How I Met 'The Dragon' - Theo Paphitis

When asked to describe myself in three words I would say motivated, professional, and friendly.

I have always worked in retail and for over 25 years my husband and I owned a soft furnishings business, where good customer service was paramount. We had contracts with NHS, local authorities and many blue chip companies, and had the pleasure of working with some top designers from life-style and fashion companies such as DVF, Juicy couture, Boss, Guess Jeans, Crabtree & Evelyn to name a few.

One of the high points for me was meeting Theo Paphitis, from ‘Dragon’ Den’ after supplying the soft furnishings to all his Boux Avenue stores. Here’s a picture of me with Theo at the opening of his Sheffield store.

I can’t remember a time in my life when dogs haven’t been a part of it, from being a small child I have always had a canine friend. I’ll be honest they haven’t always been well behaved and one or two have been down right monsters, but they have all been characters and I’ve loved them all. I’ll introduce you to some later, but what I found was I had an empathy with the dogs that enabled me to get the best out of them.
Friends and family recognised this skill and on numerous occasions I was asked for help. So, after 25 years in one job I was ready for a change and decided to develop my hobby into a business, ‘Dog School’.

I believe that you are never too old to learn so rather than depend on my dog training experience I attended Angela Whites International Animal Behaviour Training College and embarked on my training as a behaviourist.

The training included a lot of ‘hands on’ work, dealing with real people and dogs with interesting and varied behavioural problems, which is certainly valuable as a student. The course covered a broad scope of topics from ‘How dogs learn’ through to ‘Advanced behaviour modification’. In addition, I have continued my training by attending several workshops and conferences so that I can provide you with an enhanced dog training experience.

Not only will we improve your dog’s behaviour but I’ll provide you with information about nutrition, first aid, your legal obligations as a dog owner, and answer any other questions you might have.

I promised I’d introduce you to some of the dogs that helped me start this journey.