Meet the Team
Our trainers, behaviourists & stooge dogs
The Trainers & Behaviourists
Sarah Easterbrook
Director & Head Dog Behaviour Specialist
Monday - Friday 10am - 6:30pm Saturday 10am - 5:30pm
Sarah is a fully qualified Dog Trainer and Behaviourist and she has been working with dogs for over 25 years, having started her journey at the National Animal Welfare Trust and then at The Dog’s Trust. She has been a Professional Member of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP) for over 10 years, affiliated with Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. Sarah’s dog Puck often helps her with behavioural sessions. She is highly experienced with all breeds and all issues and has carried out over 5000 behaviour sessions to date. Sarah is also a qualified Cat & Parrot Behaviourist
Stacie Lawson
Dog Behaviour Specialist & Nutrition Specialist
Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 2pm
Stacie is a Senior Dog Behaviour Specialist with Natural Balance Dog Training, specialising in small dog breeds. Having grown up with small dogs, they have always had a special place in her life. Stacie has worked alongside Sarah since 2008 and covers Hampshire and across the UK. She has achieved a Level 3 Diploma in Animal Management, and works alongside vets in a specialist setting. She is highly experienced having spent years running dog training classes and working with a multitude of behaviour problems.
Stacie also has a background of working with children, young adults and adults with special needs. She can use Makaton and is improving her sign language. Stacie is also our Canine Nutritionist, and is available to help you with any queries regarding your dog's diet and how to ensure they are getting the best of what they need from their food.
Stacie has a Pomeranian called Tink who she has been working with since bringing her home aged 3.5 years old. Tink was very bouncy with other dogs and had a love of chasing squirrels but she is now much calmer, no longer chases small furries and loves her safe, off-lead life. Tink attends sessions with Stacie as a stooge dog when needed.
Kimi Swindells
Dog Behaviour Specialist & Digital Media Manager
Kimi has been working for Natural Balance Dog Training (previously The Pet Experience Training and Behaviour LTD) since 2016 after completing her Dog Training & Behaviour Counselling qualifications at TPE.
Tara is Kimi's Staffordshire Bull Terrier who came to Kimi with aggression to men, dogs, severe chase drive and seperation anxiety. Tara is fully rehabilitated and now attends sessions with Kimi as a stooge dog.
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Kimi has attained vast experience both running classes, training puppies and working with difficult behaviour cases. Kimi is also a full IACP member. Kimi is our Bull Breed Specialist here at Natural Balance Dog Training. She has worked with many dogs but has a particular specialist skill set with 'bull breeds'. Kimi comes from a working dog background as her Dad used to breed and train border collies to be working sheepdogs. She has also owned and worked with horses her whole life. Previously Kimi has also worked as an Animal Control Officer.
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Kimi runs our website and social media at NBDT so you will likely see her on our social platforms or talk to her via the website.
Dave Evans
Dog Behaviour Specialist
Monday - Sunday 8am - 7pm
Dave was brought up with working-line GSD’s then moved on to Rottie’s thirty years ago. Dave has always been fascinated with the training world and has been committed to training his own dogs to an extremely good standard. In 2014 he started to follow & shadow some of the top trainers in the UK and then decided to train full time. He completed our Training & Behaviour Academies and has been working with us since 2019.
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Working-line dogs are his niche along with aggression cases. "The satisfaction of helping dogs through their issues and helping people enjoy ownership is massively satisfying."
Dave is a great believer that the understanding of boundaries and the building of relationships is everything.
"Having the opportunity to join up with Sarah and the team was priceless as behaviour work is so different to just training."
Dave is lucky enough to take Khaleesi and Kai with him on jobs - his four year old Rottweilers - who act as stooges. He finds it especially useful to be able to have the option of which dog to use depending on each situation.
Paige Hall
Dog Behaviour Specialist
Paige has always had a keen interest in dogs, from watching dog behaviour TV shows to researching and learning about dog breeds as a hobby. Paige has previously worked in the childcare industry, and has achieved a Bachelor of Science with Honours in (human) Psychology & Child Development. Deciding as an adult to return to her true passion, learning about & working with dogs, Paige has been a wonderful addition to the team since 2022.
Paige owns four dogs. Thor, an Akita mix who is now 12 years old, came to her with significant behavioural problems and really helped to take her interest in training and behaviour to new levels. Paige has a real passion for large breeds, and her stooge dogs are Cane Corsos. Nova, Aster and Lyra are all well balanced dogs trained using balanced methods from puppyhood and all love their jobs!
Jake Horwood
Dog Behaviour Specialist
Jake has completed his dog behaviour training with Natural balance, spending time shadowing the whole team to experience how they work and what techniques get the best results. Jake has also spent a number of years working part time at rescue centres where he has had the luxury of handling hundreds of dogs, becoming familiar with a wide range of breeds and developing an awareness in their behavioural differences.
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Jake came on board with us in January 2023 and is great asset to our team with his wealth of experience and dedication to helping dogs live their best lives.
Jake’s dog Brutus is a five year old husky GSD cross. Re-homed at the age of one, Brutus came with severe separation anxiety and an extremely high prey drive. His behaviours took a lot of time and energy to resolve but ultimately gave Jake the passion he has to help other people with their dogs.
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Carolynne Amey
Dog Behaviour Specialist
I first fell in love with dogs when my grandad had what seemed at the time, a huge black German Shepherd, Max, who I loved and regularly looked after. Although he was supposed to be a guard dog he was the most friendly, amazing dog and was the reason I fell in love with the German Shepherd
breed. After that I moved on to every girls dream, spending all my spare time with ponies and horses, learning to ride and care for them, from new born foals, breaking in youngsters and taking other people’s horses to shows. When I left school, I went to train and passed my British Horse Society Assistant Instructors exams, enabling me to teach others to ride to a high standard, schooling and dressage.
Over 30 years ago, I got my first own GSD and since then have owned another four of them. My current GSD is the reason I am now training with Natural Balance. Hemi has always been hard work, being nervous and reactive to both people and dogs, it is through training him to get over his fears that has made me realise how much I love learning about dog behavioural issues, how to overcome them and being able to help others owners.
I successfully completed the Training & Behaviour Academies with NBDT, shadowed intensively with Dave and Sarah and have been part of the team since 2021.
Hector Taylor
Dog Behaviour Specialist
Hector began training gun dogs as a boy in Ireland alongside his veterinarian father and has trained his own non-working dogs for the last twenty years. Whilst studying and training with Natural Balance, Hector also took up dog-boarding and became familiar with a wide range of breeds and their behavioural differences. He has shadowed and worked with different trainers across the company to ensure a great understanding of the best techniques and approaches in training both dogs and their owners.
Hector currently has two stooge dogs; a Sprussell called Lochie and a Jackapoo called Chula. He gets huge satisfaction witnessing owners, who were at their wits’ end with their dog’s behaviour, now seeing their dogs and their own lives transformed by our work.
The Stooge Dogs
Puck
Sarah's French Bulldog
​​Puck - I have had Puck from a puppy having wanted a Frenchie for many years and doing lots of research on good breeders to ensure he was healthy and from good stock. He was a very difficult puppy due to the Bulldog stubborn streak and also due to his high-intensity drive which is very common in the breed. I had to work very hard to train a Give and Leave command as his play drive can be very intense, but I have taught him an excellent “off switch” so he has learnt to stop play instantly when I need him to. Puck’s chase and kill drive was also extreme and required E-collar training to prevent livestock chasing and killing prey animals. He did learn this very quickly though and is now completely reliable around prey animals and has been for many years. He has been my working dog for around 4 years now and comes to most of my sessions to help with dog-aggressive dogs and dogs that struggle to recall from play. He is so calm around other dogs and a great asset to the training and behaviour work we do.
Khaleesi
Dave's Rottweiler
Both Khaleesi & Kai were purchased as pups and as you can see only two months apart in age. The first year was a massive challenge to avoid the famous “littermate syndrome” becoming an issue.
Both such different animals, so have needed a totally different approach with training methods. At just over four years old they have matured into well rounded dogs loving the stooge role that they now do.
That’s not to say they haven’t had issues to deal with along the way.
Khaleesi has insane drive and loved to chase, specifically livestock. She will now walk through a field of sheep off lead and is totally engaged with me and has no interest in livestock at all.
Both became parents six months ago so there are now five fantastic pups out there who will be as great as mum and dad, provided the work is put in. Relationship is everything.
Kai
Dave's Rottweiler
Both were purchased as pups and as you can see only two months apart in age. The first year was a massive challenge to avoid the famous “littermate syndrome” becoming an issue.
Both such different animals, so have needed a totally different approach with training methods. At just over four years old they have matured into well rounded dogs loving the stooge role that they now do.
That’s not to say they haven’t had issues to deal with along the way.
Kai, who is an intact male, has had reactivity issues with certain other males which we have worked through together and he has made so much progress with this, he makes me so proud.
Both became parents six months ago so there are now five fantastic pups out there who will be as great as mum and dad, provided the work is put in. Relationship is everything.
Tink
Stacie's Pomeranian
Stacie has owned Tink since August 2021. Before Stacie had her, Tink was a show dog, having previously shown at Crufts. She now works as a stooge dog in little dog sessions. She loved a chase of small furries and birds, and had anxiety with other dogs and nervous with new people. She now lives a life off lead safe and happy and not chasing anything anymore.
She adjusted and learnt a new way of life, going on walks, living indoors full time, even learning to sit or lie down on cue was something brand new to her. Now she will do all of her tricks to get food!
Tara
Kimi's Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Kimi has owned Tara since 2016 after she was given up for adoption.
Tara was aggressive to men, dogs, had a very severe chase drive (mainly squirrels), separation anxiety and a severe phobia of the car. She also pulled on the lead and had previously been on a harness which has caused her to now have arthritis in both her shoulders.
Kimi has resolved all of these behaviours and Tara works alongside Kimi as a stooge dog where she has demonstrated for all class levels and is used to help rehabilitate aggressive dogs.
Thor
Paige's Akita Mix
Thor is a mixed breed senior dog, who has been a much loved member of the family since 18 months old when he was given to Paige by owners who were no longer able to handle his behaviour. He had severe reactivity issues to people, dogs and small animals. Paige has continued to work through his issues and he has been able to meet and accept new dogs, people and small animals including cats and rabbits. He is a senior dog and is suffering with his joints and mobility due to his age, so he won't be seen on pack walks or training sessions, but behind the scenes he is still a much-loved family member and arm-chair warmer.
Nova
Paige's Cane Corso
Nova is a purebred Cane Corso who is friendly with people and dogs, enjoys her training and mostly is happy to attend almost anything! She is well balanced with people and animals, enjoyed her foundations of scentwork training and is undergoing further obedience training. Nova will be joining Paige on pack walks, and will be training to become a stooge dog when she is mature.
Aster
Paige's Cane Corso
Aster is currently playing the adorable puppy role in Paige's home! She is undertaking her basic obedience training at present which she is enjoying! Aster is a very friendly puppy and gets zoomies all the time!
Brutus
Jake's German Shepherd Husky cross
Brutus is Jakes stooge dog and was re-homed at the age of one. Brutus came with a range of behavioural issues that presented a huge amount of challenges and required a lot of time to fix. He is now a well balanced stooge who loves meeting new dogs on pack walks.
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