TESTIMONIALS
We have been surprised and pleased to hear that a columnist from the “People’s Friend” magazine has been training her puppy with us. Maddie (of “Maddie’s World” fame) brought her new Labrador puppy to classes, to train him to behave well and learn how to cope with life situations.
This has already proved useful after unexpectedly meeting Edgar's sibling on the beach one day. As Maddie and Edgar had learned a safe "meet and greet" routine, they were able to say hello without overwhelming the more nervous brother.
Having previously been pulled over by a dog who decided to chase a cat, loose lead walking is important for Maddie, especially as Edgar is already a strong dog. She has been working hard at this, and his loose lead walking has received compliments from our trainers, although understandably, there are times when he finds the other puppies distracting.
The presence of other dogs and people can make it a challenge to teach the various cues, with “down” being one of the more demanding, as Maddie found. On the other hand, if you learn the techniques in class, you can practise them at home, where it should be easier to become fluent.
Although he’s still very young, Edgar can sit, stay and retrieve, as well has having perfect food manners. Maddie can put his bowl on the floor, and he waits to be cued to eat it.
It’s great to see how well they have progressed, and a lot of this is due to the work Maddie has put in to have a well-behaved, take-anywhere puppy. Hopefully this will continue, so they can have plenty of enjoyable walks together.
Maddie highlighted that we have several qualified members of staff, including one with a “naughty” face and Dorset accent. There are plenty of us around who know exactly who she means!
Maddie and Edgar
The above is based on an article written by Maddie in issue number 7922 of the People’s Friend published on 9th April 2022. For more information about the People’s Friend magazine, please see their website: https://www.thepeoplesfriend.co.uk. They can also be found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesFriendMagazine.
My name’s Diane and I joined ARDPT about 2 years ago to further the training with my young Labrador cross, Taylah. We had already completed a 6 week puppy socialisation course elsewhere and I wanted to continue Taylah’s training. I happened to bump into Judith while doing some recall training with Taylah on the beach and discovered that Judith was a trainer with ARDPT.
I joined the club a few weeks later and both Taylah and I were given a warm welcome by the trainers, Jenny, Judith and Nicky, and their helpers who were all very friendly and helpful. They are all qualified, very knowledgeable, professional and totally committed to helping owners teach their dogs to become well behaved members of society. Classes are fun as well as educational and it is never a case of ‘one size fits all’. If an owner has a problem with a particular exercise then the trainers will always suggest other ways round it because they recognise that all dogs are different and have different needs. What works for one might not work for another. All the training is positive reward based and there are no harsh methods whatsoever. The club will also help you work towards taking your Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Test, if you wish.
Although we’ve not been able to attend indoor classes throughout lockdown Judith and Jenny are always available if we want help or advice and have kept us motivated with ‘challenges’ to attempt and video for the club’s Facebook page, all of which has been great fun and keeps us working with our dogs, watching them and listening to them. I can’t recommend ARDPT highly enough.
Diane and Taylah
I’m Jacki, and I have been attending the ARDPT group for the last two years. I was born in Spain but my owner didn’t want me and I was picked up from living wild by the Pointer Rescue group, and they found my people Ellen and Shane.
I was very nervous when I first arrived, and I wasn’t sure I could trust these new people, but the ARDPT team gave me and my Mum the positive techniques to build the trust and understanding between us.
We first started going to the Sunday morning outdoor sessions, where the first few weeks we had some one-to-one time, and I quickly realised all the dogs were having so much fun. Each week we could be doing something different, retrieving dummies, agility, obedience or scent work, and once a month we all go for a walk. This gives our people time to chat, and us dogs time to explore.
Once I had enough confidence, we started attending the Thursday night classes in Melplash and recently achieved my KC Gold award (this seemed to be a big thing for all the people, I’m not sure what all the fuss was about!). I still get worried from time to time, but the ARDPT team keep an eye out for me and change things to make sure I’m happy.
My favourite thing about ARDPT is playing with Wren, and Oscar, and Lilly, and Laxa, and Luna, basically everyone. The worst is wearing my coat on wet days as they go out in all weathers.
Ellen and Jacki
