Home  Dog Blog I've worked with over 1000 dogs. Woo hoo! |
I've worked with over 1000 dogs. Woo hoo! |
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Last year when a friend asked how many dogs I'd worked with personally, I decided to have a count up. I surprised myself! Ever since then I've kept an updated 'dog counter' on the home page for everyone to see, and in April I trained my 1000th dog (Woo hoo!)
 Years ago when I first thought about becoming a professional full-time dog trainer in Northamptonshire a couple of good friends who have been training dogs for about sixty years between them decided to offer me some advice: "It doesn't matter how many letters you have after your name, lad. The thing that makes you a good dog trainer is the number of dogs you've had through your hands - and what you learned from them".
I didn't really have an answer for that. I'd trained a few dogs at that time, including my own, and I'd started to study Canine Behaviour Management but I knew it was true. There are two parts to what they said: 1) The number of dogs and 2) What you learn from them.
I got stuck in, formed Dogfather Training and got training dogs - and dog owners. Over the last few years, I've trained dogs on the set of a blockbuster Hollywood movie, I'm regularly on the radio in the UK giving dog behaviour advice, I've trained almost every breed of dog, and I've met some lovely clients. As months turned into years, I lost track of the number of dogs I'd trained until late last year I was asked how many it was, so I went off to count them up and put a dog counter on the home page.
Fast forward, then, to a couple of weeks ago and the 1000th dog - A young Jack Russell Terrier from Silverstone called Charlie who was barking his head off at anything and everything in the garden and was a nightmare for his owners on the lead. (I'm happy to report he's much calmer now!). I went home, double checked the numbers and bought two bottle of champagne - one for me and one for the clients. 1000 dogs. Hurray!!
So did I learn much from all of those dogs? Of course. I use what I've learnt every day, combining the theory of dog behaviour and dog training with my practical skills to come up with the best possible action plans tailored to your dogs, you and your particular environments.
Is there still more to learn? For sure - Every week I learn something new and (at the risk of sounding really
corny...) I've learnt if from the dogs, so when I had my little count-up
and it came to over 1000 dogs I was quite pleased with myself. Here's to
the NEXT 1000 of my furry friends. Will yours be one of them? I can't
wait to meet you!
You can't replicate my experience, it's true, but you CAN hire it! Contact me today!
Graeme Hall MGoDT, 'The Dogfather' is an
independent professional dog trainer and dog behaviour expert based in
Northamptonshire, covering the UK. I'm a Master Dog Trainer with the Guild Of Dog Trainers. I
can come to you wherever you are – and
wherever there is a dog behaviour problem to fix or dog advice
needed. Contact me today!
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