Hello, my name is Claire and if you have a dog in your life I hope you will read on!
Following a bad horse-riding accident in August 2021 and during the ensuing months of recuperation, I had the opportunity to rethink my future career. As I’m no spring chicken I felt it was too late to embark on something completely new so I took inspiration from my main hobbies which are horse-riding (in particular dressage), and walking our dogs which I’ve trained in our beautiful local countryside.
On several occasions when I was out walking during my recuperation, I met a gentleman who always had his Labrador on a long lead. He said he couldn’t let her off because she usually wouldn’t come back. Well, that set me thinking… “Why not try and help people who are having problems with their dogs”?
So, after completing a dog training course which, in line with my own views, promoted Positive Reinforcement techniques based on rewarding good behaviour rather than punishing bad behaviour, I set up Simple Skills K-9 Training.
Dogs enrich our lives in so many ways including having a positive effect on our mental and physical health. Training is an important part of a dog’s life if you want it to have basic good manners, i.e. to be able to sit, lie down, come, stay and walk on a loose lead when asked to do so, thus making walks a more enjoyable experience. The key elements of training are communication, interaction, observation, kindness, patience, perseverance, fun and play.
If you feel you would benefit from some one-to-one training with your K-9 companion, whether you have a puppy or an older dog, please get in touch. I’m based on the outskirts of Edenbridge with easy access to footpaths.
For any horse-riders reading this, I have a 60m x 20m sand school and can offer flatwork lessons which benefit most horses whatever discipline they may be used for (endurance, show-jumping, hacking, etc.).
If you’re interested in any of the above, it would be great to hear from you.
Tel: 07818 070672 or email: clairecook59@outlook.com.
