This month in training: March 2026

Every hearing dog experiences travelling by public transport during their training in case their future deaf partner travels by bus or train.

It's so important Carley feels comfortable with the unusual sounds and movements of the bus, as we want her to be a very relaxed passenger when accompanying her partner.

Carley did brilliantly and we're so proud of her.

Shopping with their deaf partners will be an everyday task for Nimbus and Taylor once they’ve qualified, so it's vital they feel confident everywhere they go.

Nimbus showed great focus on his volunteer trainer as they explored the aisles at the supermarket and he wasn't fazed by any of the in-store distractions, like trolleys or treats.

Miniature Poodle Taylor’s adventure took her to a shopping centre, and she was a superstar, settling beautifully in a busy environment.

Our very cute Miniature Poodle has settled in brilliantly with her volunteer puppy trainer and is zooming into puppy classes!

With lots of exploring and playing in store, Zalia has also been learning her basic cues like 'Sit' and ‘Wait’.

Here she is showing off everything she's learnt - well done, Zalia.

He's learning his soundwork in the final stages of his hearing dog training and is doing a brilliant job.

When Barney hears the cooker timer go off, he alerts his volunteer dog trainer by nudging them with his nose to get their attention, before leading them to the sound with a big smile on his face.

Richie has taken a giant step towards changing a deaf person's life after passing the third stage of his hearing dog training!

This means Richie is now getting ready to start the final part of training, where he will focus on learning how to alert his future deaf partner to sounds like the doorbell, cooker timer and smoke alarm.

Our clever Cocker Spaniel has done a fantastic job gaining experience in the public places he will visit with his future partner, as well as getting used to travelling on public transport.

You may remember a story we shared last year about Cocker Spaniel Watson helping to save the life of his volunteer dog trainer, Jeannette, as she was having a heart attack...

We are so proud to let you know that wonderful Watson has now passed his training assessment and is going to be a life-changing hearing dog!

Watson has had a wonderful team throughout his training and a huge thank you must go to volunteer trainers Jeannette and Gwen for guiding him through every stage of his journey.

Back in June, Jeannette, began to feel unwell after returning home from a training class, so sat down on the sofa.

Jeannette explained: “Watson is usually a really chilled dog so I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t stop nudging me. I tried to go upstairs and lie down, but he blocked the stairs by standing in front of them. In the end, I gave up and sat back down on the sofa.”

What happened next was extraordinary. Watson went into the garden and started barking persistently, something completely out of character. “That got my neighbour, Sue’s attention”, explained Jeannette.

“She knew that Watson didn’t usually bark, so came round to investigate. She told me I didn’t look well and, despite me protesting that it was just indigestion, she called an ambulance.”

Paramedics arrived within minutes and, after an ECG, confirmed that Jeannette was having a heart attack. She was rushed to hospital where she underwent emergency surgery to have a stent fitted.

Jeannette added: “The doctors told me that there is a ‘golden hour’ when you have a heart attack and that if I had got to hospital half an hour later, there could’ve been a very different outcome.”