Meet The Team Behind Nova Dog Training

Professional Community Friendly Educated

We have already used other dog trainers before, how do we know you will be different to the rest?

Our training methods have been tried and tested with a number of different behavioural issues, each being individual to match the owners and their dogs needs. Our aim is to educate and tackle challenges as a team, using methods that will be successful!

This is not just dog training, but educating you, as an owner, in order to be independent and confident to apply your learnt knowledge throughout your dogs life.

At Nova Dog Training, we promise life changing results, not temporary fixes...

Ellie Sparrow

Head Trainer & Founder

I began working professionally with animals at 16, later opening my own dog walking and sitting business alongside my studies. This gave me invaluable hands-on experience and shaped my calm, patient approach with every dog I work with. My passion for training truly grew when I began working through behaviour challenges with my family Doberman, Lexi. Without a solid foundation, she became reactive and lacked confidence. Our journey transformed my understanding of behaviour, and through structure, consistency and education, Lexi is now a confident, fulfilled dog who inspires everything I do. I understand how overwhelming behaviour struggles can feel—constantly scanning your surroundings, dreading walks, and feeling hopeless. But I also know that real progress is achievable with the right guidance. Nova Dog Training is all about new beginnings. My goal is to help owners build confidence, understanding and genuine connection with their dogs, creating long-lasting results and happier lives together.

Elana Holloway

Dog Walker & Junior Dog Trainer

I have a strong background in animal care and welfare, developed from a young age. Over the years, I have gained hands on experience working alongside Ellie, carrying out dog walking and pet sitting services. I have also volunteered in Africa where I took part in demonstrations with working dogs and research on African wildlife. Through consistency and continued learning, I developed a strong understanding of the importance and benefits of training my own animals. This includes my horse, Bonnie, and my mixed-breed puppy, Lottie, who is the most recent addition to my family. I particularly enjoy the process of confidence building, exposure work, and allowing animals to perform their natural behaviours, and seeing how this transforms their mindset and daily life. I am passionate about providing safe, reliable and personalised care for every pet. Understanding that trust, routine and individual care is very important. Outside of dogs, I also take particular interest in reptiles, birds and small mammals!

MEET THE STAFF PETS

How Our Dog Training Works

Free Consultation

You can book this by contacting us through phone, email or social media. There is also a booking system here on our website for you to fill out, allowing you to book a time and date to suit you.

This gives you an opportunity to tell us how you would like Nova Dog Training to help you and your dog.

Book Consultation

Another month nearly over - finishing with some lovely weather. Here are some beautiful Nova pups from this month 🤍

Breed fulfilment is the key to great obedience 🐾

Take a look at one of our gundog themed 1-to-1 training sessions!

Hours and hours of walks simply aren’t enough for working breeds - they are bred to have a high drive and worth ethic, give your pup activities which tune into their genetic traits. You wouldn’t believe that even a 30 minute session of breed fulfilment and training, would tire your dog out more than a 2 hour walk…

Drop us a message if you want a stronger relationship and fun, structured walks with your working breed 🐾

After a busy April coming to an end - enjoy some pictures of the pups. We are so unbelievably lucky to spend every day with the best friends anyone could ask for 🐾

Circle of calm gundog game 🐾

This is a fun and challenging game you can do with your gundog breed.

What will you need for this and how to adapt it:
- A strong sit stay and distance
- If their sits are being broken, go back down a step and work on one dummy at a time
- Challenge them more with an over head throw, this one is testing!

To finish, I did a couple repetitions of throwing a ball instead of dummy’s. For Archie, a ball holds a lot more value than the dummy’s.

He LOVES a ball, but he is also able to maintain his sit without being held. This shows his impulse control is a learnt skill, no matter what is being thrown. Low or high value.

Smashed it 💪🏼

Guidance and boundaries are the key to solving reactivity 🐶

By showing our dog what we expect from them when passing other dogs, this includes rewarding for disengaging, engaging back to handler and being neutral - this sets them up for success.

The importance of a strong loose lead walk is often underestimated, in order for your dog to become neutral they must be with you rather than in front of you.

With pulling and a general lack of engagement this encourages fixation, leading to reacting.

We must change how our dog views their triggers, this can only be done if we are walking with our dog rather than being walked by them!

If you struggle with reactivity, drop us a message and claim your FREE consultation now 🐾

Gundog style games 🐾

How to improve impulse control using thrown dummy’s/toys:

- Use a lead to assist
- Repetition after repetition
- Dropping the lead midway through the game when you are getting consistent sits whilst holding the lead (pups are very smart, and they know when the lead has been dropped, so best to do this sneakily)
- Make each game a little more challenging

Self control will encourage impulse control, which will set your dog up for success and is the foundations you need in a dog - no matter the breed or behaviours.

Impulse control is used absolutely everywhere in each different environment and real life scenarios.

Here at Nova Dog Training - Archie has gundog style walks and confidence building. Focusing on breed fulfilment and encouraging good behaviours.

Safe to say he has the best time - and continues to improve more and more each session 🐾

Bella’s owner is a lovely older lady, Bella’s pulling and reactions towards cars were beginning to put both of them at risk.

It was important to help Bella understand what behaviours are expected instead of reacting - while keeping both her and her owner safe and confident on walks.

Because of this, walks had started to become difficult for her owner, and Bella was being taken out less and less.

Our goal was to rebuild that confidence by improving her lead manners and teaching her that reacting to cars isn’t appropriate — while also giving her a clear, positive alternative behaviour to choose instead.

Bella has low motivation towards both toys and food, so we focused on using praise, reassurance, and affection as her main rewards, helping her feel safe and supported throughout the process.

We still have more work to do, but we’re on the right track — working towards calm, enjoyable walks where Bella can truly relax and decompress in her environment 🐾

Brilliant work during a training class here at Nova Dog Training 🐾

We would love to see more of you as our community grows - please get in touch to join our weekly classes, working on a number of different skills and activities which will benefit your dog’s progression 💪🏼

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