I currently have a 14 year old Cavalier, a 3 year old rescue lurcher (collie x whippet) and a 1 year old Tibetan Terrier. I owned a Golden Retriever for 11 years until recently so coupled with the lots of different breeds I have taught in my classes I have lots of experience with dogs of all sizes and breeds.

I began  studying canine behaviour professionaly in 1998. I already have a degree which I studied through the Open University concentrating on  human psychology and sociology. Dogs somehow seem far more interesting, very misunderstood by the general public  so I switched my attention to them!

I was one of the first tutors to be trained by Gwen Bailey when she set up Puppy School in 2002. Gwen was the chief behaviourist at the Blue Cross and through her work with countless rescue dogs she realised that with better early socialisation and basic training many more dogs would remain in their home and not be given up for rescue due to behaviour  problems. She set up Puppy School to provide a nationwide network of tutors to provide classes that taught owners how to teach basic commands and manners  in a kind gentle way and give their puppy the chance to play, socialise and interact with other young pups. 

Gwen has written 9 books on animal behaviour and lectures in the UK and internationally.

As part of our Puppy School training and continuing professional development Gwen Bailey runs courses twice yearly for tutors covering canine behaviour problems so we are well equipped to deal with any problems that may arise with pups in class and help older dogs too! These courses are practical as well as academic and we have problem dogs with us to work with and improve our handling skills.

I  have completed all of them now and they covered:

Problems associated with 2 pups from the same litter, problems with having 2 or more dogs, mouthing, chewing, frustration, adolescence, escaping and wandering, housetraining issues, bad manners, attention seeking, food stealing and puppy farmed dogs.

Inappropriate chase problems, stereotypical behaviours, obsessive compulsive behaviours, excessive barking, car travel problems, coprophagia, pica and elderley dog problems.

Aggression towards people

Aggression towards other dogs  

Food aggression

Seperation Anxiety

Fearful behaviours and Phobias 

Puppy School also has a regular conference where professional development activities are run. One year we visited Shaun Ellis and his pack of wolves in Devon where we learned to howl like a pack of wolves and respond when the real wolves howled back - amazing. The following day we attended a lecture given by Shaun about his work raising his orphaned wolf pack and this sparked lots of interest and debate about the relevence of wolf behaviours in our domestic dogs!

As well as running the training and socialisation classes I trained as a canine hydrotherapist and set up and ran Vale Hydrotherapy in Challow, nr Wantage.  The pool is now owned by a veterinary nurse Emma Barnard as I retired from hydrotherapy in June 2008 to continue studying canine behaviour.

I became a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers in 2007. I think it is very important that dogs are treated with respect and not subjected to old fashioned, punitive training methods. We now know so much more about how dogs (and other animals ) learn effectively by using reward based methods and the APDT like Puppy School is commited to using only these kind and fair techniques with the dogs.

Currently I am training my young Tibetan Terrier in the sport of Rally Obedience and we have just completed the Bronze Kennel Club Canine Good Citizens award. I attend Jane Heritage's classes with her (Vale Canine Companions) so I can spend some time training my own dog!

Currently I'm studying the Advance Diploma in Canine Behaviour Management, which is a course offered by Compass Education and Training. Successful completion will allow application for membership of an approved body of behaviourists. Many of my fellow tutors have completed the course and found it extremely useful. It is very interesting and informative indeed.

As my lurcher was a rescued pup from Many Tears Animal Rescue www.manytears.co.uk he was not well socialised as a tiny puppy and as such has some fear issues with unfamiliar people and dogs. Because I understand how difficult it is owning a dog with some challenging behavioural issues I am keen to help others with similiar problems. With this in mind I set up the classes for unsociable dogs which are helping my dog as well as others with these problems.

August bank holiday weekend 09 I spent at the Dogs Trust rehoming centre on Merseyside attending a seminar presented by Turid Rugaas on teaching dogs to walk nicely on a lead. Her knowledge of dogs and their true nature was very inspiring and I learned so much from her lectures and demonstrations.