I remember our first dog. We thought she would complete us and give us an excuse to enjoy the great outdoors as family. We had managed to buy a home and even have a child so surely a raising a puppy would be a doddle right?
Wrong!
I had no idea how much this canine whirlwind would turn our lives, and our living room upside down. How could this tiny puppy go from a cute bundle of cuddles to something resembling a Tasmanian Devil the next. I must have made every mistake there was to make with my first dog and I spent far too long blaming her but in truth none of it was down to her.
It was all my fault.
Looking back now I was completely clueless and I’m embarrassed when I think how I tried to train my dog. I wasn’t so much a dog whisperer as the dog shouter-at-her. Then she would be confused and I would get frustrated and we would abandon any training until the next time she ran off to play with all her friends at the park. And there was always a next time.
Well I survived the first dog and have since had two more. We’ve had another child and now me and Beth, Alex and Toby live happily with our two mutts Barry (Dogue de Bordeaux) and Sid (cocker spaniel) Not only that but I dogs have taken over my life. I run my own dog adventure and training business where I help dog owners who are suffering from all the same problems I once did.
Problems that almost every dog owner suffers but not everyone talks about.
But I will tell you the truth, even if it’s embarrassing for me
So who the hell am I anyway?
Well…
You know a lot of my story from the above but I’m a former singer turned salesman who got sick of the 9-5 and longed for a job where he could arse about with dogs in the great outdoors and so ended up starting a dog business.
I’m a Sunderland Football club fan and Toby and I are season ticket holders. Alex still goes but he’s far too cool to go with his dad.
I like red wine, cheese, books and HBO dramas which happily enough are hobbies that I share with Beth. I also like skimming stones in the sea and growing tomatoes and I’m a barbeque fiend when the weather is warm enough. I like travelling too but we have been busy for the last few years and we need to saddle up again soon and get exploring.
I will let you in on a little secret. I haven’t always been a dog person. I know, shock horror, but it’s true. We didn’t get our first dog, Flo who I described above until I was in my twenties. Beth’s family always had Staffies when she was a kid but we didn’t even have a dog when I was growing up.
So why is that interesting? It isn’t really except to say that if a dog walker from Sunderland can learn how to train dogs and write an acclaimed dog training book and help dog owners all over the world to have more fun with their dogs all whilst enjoying daily adventures with the 10 well trained dogs that we exercise then YOU can certainly have it in you to train your dog so you can have a more enjoyable life together.
Life really is too short for you not to enjoy your dog ALL the time, EVERYWHERE you take him and not just when you are cuddling him on the couch.
Let me show how you can become your dogs Superhero
And if you haven’t already then
Buy my book
