The British College of Canine Studies

The British College of Canine Studies

James Conroy -  Dog & Dog Owner Courses

James has been training dogs since 1997 but was inspired to create his own dog behaviour courses after his own dog was attacked. As James says "He became dreadful with other dogs. It started off as fear aggression, but evolved into a very confident dispaly. I was desperate to have a second dog, but several trainers declared he was too extreme, unfixable, and advised me to keep him muzzled and away from other dogs permanently. One even suggested I put him down. I tried a new approach taking into account how dogs behave with one another, and within six months, he was good enough to accept my second rescue dog."

James moved to France in 2005 and spent three years there in order to qualifiy (in French) as an official "Owner Trainer" returning to the UK in 2009.

From his considerable experience James has developeed his own unique method of training which are now available in these new courses. As he says "Dog training is based on how dogs learn, but not how they behave. Positive Reward Training is perfect for teaching obedience, and will work for many behaviour problems, creating positive associations where there was previously a negative one, and encouraging dogs to make the right decision. However, I also understand through experience in the real world that ignoring the bad and rewarding the good is not always enough. In fact, sometimes it can be dangerous."