I was brought up with working dogs in the rural fens, my grandparents and uncle have always been involved in shooting and so I have always been around both working terriers and gundogs.

As a teenager I was at my happiest wandering around the fields with my parents dogs and once I could drive, there was no limit to where I could take the dogs. The beach, the woods, nature reserves, country parks. If the dogs heard the cars keys jingle they were at the door ready to go!

I owned four dogs, all of whom were well behaved. People started to recognise my ability to train dogs. Over the years work colleagues began to ask me advice and soon their friends were asking advice too. I began to do 1-2-1 training on the evenings and weekends.

Academically I have completed a BSc Honors Degree in Canine Behaviour and training.  I have been assessed by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and I am a member of their organisation, promoting kind and fair training methods. In 2016 I became a Kennel Club Accredited Trainer (KCAI in Companion Dog, Good Citizen Dog Scheme , Working Gundog Advanced*). I was honoured to be nominated as a Kennel Club top 5 finalist for KCAI Trainer of the Year 2016.

I now run the Kennel Club Good Citizen Classes (all levels) and I am an examiner of the scheme too. I also run agility, Treibball, Hooper and gundog classes. 

Working experience - during the working season for the last 20 years, from October to February, I have regularly done bush beating on average 3 -4 times a week. I have been on both commercial shoots and farm shoots. Although I have not competed at field trials myself, I have attended them and I have also trained owners and their dogs who have gone on to field trial. I have trained and worked Hunt Point Retrieve breeds as well as Spaniels and Labradors. I also have my own guns and go rough shooting with my dogs. 

An added twist as part of my foundation degree, I trained a Labrador to be a firearms detection dog, you can imagine the trouble I have when I take her picking up - she wants to go and sit at every gun slip to tell me there is a gun inside it !

My aims are to continue to progress my knowledge of dog training and behaviour in order to help others to train their dogs.