Am I the right trainer for you and your dog?

The dog training industry is a big one! There are no regulations, so anyone can be a dog trainer, some even call themselves behaviourists without the appropriate qualifications. I am a dog trainer and behaviour consultant, meaning I work with behaviour cases as well as dog training (obedience skills, etc). In saying that, there are some cases I feel are more specialised and require different expertise, such as another trainer or a behaviour vet. Therefore, I will always refer if I feel I am not the right fit or do not have the required skillset.

 

My prices are a reflection of my experience in the industry, the courses I have studied and continue to study, the amount of travel to each family's home (I do private in-home consults only) and the work put in during a consult and behind the scenes (it's a lot more than you think!) My work ethic stems from empathy and compassion and implementing humane, reward-based methods only. This means I will not be implementing any tools or methods that induce pain, fear, intimidation or suppression.

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When problem behaviours are brought to me, I will be looking for what is driving the behaviour, so it's important to understand, I am not looking to just stop the undesired behaviour but to find out the cause. This can be driven emotionally, as dogs are sentient beings. For example, if a dog lunges and barks towards other dogs it sees on walks, I will not be adding on a slip lead and jolting it every time it sees a dog (suppressing emotion). If it is fear based, I will be working on that dogs confidence, building other skills for it to feel safe and more comfortable in the presence of other dogs as well as management (the same behaviour can have different motivators, it's not always fear!)

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Emotions aren't the only driving factor for behaviour. How the dog is feeling physically can also drive behaviour, good and bad. This means we will have conversations, if necessary, about investigating any pain or gut issues with your vet - I look at the WHOLE dog, not just the behaviour we see.

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This means I do NOT offer "quick fixes". Be prepared to put the work in, I understand we are all busy and I always take that into consideration, but we have to put energy into it and make the time, otherwise there will be no progress. I cannot change behaviour in a session or two, I need your help and participation in your dog's behaviour and training journey. 

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I will always have open communication with you and I hope for that in return. Sometimes training and behaviour plans need some tweaking along the way and that's normal - let's keep the conversation going so we can adjust if need be and have realistic goals.

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I am not going to be the right fit for each family and dog, but I can recommend others who may be more suitable for you and your dogs needs, so feel free to reach out and we can go from there.