Hi I’m Mandy

I am a professional Dog Trainer and Behaviour Consultant based in Mid Wales and a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (www.apdt.co.uk) and The Animal Behaviour and Training Council (www.abtcouncil.org.uk). My approach to working with dogs is based on the principles of kindness, respect, choice, fairness and the use of effective up to date science-led methods of training and behaviour modification. I also have a First Class Honours Degree in Psychology, hold a Certificate of Higher Education in Companion Animal Welfare and Behavioural Rehabilitation with Bristol University and am a qualified Dynamic Dog Practitioner.

I firmly believe that if we try and look at the world from a dog’s perspective, we are far more likely to be able to understand the motivations behind their behaviour and the underlying factors that are contributing to some of the problematic behaviours we see. I work with owners to build a fun and trusting relationship with their dog and to help them understand why they do what they do.

A bit of back story….

Prior to moving to Mid Wales I lived in West Sussex on the South Coast. I’ve always had a keen interest in behaviour and a love for animals; over the years I’ve lived with dogs, cats, horses, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils and birds! After gaining a First Class Honours Degree in Psychology I started work in the Youth Justice System, supporting young offenders in reducing their risk of re-offending - an extremely challenging but fulfilling job. However after a change in personal circumstances a change of career was needed. I felt that my skills of behaviour assessment and rehabilitation learnt in the Youth Justice System, along with my enjoyment of training my own dogs, could be put to good use working with animals, so decided to retrain as a Dog Trainer. I left the Youth Justice System and started work as a Training and Behaviour Advisor for Dogs Trust at my local rehoming centre where my role involved overseeing the welfare, behaviour assessment and rehabilitation of all the dogs that came through the centre. My 5 years in rescue provided me with the invaluable experience of working with a wide variety of breeds and behavioural issues, with the added complications of the inevitable difficulties and stressors that come with dogs living in a kennel environment.

The work was challenging, emotive but again hugely fulfilling, however sadly, due to health issues I had to make the difficult decision to leave. I still wanted to work with dogs, so started up my own business as a Dog Trainer and Behaviour Consultant, working predominantly with fearful and anxious dogs.

My husband and I lived very busy, hectic lives and we especially relished our twice yearly holidays with our own dogs, staying in various ‘dog friendly’ accommodation around the country, but found a particular fondness for Wales. However, we were often disappointed with the accommodation we stayed at. So called ‘secure gardens’ that most definitely were not secure for our two Houdini Huskies! Also, lots of dog rules which prevented them from going on sofas, sleeping in bedrooms or on the bed with us. We were never able to find anywhere that either ourselves or our dogs could totally relax and unwind. We both felt there was a market for truly dog welcoming accommodation, as opposed to ‘dog tolerant’ and our dream that one day we would set up our own super duper dog friendly holiday accommodation started to grow.

I was also finding that many of my clients were struggling to be able to find appropriate, safe and secure holiday accommodation to take their fearful and anxious dogs without the fear of bumping into unknown neighbours and not knowing where and when the best time was to walk to avoid other people and dogs when they were staying in an unknown area.

We started to realise that there was a market for specialist holiday accommodation for the type of clients I worked with. So our dream of simply having a super duper dog friendly holiday let was not enough! We needed it to be remote, with some private fenced land for dogs to be able to exercise in safely, as well as be able to walk from the door without fear of coming across other dogs and people. The problem was finding somewhere that met our now lengthy list of criteria…..

Well, in 2020 the stars aligned! The perfect property become available and the time was right for us to take that leap of faith to make our dream happen. ‘Dogs Love Holidays’ was born and we are now living happily in the middle of Hafren Forest in glorious Mid Wales. The move has meant my husband has been able to pursue his dream of being an artist and sculptor, whilst I run the holiday let business. I also continue to work with and support owners and their dogs who are struggling, helping them navigate the stresses and conflicting emotions that inevitably come with owning an anxious, fearful dog. I continue to be passionate about dog welfare and in helping dogs and their guardians live the best life they possibly can together.