Limavady woman turns inspiring Crufts experience into dog training career

A young rescue dog owner from Limavady has been inspired by her experience of competing at Crufts in March 2025 to help other canine owners through her new Coleraine-based dog training business.

Jessica Gibson achieved her dream of competing at Crufts at the age of 19 alongside her rescue dog, Zola, in the Young Kennel Club Graduate Agility Finals.

Through her new venture, A to Z Dog Training, she now works with local dog owners to improve obedience, teach tricks, address behavioural issues and develop agility skills.

Her experience of training and competing with Zola at such a high level has inspired Jessica to help other dogs and their owners build confidence and enjoy the training process together.

Jessica explained how she first discovered her passion for dog training and how it has now led her to pursue a new career:

“Competing at Crufts with my rescue dog, Zola, was an incredible experience and something I’m very proud of!

“When I first adopted Zola she struggled with reactivity, so training her and helping her build confidence was a big journey for both of us and making it all the way to Crufts to compete in the YKC Graduate Agility Finals was an amazing achievement to highlight how far we have come. 

“Working through those challenges together really sparked my interest in dog training and behaviour.

“It showed me how much progress dogs can make with the right training and understanding, and it inspired me to help other owners who may be experiencing similar challenges with their dogs or for those who just want to have some fun for their dog and try a new skill; training is for everyone!"

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Jessica shared that the success found competing with Zola at a high level has led her in an unexpected career path and she has been motivated to assist other dogs and their owners to improve their daily activities through her new business:

“I launched my dog training business, A to Z Dog Training, in November 2025 and I’m mainly based in the Coleraine area.

“I work with local dog owners on a range of training including obedience training, trick training, agility and helping dogs with behavioural issues such as reactivity.

“Many of the owners I work with are dealing with common challenges such as pulling on the lead, poor recall, over-excitement around other dogs or reactivity.

“I believe the key to improving behaviour is patience, consistency and positive training methods.

“Every dog is different, so it’s important to understand the individual dog and what motivates them but every dog has the potential to thrive with the right training.

“I focus on helping owners learn how to communicate clearly with their dogs so that training becomes something both the dog and owner enjoy.

“When owners understand their dogs better, it can make a huge difference to their relationship.”

Jessica is eager to promote the sport of agility training within the local area, with the knowledge from her own experiences that it develops good behavioural techniques and skills for dogs; she said:

“I currently offer one-to-one training sessions tailored to each dog and owner, and I also have a number of upcoming group classes so there will be opportunities for dogs of all abilities to get involved in training.

“Alongside behaviour and obedience work, I am also passionate about agility training, which can be a great way for dogs to build confidence, develop focus and enjoy working closely with their owners.

“My own experience competing at Crufts with Zola in the Young Kennel Club agility competition has given me a real appreciation for the sport and how beneficial it can be for dogs both physically and mentally.

“I am also a member of the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants, which promotes ethical, science-based training methods.

“My aim is to help dogs and owners build confidence together so that everyday things like walks, meeting other dogs and training become enjoyable experiences for both.”

Jessica highlighted her hopes to compete with Zola in the future and potentially with the new member to her canine family! She explained further:

“Starting my own training business has felt like a natural progression after competing at Crufts with Zola.

“That experience showed me how much I enjoy training and working with dogs.

“Zola is currently recovering from an injury so she isn’t competing in agility at the moment, but I’m hoping she’ll be back to it once she has fully recovered.

“Her wellbeing comes first, I love Zola first and the sport second; the same goes for all my clients, I always put the dog and their wellbeing above everything else.

“Since Crufts, I have also adopted another rescue border collie called Archer, who has recently turned one year old and is already showing lots of potential for agility in the future.

“I’m excited to see how he progresses as he continues his training.”

Further information on A to Z Dog Training with Jessica can be found at their Facebook page.