Professional Dog Trainer in Epsom & Ewell, Surrey
It all came about thanks to my experiences with our own dog, a tiny Chihuahua named Pixel. When my husband and I first got her, she was smaller than a bag of sugar, with big googly eyes, stubby feet and a tiny nose. But her cuteness was soon undermined by her razor sharp teeth, and her habit of barking at all hours. My husband and I would silently look at each other in horror at what we had brought into our lives. But even then, we had a sense that a lot of Pixel’s issues were down to her lack of confidence.
Wanting to help my dog (and restore some sanity to the household) I began to read up on canine behaviour. My interest quickly became a hobby. I attended courses on the latest science-based Dog Training and Behaviour by the IMDT, and, after extensive training and numerous assessments, I qualified as a full IMDT member. Later, I discovered the Pro Dog Trainer Programme by Tom and Lauren from Absolute Dogs: an innovative training technique that shapes dog behaviour and choices through games-based training.
Naturally, Pixel was the first beneficiary of my games-based training. As I started to see real-life changes in her, I knew I could help other dogs with similar struggles. I wanted to tell the whole world: There’s a game for that!
And so, I set up Horton Dogs, and began running group classes and one-to-one training sessions. I quickly saw that dog owners not only want training that works, but training that builds their relationship with their dog.
We now have our Working Cocker Spaniel, Rocket, who we named well! He is a real joy to train and a very different dog to Pixel!