Harriet | Qualified Dog Trainer & Behaviour Consultant

A woman with glasses and shoulder-length brown hair stands in front of dense foliage with green leaves and intertwined branches, wearing a beige turtleneck sweater and high-waisted blue jeans.

Hi, I’m Harriet

I help people and dogs understand each other. For over a decade, I've worked with dog lovers, families, organisations and professionals to build stronger, kinder relationships between humans and animals.

My work is shaped by the field of anthrozoology, the study of human-animal relationships, and a fascination with the messy, complicated and beautiful business of living alongside other species.

The why part

I’ve always been curious about where science meets stories. This curiosity has shaped a career from rescue centres to running my own dog training business, mentoring new trainers, speaking at international conferences, and continuing research into the relationships between humans and other animals.

I've learned directly from leading practitioners including Dr Amber Batson, Turid Rugaas, Anne Lill Kvam, Winkie Spiers and Alexis Davison. Along the way, I've trained and supported more than 1,000 volunteers at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London, developed educational programs for rescues, schools and community groups, and produced the first Pet Dog Trainers of Europe online summit, featuring speakers including Dr Jane Goodall and Marc Bekoff.

I've also written extensively for organisations and publications including Australian Dog Lover, Dogs Today Magazine, BHARCS, Our Good Brands, dogbiz and more.

What on earth is anthrozoology?

I'm glad you asked! Anthrozoology is the interdisciplinary study of relationships between humans and other animals. Drawing on fields such as psychology, anthropology, philosophy, sociology, and zoology, it explores how we understand, value and interact with other species, and how our beliefs and choices shape their lives, and ours.

It asks some big, sometimes uncomfortable questions. Why do we value some animals differently from others? How do our beliefs shape the way we treat them? Whose needs matter when the interests of different species collide?

After years working in dog training and behaviour, I became increasingly interested in questions that went beyond how animals learn and why they behave as they do. I wanted to explore the relationships, assumptions and ethical choices that shape their lives, and ours. That led me to a Master's in Anthrozoology at the University of Exeter, and increasingly informs my work today.

I'm particularly interested in how dogs, humans and wildlife coexist. Living in regional Victoria and volunteering in wildlife rescue have made these questions especially meaningful. How can we help dogs enjoy rich, fulfilling lives while protecting the remarkable native animals who share our landscapes?

For me, anthrozoology connects behaviour science with the wider social, ecological and ethical worlds in which our relationships with animals unfold.