About Me

Hello, I'm Clare Ledger; a huge lover of dogs.  

 

My husband and I adopted our first dog in 2013; an intelligent Dobermann called Dexter.  Wow, we didn't foresee how hard it would be.  We enlisted many different dog trainers along the way, as Dexter wasn't happy around men he didn't know.  We were given all sorts of advice; a lot of which was aversive and unkind.  Also, it didn't work. 

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Along the way, I met a force free trainer, with an Animal Behaviour degree. He helped us understand that often a dog behaves in a certain way, because they are uncomfortable and how we can look at supporting our dog in those given situations.    He talked about Jean Donaldson, author of the Culture Clash book.  The Culture Clash was written over 20 years, but is science and force-free based.

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I thought, I want to learn this for my own education. I read the Culture Clash (a game-changer for me). I took my IMDT Qualification in 2016 and that year I applied to become a student at The Academy for Dog Trainers, founded and run by Jean Donaldson and her amazing team.

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The Academy course is an intensive 2 year training course, with rigorous exams all the way through the course.   Only a small percentage of applicants are accepted.  It is considered by many as "The Harvard" for dog training academies.  Graduating in 2019 was one of the biggest achievements of my life.

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I want to bring what I've learnt along the way, through dog ownership, but also through science based education to other dog owners.  

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I am passionate about helping dog parents give their dogs the enrichment and training that makes their lives better (the dog and the humans).  

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I am also a sales team leader; this includes coaching people through positive reinforcement, feedback and skill development.  Creating a safe environment for success helps people grow and reach their full potential.  Dog training is all about coaching people to apply their education to their dogs too.

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Sadly, we lost Dexter to heart failure when he was only three.  A week later we adopted a 14 month old rescue Dobermann boy and we called him Louis (in the photo above).  He ran into our back garden like a ray of sunshine.  He's my best friend and I call him my "sunshine boy."  I'm so glad I can bring all of my learning to make his life as happy as possible.  

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Qualifications:

Certificate in Training and Counselling (CTC) The Academy for Dog Trainers - 2019

Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT) - Dog Trainer - 2016

Fear Free Certification - 2021

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Seminars attended:

Dog Aggression and Rehabilitation - IMDT - 2016

Dog Body Language - IMDT - 2016

Dog Aggression with Chirag Patel - 2016

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Booked for late Spring 2021:

Separation Anxiety Pro-Trainer 

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