About Us

Introduction

Hi there, and welcome to Captain's Orders Dog Training!

I'm Debbie, and I'm a Dog Trainer and Canine Behaviour Therapist.

I am based in Tameside, and I have been handling dogs since the age of 5. I have always loved dogs, and I knew I wanted to have a career working with them. Now I am lucky enough to do so!

I currently own two dogs; Captain, and Sarge, both are German Shepherds. Captain was my inspiration for the name of my company, as he was the dog who taught me how much joy can be found in training a dog to be well behaved and obedient. Without him, Captain's Orders Dog Training would never have happened.

Captain inspires and motivates me daily to bring out the very best in him, and the other dogs I have the pleasure of working with.

As a result, I now have qualifications from many canine educational bodies, including BCCS and ISCP, and my studies are ongoing to gain even more qualifications and experience in all forms of Dog Handling.

Captain's Orders Dog Training was established in November, 2021, and I have since been fortunate enough to work with hundreds of clients and their dogs, training a wonderful mix of breeds, ages, and behaviours.

Captain's Achievements

puppy good boy obedient dog training trainer tameside manchester

Captain's training began the day I brought him home at 8 weeks old. On his first day, he learned to sit on command, and on his second day, he learned to lie down on command. On his third day, he learned how to do both sit & lie down following hand signals only, without a verbal command. I knew then what a smart puppy I had on my hands, and so I enrolled him in a program called Do More With Your Dog.

This program enables owners like me to train exciting and fun tricks and to work towards gaining rosettes and certificates. Captain is now considered a Champion Trick Dog.

I also noticed that Captain had a wonderful memory for words, particularly the names of his toys. One day, when the weather was just too awful to even attempt going out for a walk, I laid down all of Captain's toys on the floor, and asked him to retrieve each one by name. He brought all 34 toys back to me correctly. I posted about this on Facebook, and consequently got headhunted from the University of Budapest asking if Captain and I would be willing to participate in their studies. The research project was named The Genius Dog Challenge. I jumped at the chance, and the university scheduled a zoom meeting for us right away. They assessed Captain on his toy naming skills, and immediately declared him to be a Genius Dog. We continue to work closely with the University, performing various tasks and trials to help the team to learn more about how a dog's mind works. Captain currently has 79 toys, and can retrieve each one by name accurately. I am truly honoured to have a hand in such important and fascinating science.

Captain continues to excel in many other avenues of life. He has "herded" a lost dog back to its owner after becoming separated out in the countryside, he holds a Gold Award in the Canine Good Citizen Scheme, and he has tried his paw at Flyball, Agility, and Mantrailing. He has also participated in some of my training sessions to assist dogs who are shy or nervous of other dogs, and need a doggy friend to bolster their confidence.

He loves a tennis ball more than life itself, and he's at his happiest when he's running through fields to retrieve it. He also loves to help around the house, aiding me by picking up dropped items and putting them on the table, tidying his own toys away into his box after playing, bringing my slippers to me, and even putting small items of clothing in the washing machine.

Captain is the most wonderful dog a girl could ever wish for. I count my lucky stars every day that I have him in my life, and that I get to call him mine!

Sarge

At the time of writing this, Sarge is not yet 8 weeks old, so he is still with his Mother and the family who have bred him. He will be joining our household in just a few days' time, and I have big plans for him! He will learn all his basic commands as soon as possible, just as Captain did, and from there, I will look to see where he excels and what he enjoys most. I will work with his preferences to make him as wonderful a dog as Captain.

Watch this space for more updates on Sarge!

My Promise

I made a promise on the day I brought Captain home that I would always take care of him, and teach him to be the best dog he can be.

When I began working as a fully fledged Dog Trainer, I made the same promise to all the dogs I would have the pleasure of working with in the future.

Your dog's welfare is my utmost priority throughout all training. I do not believe in using punitive or aversive methods, such as prong collars, shock collars, hitting a dog, or any other unkind or cruel technique. All of my training is done through kindness, patience, lots of love, and plenty of treats or a favourite toy. There are many who say that you can't train a dog without punishment, but Captain and my previous clients are full proof that you absolutely can. I have no interest to work with anyone who believes otherwise.

Your dog is in safe, caring hands, here at Captain's Orders Dog Training, and I look forward to meeting you and your dog very soon.

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