Debbie

Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers - MAPDT 01026

Debbie wanted a dog from a very young age, but due to her living in a flat she was not allowed one. Instead she ‘adopted’ every stray dog that she could find, and often took other people’s dogs for a walk. As soon as she was able to she got her own dog, a Jack Russell x Yorkshire Terrier. Since then she has had a German Shepherd, Doberman, Black Labrador, 4 Border Collies and 2 Long Haired Miniature Dachshunds.

Initially she learnt the most from her first Border Collie, Suzie. Suzie was a rescue dog and very quickly destroyed the entire house. She eat her way through a cane suite, a new carpet, shelving, dug her way through the garden (a challenge for any gardener!) and leapt the fence on a regular basis. Following this Debbie very quickly became interested in dog behaviour! Gradually, with a lot of patience Suzie turned into a wonderful member of the family.

Debbie first met Christina through her puppy class in 2003 with one of her current Border Collies, Rosie. Christina was immediately struck by Debbie’s wonderfully natural way with dogs, and her common sense but sensitive approach. The two became friends and Debbie has helped with a number of behavioural consultations with her Long Haired Miniature Dachshund, Sam. Through this she has learnt about dog behaviour and positive handling, and through her own experiences she is able to encourage other owners that are experiencing problems. Debbie also has two other Border Collies, Diesel and Tig. She has had Diesel from a puppy and he currently sucessfully competes in Competitive Obedience. (Click here to read more about Diesel's puppy diary.) Tig is a rescue dog who came to Debbie with some serious aggression (biting) problems about being handled. After a huge amount of work with him he is now dramatically improved and she has learnt a lot about dealing with challenging collies from both of her collie boys! Finally, the most recent members of the household are Patch, a Sprolly (Springer x Collie,) and Lily, a Jack Russell. They came to Debbie to be rehomed but fitted into the household so well that they stayed!

More recently Debbie has attended a number of training seminars and workshops including - Dr. Daniel Mills speaking on the mind of the dog, Dr. Anne McBride PhD speaking on and demonstrating how to deal with aggession in dogs, Elizabeth Kershaw on learning theory in dogs, and Attila Szkukalek and Richard Curtis on Heelwork-to-Music. Until recently she has trained with Joanna Hill in Competitive Obedience and now trains with Paddy Driscol in Obedience and with Bob Sharp in Agility. She passed her APDT exam with flying colours having received both an excellent mark and report.

Debbie lives with her husband, 6 dogs, 2 cats, and guinea pigs. As well as her animals her hobbies include gardening and knitting.

Please click to read Diesel's Diary.