About Susie and Steve, and their dogs
Steve and Susie have 7 spaniels in total which are all working dogs in one form or another, either working on shoots, both beating and Picking Up, Agility, Mantrailing or Canicross, so they are very familiar with the breed and their various traits.
Steve has many years of experience training dogs and in 2019 when Susie became an accredited dog trainer they began working together.
Training approach
Steve and Susie are both positive reinforcement reward based trainers, and actively steer people away from using any aversive methods with their dogs. They both take great pleasure in watching bonds grow between owner and dog and love nothing more than seeing the joy when a new skill is mastered.
Although Steve was himself introduced to gundog work via more traditional methods, he now prefers Force Free training, he believes it is a more effective and pleasurable way for both handler and dog to learn.
Gundog experience
Steve has many years of experience working both spaniels and retrievers on shoots, both beating and picking up. Susie has worked her dog for 4 years also beating and picking up
Both Steve and Susie have taken dogs through The Gundog Club Grades.
Steve is a Full Instructor and is able to assess grades 1 – 5.
Susie is a Foundation Instructor and able to assess grades 1 – 3
Particular breed knowledge
Steve and Susie are spaniel specialists, but have many years experience training Retrievers, and welcome in their classes all gundog breeds, and non gundog breeds.
Services offered
Steve and Susie offer both 121s and Group classes, they welcome both pet dogs and working dogs.
They welcome all breeds and cross breeds, including those that are not Gundog breeds, as they feel that giving a dog a job to do and the opportunity for a dog to work its brain as well as its body is essential for a dog’s well being.
Qualifications and other achievements
Both Steve and Susie are accredited trainers with the IMDT and ADTB.
They both believe that experience in training people is as important as experience in training dogs. Steve is a qualified teacher and assessor with the City and Guilds occupational awards scheme and he also has extensive instructing experience with the army and fire service.
Susie holds a City and Guilds trainer qualification.
Steve and Susie are committed to keeping their skills up to date, by attending various courses and studying.