Hi, I'm Aileen and the gorgeous boy with me in the photo was Rudi my

rescued Dorset Olde Tyme Bulldogge. He has sadly passed on now.

I am based in Sutton Benger and cover Chippenham and surrounding

villages, also further afield for training and behavioural work.

 

My relationship with animals started as a young child when my family were

involved with training puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

From the age of about nine years until my late teens I helped socialise

and train our guide dog pups, each one until they were a year old and went

off for formal training. I learnt so much from this experience and went

on to rescue my own first dog at the age of eighteen.

 

I continued 'collecting' rescue dogs also fostering and rehabilitating 

them throughout all the years spent bringing up my children until I

found a college course in animal care which I jumped at the chance of

attending.

 

There was no looking back after that as the more I studied, the more I

wanted to learn about animals. I was fascinated by the exotics and

specialised in reptiles as I knew nothing about them and wanted to learn.

 

My true inspiration and driving force became apparent when I studied animal behaviour as part of the course. It really opened my eyes to a different way of viewing the animals I had been sharing my life with over so many years.

 

I went on to study behaviour at Sheila Harper's Canine Education Centre in Staffordshire and my life was changed forever. She is a fantastic teacher and her teaching changed the way I interact with all animals not just dogs. Effective communication and understanding what our animals are trying to convey to us is the key to unravelling all behaviour problems and having a happier home for both our animals and ourselves.

All the behavioural methods I use are positive, they are about understanding the dog and helping them to move forward in life, they are never harsh or bullying. The emphasis is always on helping aimals to cope when they are not and on offering them support, understanding and options to help them to change their behaviour and grow and learn in a safe, solid and long term way.

 

Until starting my own business I worked at Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary just South of Bristol which is a brilliant rescue for cats and dogs.

I gained more skills and experience during my time there especially relating to stress in animals and how to aleviate it.

 

I have worked with many different species of animals over the years as I have been very involved

with rescues and sanctuaries. I love all animals and really enjoy spending time with them, they

are a constant source of inspiration to me. Their willingness to please and their lust for life

is something I think we could all learn from.

 

I continue to add to my knowledge of dog behaviour and communication by attending

further courses and most recently have spent another six years in behavioral study

with Sheila Harper to enable me to learn newer and even more progressive ways to

interract with dogs and help them and their humans. I am also able to use a lot of

this knowledge to help cats and other animals as many of the body language used

by dogs is used by other animals, including humans!

I have also been concentrating on lead handling skills for challenging dogs which

has been a revelation in helping all dogs when out but particularly dogs that are

anxious and reactive on lead.

 

I am also trained in canine first aid.