Lucy Jarvis

Lucy Jarvis (BSc, ADBT, MISAP, IACE, PPG)

I have always had a love of dogs. Growing up we had a family dog; a black Labrador called Duke who had been part of our family from 8 weeks old. Once I was considered old enough by my parents to be able to walk Duke on my own, I jumped at the opportunity. I walked Duke almost every day and he would often be waiting for me to get home from school, so we could go on our walk. Whenever we went out on family outings with Duke in tow, I was the one who insisted on holding his lead.

By summer 2006, Duke was 13 years old and his health was starting to decline. He began struggling with getting up and down the outdoor steps to go out into the garden, amongst many other ailments. It was then that I had my first experience of what it was like to lose a best friend and be part of that decision to end their suffering. It is hard to explain the heartache that is involved when you have lost a canine friend. It is a pain like no other and one which people always say they never want to go through again.

Not long after losing Duke, I went to a local university to begin my degree in Psychology and Criminology. Within this year I begin walking dogs for a local rescue centre 3-4 times a week. I was not picky about which dogs to walk. I walked anything and everything from Jack Russell’s to a huge Ridgeback that feared small dogs. I so enjoyed helping to train these dogs, I would often take the dogs out which had the most difficult of behaviour problems and try to work with them.

In 2009, I moved into my own house and started a full-time job with an animal welfare charity whilst continuing my volunteer dog walking. Just after this, I got my first rescue dog called Tessa; a Brindle coloured 7-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, my heart dog! Eight months later, I adopted my second rescue dog; Suzy, a (roughly) 18-month-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross. Suzy was at the rescue centre where I was volunteering and was constantly being overlooked by potential adopters. After 12 months of watching people walk past her kennel, I decided to take her home for the night to see how she would get on with the dogs in my home at the time and I never took her back to the rescue centre.

In 2011, I began working for a local dog walking and doggy day care company before setting up my own professional dog walking business in 2012 and fostering rescue dogs for another local rescue. From here I really became enthralled with dog behaviour and training. I started to learn as much as I could about dog behaviour with the view to eventually becoming experienced and knowledgeable enough to help people train their dogs and solve behaviour problems. Like most dog trainers, I am what is known as a cross over trainer, I began my journey thinking that dogs were wolves and the way to train them was to be their pack leader, any behaviour problems where due to the dog taking the top position. Through extended reading, seminars and experience I learnt that this was not the case. This was where my knowledge really started to develop, and my understanding of dog behaviour grew.

During this time, I lost my beloved Tessa and gained 3 other dogs; Brian (Staffordshire Bull Terrier), Rosa and Walter (Malinois) bringing our current total number of dogs to 4. I compete in agility with 2 of them as often as I can and take part in scent work, tracking, gundog tasks and obedience.

In 2016 I left my part time job to run Pawsitive Pooches full time. 2018 saw us take the plunge and open our own canine training centre with doggy day care services.

I am a full member of the PPG (Pet Professional Guild; an organisation for force-free training) the 'National Register of Dog Trainers and Behaviourists', the 'Institute for Animal Care Education' and the 'International Society for Animal Professionals'. I have current qualifications with the ADTB, up to Gold level and have read more than 50 books in relation to dog training, behaviour, psychology and physiology. I have also completed complimentary courses, to date these include: Grisha Stewart's 'Barking Mad Course: BAT and other Techniques for Frustration’, Dog Emotion and Cognition, Animal Behaviour and Welfare and Animal Behaviour

These experiences, extensive research and involvement with all things dog related throughout the last 12 years have given me extensive knowledge and understanding about dog behaviour and training methods. My knowledge and training is up to date and I am always striving to improve and widen my knowledge at all times. I am also completing an MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Training.

I offer 1-1 consultations for basic training and behavioural issues as well as workshops and group classes for puppies and adult dogs and basic and advanced obedience, scent work, agility, gundog tasks and classes for reactive dogs.