I'm lucky to have been born into the world of dogs, training and competition as my parents were already heavily involved in dog shows and running dog training clubs before I arrived.  Between us, we successfully worked a number of dogs in Competitive Obedience and also campaigned several generations of Papillons in the breed ring.  We have bred litters of Border Collies and Papillons, most of whom have done us proud in their chosen sports but all of them have brought their owners (and us) much joy as cherished pets.

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As a child I joined the Kennel Club Junior Organisation (KCJO), now Young Kennel Club (YKC), which opened up a world of possibilities for me to try many other dog sports, have the chance to work a huge variety of other breeds of dog and make new friends who loved dogs as much as I did.  Those years have proved invaluable to my training career and I still enjoy many of those friendships.

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While Obedience will always be my first love, I now enjoy training, competing and judging several other canine disciplines.  My main focus over the last ten years has been Rally, which is derived from elements of Competitive Obedience and mixes these with skills from a number of other sports.  Rally is extremely popular in the USA and across Europe and I was delighted to launch The Kennel Club's version of Rally at Crufts 2013 with displays across the four days and in the Main Arena.  I'm pleased to continue to work for the development and future success of Rally in the UK by sitting on The Kennel Club's Rally Working Party and acting as a KC Accredited Rally Judges' Trainer.  An aspect of my work with The Kennel Club that I'm particularly proud of is as a YKC liaison, ensuring young handlers are given the best training opportunities and access to the dog world alongside their canine best friend.

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I have been a qualified Obedience judge for over 25 years, plus I'm a qualified Rally judge at all levels.  This combination has afforded me the chance to enjoy judging these two sports all over the UK, plus in Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and in Europe.  I have had the honour of judging the Obedience leg of the YKC Biathlon and YKC Triathlon competitions at Crufts, plus the huge privilege of judging the inaugural Inter-Regional Rally Competition at Crufts 2017.

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Keeping up to date with learning and technique is important to me and I regularly update and refresh my knowledge.  In recent times I have qualified as a Dog Parkour UK Certified Instructor and also a DPUK Level 1 Evaluator.  I also completed a Canine Studies (OCN) course at my local college, covering canine evolution, anatomy, nutrition and training techniques.  I don't believe in teaching anything that I can't do with my own dog, so all the sports I offer are ones that I have competed or trained in with my current or previous dogs.  I also seek to obtain relevant instructor/trainer qualifications to add to my portfolio.

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    Currently I own a Border Collie and a Papillon however I have owned and trained a wide variety of breeds and crossbreeds.  I do not have a 'one size fits all' approach, as all dogs are individuals, however I will use my extensive knowledge of dogs and how they learn to come up with the most suitable training techniques for your canine companion.  The majority of dog training involves helping the handler to train their dog, so I will work with you to find the best way to unlock your dog's potential.  All my training methods are motivational, positive and reward based.  I encourage you to contact me to find out how to join my fun, friendly club to Go Dog Training!