The Canine Instructor Academy

ent problems or alleviate existing ones. I set up the Canine Instructor Academy to address what I see as the biggest problem in dog training and behaviour - dog trainers and behaviourists. There are so many courses out there now suggesting that they will make you an effective educator, but they are often set up and run by people who don't themselves train dogs, some of whom have actually never been dog trainers or behaviourists themselves! And eager students may pay thousands of pounds believing the course will teach them how to train owners to train dogs effectively. Science has taught us so much about dogs, but I see so many courses that are in my opinion far too science-based, teaching students training that may absolutely work in a scientific setting, but when you try to get an owner to follow that technique in a real-life situation, it is so labour-intensive and/or impractical that the owner is unable to follow through with it, and so heart-broken as they are to do so, they finally give up and put the dog in rescue - or worse. Make no mistake, reward-based training is the most effective way to teach dogs. Rewarding them appropriately will increase the likelihood of a desired behaviour being repeated. But there is currently a concept in dog training that says that although every species on the planet learns consequences to making the wrong choice which help it to make better ones, the one exception to that rule should be this predatory animal that we bring into our home, many of whom are physically capable of killing us. It suggests that dogs should have no negative consequences, that we should ignore bad behaviour, and reward good behaviour, and all of those bad behaviours will just fade away. Well wouldn't that be lovely? But sadly, this theory is fundamentally flawed because it assumes that the owner will always have a reward greater than one that the dog can get for itself without complying with the owner. As soon as that is the case, the 'training' fails. Dogs are too clever for that. So, what many of them learn is that it pays to misbehave. If they jump up, they are offered food to get them to sit instead, so they learn that jumping up gets them food. If they refuse to recall, they get offered food, and if they still refuse, the food gets better. So of course they refuse. And on and on it goes. The Canine Instructor Academy ethos focusses primarily on rewarding good behaviour, and paying dogs well for working hard. But for those times when rewards are readily available but the dog rejects them in favour of doing what it wants, the course will also cover creating non-physical, non-abusive ways to create boundaries for dogs, things that will teach him or her that they really HAVE to do as you have asked. We've stopped teaching our children this, and we can all see how well that's working out. ABOUT THE COURSE
The five day residential course runs from Monday morning to Friday afternoon, , and are held at an amazing training facility in Suffolk, some of you will recognise the site from the hugely successful television programme Dog Borstal. Each day there will be lectures from both Robert Alleyne, and from other vastly knowledgeable expert speakers. There will also be demonstrations, and daily opportunities to train exercises with real pet owners and their dogs under the guidance and supervision of Robert and his staff. Accommodation is available on-site, and breakfast, lunch and refreshments are also provided. Evening meals can be obtained at nearby village pubs and restaurants. Camping is also available on-site, though there are local campsites and B&B's for people who may wish to stay off-site. The number of students on each course will be limited. Further information about the course and dates are published on the website. THE AIMS OF THE COURSE
The course aims to teach you how to teach owners what I believe are the key basic training exercises they should instil in their dogs - leave, recall, to walk on a loose lead, to not jump up, to accept being handled, how to play appropriately with their dog and to stay. But I will also cover common behavioural issues, such as separation anxieties, various types of aggression, destruction etc and how to address them. Owners will bring dogs for you to work with in a dog training class format, with you being taught how I teach each exercise. There will also be a number of guest speakers throughout the course, to talk on their specialist subjects. Students successfully completing the course will receive a diploma from The Canine Instructor Academy, and will be able to use the title and logo on their websites and literature. While students and owners are there, I will also be running what I have named 'The Safer Dog and Owner Award' scheme. This is designed to accredit owners and trainers who through completing the test can demonstrate themselves and their dog being 'safe' to be out in public. Successful students will receive a certificate recognising their achievement.