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Helping Pets and Their Owners Connect

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Lectures & Workshops

Lectures & Workshops

Learn With Us

Throughout the year I run educational evenings on a variety of animal-related topics as well as practical Pet First Aid workshops.  I am a qualified teacher and have experience of teaching on NVQ, BTEC and City & Guilds qualifications in Veterinary Nursing, Animal Management and Dog Grooming.  If you’d like your veterinary nurse or grooming students to get some quality teaching then get in touch and we can help.

I am also able to run bespoke sessions for dog clubs, cat clubs, kennels, catteries etc

Monthly lectures are held at Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Petersfield.

Details of forthcoming lectures and workshops can be found on the Positive Pets Facebook page

To book a place on any of the talks you will need to contact Helen direct by emailing helen.hitchings@positively.com or by completing the form on our contact page.

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07973 123401

Contact Us

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PPguild
VSPDT
COAPE
VSA

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    • Refocussing my efforts..Refocussing my efforts..
      13th May 2018UncategorisedThe world of dog behaviour and training can be wonderful, rewarding and fun..it can also be brutal, exhausting and frustrating.  I have been part of this world since I qualified as a behaviourist in 2002.  However, until 2015 I was only ever a part-time inhabitant as I always combined my vet nursing and teaching jobs with just a few hours a week training dogs and seeing behaviour cases.  Since becoming full time as a self-employed behaviourist and trainer I have worked with some amazing dogs and some wonderful owners. I’ve been lucky enough to meet and to be supported by, some generous and gifted fellow trainers.  I have also met some owners who should really never have had dogs and I’ve experienced bullying and petty jealousy at the hands of the less generous and not so gifted trainers I share my patch with. Mainly, I have loved the last few years working for myself.  I have loved meeting the wonderful dogs, owners and fellow trainers who have made the long hours and the tax returns worthwhile.  But I’m tired: in addition to the challenge of running my own business, the last 18 months has brought the most challenging family circumstances I could have imagined – the next year is set to be similarly challenging.. I have been offered a teaching post which will allow me to share my passion for behaviour and animals while working with teenagers – a dream combination!  Regular hours, paid holiday and no tax returns…right now it’s a ‘no brainer’ for me. So with mixed feelings I’ve decided to refocus Positive Pets to become a training company for humans.  I will no longer be running training classes or offering 1-2-1 behaviour consultations.  In my spare time I will continue to run Pet First Aid Workshops and give lectures for owners, training clubs and pet professionals. A heartfelt thank you to all those who have been to my classes and to those owners who faithfully followed my behaviour modification plans to help their dogs live better lives.  Another huge thanks to the amazing trainers who have supported me during some difficult times in the last couple of years.  Special thanks to the fab five – Hannah Franklin, Francesca Willis, Gill Gallagher, Louise Williamson and Natalie Light – ladies you are all superstars!...
    • Best Christmas present ever!Best Christmas present ever!
      27th December 2016UncategorisedBack in July I was approached by the Victoria Stilwell Dog Training Academy and asked if I would consider becoming a mentor for students of their new UK-based course which was being launched in September 2016.  I was honoured to be asked but rather daunted by the selection process I’d have to undertake…It involved completing a huge application form and essay, submitting hours of video footage of me working with dogs, asking for references from clients and vets and taking part in Skype interviews with established VSPDT trainers and then with Victoria herself.  I decided to go for it and got on with preparing my application…along the way the European Coordinator, who is a well-respected trainer based here in the UK, asked if I would consider joining VSPDT not just as a mentor but as fully certified member of the training team!  Now I was really terrified, there are only 14 dog trainers in the whole UK who’ve been selected to become part of Victoria’s team…I looked at who they were and just didn’t see myself on the same level – they were really great trainers!!…A few of those great trainers had followed the same path into dog training as I had (via COAPE) so our paths had crossed at various conferences and they encouraged me to go for it!  I took a deep breath and 4 months later I’m delighted to announce that I made it!  After an emotional phone-call with Victoria (she was great, I cried!) asking me to join her team, I got the email on Christmas Eve confirming my status as a Certified Victoria Stilwell Trainer. So now there are 15 VSPDT Dog Trainers in the UK and one of them is right here in Portsmouth – 2017 here we come!...
    • Published Article in Dogs TodayPublished Article in Dogs Today
      8th July 2016UncategorisedIt’s a bit late, but I’ve finally got to see a copy of an article I wrote for Dogs Today Magazine.  I wrote it because I had become concerned about the number of cases I was seeing involving dogs being man-handled by well-meaning members of the public…if you have a cute dog, you’ll be able to relate to this I’m sure! Dogs Today Article – Hands Off!...
    • Daisy meets her public!Daisy meets her public!
      30th October 2015UncategorisedDaisy, came to meet children at a ‘Keeping Safe around Dogs’ workshop that I ran today. Amongst the children who came were one who’d been chased and bitten by a large dog and another who was just very anxious around all dogs.  We spent some time with model dogs whilst I explained how dogs see the world and how best to approach them. The children were brilliant, asked loads of great questions and in one case, even made their parents feel bad for forcing them into situations with dogs!  After talking through scenarios with the model dogs we then brought the very real live Daisy into the room.  My 11-year-old daughter handled her and showed how gentle she was.  The children when then allowed to come over to her and feed her treats.  I stressed that it was completely the children’s choice and without any pressure from anyone, every child came and sat with Daisy while we chatted. Children who get bitten by dogs are often the ones who are nervous around them but who have been shoved towards them by parents…hopefully we showed today that knowledge and choice are very important in overcoming phobias…I would never force a dog towards something it was fearful of and neither should parents push anxious children towards dogs. Very well done to all the children who overcame their fears today – I think you taught your parents a thing or two as well!...
    • Venturing into the ether…Venturing into the ether…
      28th October 2015UncategorisedWelcome to my first attempt at a webpage! Mainly thanks to the coding skills of my clever step-brother, Helen Hitchings Pet Behaviour Services ‘.com’ has been born….It was a tricky birth with some anxious moments but I hope you’ll agree that it’s not turned out too badly.. Now off to spend some quality time firmly back in my comfort zone – pass me that dog lead…we’re off for a yomp!...

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