MY STORY
I had a very different life before becoming a dog trainer and spent most of my career in the fraud arena working for both the public and private sector, as an Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist. I saw people at their worst, people who'd found themselves in situations they couldn't get out of and had made terrible choices as a result; while others had spent their life mastering the art of fraud, deceit and deception and didn't care about anyone else. I needed a change of scenery as it had become quite a toxic environment to work in. I studied with the VSA in 2016, graduating in 2017 to become a Certified Dog Trainer and now I get to help dogs and their families see the world differently.
Although I'm a qualified dog trainer, first and foremost I'm a pet parent, a dog guardian, a cat guardian and a huge animal lover, just like you. I've had the privilege of growing up with animals and knew from a very early age just how special they were. I'd always dreamed of becoming a dog trainer, but had I not seen the damage caused first hand by the aversive methods and so called 'training' tools used to inflict fear and discomfort onto my dogs; or witnessed the change in their personalities and watched their behaviour actually get worse, I might not be as passionate as I am today about ethical dog training and that's what keeps the fire in my heart burning.
Sadly the dog training industry is still unregulated as is most of the pet industry, but the pandemic opened a pandoras box of a new breed of trainers who claim to use 'positive reinforcement' (adding reinforcement), but actually focus more on 'positive punishment' (adding punishment) and often use archaic tools and punitive methods to 'fix' your dog! Training your dog is not about tough love; who is top dog and definitely not who the Alpha is (theory debunked absolutely years ago); it's about kindness, compassion and understanding; plus having lots of fun along the way while using modern and scientifically proven methods, that work for you both.
I can show you how to work with your dog, prevent and manage behaviours that you find undesirable, but that your dog probably loves and we'll introduce new and preferred ones, all while building your relationship without using any out dated or old school training methods or tools. Not only am I confident I can help and support you with the struggles and frustrations, the highs and lows that come with being a good and responsible dog owner, but I'm just like you; I've been where you are and I've worked with and helped clients just like you too.