Learn • Reflect • Thrive

The Mindful Dog Trainer – Terms & Conditions

(Mars & Spence Mentoring: partnership between Laura Mars and Colin Spence)

1. Programme Overview The Mindful Dog Trainer is a six-month professional mentoring journey designed to help dog trainers grow in confidence, clarity, and compassion. It develops reflective practice, emotional intelligence, and ethical business skills. It is not an accredited qualification or therapeutic service but a reflective learning experience.

2. Programme Structure Live mentoring sessions three weeks out of four, led alternately by Laura or Colin One monthly peer-to-peer reflection meeting Access to pre-recorded lessons, reflective workbooks, and decision-making tools between sessions Delivered via Zoom in a supportive, confidential environment Sessions are not recorded to protect openness and privacy

3. Confidentiality All sessions are confidential. Participants agree to: Avoid recording or sharing any session content Respect others’ privacy and stories Mars & Spence uphold the same confidentiality standard, except where disclosure is required by law.

4. Respect & Safe Space This programme is built on kindness, curiosity, and collaboration. Participants agree to engage respectfully, communicate inclusively, and avoid self-promotion within sessions. Breaches of these expectations may result in removal from the programme without refund.

5. Payment & Refunds The total investment for the programme is as stated on the Mars & Spence website or enrolment page at the time of booking. Payment may be made in full or via agreed instalments. Due to the small-group nature and limited spaces, payments are non-refundable once confirmed. Each space is personalised and cannot be transferred mid-programme. We’re always open to compassionate conversations if circumstances change, but financial adjustments can’t be guaranteed.

6. Copyright & Intellectual Property All materials, frameworks, and resources remain the intellectual property of Mars & Spence. They are provided for your personal and professional development only and may not be copied, shared, or adapted without written consent. Please credit Mars & Spence when referencing frameworks publicly.

7. Attendance, Commitment & Changes The Mindful Dog Trainer blends pre-recorded lessons, reflective workbooks, decision-making tools, and live mentoring to help you apply theory to practice. We ask mentees to engage fully - completing exercises, using the tools, and attending live sessions where possible. If you miss a session, that’s your choice. Life happens. Please note that sessions are not recorded and missed sessions cannot be replayed or refunded. If Laura or Colin need to postpone a session due to illness or unforeseen circumstances, it will be rescheduled as soon as possible. Because the programme is a continuous journey with limited places, no refunds are given for rescheduled or missed sessions.

8. Boundaries & Communication We keep clear boundaries to protect everyone’s wellbeing. Emails and messages are answered within normal working hours (Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–5 p.m.). Mentoring takes place within scheduled sessions, not via ongoing message support.

9. Liability Disclaimer Guidance is offered in good faith and based on professional experience. Participants remain responsible for how they apply learning in their own practice. Mars & Spence accept no liability for outcomes resulting from participants’ decisions or actions.

10. Data & Privacy Your personal details are collected solely for programme administration and communication, in line with UK GDPR.

11. Agreement By enrolling in The Mindful Dog Trainer, you confirm that you have read and agree to these Terms & Conditions and will participate with integrity, kindness, and professionalism.

Join the Dog Trainers Haven FREE Facebook Group

A kind, safe, and supportive group for ethical dog trainers. Share, reflect, and grow in community with others who get it.

What You’ll Gain

  • More grounded, calmer client sessions

  • Real, long-term confidence in your approach.

  • A toolkit of reflective, mindful, ethical practices.

  • Resilience to face emotional or challenging cases.

  • A values-centred, thriving dog training practice.

What You’ll Receive

Each and every month:

What You Need to Get Real, Long Lasting Confidence in Your Work

  • 3 × 2-hour Reflective Supervision & Mentoring Sessions with Laura Mars & Colin Spence. Reflect on learning, discuss real cases, receive feedback.

  • Peer-to-Peer Support Group (small cohort, max 15). Monthly reflection sessions.

  • Confidential Space. Sessions unrecorded to ensure open, honest dialogue.

  • Reflection & Consolidation Weeks. Dedicated pauses each month to embed learning.

Limited Time Bonus: Burnout: Managing Your Nervous System Before It Manages You by Dr Claire Plumbly, Clinical Psychologist & Author

Starts on: [Insert start date]
Reflective Supervision sessions held weekly on: [Insert day/time]

Bonuses:

  • Understand trauma’s impact on dogs and how it shapes behaviour and learning.

  • Support guardians with empathy to create safety, trust, and progress in training.

  • Protect your own wellbeing as a trainer by practising self-care and emotional awareness.

  • Set clear income goals by calculating exactly what your business needs to earn.

  • Plan your ideal schedule with a default diary that balances time and profit.

  • Price with confidence using data-driven guide rates for packages, 1:1s, and classes.

  • Bridge the gap between learning and doing through guided reflection and integration.

  • Build lasting confidence by consolidating knowledge into real-world practice.

  • Thrive ethically and sustainably with deeper self-awareness and professional clarity.

What Is In The Mentorship Syllabus

Lovely Things Our Members Say About Us ❤️

Sign Up Today For Just £2500 £1600

or 6 Monthly Payments of £460 £287

Reminder of what you get when you join:

  • Reflective mentoring sessions with two experienced, ethical trainers

  • Access to a private peer group of like-minded professionals

  • A growing library of resources, tools, and business tips

  • Monthly mindfulness and practice prompts

  • Guest expert sessions on psychology, wellbeing, and education

  • A safe space to grow with honesty, compassion, and support

Spaces are strictly capped at 15 mentees per cohort to maintain depth, safety, and connection.

Starts on: 13 January 2026
Reflective Supervision sessions held weekly on: Tuesdays 7pm

Who This Is (And Isn’t) For

This is for you if you:

  • Have completed training but feel uneasy putting theory into practice

  • Have completed training but feel uneasy putting theory into practice

  • Have completed training but feel uneasy putting theory into practice

  • Wish to understand clients (and yourself) at a deeper level

  • Crave mentorship and community, not isolation

This is NOT for you if you:

  • Want quick fixes or magic-bullet methods

  • Prefer coercive, dominance-based training

  • Are unwilling to self-reflect as much as you train others

  • Just seek business tricks without grounding in ethics and growth

About Your Guides – Laura Mars & Colin Spence

MEET THE Mentor

Laura Mars

MEET THE Mentor

Laura Mars

Laura is a force-free, evidence-based dog behaviour specialist based in South Somerset. With a background in social work and adult learning, she is uniquely placed to mentor trainers not only in dog behaviour, but in how humans learn, reflect, and grow.

For the past three years, she has mentored both aspiring and qualified dog trainers, helping them grow in confidence and develop their practice through reflection, compassion and ethical awareness.

Before entering the canine field, laura spend two decades supporting adult learners to gain their degrees and postgraduate qualifications, deepening their learning through reflective supervision and mentoring.

“Being mentored by Laura Mars has honestly been life-changing. Their support, encouragement and kindness have helped me grow so much in confidence, both as a trainer and as a person. They always create a safe space where you feel heard and valued, and their guidance has had a lasting impact on my journey”

She also integrates coaching skills into dog training, helping mentees bridge the gap between knowledge and real-life application.

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MEET THE Mentor

Colin Spence

MEET THE Mentor

Colin Spence

Colin is a certified behaviour practitioner and founder of Colin’s K9 Training Services.

With over 20 years' hands-on experience, he has worked with a broad range of behavioural issues including aggression, reactivity, separation anxiety, and resource guarding.

He holds a Diploma in Canine Psychology & Behaviour (ISCP), is a scent-work instructor (levels 1–4), has canine first aid certification, and is a member of INTOdogs.

Colin began his career with a reactive, fearful dog of his own, which inspired his journey toward force-free, science-based training.

He brings a grounded, practical, empathic presence to every session.

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Together, Laura and Colin offer a powerful blend of deep reflective practice, lived training experience, and a shared commitment to ethical, force-free learning.

Apply for Your Place

Final Call & Application

Are you ready to stop chasing more credentials and instead become a confident, grounded, ethical dog trainer?
Spaces are limited. Apply now to reserve your place in The Mindful Dog Trainer and begin this transformative six-month journey.

Next Mentorship Starts 13 January 2026

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