Why I became a Pro Dog Trainer

I had my eyes opened to the world of dog training from a very early age, I'd say I was 10, maybe 11 years old when the penny dropped that dogs weren't born trained. My dad was a keen gun dog trainer/handler and used a very traditional approach to training his dog. From that early age I knew I wanted to devote my life to dogs, I wanted my own dogs, many of them and I wanted to train them to do show jumps like my pony, but knew I wanted to do it differently to how my Dad was doing it!

At the age of 22 I finally got a dog of my very own, he wasn't a working gun-dog, he wasn't the family dog, he was MY dog and nobody but me had a say in how this dog would be trained.

Oscar, who I'm still lucky to have in my life now is a bedlington terrier. Not any old bedlington terrier mind, a bedlington terrier from a long line of working terriers. Now the B.T. was bred to hunt, they are fierce hunters, they take on badgers without a second thought, they catch rabbits and hares effortlessly. It was only after getting Oscar I realised how much genetics played a part in a choice of dog. Oscar wanted to hunt anything hairy that moved.... including other dogs!

Oscar always has, and still to this day gives me lots of challenges. His wannabe-small animal-hunter days are over (he much prefers to sleep for 23 hours a day now), and we never did make it into a competitive agility ring together - although we had a fun time training for it, but he is the one who has given me the passion and the drive to get to where I am now. Exploring and researching science based methods determined not to fall into any old-school training traps, I discovered Absolute Dogs through their Naughty but Nice plan that was literally screaming out and describing everything about Oscar to my eyes and ears. I dived in, I followed their advice, I started to get almost immediate results and received an amazing response from Oscar. We were able to attend group training classes, we were able to go for off-lead walks safe in the knowledge that my recall was, and still is now with his hard of hearing 100% reliable. We were able to attend training workshops - broaden our skills. Through the art of games based training I had and still to this day have an amazing little dog. He's shaped the way I have raised and trained my dogs that have arrived after him and now live happily alongside him, and he has my Dad now asking me for training advice!!

So earlier this year I was lucky enough to enroll onto the Absolute Dogs - Pro Dog Trainer course - it felt right as it was here that my eyes were opened into being able to offer my dog a better life. I loved every second of it, the theory, the practical and the supportive network (and even the exam, I mean end-game). I love being part of the dog training revolution that is concept training, I love shaping dogs brains through fun, interactive games. I love that I need no tools other than my dogs daily food allowance, some cool toys and a fun attitude. I love that these skills transfer to everyday real life situations effortlessly and I love that I get to continue on this journey with some truly awesome dogs. I never have and never will have to use aversive tools or training methods, my dogs work with me because they WANT TO, not because they fear they have to.

Thank you Oscar, and thank you Absolute Dogs.