My Journey!

Owning a dog can be tremendous fun but of course life isn’t always plain sailing and often leaves many owners feeling a little overwhelmed!

You may have felt this way too!

I have always had dogs in my life whether that was through dog ownership or through my work.

I love the connection, the communication, the strong bond and relationship that dog ownership brings…or so I had thought!

When I became a Professional Pet Photographer many years ago, I realised that nothing could be further from the truth and many owners did not have the special relationship and bond that owners dream of!

As a professional photographer, I absolutely adored capturing those precious moments which owners could enjoy for a lifetime. 

I loved the way the dogs happily responded to the fun and exciting way I set them up for that all important shot whether that was the all important action shot or the looking cute ‘butter wouldn’t melt’ shot that their proud owners were so keen for me to capture.

These dogs were so much fun, they loved to run and play and they loved all the attention too!

Some were a little anxious too and it was lovely to see them grow in confidence the more I got to know them.

Sadly though, I discovered outside of the photo sessions many of these dogs spent much of their time in a state of over excitement, excessively vocal, lacked owner focus, had zero recall, pulled on a lead and invariably hard work and difficult to live with!

Many suffered with isolation distress too otherwise know as separation anxiety.

Some owners had been turned away from dog training schools because apparently they had difficult, untrainable dogs and they were embarrassed so they had given up trying to train them. 

Others gave up because their dogs had been frightened by bigger and more bouncy dogs and became anxious and afraid.

However, all these owners had one thing in common…they so loved their dogs!

They just didn’t know how to connect or help them.

I had always had a wonderful connection with my own dogs and this made me feel sad knowing that many others struggled with theirs. 

They were missing out on so many adventures. 

Having a dog off lead, being able to take it anywhere and comfortably leaving it home alone when unable to take them with you is what many owners dream of and something I had always enjoyed with my own dogs.

To be honest, I really did enjoy the photography side of my business, getting to know the dogs, getting to know the owners and capturing those precious shots but more importantly, I could see many dog/owner relationships in tatters and this made me feel incredibly sad for both owners and their dogs.

I wanted to help repair those damaged relationships and began to chat to my clients about their doggy struggles.

It wasn’t long before our photo shoots became dog training conversations instead!

In fact, demand for dog training and behavioural solutions increased to the point that there was little time for the photography so I had to make a choice.

You can probably guess what happened!

The camera took a backseat!

I decided that whilst I had sound knowledge of my own dogs and those I had photographed and helped, my next step was to train and qualify as a Dog Trainer and Behaviourist.

..Where we are now!

Best Buddies Dog Training & Behaviour was established in 2009.

Building a trusting and solid relationship with your dog is the ethos behind Best Buddies Dog Training & Behaviour, my mission therefore is to help as many owners as possible fulfil that dream.

I qualified as a Full Member of the highly respected Association of Pet Dog Trainers (UK) and then went on to do further training. 

• A qualified Canine Behaviourist (AdvDip.CBM.- Distinction) with an additional Diploma in Canine Psychology (Dip.dog.psy- Distinction)

• A full member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers- APDT(membership number 01082)

• An ABTC Animal Training Instructor

• A member of The Academy of Dog Training & Behaviour

• Senior Instructor, Assessor & Mentor at The Dog Training College

• Licensed Canine Body Language Instructor

• Licensed Reactive Rascals Instructor  

• Certified Pro Dog Trainer 

• Certified Pro Separation Anxiety Trainer.

• An Accredited Scentwork Handler

To this day I continue to study and am constantly topping up my own learning. I am a firm believer that no matter how qualified and knowledgeable we think we are we can never ever stop learning!

When working with me you can be assured that you are getting access to the most current research out there. 

I will help and support you, no judgments here or tellings off!

We are a team and working towards achieving your goals….together!

If you would like some help then please get in touch for a free 15 minute call and let’s have a chat and find out how I can help you and your beloved Best Buddy.