RISE:PACE is our small, structured group walk and training session at Pishiobury Park in Sawbridgeworth, perfect for puppies, nervous dogs, or those needing more confidence in public. Over a one-hour walk with guided stop-offs, dogs and owners work on engagement, neutrality, and proofing behaviours in a controlled yet real-world environment. This class is ideal for building calm, confident dogs and helping owners feel more confident during walks and around distractions.

The 2025 Merry Pack Walk for Charity was a festive, fun-filled day for dogs, owners, and the ASCENDK9 team! Held at Panshanger Park in Hertford, this annual event brought together our local dog community for a joyful walk while supporting a great cause: Mind, the mental health charity.

The Lea Valley offers some of the best dog walks in Essex - but it’s also a powerful training environment filled with real-world distractions. From busy paths and wildlife to dog-friendly cafes, it’s the perfect place to practice recall, calm behaviour, and responsible dog ownership. In this blog, I share my favourite Lea Valley training spots, why bullet-proof recall is essential before allowing off-lead freedom, and how to use these environments to build confident, reliable dogs.

Displacement behaviours in dogs are often misunderstood and easily overlooked - yet they’re one of the clearest ways your dog communicates stress, uncertainty, or emotional conflict. From sniffing and yawning to scratching and shaking off, these behaviours aren’t random or “bad behaviour”. They’re signs your dog is trying to cope. Understanding what displacement behaviour in dogs looks like - and why it happens - can completely change how you approach training, improve your dog’s confidence, and strengthen your relationship.

At ASCENDK9, everything we do is built around a core belief: dogs learn best through consistency, clarity, and real-life application. That belief is exactly why our newest service - Walk + Train - is currently in design and will be launching very soon.

If you’ve ever wished your dog could spend the day with a professional trainer, working on real-life skills in real-world environments, ASCENDK9 is excited to announce the launch of our new Day Training service in Harlow, Essex.

Navigating the teenage dog phase can be challenging, but it’s completely normal. Discover what behaviours to expect, why training skills may temporarily regress, and practical tips to keep your adolescent dog confident, focused, and well-behaved.

The months after Christmas can feel long, grey and aimless - not just for us, but for our dogs too. When walks are harder to schedule, mornings darker, evenings colder, having defined training goals gives you something to look forward to. It injects purpose into your interactions and helps maintain momentum.

Today’s blog is written by Izzy, Owner and Head Groomer at The Canine Parlour in Ealing, West London. Known for her honest, compassionate, and no-filter approach, Izzy specialises in grooming difficult, nervous, reactive, and rescue dogs - and has built a reputation for making even the most challenging cases feel understood and safe.

The festive season is a wonderful time: visiting family, sharing meals, catching up with friends, and for many of us, including our dogs in the celebrations. But it can also be a challenging period for our four‑legged companions, especially puppies, anxious dogs or dogs who haven’t yet had experience of busy homes, visitors, odd routines and distractions. Whether you’re in Harlow, Hertford, Bishop’s Stortford, Epping or the surrounding areas, it’s possible to make the season calm and enjoyable for your dog - with the right preparation and mindset.

Marker words are one of the simplest and most powerful tools in dog training. In this guide, we break down what a marker word is, how to use terminal and continuation markers effectively, and why clear communication helps your dog learn faster with less frustration. Perfect for puppies, obedience training, and building reliable real-life behaviour.

The holiday season is the perfect opportunity to show love for the dogs in our lives - and for the humans who care for them! If you’re wondering what to gift a dog owner this year, consider options that are not just fun, but also support training, mental stimulation, and the bond between dog and owner.

Whether your loved one is a seasoned handler, a new puppy parent, or enjoys weekend adventures with their dog, these ideas will help you choose gifts that truly make a difference!

As the colder months arrive and the days shorten, many owners ask: “Can I still take my dog out on walks in snow and icy weather?” or “How do I keep my dog warm on walks when it’s freezing?” Whether you’re heading out for dog walks in Essex, or the neighbouring areas of Harlow, Epping, Hertford and Bishop’s Stortford, it’s absolutely possible to enjoy winter walks - with the right preparation, safety awareness and training mindset!

We’re excited to announce that bookings are now open for our Charity Pack Walk in support of Mind, the mental health charity!

If you’ve ever asked, “My dog is scared of noises” or wondered “how to stop my dog barking at fireworks”, this post is for you. I’ll walk you through research-led strategies for helping dogs scared of fireworks, plus a detailed how-to for sound desensitisation and what to do if your dog is highly fearful.

Box feeding, also known as The Dopamine Box, is a structured training method designed to improve your dog’s focus, promote calmness, and support behavioural change through controlled feeding and engagement.

This approach uses a box or container as a focal point for feeding - a predictable environment that helps the dog learn to self-regulate, stay calm, and build confidence.

We’re so excited to share that this December, ASCENDK9 will be hosting a special charity pack walk in support of Mind, the mental health charity.

If you’ve ever wondered “how to train a touch command” or “how to train my dog touch”, this step-by-step guide will walk you through exactly how to do it.

At ASCENDK9, we help owners in Harlow, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford, Epping and across Essex use fun, practical training like this to make life with their dogs easier and more enjoyable.

If you’ve ever found yourself searching “how to stop my dog pulling” or “how to teach my dog loose lead”, the way you structure your walks is often the missing piece.

At ASCENDK9, we work with owners across Harlow, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford and the wider Essex area to make walks more enjoyable and purposeful… so here’s how you can start doing the same!

One of the most common questions I hear is: “When should I start training my puppy?” The short answer: as soon as you bring them home - which is typically around 8 weeks of age!