My name is Jo Welch, I have owned dogs for many years and have lived with a variety of breeds from a very young age. My chosen breed is the Rottweiler and I own two male Rottweilers and enjoy training them for competitive obedience and other sports. Both of my dogs have achieved Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme awards. I live in Leicester and offer training classes and one-to-one training for puppies and dogs in Leicester and the surrounding Leicestershire area.
I hold a BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation (2:1) from the Anglia Ruskin University which provides me with a sound knowledge of the theory and principles behind the study of behaviour and the ways in which dogs learn.
I also hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Animal Behaviour and Welfare from the University of Lincoln, which focuses on the development of behavioural problems in puppies.
I keep my knowledge and skills up to date through studying, reading and attending seminars and workshops.
I have fostered several dogs for a dog rescue charity and found this to be an invaluable experience in learning that dogs are individuals and what works with one dog, may not work with another.
I have been involved with training classes for many years, both training my own dogs and also assisting with training other people's dogs.
The training methods I employ are based on positive reinforcement and focus on rewarding desireable behaviour. Learning cannot take place if dogs are too stressed, and fear and pain have no place in modern day training. Owners are able to establish a healthy relationship with their dogs without 'dominating' them or trying to be a pack leader. The most up-to-date research shows us that this way of thinking is not the most useful, effective or fair way of approaching dog behaviour. A very interesting website that covers this subject is the Welfare in Dog Training Campaign.
Positive Puppy and Training offers obedience training classes and one-to-one training for puppies and dogs using reward-based methods.
