Beyond the Lure : Training Foundations for 2025
Learn from the renowned behaviourist Sarah Whitehead to think beyond the lure and rethink how we're introducing dogs and owners to dog training... its time to rewrite the textbook.
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What happens when you take a rescue dog with no training history, zero prep… and start teaching core skills using no luring at all?
That’s exactly what Sarah Whitehead sets out to explore in this 7-day challenge, filmed live with real rescue dogs at Battersea Cats and Dogs Home. No rehearsals, no edits… just the real process of training unfolding as it happens.
Beyond the Lure gives you a front-row seat to an ethical, evidence-based approach to teaching essential behaviours—without using food as a prompt. You’ll see how to build real communication and clarity through shaping, capturing, and environmental setup, even when the dog has no idea what the game is.
What’s In The Course?
Each day, you’ll join Sarah as she works with a brand-new rescue dog she’s never met before. You’ll get one practical challenge to watch and try, plus a professional debrief that explains what happened, what worked, and why it matters.
This is a rare, unfiltered look at skill-building with dogs who come with no baggage—or training history. And that’s exactly the point.
Daily Challenges Cover:
- Loose-Lead Walking – Calm, connected movement without bribes or prompts
- Play – Finding and developing appropriate, mutual play with a new dog
- Attention – Building engagement without coercion or cue-stacking
- Down – Teaching stillness without pushing, pulling, or pointing
- Settle – Helping dogs learn to regulate, relax, and stay put
- Catch – Capturing joy, timing, and spontaneity
- Bonus Debriefs – Honest reflections, insights, and troubleshooting from Sarah after each session
Who Is This Course For?
- Professional dog trainers wanting to expand beyond lure-based methods
- Behaviourists seeking cleaner foundations and more ethical clarity
- Rescue staff and volunteers working with untrained or reactive dogs
- Anyone curious about shaping, capturing, and clean training
What You’ll Get
- 7 video-based challenges + professional debriefs
- Real dogs. Real situations. No polish, no edits—just honest, effective training
- Certificate of Completion
- Access to one of the UK’s most respected behaviourists at work via Facebook Live sessions
Ready to watch great training unfold—ethically, practically, and in real time?
Go beyond the lure. Join the challenge today.
Your Instructor
At the start of Sarahs career, she was lucky enough to be mentored by, and then work alongside, John Fisher – the original ‘dog whisperer’.
As a result of John’s experience, knowledge and support, she succeeded in building a career that had my heart and soul at its very centre. Nearly 30 years on, and she is still just as passionate about helping dogs, cats and their owners, using kind, force-free methods, and getting great results using the science and art of positive reinforcement.
She help others to fulfill their potential as trainers and behaviourists, through education, coaching, mentoring and occasional hand-holding, (because sometimes the very best trainers seem to lack confidence in themselves).
The reality is that to be a brilliant behaviourist, you need to be an exceptional dog trainer. And to be a superlative trainer, you need to understand behaviour inside and out.
Sarah is here to help and guide you with both.