“If you feel like there's something out there that you're supposed to be doing, if you have a passion for it, then stop wishing and just do it.”
The beginning (2015)…
I’d always wanted to become a qualified dog trainer & behaviourist and spent many years researching and reading as much about the profession that I could find! What once was a bucket-list dream became a reality when I became a fully accredited and qualified dog trainer under the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers in 2015 and later joined The Pet Professional Guild and the Professional Accredited Canine Trainers.
Before making this move, I had been working in an office and struggled daily to find someone reliable and trustworthy to walk my own dogs, let alone look after them for longer periods of time if I needed. After all, putting a member of your family in someone else’s hands and trusting them to look after them as you would yourself is difficult to find.
After being let down again and again, I really focused on turning my dream into a reality by getting my qualifications and starting my own business so that I could give people a service I had missed out on.
The middle (now)…
As I developed my skills and expertise I went from two dogs, to three, to eventually four. I began to enter the world of dog sport and competed with my second dog Ezra in Competitive Obedience and also IGP which is a three-phase sport including tracking, obedience and protection.
I fell in love with dog sport and continue to do this with my youngest dog Run, focusing on the precision needed for these sports and the beauty of it all.
Since then I have built up the business to be supported by a fantastic team who walk the dogs we care for so that I can more easily split my time and expertise on the dog training side of the business. All of the dog walkers have the added benefit of being trained and viewing the dogs as a dog trainer would do, always aware of body language, communication and mental stimulation.
I hope that with my experience, reliability, passion and knowledge I can continue to make a difference to the dogs I meet and give people the tools they need to manage their pets and make their dog-owning experience more enjoyable and less stressful.
- Amey Markham
