About Me
My professional career working with dogs began at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) in 2002 when I was posted there during my 16 years in the army. I was a protection dog handler and Kennel Manager tasked with managing the section of three dogs and their handlers. We had two German Shepherds (Duke and Shepherd) and a Rottweiler (Buster) and maintaining their level of training was my responsibility.​
This role kickstarted my love for working with dogs, although when I returned to my regular unit at the end of my posting in 2004, I was deployed to Iraq for six months and the obsession faded. I completed a very busy tour serving in Afghanistan in 2007 before leaving the army in 2009.
I worked as a doorman for a few years and became a car salesman at a local dealership. It was always my goal to eventually move back to the south of England where I knew I would be happiest, so I landed a job at another dealership in Surrey. One day I sold a car to a bailiff, we got chatting about his job and my fate was sealed.
I became an Enforcement Agent in the summer or 2014 and was soon offered an opportunity to appear on the hit Channel 5 TV show, Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away! After ten years of enforcing court judgements and doing what can often feel like a very negative job, I felt it was time to hang my hat and embark on another career.
I stumbled across some statistics about how many dogs are sent to shelters every year and then euthanised because there was no room for so many homeless dogs. It suddenly became clear what I wanted to do – a dog trainer! Many dogs are surrendered to shelters through unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances, such as the breakdown of the owner’s relationship or the owner falls seriously ill, but a large number of dogs enter shelters because of their behavioural problems, such as excessive barking, chewing furniture and house soiling. I believe that if more owners possessed the knowledge of how to tackle some common problem areas, many dogs would still live with their original families. Many new puppy owners don’t realise the importance of socialisation, so I started a quest to educate as many dog owners as possible through training classes (in person or online) and through my social media platforms. I also like to donate some free time to dog shelters in the hope to make their dogs more appealing to someone looking to adopt and eventually, through the help, advice and training I offer, I can save the lives of many dogs that would otherwise be doomed.
As far as I’m concerned, the ONLY way to train dogs is through positive reinforcement. I have completed several training courses with the Institute of Modern Dog Training, and I’m always looking to enhance my knowledge through further training.
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Thanks for reading.