Kent Dog Listener

As a child growing up in London, I was never able to have a dog of my own. In the summer however, we would visit my Grandparents in Lancashire who had two beautiful dogs, Beulah, a Great Dane, and Duke, a Jack Russell Terrier.

Duke was my Grandad’s rabitting dog. I used to watch them go off and wonder just how Grandad got Duke to walk right next to him all the time. I knew then that one day I wanted a dog that would look at me just the way Duke looked at my Grandad.

My First Dog

‘Tuffers’, my gorgeous black Labrador, came into my life at 8 weeks old, and my family and I were smitten. I took him to traditional puppy training / behaviour classes and everything seemed to be going really well. So along came ‘Daisy’, his half sister.

Rescue Center

With the family pitching in to help look after them, I started working full time in a Rescue Centre, where I progressed to Assistant Manager. I learned a lot there, working with dogs and other animals who had been let down by humans.

What pained me the most were the ‘rebound’ dogs. These were dogs with behaviour problems such as separation anxiety and aggression. We weren’t allowed to recommend a behaviorist to help them or their new owners. We were simply told to tell new owners to contact their local vet for a dog behaviorist in their area.

During my time at the rescue centre, four dogs I had grown to love were re-homed with owners who did just this. Because the traditional dog behaviorists hadn’t been able to correct their behaviour, they recommended that the dogs were ‘put to sleep’. This was done without consultation with the centre which, frankly, broke my heart. One of them was a 4 month old German shepherd puppy……

I just knew there had to be another way…….

Eureka…!

After months of endless advice from people and even calling in a ‘Traditional Behaviourist’ nothing worked, then one day I came across a method I had never seen before… there was no shouting, this method wasnt forcing the dog’s behaviour and, almost unbelievably, was getting results in a way I had never seen before.

This method was using the dog’s language, showing how to deal with their challenges or problems in a way both the dogs and people understood.

I decided to do more research on this method. It soon explained the reason for my dogs behaviour. I could see why they were still pulling me down the road on walks and jumping up at visitors, even after all the basic obedience classes. I started to implement and practice this kind, holistic way of living with and training my dogs and was amazed at the results.

The Next Step

My success got me thinking. What if I could teach other people to do this? Not just with the rebound dogs at the centre, but all of the dogs out there with behaviour problems?

That’s when I decided to attend courses explaining and teaching this method fully. I completed the Foundation Course and was invited back to complete the Advanced Course. I successfully completed both courses.

My Work Today

I am driven to make a difference to the lives of dogs and their owners. The only regret I have today is that I didn’t discover this method sooner, as I would have been able to help those four dogs who are sadly no longer with us.

I now work full time as a UK Canine Behaviour Consultant in Kent, volunteering at various rescue centres. I also foster ‘difficult’ dogs before finding them their ‘forever’ homes.

Working with me, I can help both you and your dog transform into a calm, stress-free relationship. No matter the behaviour problem, you will be able to go from havoc … to harmony!