I have been all over the country dog training in 2013. From puppy training to dog aggression, my Shrewsbury business has been busy!

Many of my clients are in and around Shrewsbury but I do go further afield due to advertising in Wrexham and Telford. I recently had a client in Holywell, Flintshire and have been south to Codsall, East into Staffordshire and West as far as Llangynog.

Clients have been contacting me for general dog training issues - pulling on the lead and recall and dog to dog aggression being the most common. Puppy training is very popular. I can advise on what should be trained and when and give the owner some idea of what to expect as the puppy progresses through adolescence to being fully mature. First time dog owners benefit from my service as with most clients I include some dog psychology in the session and get the client thinking about dog training from the dog's perspective.  

And then there are those with specific behavioural problems. These are very interesting to deal with and they certainly get the grey-matter working to find a solution. A good example would be the Jack Russell who had become aggressive towards his male owner since his female owner had become pregnant. I was also able to give the couple some advice regarding preparing the dog for the impending presence of a little baby in the household. This is something which people don't think to do but much can be done to introduce the dog to the 'new arrival' before the baby is born.  

I have seen all manner of pedigree and cross-breed dogs this year. The smallest being a Kaninchen Dachshound puppy which wasn't much bigger than a hamster! The largest being a particularly substantial Rhodesian Ridgeback or the Dogue de Bordeaux I saw last week. (Same size, different shape). And then, of course there are all the more usual Labradors, Retreivers, Spaniels, Terriers etc.

On a more personal note we had a Lurcher puppy this time last year and we have been putting our skills to good use to ensure that she grows to be a well behaved adult dog. At the moment she is at the stroppy teenager stage of life but she is getting there. She was abandoned as a puppy (aged about 5 weeks!) and not expected to live but she pulled through thanks to Grinshill Animal Rescue who nursed her back to health. Then the poor thing ended up living with us! Of course, she doesn't know I am a dog trainer and she does her best to humiliate me on a regular basis! 

Finally, I am very happy to continue to be associated with Grinshill Animal Rescue. They do a great job of re-homing dogs (and cats) and they seem to be tirelessly passionate about what they do.

Wishing you a fantastic 2014! If ever you have any dog training issues.

By Mort Smith