About Us

           

Dog expert on the Katie Martin show, BBC radio Solent and David The Dogman's show Vets Pets and Guests on Talk Radio Europe which reaches more than a million listeners! Gulp#1.

I am Denise Nuttall B.Sc (Hons) and the founder of Paws In Hand Dog Training and Behaviour. I started life living on a farm. When I moved on from an investment banking career, people thought it was a dramatic change. In fact, the weirdest thing was that I was a banker in the first place. I always wanted to be a vet!

So, why the move from banking to dog behaviour? Well it all started with my own dog! We took on a beautiful puppy Dalmatian at 6 weeks of age. Six months later we wondered what was going on! All our time seemed to be taken up running around after a very naughty dog. Our clothes were in tatters from her enthusiastic play biting and our nerves were in shreds. She then started to become very aggressive. In an effort to get her on the straight and narrow I read anything and everything about dogs and behaviour. I read Jan Fennel with interest and I must admit the biggest changes at that time came from what I read there. However, later on I realised that there is more to dog behaviour than the five principles of Amichien! In fact, I realised it didn't actually make that much sense. I made many mistakes on the way as I used techniques from the internet and from "experts" at our local dog walking field and actually did create more problems for myself through being inconsistent and bouncing from one technique to another. Sadly on 21/06/11 we lost Amy to a degenerative disease that had plagued the last months of her life. I will always remember her as she changed my life and she will be a hard act to follow.

I then started to help out friends with their problem pooches. Increasingly it became obvious to me that life was going to be about helping people to live happy lives with their dogs! I completed the Advanced Diploma of Companion Animal Behaviour and Training run by the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology (www.capbt.org ) and it was like removing a blindfold!

Then I applied to become a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. The APDT promotes rewards based training and prohibits the use of punishment. In order to become a member trainers are physically assessed to ensure that they meet the prescribed standards. I was pleased to be accepted and my membership number is 00963.

I have since completed the B. Sc (Hons) in Applied Animal Behaviour and Training accredited by Portsmouth University. Now most training and behaviour problems are very clear to me and in most cases I can help people to very quickly restore the equilibrium in their household. Some more complex problems will take longer. Whilst I was working in banking I learned how to communicate very effectively with people and also how people learn best. As a result I can help people quickly because I understand how people learn. Also, I KNOW what it's like having a dog which is out of control and behaving very badly... including biting! So, if you want to talk to someone who really knows how difficult it can be living with a very naughty dog, come and have a chat with me, we can compare stories! I really am very approachable!

I am currently a provisional member of the APBC (Association of Pet Behaviour counsellors). Having completed the necessary academic qualifications I am required to work as a provisional member for two years until I have gained the necessary experience required of the APBC which has very high standards. After this I will be required to submit fully referenced case studies and assuming they are completed to the required standard I can then become a full member of the APBC. I will never stop learning. My next step is to become a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist through ASAB (Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour). This will take several years. This will be gruelling as I will have to be observed on a wide range of cases by an existing CCAB, however scary this is to me, it is good for clients.

Over 5 years ago I started to work with the Waggy Tails dog rescue charity. They are a fantastic group of volunteers dedicated to helping dogs find new homes. Some dogs that arrive in the centre have just had hard luck and ended up there through no fault of their own. Some dogs are a bit naughty and their owners can't cope any more so they end up in rescue. For the dogs in the latter category I support Waggy Tails in rehabilitating them either in the clinic or in their foster homes.

Recent activities include being on the BBC Radio Solent Katie Martin show where I now appear regularly on an ask the expert slot on the Katie Martin show about dog training and behaviour problems. I am also a regular guest on a radio show called Vets Pets and their Guests on Talk Radio Europe which can be heard via the internet on Talk Radio Europe .

I now have a new puppy Lily as we sadly lost Amy in June 2011. Lily has now has now taken over my Blog!

Contact me or call me on 01202 861340 or 07764 250554

 

 

Hello, my name is Fleur Broderick and I have been warmly welcomed by  Denise to assist on Thursday evening classes to continue my learning about dog training and behaviour. Like Denise I am also an APDT qualified Dog Trainer, I am also studying the COAPE courses and have completed the 'Think Dog' course and hope to continue with an Advanced Diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour and Training in the future. My interest in dogs started after years of pestering my parents for a dog when I was in my early teens and eventually they gave in and we adopted a wonderful bouncing Boxer called Bonnie. I was smitten and we went everywhere together. We were extremely fortunate in that she didn't have any particular behaviour issues and believed the only reason she ended up in rescue was due to her delicate stomach and as the previous owner was a butcher, we think that her intolerance to rich meat proved to be the problem.

My next rescue Boxer was a completely different story and it was her that got me wanting to learn about behaviour problems! Her name was Holly; she suffered separation anxiety, was aggressive to other dogs and occasionally strangers too. After years of hard work and dog training classes she definitely improved and so did my understanding of canine behaviour. She was a wonderful dog in many ways but perseverance really does pay.

I am now the proud owner of a lovely border collie x cocker spaniel, Izzy, my first dog that has been purchased from a pup. This decision was based on having two young children by then and wanting a medium sized dog. We met the dam and the sire and both had fantastic dispositions, the puppies were bred in a home environment with young children so the foundations of early socialisation had started. I built on this with more exposure to the outside world and attended training classes from puppy classes to advanced level as she reached maturity. Apart from the usual puppy antics everything has gone well and she has developed into a lovely 6yr old companion to us all.

I hope from my encounters both of my own dogs and others I have assisted, that I can help and support owners on their journey to experience the pleasures of owning a well mannered dog.

 

Fleur Broderick (APDT member 00928)

Fleur now provides a range of dog/puppy walking and walk and train services. For more details please see her website Fleur's Happy Hounds.

Hello, I am Sharon Palmer RVN. I am a Registered veterinary nurse and have been nursing for the last 10 years in practice. I help Denise on a Monday evening at the Stapehill puppy classes, which I find extremely interesting and rewarding.

My training experience really started with Denise and the puppy classes, although I have been involved with parrot behaviour, with my birds as well as through work and am currently attempting to clicker train my house rabbit Jon. I have been fortunate in that my dogs have all been fairly easy and have had no problems, although I do have a tendency to take home the elderly ones looking for homes. I currently have an old lady called Mandy, a cavalier King Charles Spaniel who has various health issues but otherwise causes no fuss.

Denise was kind enough to invite me along on a Monday to gain experience for the puppy parties I was setting up at the time for the veterinary centre where I work. Thanks to Denise and her help they are a great success and I was delighted after the 1st 6 week puppy course to be asked back to help. Now I am a regular feature on a Monday evening and look forward to meeting all the new puppies with you their owners.

Sharon Palmer RVN