Small Classes: We hold small classes (maximum 6 dogs indoors), so that everyone has time for sufficient practice and guidance in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere… we humans aim to have fun too, and very often succeed! We show the dog what is required, thinking about how to make that clear, and how to motivate the dog to do it. We choose the correct ‘reward’, so that the dog is positively encouraged to repeat that behaviour. We apply intelligence so that, in training sessions, we get lots of success, so the dog starts to believe that when we ask for something, it always happens! That makes the translation to the Great Outdoors much more successful.

A lot of emphasis is placed on explaining how dogs learn and how to make use of that knowledge.There is never any harsh handling of a dog. The perceived need for that only comes about because the humans involved are not applying sufficient knowledge, intelligence and commitment. Full Stop! Nothing else to say…

The Right Course: There are various indoor and outdoor classes. We take great care to put the dog into the right environment in which it can learn: Except for the puppy class, all dogs are assessed before joining which enables us to place them in the correct class, foresee potential problems and make sensible arrangements to prevent and ultimately solve problems.

Improving Constantly: In puppy and all other classes, we incrementally increase the level of difficulty by increasing distractions, introducing harder tasks, requiring greater concentration and using differing motivators… Because the classes are small, we can move individual dogs at the pace that suits them.

Rewards: When teaching a dog what we want them to do, and to motivate them , we initially use food rewards. Having a variety of different foods, usually cut small, is a useful part of the tool kit. Dogs are well able to put a value on different treats; food they get often will be of less value than those with rarity value. All sorts can be used chicken, ham, cheese, kebble, sausages etc (with due regard to dietary needs) and here's a recipe that very few dogs can resist:

Liver Cake

280g pig or lamb liver, 1 crushed clove of garlic, 2 eggs , 170g wholemeal flour

Heat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4
Grease small roasting tin.
Chop liver finely or put into food processor and blend.
Add crushed garlic and beaten egg, blend together,
Add flour and mix until mixture forms a puree.
Put into the greased tin and place in the centre of oven for approx 15-17 minutes.
When cold, cut into small cubes.
Can be frozen. De-frost and use as required