All About Me.

Hello everyone,

If you've arrived at my page you must have a dachshund. If you are a new dachshund owner, welcome to the most loving and supportive community you will meet, dachshund owners are as passionate and loyal as the breed. If you are a dachshund veteran - welcome to my page, I hope I can offer further insight into our wonderful although somewhat quirky breed.

I won't bore you with my entire history other than to say I am lucky enough to have been training dogs for all of my life, and started as a dog trainer in 2001. Over the years my knowledge and experience have grown and I have worked with a huge range of breeds. Gaining experience, academic qualifications and teaching qualifications to make myself the best at what I do from a huge range of experts, teachers and my peers. I am constantly studying, dog behaviour is ever evolving and continuous study and professional development ensures I provide the most up to date advice and techniques possible.

Dachshunds are in my blood, my family has owned them for several generations, I was born into a home with a mini long haired dachshund, who lived until he was a grand age of 18. After this we had 2 mini smooths, then a mini long....then another and yep another. They are addictive, be warned!! Due to my extensive experience and ownership of the breed I am uniquely placed to be a breed expert. Aside from training and behaviour I also have a lot of hands on experience with successfully rehabilitating dogs with IVDD and other medical issues.

Skip forwards a few years and I own a fair few of my own alongside a couple of large breeds. I have have bred several litters of beautiful Standard Dachshunds, dabbled in showing, a bit of fun agility with them, scentwork, clicker training, and tracking. They are a hugely versatile breed.....once you work out what makes them tick!

Over the years I have worked out what works and what does not when training a dachshund, we are all different, as are they but certain things remain the same amongst the breed. Having a deep understanding of a dachshunds behaviour is a key part of what I do, similarly, being adaptable and understanding makes me better at what I do.

I am also very honoured to volunteer with The Red Foundation - Emergency Dachshund Rescue as a trustee and as their behaviour advisor and am a trustee for Dachshund Health UK. These roles are huge achievements and I am proud to work with and support both charities.

I strongly advocate for ethical and kind training. I pride myself on being able to explain the complex behaviour jargon in a way that is easy for everyone to understand and will always seek to find the easiest route for learning for dog and human alike. I will never promise a quick fix, however I will promise a deeper understanding into your dachshund and work with you to address the issues you are having with your dogs.

My love and passion for the breed, for behaviour and for a happy relationship between owners and their dachshunds drives me to be the best I can be, as such I have attended many courses, workshops and seminars but have listed the key ones below. If you would like further information on my achievements or qualifications please do not hesitate to ask.

Qualifications, post nominals and Professional Memberships include:

Bachelor in Laws (Hons)

Level 5 University Diploma Canine Training and Behaviour Management (UDip CTBM)

Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK (APDT) Membership No. 01485

Kennel Club Accredited Instructor (KCAI (CD))

Certified Separation Anxiety Pro Trainer by Julie Naismith (SA Pro)

Full Member of International Society of Animal Professionals (M.I.S.A.P)

Professional Member of Pet Dog Training Instructors (having achieved Advanced award) (PPDTI)

Professional Member of The Pet Professional Network

International Animal and Behaviour Training College Clicker and Target Training 1 (IABTC C&T1)

Signatory to The Registration Council for Dog Training and Behaviour Practitioners (RCDTBP)(CAWC)

Best wishes,

Sharon Alton