About Me

My backstory and qualifications

About Me

My backstory and qualifications

Where did it all start?

It started back when I was just 6 years old on the property of a local horse trainer for whom my father worked. As well as horses they kept packs of working fox hounds. Now, these were not family pets and were housed in barns and consisted of around 30 hounds to each pack. Every spare second I had was spent in these barns having no idea how what I was seeing would have such an impact on me later in life.

2009

I became director of Animals At Home West Oxford. Operating an animal ambulance working with all vets in the area and also providing a dog walking service as well as holiday care as an alternative from kennels.

2014

I left Animals At Home to focus on my own development in the behavioural world, learning new techniques and honing my skills to find out for myself how best to help our four-legged friends.

And today, thousands of dogs later, I am still doing what I love best and that is very unlikely to change.

Qualifications & Insurance

People often ask about my background to becoming a full-time dog trainer and dog behaviourist, so here you go. When I first qualified as a dog trainer, I was director of a company called Animals At Home West Oxfordshire.

This company offered a number of services that allowed me to work in conjunction with DEFRA, RSPCA, Thames Valley police as well as all local veterinary practices in my area, as the main service was an animal ambulance.

In order to do this I had to be sufficiently qualified in animal first aid, husbandry and microchipping to name a few. From becoming a dog trainer, I went on to spend the following years studying to become a behaviourist, which is now my full-time career.

Official Qualifications

Ofqual recognised NOCN level 4 Canine training and behaviour.
Completed senior life skills in canine behaviour and aggression under Geert De Bolster.
Studied canine training and behaviour under Helen Phillips, the owner of the ‘Clicker Gundog’ Training Centre, author of the popular ‘Clicker Gundog’ Training Book, co-founder of the Gundog Trainers Academy Ltd, a qualified teacher and Animal Training Instructor with the ABTC, and owner of Cotswold Dawn Hungarian Vizslas.
Qualified in animal first aid and husbandry at Riverbank vets, Isle of Wight.
Qualified in pet microchipping for Pet ID UK. CPD Certified Canine Communication Diploma
CPD certified in Canine Communication
CPD approved Canine Reactivity Expert
CPD approved Canine Nutrition & Wellness Expert
CPD accredited certificate in Canine Anxiety