The Animal Watcher

I’m perhaps a bit unusual in that I don’t come from a training background, my working life has usually revolved around people rather than dogs. I have nursed in a busy Hospital A&E, assisted in operating theatres as well as other medical areas, In fact I’ve done a wide variety of roles.

My respect and fascination for animals came through at an early age, we had German Shepherds often staying with us whilst their handlers were away. They were working police dogs, highly trained, responsive dogs that needed respectful handling. As a child I had to learn quickly how to read these powerful animals. Of course all my interactions were supervised but I was guided brilliantly by my father.   We had our own dogs too, mostly Shepherds, crosses, cairn terriers so I was understanding training from a young age.

But as much as I loved teaching my dog tricks and obedience, my real interest was watching them interact with each other and their surroundings. Back in the late 70s when traffic was slower and roads were quieter dogs were often let out to walk themselves and they would all invariably end up in one place, the park. With no owners in sight I would watch these delinquent dogs belt around together taking turns at chasing or being chased, jumping around barking and generally having the time of their lives. I wanted to understand their behaviour more, what were the barks yelps and occasional growls meaning? What were they saying?

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Fast forward and 9 years ago I came by a German Shepherd puppy. We first met at 8 weeks, I was interested in taking him home with me but the breeder showed apprehension. She explained that this particular pup was the runt of a 9 pup litter and his mother had turned on him at about 4 weeks. They had to remove him from the litter where he spent around 10 days with people before going back into a different litter. This meant his ability to understand and relate to other dogs wasn’t as good as it should be, and he had showed signs of separation anxiety with people as well as not bonding  to other dogs.

The breeder had resigned herself that this dog would be staying with them because of potential future problems and only to take him if I felt Id manage him.

Well, he came home with me, but I realised I’d need to give a bit more than just basic training and obedience. I started volunteering at rescues and trying to learn more about behaviour issues and canine psychology but found the training methods didn’t always work. Then 3 years ago I decided to study and work towards a behaviour qualification. It’s been a big learning curve, an amazing journey and over those last few years I have been fortunate enough to work for an assistance dog charity as well as members of the public and their dogs. I have attended talks on Dog Law, Canine welfare, learning principles and will continue to increase my understanding.

I am currently undertaking a diploma study in wellbeing and nutrition alongside my behaviour studies.

For your peace of mind I am insured and DBS checked, I bring these documents with me for your inspection if required.