East Midlands Dog Training

If you need any information or have any questions please feel free to contact us using the details below:

Holistic Dog Training

Hi, I'm Donna Hobson and the owner of East Midlands Dog Training. I have owned dogs for most of my adult life & I currently have two border collies, Bramble and Ralph, who have refuelled my ambition to work with animals.

In September 2014, I took the brave step to return to education and study a BSc in Animal Management (Honours) Degree (as a mature student), completing in June 2017, with 1st Class Honours.

This turned out to be a wonderful and eye-opening experience. I studied so many different and interesting units including: Health & Welfare, Animal Nutrition, Dog Training, Animal Behaviour, Business, Teaching, Biology and Physiology, as well as undertaking my own dissertation on stress, anxiety and aggression in dogs.

During university we had a talk from a wonderful gentleman, Colin Tomlinson, who unbeknown to us both, would become my mentor for the last two years at university. He is a dog behaviourist and has studied dog nutrition in great depth. It was with his support that I started East Midlands Dog Training.

I am a member of the Guild of Dog Trainers and my details can be found here: Click Here

I enjoy one 2 one dog behavioural training, assessing both you and your dog’s needs, then creating a tailor-made training plan, plus offering support and advice whenever you need it.

Donna Hobson BSc Hon, TGoDT.

Donna is a member of ‘The Guild of Dog Trainers’ (Registration No. GoDT 516). The Guild of Dog Trainers is an independent professional body committed to maintaining and improving the quality of dog training, behaviour and companion dog ownership in Britain. Be sure to visit the GODT web site where you will find loads of useful information and fascinating articles. Web address: www.godt.org.uk

At East Midlands Dog Training, we work with owners and dogs to bring mutual understanding and respect. I say ‘we’ because you the owner are the most influential controlling force of your dog. Your influence can either be positive or negative. I’m fundamentally here to show you how to become a positive guiding influence on your dog’s life. The win win results of my approach are that you will also benefit from greater understanding and control. If the owner is out of control then the majority of your decisions will be based on frustration and reactivity just like your dog’s when it is out of control. Next time you lose your temper with your dog - shouting, finger wagging, staring with bulging eyes, just take the dog out of the equation, look in the mirror and see what your dog is seeing! Would you respond favourably when being berated aggressively? ‘I tend to spend a lot of time training and re-educating owners’.

When assessing your specific issue or issues, we look at it holistically, which means we consider all of the factors that may be causing or aggravating an unwanted behaviour. (Unwanted behaviour is somewhat subjective, what you the owner sees as unwanted may well be normal behaviour for a specific dog breed type!).

To me, I don't so much as train dogs, it is more a case of rebalancing a dog and demonstrating to the owner how to rebuild their dog /owner relationship. The training bit is relatively easy:
Teach Desired Behaviour - Reward – Reinforce.

This is a list of issues that we can help you with:

Where do we begin?

Firstly, we need to establish the root cause of the alleged problem / issue. I say ‘alleged’ because what some owners perceive as a problem may well be in fact ‘normal’ canine or breed specific behaviour. This can be established in a telephone conversation at which time I will let you know whether you require a One2One visit or I may give you some free advice to alleviate the issue.

For certain behavioural problems I may ask you to consult your vet initially to establish if there is any underlying cause. In the case of unexplained or sudden aggression (idiopathic) from a dog that is normally non-aggressive, I would always recommend talking to your vet just in case it is linked to pain, hormonal changes or medication related side effects. It is important to collate as much information as you can, regarding the canine problem. i.e. specific behaviour, when it was first noticed, how long has it been going on, what strategies you have tried to alleviate it. I will also need some specifics regarding the dog(s) i.e. breed, age, sex, neutered or complete, diet, medical conditions, medication, exercise regime and general background information. i.e. rescue dog or puppy farm dog and any other relevant history.

Effective Training is based on Positive Reward Based Strategies

What type of owner / trainer are you – Carrot or Stick?

One study, conducted by scientists at the University of Southampton in the UK and the University of Life Sciences in Norway, evaluated whether punishment was a contributor to behaviour problems and examined the effects of reward, punishment and rule structure (leniency/strictness and consistency) on training and behaviour problems. Information was collected via questionnaires from 217 dog owners.

Those who used strong and/or frequent punishment had a significantly higher level of training problems and lower obedience in their dogs. A similar study, conducted at Britain’s University of Bristol, also found that dogs trained only with positive reinforcement exhibited fewer problem behaviours.

Holistic Dog Training (Needs Assessment)