Dog Handling Courses

Confident dog handling is a vital skill requirement for many people working in dog related industries. The way you approach and then initially handle a dog will dictate what sort of relationship you will have over a short or long term period. In a working environment, split second decisions must be made based on how you read the dog in the first place. If you are guessing or make the wrong assumption because you're really not sure, then this can send very clear messages of apprehension to the dog that could turn a simple situation into a potentially dangerous situation.

From clients of Alpha Dog Training, Boarding School For Dogs and Alpha Boarding Kennels we continually receive feedback regarding unprofessional handling of their dogs by other professionals who are obviously misreading the dog altogether. This usually comes after one of our staff has successfully negotiated a calm contact with the very same dog in very little time at all (we are talking first contact here – a dog unknown to the staff member).

There is a very important reason for this ability to connect with dogs so quickly... experience! Now there's more to this than just spending years working with dogs and finally becoming comfortable around them, it just doesn't work like that at all. Some of our staff members are relatively new to working with dogs in the grand scheme of things. This confidence comes from having handled many different dogs under supervision, all the time reading and interpreting their behaviours. Learning about both the blatant and more obscure messages sent through canine body language and how to act appropriately in response.

The courses takes place at the Alpha Boarding Kennels, a professional boarding and training complex situated on 10 acres of land in the Macclesfield area. This is a working kennel environment where our staff are actively utilising their canine communication skills for everything from feeding and grooming to walking and training. Dogs are taken from their owners and handed back to their owners whilst they are still excited, apprehensive or possibly even aggressive. Our staff regularly perform pick-up and drop-off duties where dogs that are often unknown to them are lifted in and out of animal transport vehicles.

The benefits of running these courses at the kennels is the fact that there are so many dogs available for hands-on practice of the skills being learned in lectures and workshops. Theory becomes reality very quickly in this setting and we have watched student's confidence grow as they have begun to apply their learning in real-time.

All of our handling courses include students learning to teach dogs various basic, lifestyle obedience skills. This is not for the purpose of them becoming instructors, but for the opportunity to read each dog as it adapts to a new situation with a new person taking control and to see first hand how their own body language and tone can affect the final outcome. This is taken a step further when the students learn the basics of Canine Good Behaviour Shaping and learn how to carry themselves around different dogs in different settings. They will also practice applying the more commonly used canine behavioural modification techniques that can often settle a dog quickly, turning into a follower rather than a competitor.

These courses are perfect for anyone currently working with or wanting to work with dogs in a professional setting. They are designed to give students a new understanding on dog handling by approaching it from a working professional's perspective. The learning environment is friendly and professional and the structure of the courses promotes confidence building and a practical understanding of canine behaviour.

Course dates for 2008 will be posted on this site at the beginning of April. Feel free to contact us for more information regarding course structure, content and pricing.

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