Are you interested in becoming a dog trainer? Perhaps you already have a qualification and looking to put your skills to use? Do you love working with dogs and would like to pass on your passion and knowledge to others? Well Happy Paws is the place for you! Check out our trainers poster for more info - HERE
Gabrielle joined Happy Paws in 2012, when she was just 12 years old, with her lively black Labrador Darcy. Her passion for dog training blossomed from there and in 2015, began to also train her newest addition Delia, the yellow Labrador. Gabrielle and her dogs have successfully worked their way up to The Kennel Club Good Citizen Gold Award, and are in our Top Class.
Gabrielle is also a valued member of the Lowestoft Dog Agility Display Team, being both an Agility Trainer and performer, with Darcy and Delia. She also assists with the planning and organising of team training and events for club members.
With having a background at university, Gabrielle is always keen on enhancing her knowledge, to deliver the best positive training methods to our members. She has completed an extensive range of training courses to do so, including:
IMDT Practical Instructors Course 2018
IMDT Career as a Dog Trainer Course 2021
IMDT Perfect Puppy 2021
IMDT Canine First Aid 2021.
Along with further webinars from IMDT: Dogs and Kids, Learning Theory explained, Owner motivation, Predatory Motor Patterns, Red Flag behaviours, Separation Anxiety and related disorders, The Canine Brain & Thoughtful Enrichment.
Gabrielle is compassionate and competent when it comes to leading a class and is our longest serving regular trainer at Happy Paws. There is no silence when she’s around, with her lessons being full of smiles, laughter and dog cuddles!
James joined Happy Paws in 2013 with his Australian Shepherd Dog, Austin. Intending to join the agility team they were soon also hooked on Monday night obedience classes and loved the friendly atmosphere at the Club. James and Austin soon joined the A-Team and also progressed through all the Kennel Club Good Citizen awards and into top class. Another Aussie, Clyde, then joined the family in 2016 and has recently joined Austin in top class and the A-Team. James enjoys anything training related and many evenings and weekends have been whiled away with the boys teaching them all manner of exercises. They are particularly interested in tricks and can often be seen at Club showing off (for treats of course!).
James completed the IMDT Practical Instructors course in October 2023.
"Training my dogs has been a fun and rewarding experience and I hope I can pass this on to our Club members as a trainer for Happy Paws".
Aly has been a member of Happy Paws for 5 years and a trainer for 3 years. Teddy joined her family and having previously trained her spaniel at Mutford she was keen to train him with the Club. She went along to a local event where the agility team were displaying and the following week she joined the Club. Not long after joining they were asking for people who would be interested in becoming trainers, her journey began. She did the IMDT Practical Trainers course in March 2019 and has been an active trainer since then. Aly loves being a trainer as it was always her ambition to work with animals.
Aly has two dogs Teddy who is a Collie x Poodle and her recent rescue Springer Spaniel, Maisey. Teddy is currently in Bronze class and Maisey is yet to attend training due to being quite nervous in unfamiliar situations.
Gloria joined the Club in 1993 when it was known as the Lowestoft Alsatian and Dog Training Club, with her Border Collie cross, Pippin. Gloria took Pippin to the agility training as well as Monday nights obedience training. They got into the team that first year and the next year she acquired another BC x, 3-year-old rescue, Coco who also got in the team. In 1994 Frank, the then Head Trainer and Chairman, made an appeal for new trainee trainers so Gloria offered. She was quickly whisked off to the British Institute for Professional Dog Trainers for a week's course and passed the first grade, then went to the BIPDT courses for the next two years and gained the next grades and finally the Graduate grade. Gloria is now retired so has lots of time for walking and training her dogs and usually spends the summer camping at dog shows. She stands in as a trainer occasionally and also judges the Good Citizen Tests and other tests.
"I always want to stay part of the Club and feel very honored to be elected President. The role of a President is to ensure the Club is run efficiently and fairly, abides by its rules and is friendly and welcoming to all. With an excellent chairman, officers and committee, I think my role will be an easy one!"
Penny has recently joined the Happy Paws trainers team and shares her time between Happy Paws and Bexley Dog Training Club. Having taken a family dog through the Kennel Club Good Citizen awards through to Gold, Penny decided that she didn’t want to finish there and wanted stay with BDTC and went on to become a trainer and Committee member. 13 years later, Penny has taken her own dogs through the awards and has trained with the Kennel Club and is a qualified Bronze Good Citizen examiner. Additional courses have included Pet First Aid, Introduction to Dog Behaviour, Happy Recallers, Separation Anxiety and Related Disorders.
“After a busy work day, there’s nothing better than an evening at training, getting to meet so many wonderful dogs and hopefully make life a little easier for their owners! Thank you Happy Paws for welcoming me into your family!”
I started out dog training with The Lowestoft Alsatian Dog Training Society as Happy Paws was then known in 2008, with my 2 Border Collies, Tess and Star. Having had dogs in my family all my life, this was the first time I had ever joined a dog training club. In 2015, I was asked if I would like to attend a trainer’s training course and this was where the real fun and learning began. As well as obedience training I became a member and instructor with the Lowestoft Dog Agility Display Team with Tess and Star.
So in 2015, I went off to attend a 7 day practical dog instructors course with the Pet Dog Training Institute (PDTI) in Shropshire and incidentally, bringing home a puppy we all know as Spirit. I have also been on an agility instructors course and a 4 day course with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers, a short course on a ‘career as a dog trainer’ and various other and appropriate courses such as dog first aid, dog behaviour, holistic veterinary medicine master class and I am a qualified raw dog food advisor.
Training my dogs and helping others is very rewarding when you see the changes occurring in both dogs and their owners. Although I am a locum trainer for Happy Paws, I still keep myself up to date with online learning and I personally compete in agility competitions with my dogs, Spirit, Stare and soon to be in the agility fold, Tizzie.
Contact Us : enquiries@happypawssuffolk.co.uk