I am a Board Member for the U.K. Registry of Canine Behaviourists, and I have lectured on canine behaviour on many occasions for different groups and organisations.

I am a Board Member of the Kennel Club Accreditation Scheme for Instructors, a scheme designed to assess and accredit dog trainers and behaviourists.

I am a committee member of The South Eastern Dog Training Society, one of the oldest established dog training clubs in the country, and have been a member since 1988.

I have talked on several radio programmes on the subject of dogs. I have also appeared on numerous television programmes talking on dogs and other animals. I have been the behavioural trainer on the BBC3 series Dog Borstal for all four series. I have also appeared on the BBC News, This Morning and London Tonight, covering a variety of dog related subjects. I have written articles for most of the major national dog related magazines, such as Our dogs, Dogs Today, and Your Dog.

I have acted as an expert witness in many court cases, both as a canine behavioural/trainer and as an animal welfare officer for the London Borough of Lewisham.

I began attending dog training classes in 1981, and started working at competitive level obedience with my own dogs in 1984 and won up to and including class ‘B’ before work commitments forced me to retire from competing, and have run my own dog training classes since 1985. I have been training people on instructing dog training classes since 1994.

I started working as a canine behavioural trainer in 1992, with the majority of my clients coming to me via veterinary referral, or from recommendations from previous clients.  I have had a book published on the subject of dog behaviour and training, The Trouble-Free Dog, which was published in 2000, and had very positive reviews in The Times, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and Dog Training Weekly and has been reprinted twice since then.  I am currently writing my second book. I have also produced several booklets and pamphlets for Lewisham Council on dogs, which are distributed freely to the public.

I worked as an animal welfare officer for the London Borough of Lewisham from May 1990 to January 2006, where I held the position of Senior Animal Welfare Officer.  Dealing with all types of animals, ranging from escaped reptiles, to injured wildlife, to nuisance complaints, and of course – stray dogs, which was the services core function. This aspect of the job was obviously potentially very dangerous, so an ability to immediately assess a dogs’ attitude was essential, since stray or abandoned dogs could potentially turn aggressive. I left the service in 2006 to work full-time as a behavioural trainer.

Canine Crusaders are a Cornwall based charity that rescue stray, homeless, and needy dogs. They are now Cornwall’s only professional, purpose-built rescue kennels, so have a huge task in trying to educate the population that in many regards still see dogs as disposable.
Having judged for Canine Crusaders at their annual fund raising show, I cannot remember the last time that I met a more hard working, dedicated, committed team of people. I was therefore honoured when they asked me to be their patron, and was delighted to accept.

Please visit their website http://k9crusaders.blogspot.com They desperately need donations of whatever you can spare, especially money, but also dog food, bedding, toys etc. Why not set up a standing order, paying just a couple of pounds a month. We often donate money to well established charities, but forget the smaller ones, for whom even a small amount of money can make a massive difference. Every little bit helps, so please give generously.

Foal Farm:

Foal Farm is a charity based in Biggin Hill in Kent who do a fantastic job of rescuing not just dogs, but the majority of domestic mammals. Their staff are exceptionally committed and dedicated, and are always prepared to go the extra mile for the well-being of the animals in their care. In 2010 they invited me to be their patron, and I was delighted to accept. As this charity is local to me geographically, it allows the opportunity to offer them assistance, helping train some of the more problematic residents, and assist the staff in recognising and dealing with behavioural issues with some of the dogs that they’re looking after.

Please visit their website www.foalfarm.org. Like every charity, there are always in need of donations of anything you can spare. And please don’t assume that a small amount won’t be of any use. Every penny can make a difference.