Luna & Inca’s Journey: From Pulled Walks to Peaceful Strolls

Natasha walking Luna and Inca

I had the pleasure of working closely with Natasha and her two beautiful dogs, Luna and Inca, through a series of one-to-one training sessions. The main focus was on Luna—a young, bright, and typically bouncy black Labrador—with Inca, her older and more reserved sister, joining in later to round out the team training experience.

Meet Luna & Inca

Luna is everything you’d expect from a young Labrador: full of energy, enthusiasm, and a love for life that sometimes tipped over into distraction—especially when her big sister, Inca, was around. Natasha reached out for help with Luna’s loose lead walking, recall, and general ability to disengage from Inca during walks and at home. Inca herself needed some work on her own lead manners, and Natasha hoped to be able to walk both girls together calmly and confidently.

Building the Basics

We kicked things off with Luna by focusing on connection. We introduced simple focus games to help her tune into Natasha, laying the foundation for all future training. From there, we built value into heel positions and introduced a recall cue, all within the controlled environment of the garden. Luna responded beautifully—she’s a sharp thinker and quick to learn when motivated and engaged.

Once Luna had a solid grasp of the basics, we transferred our work into real-life walks. This step is where it really counts—and where Luna began to shine.

Helping Inca Catch Up

Inca, ever the calm counterpart to Luna’s exuberance, joined the sessions so we could teach her the same cues and techniques. Her focus was on improving her heel work and overall lead manners, which she picked up steadily with patience and guidance.

With both girls working beautifully one-on-one, we then brought them together. Watching Natasha walk both dogs side by side in a relaxed heel to the field—rather than being pulled in two directions—was a real “pinch me” moment. The transformation in their walks was nothing short of incredible.

Finding Calm at Home

While Luna’s outdoor progress was impressive, we also addressed her indoor behaviour. Like many young dogs, Luna sometimes struggled with calmness—especially when visitors came over. She’d often seek out Inca for stimulation, even when Inca clearly wasn’t up for play.

We worked on structured settle training, giving Luna a clear “place” to go when things got exciting. We also introduced bonding games to help her redirect her energy toward her owners, rather than pestering Inca. These small but powerful changes helped Luna better manage her excitement and build a stronger, more cooperative relationship with Natasha and Inca.

The Power of Progress

It’s been an honour to support Natasha, Luna, and Inca through this journey. Luna has grown into a focused, responsive young dog with clear cues and expectations. Inca has embraced her role in the team while enjoying calmer, more connected walks. And Natasha? She now walks both dogs with confidence, calmness, and joy.

This kind of transformation doesn’t happen overnight—it takes consistency, patience, and trust. But as Luna and Inca have shown, the results are absolutely worth it.

Well done, team—what a summer it’s been!