About me
I live in a beautiful community in Kent on the outskirts of London called Farnborough Village
It's only a short drive from where I grew up in Peckham and East Dulwich and I still love to go back there on my days off.
Working as a dog behaviourist and dog psychologist is something i will never stop enjoying. Working in London and Kent keeps me busy, but on my days off i love nothing better than enjoying the surroundings of where i live.
To say that Farnborough Village is a dog loving community would be an understatement! It's like 'dog city' and I love it. For someone who has a passion for dog training and dog behaviour, to be surrounded by the wonderful dogs of this village is a blessing. It also has an intriguing history and for a 'history fanatic' like me, it's heaven. It's surrounded by unspoiled countryside, where you can enjoy serenity with your dogs. Being out there with the dogs on a still evening is life at its best!
I have been interested in dog training and dog behaviour for many years and getting my first German Shepherd, Billy, was one of the finest days of my life.
I wanted to do it right though. I mean really right, and so started my passion for dog behaviour. Day after day, I would study and study what made dogs tick. Why they did the things they did and most importantly what I could do to make sure my dog was getting the right leadership and guidance from me.
It has been an amazing learning curve, with some mistakes thrown in along the way. The more I studied as a dog behaviourist the more I realised that to truly change the behaviour of your dog you have to take a good long look in the mirror and that is exactly what I did. Did I like what I was looking at? Not really. Was I sometimes anxious about different things when I was with my dogs? Yes. Did I feel calm and relaxed when I was with my dogs? Not very often. Could I change my ways? You bet I could!
So it was at this point that I realised that you can study dog behaviour as much as you want. But if you are not going to start with changing your own outlook on life and your own wellbeing how can expect your dogs to change their unwanted behaviour. Change starts with you and then your dog will follow. That's a fact. I have come a long way on my spiritual journey since that point and I will carry on learning each day, until my last. Each day I now practice relaxation in some form and my dogs have responded in a remarkable way. The calmer I am the better they are. I take all five of them out on long walks, through streets, shopping area's, busy roads, quite roads and wherever I can see a challenge for them. Because it is only through challenging my dogs, that they will grow. When we are out together we are one. We are a team and it's a great place to be.
As well as my own constant daily studying of dog psychology (which i did for six years and still do), i also completed a dog psychology course with The Canine Behaviour Centre in Northumberland and passed the seven exams I took at the end of that course. Along with working with my own pack of five dog's each day, i also volunteer in Spain for part of the year, where i help the most severley abused dog's in different rescue centre's. I also write a weekly column for a newspaper in Spain regarding dog behaviour and this can be viewed by visiting www.thecourier.es and clicking on latest issue. My philosophies on dog behaviour are probably very different from most other dog behaviourists. I have worked with many aggressive dog's where other professionals including vets have advised that the dog be put to sleep. But after i have visited and worked with the dog in question, there has always been a change to positive behaviour very quickly. I will never, ever, advise that a dog should be put to sleep. As far as i am concerned, i know, that if a dog still has a heart beat i can help that dog to change for the better. Who am i to advise that a living being should be put to sleep. As far as i am concerned, if i ever advised that, (which i never would ) i shouldn't be working as a dog behaviourist. My job is to change a dog's negative behaviour into positive behaviour. I do that by working on the human first, because without changing the dog owners outlook first, you can't help the dog. I have helped many humans live a very balanced and peaceful life and in turn their dog's have followed. I don't have letters after my name but what i do have is an excellent track record of not only helping dog's that pull on the lead or have phobia's, but dog's who want to kill another dog or severley injure a human being. I do not mention this for self gratification. I mention this because i love dog's with a passion and will never give up on one.
I spent three years transporting abused street dogs from Spain and Portugal back to the United Kingdom where they were to find new homes. When you collect a severely abused street dog from the south of Spain and you have to transport that dog by road all the way back to the United Kingdom, it is essential that you know dog behaviour. You need to know how to reassure these dogs and how to make them calm and peaceful throughout their journey. This is what I did for three years with a 100% success rate. I was told by some people that the dogs boarding my vehicle for their long journey would attack me, would not tolerate travelling one mile in a vehicle, let alone the 1,400 miles that lay ahead, would 'shut down', or would desperately try to escape! The list went on and on. I would have loved to have seen these people's faces if they watched me with their dogs having a beautiful calm walk in one of the many service stations we stopped at on our route back.
This was a special three years but it was also difficult for me to be away from my Wife and dogs for ten days out of each month, and with this in mind I decided to sell my business and begin what I had always wanted to do, which is what you are looking at now. From February 2011 to August 2011, I spent six months volunteering my time in Spain, helping street dog's and abused dog's who had been brought to Spanish rescue centre's. Seeing these dogs, who had previously 'shut down' and hit rock bottom finally blossom is a memory that will stay with me forever. The time I spent in Europe helping these abused dogs taught me a great amount. Working everyday with my own pack has been invaluable.
My constant studying of dog behaviour, dog training and dog psychology has been a joy. But looking in the mirror was my biggest lesson.
Remember CHANGE BEGINS WITH YOU.
