About Avril 

I have worked with dogs and their people since 1984, but the truth is that dogs have been teaching me for far longer than that.

One of the dogs who shaped both my life and my work was Rubber, an eight-month-old Dobermann who came to us from the RSPCA. I had no idea then quite how much she would change the direction of my life.

Rubber was probably one of the most traumatised dogs I had ever known. She screamed when she was left, destroyed the house, stole things, frightened visitors and struggled terribly with other dogs. At the time, I didn’t have the knowledge I have now. I was simply a woman trying to live with a very difficult dog and wondering whether I had made the biggest mistake of my life.

But Rubber made me learn.

She taught me to look beyond behaviour and ask a different question. Not simply, “How do I stop this?” but “What is this dog trying to tell me?”

That question has stayed with me throughout my career.

Over the years, I have taught thousands of owners in training classes, worked with families facing complex behaviour problems, competed in obedience and learned from some remarkable trainers. But some of my greatest teachers have always been the dogs themselves.

Rubber also gave me something that no qualification ever could: a real understanding of what it feels like to love a dog and still feel overwhelmed by them. To feel frustrated, frightened, guilty and sometimes completely out of your depth. Because of Rubber, I have never had to imagine what my clients are feeling. I remember it.

My work today is about much more than simply changing a dog’s behaviour. Dogs live within relationships and families. They respond not only to training, but to the patterns, emotions, expectations and communication of the people around them.

I don’t believe we can change who a dog is any more than we can change who a person is. What we can do is create the best possible circumstances for change, build understanding and trust, and give both dog and owner the opportunity to make different choices.

After more than four decades, I am still fascinated by dogs, still learning from them, and still deeply moved by the relationships people have with them.

Rubber started a journey in my life that continues to this day.