About Me - Paws Up Dogs

Hi, I’m Holly

Dr Holly Tett | Clinical Psychologist, Dog Behaviourist and Dog Business Coach

I CAN SUPPORT YOU IF…

You’re a dog guardian who wants to navigate challenges and build a stronger connection with your dog.

You’re a dog professional who loves your work but wants to build a sustainable business without the overwhelm.

You’re looking for a therapist who’ll understand, support you and actually respond like a human being.

Whatever brought you here, I’m glad you found me.

Behaviour doesn’t happen for no reason.

Whether we’re talking about dogs or humans, emotion drives behaviour.

When your dog feels frightened, frustrated or overwhelmed, those emotions can show up as barking, pulling on the lead, struggling with recall, reactivity or more.

And when you’re feeling worried, overwhelmed or unsure of yourself, even the best training advice can be difficult to put into practice.

That’s why supporting your dog is so much more than just training.

They need to feel safe and confident, and so do we as their caregivers.

When dogs and people feel safe, understood and supported, we can create realistic plans that work for both sides of the relationship and move towards positive change.

Kindness Is Essential, Not Optional.

It’s integral to my approach to dog behaviour support, the psychology I bring to business coaching and the way I work with people in therapy too.

It’s also the message behind our annual KIENO Conference, which has reached thousands of dog lovers around the world.

CHOOSE YOUR JOURNEY

DOG GUARDIANS

For the people who love their dogs, even when life together is really hard

I didn’t get into dog behaviour because I had a wonderfully well-adjusted dog and wanted to teach everyone else how to achieve the same.

I got into it because of Riggs.

Back in 2009, he struggled with pretty much everything: people, dogs, noises, being left alone, even relaxing at home. Sometimes he’d just sit and bark at us because settling seemed impossible.

It was exhausting and upsetting. I couldn’t imagine what a genuinely happy life together might look like.

If I could go back and speak to past me, I’d let myself know that things wouldn’t just get better…

they’d get really, really good!

Years later, we have a wonderful life together. We’ve navigated serious health problems alongside his emotional difficulties, and Riggs has taught me more about resilience than I could ever have imagined. It’s something I’ve drawn on through difficult times of my own, and I can’t thank him enough for that.

So when I work with someone who’s struggling with their dog, I know it’s rarely just about the behaviour. It’s about the worry, the exhaustion, the guilt and the life you hoped you’d have together.

And I know how extraordinary it feels when that life starts to become possible.

DOG PROFESSIONALS

I’ll help you build an ethical business that looks after your clients AND you, too

Supporting you to see exactly where you are holding yourself back (and break through it!) is integral to making progress.

When I started my own business, I’d only ever worked for someone else. There was plenty to learn, but figuring out the practicalities was only half the challenge. The other half was believing I could actually do it.

I grew up in difficult circumstances and entered adulthood carrying a lot of unhealed trauma. That showed up as self-doubt, and I repeatedly found myself self-sabotaging my business whenever I got close to a breakthrough.

I see this with so many dog professionals. They’re FANTASTIC trainers, dog walkers and healthcare professionals, but a lack of confidence can hold them back.

You can be excellent at what you do and still question whether you’re capable of taking the next step.

For me, seeing other incredible women building incredible businesses gave me the confidence to think, if they can do it, I can do it.

The best advice I received??

Don’t wait to feel ready.

Don’t wait for the magic strategy.

Don’t wait for the perfect plan.

This is where having a business coach who’s also a Clinical Psychologist can be so helpful.

We need business strategy, but we also need the emotional support to put it into practice.

I’ll help you build a business that reflects your values, beliefs and the difference you want to make for dogs and their people. Not someone else’s version of success, but something that feels genuinely yours.

PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPY

If you’re looking for a therapist who feels like an actual person…

Sometimes life is just really bloody hard, and we need somewhere safe to bring the things we’re struggling with.

My approach to therapy is warm, open and responsive. I’ll support you when things are really crap, laugh with you when you need some light relief, and be honest with you too. Sometimes that means challenging you, because making progress doesn’t always mean agreement.

And I won’t sit opposite you with a deadpan expression while you wonder whether you’ve said something ridiculous.

I’ve experienced trauma, PTSD and depression, and I live with ADHD. I don’t pretend that means I know how you feel. Your experiences are your own, and therapy is about you, not me. But I do understand something of what it takes to find your way through difficult times.

Above all, I want you to feel safe enough to be yourself, even the parts you find difficult to share elsewhere.

We’ll work together to understand what’s happening and find a way forward.

BEHIND THE SCENES

A little more about life behind the scenes

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably gathered that I’m interested in how minds work, how relationships develop and why we do the things we do… which is useful, because my own brain is rarely quiet.

I’m usually juggling so many new ideas that there isn’t always much room left for the everyday stuff. It’s why I manage to lock myself out of my house at least once a week. Genuinely. I can remember the important things, but apparently remembering to take my keys is a step too far.

I also have a fairly classic British sense of humour (sarcastic, self-deprecating and occasionally “inappropriate”) and an uncanny ability to read a room in about 1.2 seconds.

And then, of course, there are my lovely dogs.

Riggs is my cuddle-bug and shadow, and apparently I require supervision for absolutely every activity!

Aya still does her puppy bounce when she wants to play, which is quite a sight when you’re watching 65kg of dog throw herself into a play bow. She’s also my kind and caring assistance dog, for which I am very grateful

Strudel has the happiest 360-degree windmill tail I’ve ever seen, and does that adorable head tilt when she’s trying to figure something out

Squid is ALWAYS up for fun when you ask and loves to be cuddled up close

They’re all completely different, and that’s what I love about them.

The connection we share with dogs goes so much deeper than their breed, age or what anyone thinks they should be like. It’s about understanding and appreciating the individual in front of you.

Which, when you think about it, is a pretty good approach for people too.

The Experience & Qualifications That I Bring

Clinical Psychologist · Animal Behaviourist · APDT Member · Canine First Aid Trained

COME AS YOU ARE.

Whether you’re here because life with your dog feels difficult, running your business is getting inside your head, or you’re looking for support with something more personal, you don’t need to have everything figured out before we meet.

Just get it all out of your head in a judgement-free setting and we’ll come up with a plan togerher.