Jeanne Handley - Dog Trainer in Kent

My expertise comes from personal experience of a troublesome dog!

I always loved animals as a child and when I was eleven I chose my first dog, a golden cocker spaniel called Rusty.  Sadly Rusty was very poorly and only lived six months.  A few months later my parents bought my second dog, Paddington.  Although very affectionate, Paddy had extremely aggressive tendencies.  We tried many different ways of calming him ¬– from medication to castration – but nothing seemed to work.  One morning as I was leaving for school, Paddy bit me on the hand as I went to say goodbye to him. After this my parents felt we could no longer keep him and he was taken to the vet for the last time.

Even though I longed for another dog, our experiences with Paddy meant my parents wouldn’t allow it.  Once I got married both my husband and I worked long hours and were often away from home. It wasn't until my circumstances changed that I considered owning a dog again.  Then came Harvey.

My Dominant Dog

Harvey was a tri-colour cocker spaniel who showed his dominance in every area from the moment we bought him. He was very excitable, pulled on the lead, barked at other dogs, barked excessively when visitors came to the house and was always very mischievous.  As soon as we got him I took him to traditional training classes – but after two years it was clear we were getting nowhere and, if anything, Harvey was getting worse.

Deteriorating Behaviour

I had also regularly been taking Harvey to the vet's behaviourist, who then referred me to a local dog behaviourist. She made a few suggestions on how I could improve Harvey's behaviour with various gadgets including a citronella collar to reduce his barking. Harvey and I also attended her six-week dog training class, again to no avail. At the end of six sessions Harvey was as bad as ever: still pulling on the lead, still barking at everything that moved and still visibly scared of anything out of the ordinary. We tried another training class, but only went twice as I was hoarse from shouting at Harvey at the end of each session.

I watched every single television programme about dog training tried each and every method suggested, but nothing seemed to work.  I decided to take Harvey to Wales for a four-day residential  dog training course.  Again this involved the use of gadgets such as the choke collar, rattling stones by his ear and spraying him with water to get him to behave in a more manageable way.

Although the choke collar worked to a certain extent, I was not happy at having to use such harsh methods, and the rest of his bad behaviour remained the same.  Then one day, when he was reacting to a local dog, I pulled Harvey too roughly on his choke collar and he ended up with a slipped disc in his neck.  I was devastated to have caused my beautiful dog so much harm in my attempt to get him to behave.  After his injury Harvey's behaviour worsened considerably.

Canine Communication

While searching the internet to see whether one of the TV celebrity dog trainers held classes in the UK I stumbled upon a website which explained canine communication. Inspired by what I saw I tried out some of the methods and soon saw an improvement in Harvey's behaviour. But our daily walks were still a nightmare.

I decided to contact a local Canine Behaviour Consultant, and immediately started applying the method explained to us.  I soon saw a change in Harvey's demeanour and was pleased to have found a way of turning Harvey around without the use of force or gadgets.

It soon became apparent that other people were experiencing similar problems with their dogs and I decided to attend foundation and advanced courses in canine communication so that I could confidently help and advise them.  As I learnt more, so did my desire to help dogs and their owners increase so I completed the graduate course and am now a fully qualified Dog Behaviour Consultant.

I really wish I had introduced this method sooner and am keen to help all dogs and their owners lead the peaceful lives they deserve.  With the added confidence I have gained from learning and applying this method, I now foster and help rehabilitate rescue dogs before they go to their 'forever' homes.

With my help, you too can change your dog's behaviour and have the happy calm dog you have always longed for.