudden change in behaviour, or you simply feel something isn't quite right and want to understand why, I look at the whole picture. That means considering physical comfort and mobility, movement and posture, emotional wellbeing, and lifestyle and environment, because these rarely tell separate stories.
How I can help
The Whole Dog Investigation
A 12-week programme combining behavioural and movement expertise to understand what's really driving your dog's behaviour, not just how to manage it.
Movement & Posture Assessments
Observing movement, posture, and physical compensations that may warrant further investigation or support, helping owners have informed conversations with their veterinary team.
Why this matters
Too often, a dog's physical health and behaviour are treated as separate stories, trained one way, medicated another, with no one joining the dots. Subtle changes in movement, posture or gait can signal discomfort long before obvious lameness, and behaviour is often the first place that discomfort shows up. Addressing them together, early, makes a real difference.
My goal is not to diagnose medical conditions or replace veterinary care. Instead, I help owners notice the signs, understand what they might mean, and take practical steps to support their dog's physical and behavioural wellbeing alongside their vet.
Qualifications & experience
I bring together experience from both the scientific and canine worlds, including qualifications in:
Dog training & behaviour
Canine Fitness
Therapeutic Exercise
Canine Sports Massage
Movement and Posture Analysis
Canine Arthritis Management
Alongside my canine work, I have a scientific background and extensive experience interpreting and communicating complex information in a way that owners can understand and apply.
My promise
You won't find quick fixes, punishment, or one-size-fits-all advice here.
What you will find is thoughtful, evidence-informed support that considers the whole dog and the individual owner I’m working with.