After 25 years living and working on farms I moved down to Hove last year.  I bought with me my beautiful Cairn terrier, Inky, and we have both settled in to seaside life!  We live with my partner, who has a young bearded collie called Shambles – a beautiful dog rescued from Greece – and two cats, Bonkers and Crackers.

Pet care is obviously a major part of our lives and, when I started a new job down here, I really wanted to know that our dogs were getting the very best.

I’ve spent a lifetime working with animals and I know how important great care is and that being able to read your animal can help it deal with the different situations it faces in its daily life.  Tails talk!  Shambles, our young collie, can be quite a nervous dog and through her tail I can tell when she’s feeling happy and sociable or when she’s feeling anxious.  It’s one of the key ways dogs communicate with us.

Having spent twenty years training animals – particularly young horses – I know that a calm approach and an ‘in control’ attitude is the way to help animals feel safe.  I am a great believer in ‘reward based’ training and developing a loving, caring bond with animals.

If you want to find out a little bit more about what your dog is trying to tell you, check out this great article from the American Society for the Provention of Cruelty to Animals.