About Me
My name is Tony, I live near Banchory in Aberdeenshire.
Dogs have always been a large part of my life. I trained my first dog, when I was 19.
I continued working with dogs of many breads and personalities, many in need of help with behavioural difficulties.
In 1997 I became a full-time Wildlife manager in the Scottish Highlands, over the next 25 years I continued to train dogs for my job and also for clients, gaining lots of practical experience both in training and working dogs.
In 2017 I studied for and passed all levels of the dog training qualifications with the Academy Of Dog Training And Behaviour, adding a recognised qualification to my practical experience.
I also trained and work a Mountain Rescue Search dog (my German Shepherd Dog ‘Walter’) helping to search for missing people in the Mountains and of Scotland.
In 2019 I moved to Munich in Germany, where I trained with the ASB Rettungshunde team, a German K9 search and rescue group, there I worked with some very talented and experienced instructors and gained more experience in both Area and Disaster search.
In 2020 I qualified as a Mantrailing Instructor with Mantrailing UK and have enjoyed adding this to my skill set, I find it very rewarding for both the dogs and handlers.
To gain more understanding and ability working with dog handlers, I also undertook Coaching education with The Centre for Coaching in London, completing; The Certificate in Coaching, The Primary Certificate in Performance Coaching and The Primary Certificate in Stress Management.
I have been fortunate to work with and learn from some very good dog trainers and handlers in different dog sports and activities over the years and I am grateful to them all for the education and support.
My belief is that the partnership with our dogs should be one of mutual trust, this can be achieved with Positive training, Enrichment activities such as Mantrailing and physical and emotional welfare.
I use POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT training methods using rewards, Praise, Food and Play to enable the dogs to understand what we are asking of them and to enhance their desire to carry out tasks with joy and enthusiasm.
Positive Dog training will enrich your relationship with your Dog, creating greater understanding and clearer communication.
I believe in collaboration with others, sharing knowledge, helping everybody succeed
I am also committed to my continual professional development.
HAPPY DOGS + HAPPY HANDLERS = HAPPY LIVES