About me, my methods and Callimuir
I am Carrie Harrold and I provide dog training services in the Aberdeen area. I am APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) qualified and have studied The Canine Mind and Dogwise with COAPE (Centre of Applied Pet Ethology). I have been assessed and awarded membership of the APDT. I am also fully insured and holder of a current Canine First Aid Certificate (Rhodes2Safety) so that your dogs are in safe hands.
As a trainer, I use fair and effective training approaches based upon: positive reinforcement, considering and respecting the emotional needs of the dog and considering the wider aspects of wellbeing to ensure your dogs can reach their full potential. There is a misnomer in animal training that if you use rewards then you are an ethical trainer. However, the central feature of ethical training is being emotion centred, not what treats you use, or the fact that you use rewards. Ethical training is about reading the dog in front of us, identifying their needs, learning and otherwise, and meeting those needs to help that dog thrive and be in a place where they cannot only learn, but enjoy learning and want to learn with you.
Dog trainer can be a bit of a misleading title. I am really a people trainer, as I train people to train their dogs. Like so many trainers out there, I have the experience and knowledge, and even some pieces of paper with qualifications on. But what about the human side of training?
I feel this part is often over looked. People learn differently, people come with different experiences, some people are confident, some less so.... We are all different, and have different needs, and training needs to reflect that. A good trainer needs to be flexible, supportive, enthusiastic and encouraging. A good trainer needs to coach, not just teach.
So what does Callimuir bring? Outside of dog training, I have many years experience developing students and junior staff, and seeing them succeed. I also have many years experience supporting vulnerable people, both professionally and voluntary, and helping them achieve their goals and move forward with their lives. It is the years of training in these roles (coaching, mentoring, counselling) and my rich and wide experiences with people, from all walks of life, that feeds in to how I train people, and the philosophy of Callimuir.
Callimuir is about providing quality. For me that means that each client is an individual, and are treated as such. Each client is a partnership where we work together. Each client will be supported with their short and long term goals. Each client is important and their continued progress beyond classes will be supported. Support ends when you feel you are ready, and not before. I achieve this by purposefully keeping training classes small so that I can offer clients adequate 1-2-1 attention. Through flexible training plans I can accommode your needs and commitments, and I having an ongoing support system in place for those who wish or need this.
If this sounds like the right kind of dog training for you, please contact me by telephone (07890 894510) or by email (callimuircanines@outlook.com) to discuss your individual training needs.
Looking forward to meeting you and your four legged friends soon.