I founded Penarth Dog Training because of how things panned out with my first dog, Bo.

I thought I knew best and could teach him obedience from YouTube videos.

Yes, I taught him actions: sit, down, paw, rollover…

But I didn’t teach him behaviours — the manners and impulse control every dog needs.

In short, I created a nightmare.

A high-drive dog without boundaries, focus, or restraint.

Yes, he could play dead, but he couldn’t walk past a picnic without trying to snaffle the lot.

By adolescence things had gotten totally out of hand.

His recall was so bad he was in real danger of getting run over — which is when I called a behaviourist.

Although it was humbling, it was the best thing I ever did.

Bo began his transformation into an (almost) model citizen.

And I began my journey into responsible dog ownership.

Since then I’ve studied with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers, completing the IMDT Level 3 in Canine Learning, Motivation, and Reinforcement, and I’m now working towards Level 4.

I compete with my dogs in agility and train them in advanced obedience.

Through this network I’ve been lucky enough to meet some amazing handlers and trainers who’ve shared their knowledge with me — tips and techniques I can now pass on to help you get the best out of your dog.