Become the leader of the pack with “Smiles”

Hampshire’s Sarah Miles, or Smiles as her friends call her, says getting your dog to toe the line shouldn’t be all hard work and to prove it she has just launched her own dog training company – “Dog Training with Smiles”.

Sarah, from East Meon, Hampshire, has been training dogs for years, mainly for family and friends and has 12 of her own, which are so well-trained she can take them for an off-road walk without leads!

She works by observing each dog and then responding to its nature and any fearful behaviour it is showing. She also helps owners to carry on the good work and to understand their dog’s needs. Her key message is that happy owners, make happy dogs – KISS – Kind, Informative, Sensitive and Simple.

She said: “I run workshops and also like dogs to come and stay with me for a short time to keep the training consistent. The everyday demands on owners mean it can be difficult to stay focused on the job in hand.”

Dogs have always featured heavily in Sarah’s life and despite a career as a horse trainer and later as a stockbroker in the City, her love of canine companions has never wavered.

“Psychology of both people and animals plays a large part in the way that I train and I observe the dog for some time to see what type of nature it has. With animals the signs you are giving them can be very subtle – just the movement of your hand can be enough to signal that you want them to do something.

“A lot of people treat a dog like a person and they are actually far happier with you taking position as the leader of the pack and letting them know who’s boss.”

It hasn’t all been plain sailing, she has been attacked once and bears the scar on her nose, but thankfully that is the only situation that turned nasty.

She said: “Most people just want their dog to sit, come and heel and perhaps to stop a bad behaviour like jumping up or barking – they are all capable of it  – they just need the right approach.”

Experience “Dog Training with Smiles” at a special Understanding Your Dog workshop on June 10, from 10am to 3pm, at Sarah’s East Meon home. Cost  is £75 per place.

…ends…

Press Release, April 29, 2010

Feature Petersfield Post 2010 (1)

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