Welcome to dogs in translation
Understanding your Dog begins with Listening . . .
If your dog is reacting towards other dogs or people, pulling on the lead, barking excessively, or struggling to cope in everyday situations, you’re not alone — and you’re in the right place. Many dogs simply haven’t learnt how to feel safe in our human world. Their behaviour is often a reflection of overwhelm, confusion, or emotional pressure, not disobedience.
I’m Lucy Parkes, a Recommended Dog Listener and Behaviourist, affiliated with world‑renowned author and original Dog Listener, Jan Fennell. For over 18 years, I’ve been helping dogs and their humans across Norwich, Norfolk and the wider East Anglia region to overcome reactivity, anxiety, aggression, separation issues, and many other behavioural challenges.
My approach is kind, positive, and deeply holistic. I look at what your dog is experiencing emotionally — and how those emotions influence their behaviour, their body, and their ability to cope. My background as an NLP Master Practitioner, combined with nearly two decades of working closely with Highly Sensitive Dogs, allows me to support both ends of the lead with clarity, compassion and confidence.
When we understand what our dogs are trying to communicate, and when we meet their emotional and physical needs with consistency and calm leadership, everything changes. Dogs begin to relax. Behaviour softens. Relationships deepen. And life becomes easier for everyone.
If you’re ready to help your dog feel safe, understood and able to thrive, I’m here to guide you every step of the way.
Jan Fennell’s work revolutionised the way we understand and communicate with our dogs. Long before “positive training,” “force‑free methods,” or “canine emotional wellbeing” became mainstream conversations, Jan was already exploring the deeper emotional world of dogs — their need for safety, clarity, calm leadership, and consistent communication. She was, in many ways, decades ahead of her time.
Her method, Amichien® Bonding, offers a gentle, respectful framework that helps dogs feel secure within their family group. Rather than relying on commands, corrections or control, it focuses on rebuilding trust, reducing emotional pressure, and creating an environment where dogs can relax and make better choices. It’s a way of living with dogs that honours their natural instincts and their need for calm, confident guidance.
For me, Amichien Bonding forms a brilliant and reliable foundation for working with all dogs — and it is especially powerful for Highly Sensitive Dogs. These dogs feel the world more intensely, react more quickly to emotional shifts, and need a deeper level of safety and clarity in order to thrive. Jan’s approach provides exactly that: a structured, compassionate framework that helps them decompress, understand their place in the family, and feel genuinely supported.
Her insights continue to shape my work every day. They allow me to help dogs and their humans build relationships based on understanding rather than conflict, and to create homes where even the most sensitive dogs can truly thrive.
Why Dogs Need a Leader — Parent, Provider & Protector
Dogs thrive when life feels predictable, safe and clearly guided. Just like their wild ancestors, they flourish within a social group where roles are understood and leadership is calm, consistent and reliable. In our homes, this means we naturally become their leader — not through force or dominance, but through the gentle responsibilities of parent, provider and protector.
When we communicate this kind of leadership in a way dogs instinctively understand, something remarkable happens: they relax. They stop feeling responsible for managing the world. And their behaviour begins to soften.
Many behavioural issues — reactivity, aggression, hyper‑vigilance, separation anxiety, resource guarding, pulling, barking and general overwhelm — are rooted in a dog simply not feeling safe. When we step into the Parent–Provider–Protector role, we relieve them of that emotional burden and help them stay within their “feeling safe” threshold, both at home and out in the wider world.
Because dogs can’t tell us how they feel, they communicate through behaviour. Stealing items, barking at you, refusing food, reacting to visitors, chasing runners, or becoming hyper‑aroused aren’t signs of a “naughty” dog — they’re signs of a dog trying to cope. Once we understand what these behaviours mean, we can respond in a way that helps them settle, defer and trust us to take the lead.
Whatever the breed, whatever the past, and whatever the challenges, your dog can feel calmer, safer and more understood when you communicate with them in their own language. When you step up, they can finally step down.
How I Help You Help Your Dog
I love working with families face to face. When I’m in your home, I can observe how your dog moves through their space, how they respond to you, and how the emotional dynamics feel. In‑person sessions are incredibly rich — they allow me to notice subtle cues and gently model the behaviours your dog needs from you. These small, real‑time adjustments often help your dog feel safer, calmer and more understood straight away. 
But I also know that in‑person work isn’t always possible. When distance, timing or life circumstances get in the way, remote consultations offer a gentle, effective and cost‑friendly alternative. We talk through what’s been happening, explore the emotional needs beneath the behaviour, and create a clear, compassionate plan. Many families feel relief and clarity after just one session.
Remote sessions: £75 per hour You’re welcome to book a single session to begin with, and together we can decide whether further remote support or an in‑person visit would be most helpful.
Not sure where to start? Contact me now for a free, no‑obligation chat. We can explore what’s going on and decide together whether a remote consultation would be helpful.
Free initial chat: Call 07951 328163 Email [email protected] Message me on WhatsApp
When a Home Consultation Is Recommended
If your dog is showing several of the more significant behavioural issues listed below, I will usually recommend a one‑to‑one consultation in your home. This allows me to work directly with you, your dog, and any other family members, and to gently guide the whole household into a calmer, clearer way of relating.
In these sessions, I’m able to get things moving in the right direction straight away. I can model the behaviours and responses your dog needs from you, and you can see — and feel — the difference in real time. It’s rare not to see a positive shift on the day, even if it’s small at first. From there, you continue the process with confidence, knowing you’re on the right path. 
Significant behavioural issues requiring a one-to-one Home Consultation:
- Aggressive response towards other dogs, owners, other people, traffic or anything else.
- Separation anxiety and distress
- Extreme lack of cooperation – poor recall, excessive pulling on the lead, hunting
- Hyperactivity and hyper-vigilance – hyperarousal
- Over-excitability (over-stimulation)
- Eating disorders – control eaters (fussy eaters) refusing to eat or constantly obsessed with the search for food. Coprophagia (eating faeces)
- Self-harming – paw/tail/leg chewing, obsessive licking/cleaning
- Obsessive/compulsive behaviours – tail chasing, fixations, boundary running, resource guarding
- Excessive fear response to thunder, fireworks or any other stimulus
Ongoing Support
Continued guidance and support are included with every Home Consultation. As you move forward and begin putting the approach into practice, I’m there alongside you — offering clarity, reassurance and direction whenever you need it. You’re not left to figure things out alone; I support you every step of the way so you can feel confident, consistent and fully backed as your dog begins to settle and change.
If you’re unsure what the best next step is, contact me to discuss your options and how to proceed, and we can work out together what will be most helpful for you and your dog.
“I first met Lucy in May 2023 when she came to assess my two-year-old Border Terrier cross. I was struggling with multiple issues and had sought advice from numerous trainers and behaviourists, but the results never lasted—I kept encountering new challenges along the way.
Lucy has a calm, kind, and non-judgmental approach, and the Amichien Bonding method founded by Jan Fennell made complete sense to me. She has continued to support us whenever I’ve faced obstacles (and there have been quite a few!). Through working with Lucy, I’ve learned a lot about myself and how my own actions impact my dog’s emotional state. I’ll admit, many of the problems I’ve encountered were due to me not fully following the approach!
Thanks to Lucy, I now have a much deeper understanding of my dog’s needs, and we continue to make adjustments so we can enjoy a fun and fulfilling life together. I only wish I had found her sooner!
Thank you, Lucy, for making my boy’s life less stressful and for helping me better understand both dogs and myself. I highly recommend Lucy to anyone looking for lasting, meaningful change in their relationship with their dog.“
(More client testimonials here . . . )
I share with you how to become an inspirational leader – parent, provider, protector. This is what underpins a successful relationship and forms the foundations for a calm, well-balanced and cooperative dog.
. . . and it’s not about domination, punishment, coercion, bribery, distraction or excessive training – it’s all about building a relationship of mutual trust, respect and cooperation. If your dog trusts and respects you she will choose to cooperate with you to the best of her ability. If you lead by example and calmly and gently show your dog what you would like from her, in any given situation, you find that – over-time – she adopts this new way of being as her own.
Our dog’s do not want to be in conflict with us or each other! Given the choice – the right information – and managed in the correct way, the very vast majority of dog’s are happy to relinquish control and accept our guidance and support. As pack animals it’s in their nature to do so.
“We took on our dog after his previous owner sadly died, very suddenly. He came to us directly from the RSPCA kennels a few days after his human Mum had passed. His world had been absolutely turned upside down in a matter of days. He was clearly, and understandably, traumatised, unhappy and fretful. He was rescued from Romania, as a puppy, by his previous owner. 
He didn’t know us but soon became rather attached to me. He would growl at my husband. Particularly if I was in the kitchen and hubby came in. As far as visitors were concerned, he just did not want to let anyone in our home. He would not stop barking and lunging. Even when removed to another room. Taking him out for walks was a nightmare. He would lunge at anyone and everything. Cyclists, other dogs, just people walking. We thought we were doing the right thing taking him out and about. Exercise and mental stimulation.
We were getting to a point of not knowing what to do. We just wanted him to be happy.
As a last resort, we contacted Lucy.
She came to our home after taking some details of the issues with our boy’s behaviour.
Lucy seemed to have a calming influence on our lad more or less straight away. She was with us for approximately 4 hours and we worked through her various methods. We had no idea that we had probably been making things worse with all the walks. We were just overwhelming him. Lucy was also on hand after our session for back up or if we had any questions. It did take a good few months for his behaviour to improve. Lucy did say it would. You do have to put the work in! Lucy gives you all the tools you need to help you. Without her knowledge, we couldn’t have done it.
We now have a calm, relaxed, well adjusted, much quieter dog. He is absolutely fine with people visiting and making a fuss of him and loves going out and about! He has also become more sociable with other dogs. A pleasure to have around and is clearly a much happier and contented dog. Just what we wanted for him. Thank you Lucy”
(More client testimonials here . . . )
Understanding, communication and cooperation ~
The first step to resolving undesirable behaviour in your dog, is to understand what it is that your dog is trying to achieve. What is his motivation? Understanding the world from your dog’s perspective is essential for the effective long-term resolution of problem behaviour. It’s not just about dog training.
Dog training can form an important part of your dog’s education but by far the most important consideration is how you LIVE with your dog. Your daily interactions with your dog shape his personality – his responses, emotions and capabilities. Whether he’s a puppy or an older dog from another home, or a rescue centre, you shape his perceptions and reactions to the world around him – either consciously or unconsciously – through what you expose him to and what you do and how you do it! 
When we are consciously shaping our dog’s behaviour, we can help him to feel safe and secure at all times. Whether we are at home or out in the wider-world, we can encourage our dogs to look to us and trust our decisions about – and responses to – the things that we encounter. Other dogs, people, traffic, loud noises and other challenging stimulus, can all be managed calmly and effectively leading to the respect and cooperation that we all desire!
When we are unconsciously shaping our dog’s behaviour, it’s all to easy to inadvertently, nurture insecurity and fear, and condition our dogs to respond in an undesirable way to the world around them! Many of the behavioural problems that dog owners experience with their dogs, can be swiftly resolved, when we become more conscious of just how we shape our dogs!
Living with dogs can be an absolute joy or a complete nightmare and it’s HOW we live with them makes all the difference! Some of you will have dogs who pull badly on the lead! Some of you will have dogs who are showing aggression towards other dogs and/or people! And some of you will have dogs who are suffering from separation anxiety! All of these problems, and more, are the result of miscommunication and misunderstanding and can be resolved once you understand the world from your dog’s perspective and begin the process of calmly and consistently communicating to your dog that all is well and that he can trust you with pack safety!
“Lucy’s years of practice and expertise in understanding the needs of sensitive and traumatised dogs is evident from the moment she arrives. My rescue dog Kini’s behaviour was escalating and I had been told that she wasn’t fit for rehoming by a couple of pet rescue centres. I was at my wits end, exhausted and at a loss to know what to do for the best.
Lucy came to offer guidance and, although some of it felt counter-intuitive in terms of how I used to be around my previous dogs, knowing what I do about the nervous systems of traumatised humans, it made complete sense. Kini needed to go back to basics; no walks and very little stimulation. I thought she’d be climbing the walls not going out and having stricter rules, but having a ‘nervous system reset’ was exactly what she needed. It’s going to be a long road but Kini is already a calmer, happier girl. And because she has a calmer nervous system, so do I!
Lucy is generous with her time during the initial visit, and seems to sense into the situation holistically – on a level beyond a normal dog behaviourist. Lucy also offers ongoing support after the first appointment, which is very reassuring when there are understandably set backs along the way. If you are looking for guidance from someone who understands both the needs of dogs and also the human / canine bond, then don’t hesitate to contact Lucy“
(More client testimonials here . . . )
What does your dog believe they are doing and why are they doing it? 
A dog’s behaviour is often symbolic, they use ritualised behaviour to convey information to each other – and us! If we don’t understand what a dog’s behaviour really signifies – and it is very easy for us to misinterpret as we tend to anthropomorphise (humanise) – we are likely to misunderstand and miscommunicate. The result can be problem behaviour –
- General lack of cooperation
- Pulling on the lead and poor recall
- Hyperactivity
- Obsessive and compulsive behaviour *
- Separation anxiety
- Excessive barking
- Destruction
- Problems around food
- Anxiety, fear and stress
- Aggressive behaviour
* This can include – tail-chasing, biting and chewing paws and excessive self-grooming. Obsessive licking of objects and/or people. Constant pacing in the house and/or garden. Fixating on objects or people. Coprophagia (eating faeces).
Stress has a major impact on a dog’s behaviour, affecting him both mentally and physically! Stress can manifest in many ways and most of the behavioural problems mentioned above are associated with high levels of stress! Stress related behaviour is often misinterpreted as ‘high-spirited’ or ‘over-excited’ behaviour. Some dogs go the other way and will ‘shut down’ when they feel overwhelmed and unable to cope. Physical illness and disease can also be the result of stress. Autoimmune disease, skin allergies, irritable bowel, arthritis, diabetes and cancer – to mention a few – have all been linked to the effect of prolonged exposure to stress.
Dog Listening approaches the problem from a different angle.
Instead of trying to manage the symptoms alone, Dog Listening goes to the root of the problem. By changing the way that you interact with your dog on a daily basis, you can calmly and consistently give him information about leadership that will reassure him and allow him to begin to relax. It then becomes possible to guide and influence your dog’s behaviour in a kind and positive way – without the use of force, gadgets or gizmos – and resolve problem behaviour by re-shaping his conditioned responses. 
By calmly and consistently implementing signals that your dog can actually understand, you can communicate with him in his own language, gain his cooperation and reduce everyone’s stress levels! A stressed and confused dog often results in a stressed owner! A vicious circle of stress can develop, with dog and owner feeding each others anxiety!
There are four simple steps to breaking this circle of stress and presenting yourself as the calm, confident Pack Leader that all dogs innately seek:
Four steps to successful Dog Training:
- Understand the world from your dog’s perspective –
The human world can sometimes be a confusing and threatening place. Understanding how your dog really feels about things and why he reacts in the way that he does, is pivotal to the resolution of problem behaviour. Understanding your dog’s innate needs and requirements enables you to provide for him in a way that helps him to feel safe and sound. - Learn his language –
Like all animals, dogs have a language of their own. It includes some vocalisation but is predominantly eye contact, body language and behaviour-based. The domestic dog has adapted and evolved to live alongside modern humans but still shares the same basic programming as his wild-living relative the wolf. - Communicate clearly –
Once we understand what our dog is trying to communicate to us, through his behaviour and body language, we can communicate back again in a way that is easily understood, and inspires trust, respect and cooperation. It is all to easy to misunderstand what a dog is communicating and to miscommunicate back again. - Calmly and consistently show him what you want –
Patience really is a virtue when working with dogs. Some dogs learn really quickly and will pick things up at the drop of a hat and others will have to be calmly shown many times, before they are able to adopt a new behaviour or way of doing things. Some dogs learn well in a group situation, others can find a group situation over-whelming and require one to one training in the safety of the home.
Develop the relationship with your dog that you both truly deserve. 
Become a calm, confident and consistent Pack Leader and watch as your dog thrives in an environment that is fulfilling her unique requirements. Feel the joy that a calm, cooperative and well-balanced dog can bring to your life! In your home, show your dog – in a way that she can understand – that you are the provider, the one who makes the decisions and keeps the pack safe.
Teach your dog to calmly walk with you when you head out into the wider world – balanced, cooperative and responsive. Reassure her that as Pack Leader you will keep the pack safe from any perceived danger that you might meet out there, such as other dogs, people or traffic. As Pack Leader you lead by example and are able to resolve problem behaviour because your dog trusts and respects you. By letting your dog know that you and any other human pack members will take absolute responsibility for the pack, you allow her to relax and take a subordinate yet valued role in a happy and harmonious family group.
