We offer Dog Training and Behaviour Online and around the Winchester & Romsey areas.
Work with me from the comfort of your own home
Access over 180 training videos and 2 live Q&As per month
Happy Gundogs - building focus on you on walks
Including: Aggression, Prey Drive, Resource Guarding, Fears...
‘Most Patient Dog Behaviourist’ in the South East 2022 ‘Dog Trainer of the Year’ Hampshire 2021/22
I love helping dogs so much that I left a 20-year career in fashion PR to retrain as a dog behaviourist and trainer. I am fully qualified and accredited as a Dog Behaviourist by the IMDT – the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers, and I’m proud to be vet-recommended.
No two dogs are the same and I approach each one uniquely and with empathy. My mindset extends to the dog’s owner,
too; building a bond between ownerand dog
makes training a pleasure for you both.
At Maher & Hound Dog Training, Karen blends expertise with passion to offer tailored training solutions that foster a harmonious bond between you and your dog. Karen’s commitment to positive reinforcement and individualised care sets her apart, ensuring that every session is as rewarding for your dog as it is for you.
Trusted by local veterinarians for our compassionate, science-based training methods that prioritise your pet's well-being
Consistently rated 5 stars by dog owners for our personalised training programs and transformative behavioral techniques.
Recipient of the 2021/22 Dog Trainer Of The Year Hampshire, recognizing our commitment to excellence and outstanding results.
Founded and operated by a passionate dog enthusiast who understand and cater to the unique needs of each canine companion.
Run by a qualified dog behaviourist. All of my puppy & dog training programmes are individually tailored to your lifestyle. I use the most up-to-date, science-based training methods that are proven to be effective and that have your dog’s welfare at heart
Nathalie Gosset2025-06-29Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Karen has been amazing to work with through her WhatsApp training. I had been looking around for a trainer and had been following Karen for a few months because I loved the knowledge, insight and tips she gave working with spaniels. Having a spaniel/Shepherd cross I found I could relate to a lot of her content! From the start, it felt like she took the time to really learn about my dog (Leo) properly, asking me questions about him and feeding back on the initial videos I sent over. Karen gave us tailored advice and training with plenty of help and guidance to put everything into practise. Doing the training was so much fun! Leo loved doing it and as such I feel like it hugely strengthened and developed our bond. From walking nicely on lead to managing his arousal levels, we have learnt so much. Karen also helped me to really tap into the spaniel side of Leo which really was a game changer. Introducing the whistle was something that he LOVED, zooming back or stopping on command. Working with Karen has given us the confidence to go out on lovely walks which gives Leo the outlet to the sniffs (and water!) that he so loves. I know that when I need him to stop or recall that he will come flying back but often now, his eyes are on me, checking in and waiting because he knows good things happen by me. Karen has been amazing to work with, always positive with constructive feedback that has helped us navigate the initial stages of adolescence. I would highly recommend anybody to Karen - thank you Karen for all the amazing work you put in with us both 😊 Sophie French2025-06-26Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We did a four week course of training with Karen to focus on some basic gundog principles to complement our 14 month old dog's current training and day to day activities. We would have happily done longer, but some circumstances have meant we couldn't commit for longer right now. Despite the short time, we have learned so much. Karen is knowledgeable, encouraging, and crucially only uses positive reinforcement which was very important for us - our dog is an adolescent and can be prone to "big feelings", and some gundog training we had tried previously hadn't been as positive as we had hoped. We were offered lots of helpful guidance, and supportively advised, without judgement, if our approach needed to change. Karen is very big on breed fulfilment and dogs using natural outlets. While it was encouraging to know we were already doing many right things, her advice has enabled us to further elevate our dog's day to day happiness and make our walks even more enriching and enjoyable. When we can, we will definitely be trying to work with her again and would highly recommend. Tanya Fourie2025-06-26Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My shelter puppy (6months) arrived from Cyprus and I thought repeatedly "what have I done", I was in tears, I thought I was destroying the puppies life, it was so hard. O had a session with Karen and her advice and knowledge was incredible. She has such an amazing way of understanding dogs and explaining their experience to humans. She helped me understand him, helped me see there was a way forward and gave me the tools to move forward and build a relationship. Even after 1 session I felt confident, motivated and less stressed. Her practical advice really helped and at the next session we could build on what comes after settling. I learnt so much not just about my doggo but about practical steps in training and food to use. Thank you so so much!!! Kayleigh Hodges2025-06-24Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I couldn't recommend Karen at Maher and Hound more. I have been working with Karen for over 6 months via Whatsapp coaching for my springer spaniel Obi. I came across Karen on Instagram and immediately loved the way she spoke to and about her spaniel Bonzo. She makes it very much about meeting the dogs needs rather than simply teaching the dog to do what we want. I only wanted to work with someone who was completely positive reinforcement based, Karen is positive reinforcement +++. She has helped Obi and I create a lovely partnership. We have now moved onto Bonzo's Happy Gundog Club - Karen's training videos are excellent and her passion for what she does is palpable in her live q&a sessions. The only negative is that we are not located close enough to join her in person pet Gundog workshops which look fabulous. AngieRogers Interiors2025-06-21Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I reached out to Karen for help with my re-homed dog Lulu, a 2.5 year old GSP. I was frustrated and having problems with reactivity, excessive barking, jumping up and pulling on the lead, Lulu is very high energy and prey-drive. Given Lulu was an adopted dog, I had no knowledge of her previous training, I lacked connection and confidence for how to develop a bond with her. In my searches online I found force-free gun dog training but I needed a pet gun-dog approach rather than a working dog and stumbled upon Maher on Instagram. I had considered a few online coaches but was instantly drawn to Karen. She has such a calm manner, soothing voice and her beautiful connection with Bonzo was so evident and inspiring. She was also the only one not spruiking a ‘slip-lead’ which I had found little success. I was hesitant to commit as wanted to get started asap and had to wait about 4 weeks to get a booking. But having just completed my 4 week training package it was so worth the wait!! I have seen such a great improvement in my connection with Lulu through all the fun games. And without really focusing on the walk and lead pulling Lulu has improved out of sight on our walks and consistently pays me more attention than outside distractions. I loved the personalized feedback and tips on my videos via WhatsApp, having access to specific resources and training guides at my fingertips was invaluable. I highly recommend Karen to anyone needing help with their dog, she offers a wonderful coaching service and the online platform via Zooms and WhatsApp work so well, there was absolutely no barrier with time zones from the UK to Australia. Thank you so much Karen, I am so glad I found you and got the right professional help with Lulu. I sat down on the floor the other night and Lulu curled up on my lap and snuggled for an hour very happily, something she has never done previously and it brings me so much joy that she wants to hang out with me! Philippa Whiting2025-06-17Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. There are not enough words to describe how genuinely life changing training with Karen has been and I don’t use that phrase lightly. Six months ago, my almost 3-year-old spaniel, Willow, could barely go outside without becoming hugely overstimulated, overwhelmed and what I thought was excited but turned out to be anxious. Everything was challenging for her; seeing a cat, hearing traffic, a light gust of wind, another dog barking in the distance - all of it would make her anxious and she would spin on the end of the lead, getting herself worked up and leaving me feeling like a terrible dog owner. Our world had just got smaller and smaller as I tried to avoid the things that would wind her up. It was fair to say we were both fairly miserable. I had followed Karen on Instagram for a while as her spaniel Bonzo reminded me of mine and he was clearly happy and thriving. After yet another walk round the block where we both returned home stressed and unhappy, I sent the most useful email I’ve ever sent! Karen and I met weekly on zoom and worked on how to help Willow trust that I would help her get away from whatever she was scared of and to somewhere where she felt safe. I learned how to be the most exciting thing for willow and really work on our bond, so that she would choose to engage with me on a walk rather than running off. Karen taught me how to give Willow outlets for her feelings using what she is bred to do and what comes naturally - scent work and retrieving. All of this gave her the ability to regulate her big feelings in a positive way, using scent work and retrieving, so she could manage any stressors in the environment, and I could help redirect her if she does get anxious. This is not been a quick fix, there is no 10 point plan to getting a perfectly behaved dog, but there has been no doubt that this has been highly effective. People who know Willow have commented on how much calmer she is. 6 months later, Willow and I go for daily adventures in our local woods. We try new places to walk and she spends most of her walk off lead, as she is relaxed and engaged with me. We have carried on playing more games on walks and at home, her favourites now being retrieving balls by memory and searching the woods for her bunny ball. And any scent work involving food of course! We go out together to have fun as a team and on the few occasions she does get anxious we know how to manage it now and she recovers much quicker. We’re taking a break for now, as we are relocating, but training with Karen is now not just about solving problematic behaviour but enhancing and enriching Willow‘s life, so I know we’ll be back to learn more. Karen is so much more than a dog trainer. She genuinely gets to know you and your dog and she really cares about how you’re getting on. Her ethics and commitment to force-free training methods demonstrate that there really is never any reason for harsh treatment for our beautiful pets, and the results speak for themselves. Molly Toal2025-05-10Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I stumbled upon Karen on Instagram. I had been curious about pet gundog training as I wanted to do something fun with my cocker spaniel after he'd had a long period of being poorly but felt intimidated about joining a club locally. Karen's videos (unlike others I'd seen) were all about fulfilling the dog's needs, and the dogs on her page looked happy. So we signed up for some online zoom sessions. Well it turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself and my dog! We worked with Karen for over a year and in that time I have learned so much about gundogs, and Arlo as an individual with his own preferences and personality. Our bond (which was already good) has deepened so much. If there was an aspect of training that Arlo didn't like, Karen did not force him to continue with it or we worked around it to make it more enjoyable for him. In turn, although Arlo was not a behavioural case, his behaviour around the house has improved too. He used to pick things up and run off with them, chew them up or try to swallow them. Now he either leaves things alone or brings everything to me to show me instead, be it a toy car, a sock or a pair of slippers. I definitely attribute this to gundog training! Karen is professional, never judgemental, an excellent communicator and has so much empathy for both humans and dogs! The whole experience has been so rewarding. There are multiple choices for times and as each session is half an hour, you can fit it into your day, and the zooms can be done in your house or outside. I would highly recommend Karen to anyone with a gundog breed! She is amazing. Will Russell2025-04-28Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Karen is great, really understands working Spaniels. She has made a huge difference to MONTY's behavior in just a few sessions. She has given me hope he may have an "off lead" future. GG2025-04-16Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Loving long walks and hikes, I decided a dog would be the perfect companion. We started puppy training when pup was 12 weeks old, it may be called puppy training but in reality, let's be honest, it's owner training! In all seriousness though, I don't think the term training gives what Karen does justice. This isn't your generic, sit, stay, walkies training. Karen's wealth of knowledge and experience exceeds the 'how to' books, one size does not fit all, for us specifically, not all labradors are the same. Karen really takes the time to get to know both pup and family, and training is tailored to suit both of your needs. Karen's teaching style is sublime, I learnt commands, pup learnt responses, it's fun for everyone, but as we worked through the exercises I also learnt to understand my dog better and with that my confidence grew. Karen helped ease us through adolesence, it's like pup's memory was wiped overnight. (I used to think the movie Marley and Me was fiction for comedy value, I now realise it's actually a public safety warning! It wasn't so funny to discover the great cushion massacre of 2024! ) As it turns out dogs aren't too disimilar to us during puberty, once again, Karen guided me through understanding pups needs and working through the challenges. Pup is the best companion for walks and hikes, but Karen has taught me that for him, this is just physical training and he needs mental stimulation too. Karen recognised that pup loves nose work and introduced us to mantrailing - WOW game changer!! We also attend Karen's gun dog workshop, it's great for pup to watch and learn from other dogs and he enjoys having a go. Pup and I have developed an amazing bond which I don't think would have been the same without Karen's support. Rachel Varnam2025-04-08Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Karen really helped us engage Sally's brain more both at home and out and about. She absolutely loves all the tricks and games Karen has taught us and is visibly more engaged with training. Karen beautifully showed us how to understand Sally better and meet her needs. Would highly recommend!
Book A Free Discovery Call Today To Find Out How Karen Can Help You!
Given the dedication required to provide each dog and their owner with the personalised attention and training they need, I am only able to work with a limited number of clients at any given time. I sincerely believe in offering my services only when I am confident in my ability to deliver the outcomes you’re seeking for your dog.
If you’re genuinely committed to improving your dog’s behaviour and enhancing your relationship with them, I encourage you to schedule a consultation call with me. This will give us a chance to discuss your dog’s specific needs, your training goals, and explore how we can work together to achieve something you’ll be proud of.
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