*** Covid 19 *** I am delighted to be able to offer face to face classes again. To ensure the highest standards of compliance with government advice class numbers are reduced so there is even more demand. For those who would prefer to train their new puppy at home Puppy School On Line is a great alternative! – click here for more information
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Hi, I’m Jacki, having been born and brought up in Rhyl and Prestatyn, I moved to the North West of England in the 80’s and moved back to Wales in summer 2017.
Dogs have always been a part of my life. From the family dogs we had while I was growing up to the dogs that have shared my life as an adult.
It was during a ‘between dogs’ gap that I started volunteering for Dogs Trust in Merseyside which is where I met Polly (who sadly crossed the Rainbow Bridge on 1st April 2019). Polly had been in the kennels for seven months and, at just two years old, was looking for her third home. That is when the learning really started!
Polly had some issues which led me onto the path of learning about canine behaviour (just out of interest at the time!) and I enrolled on a Diploma in Canine Behaviour and Psychology.
Since losing Polly I decided against having another dog of my own but felt there was a doggy space in my life that needed to be filled. I am so proud that I am now a puppy socialiser for an assistance dog organisation. This means I am allocated a puppy at 8 weeks of age and they live with me for up to 18 months before returning to their organisation to start work having completed their basic training and socialisation. This means that I am usually facing the same challenges as many of my clients as every puppy is different!
After years behind a desk or steering wheel in corporate and public service roles, redundancy gave me the push I needed to make a career with dogs. I trained as a tutor with Puppy School, the organisation founded by Gwen Bailey who pioneered the use of animal behaviour knowledge in the rehoming of unwanted pets while working for a large animal welfare charity.
I am committed to continuous professional development and regularly attend courses, seminars and workshops to keep my skills and knowledge up to date. I am proud to be a registered Animal Training Instructor with ABTC (Animal Behaviour and Training Council) and a full member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), membership no 1389 and an Accredited Canine Hoopers UK Instructor.
My aim is to provide training that is enjoyable, informative and effective for all using kind, force free, reward based methods!
Confucius apparently said “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” well he knew a thing or two – I love my job so much that I’m having to train myself to say that “I’m going to work” because it truly doesn’t feel like work at all!
