About Beverley Courtney

 It was having to learn the techniques to make a Brilliant Family Dog with my own busy household of multiple dogs, cats, sheep, goats, hens, and children that set me on the road to helping others do the same.

I learnt early on that forcing someone to do something only resulted in grudging compliance at best; whereas getting them to participate and enjoy the process turned them into eager and fast learners. This applied equally to the dogs, the goats - and the children! The sheep and the cats not so much.

My qualifications range from the understanding of learning theory to specialist work for fearful, anxious, and growly dogs, all using only force-free methods.

Acquiring an anxious, growly dog of my own ensured that I learnt and understood the process of assimilating the dog into our world in a way which builds her confidence, and this allows others to benefit from my own trials and successes.

I’ve done the necessary studying for these certifications: for rehab of anxious and fearful “aggressive” dogs, early puppy development, andthe practical applications of learning theory. I am continually studying this endlessly amazing and rewarding subject!

My work revolves around puppies, new rescue dogs, growly dogs- and, of course, dog owners.

There are many people more gifted than I who can train animals to do astonishing things. My gift lies in being able to convey my knowledge to the dog’s caregiver in a way which has them saying, “It’s so obvious when you put it like that!”

Dogs are individuals and so are their owners, so creativity and imagination are often needed to solve a problem. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to training - as you’ll see when you read the articles. And remaining approachable and friendly allows me to hear about people’s doggy difficulties from all over the world - and do my best to help them turn things around.

A lot of my learning has come through the Puppy Classes, Puppy Walks, and Starter Classes I teach at Good for Dogs! These dog-owners are not looking for competition-standard training; they just want a Brilliant Family Dog they can take anywhere. Up to 2018 these classes have been in the Heart of England. Now for a new venture - Good for Dogs! has moved to the Norfolk Broads.

Working with real dogs and their real owners keeps me humble—and resourceful! It’s no good being brilliant at training dogs if you can’t convey this enthusiasm and knowledge to the person the dog has to live with.

So I’m grateful for everything my students - and their dogs - have taught me about how they learn best.

Books!