For the love of dogs

Canine behaviour, training and wellness centre Dog Trouble recently staged an open day with dog show in a bid to showcase the work that they do supporting dogs and their owners to develop a healthy relationship and good behaviour. My Wokingham’s Jacky Hayler spoke to Jo about her love of dogs, her method of training and her life in Wokingham.

Dog Trouble was created by dog behaviourist, Jo Cottrell, with the ultimate goal of not only rehabilitating rescue dogs to provide them with a second chance in life, but also to educate dog owners and people working with dogs about dog behaviour.

Jo set up Dog Trouble in 2010 in a bid to support the number of rescue dogs who spent a long time in centres. “I had a real passion for the dogs who could not find their forever homes. I wanted to help the ‘long stayers’ by offering a little bit of training to the staff to educate them about dog behaviour, health and nutrition.”

The majority of the time, said Jo, it is about training the owners rather than the dogs. “It’s all about giving them the right direction, they don’t purposely not want well-trained dogs, they simply don’t understand what to do. We are brainwashed to use positive reward-based training with treats but many dogs won’t respond to treat training and this leaves owners feeling inadequate.”

Jo follows the natural instinctual principles that have governed dog behaviour for many years. She is certified in Canine Psychology. She also has a BA Hons degree and is a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals. She brings a wealth of knowledge combining her interest and experience in the use of holistic health, canine Zoopharmacognosy and dog nutrition to support her work in rehabilitating dogs with behaviour issues.

Jo is exceptional in the way she connects with a dog, focusing on healing their mind, body and spirit. Her extensive knowledge of dog health, nutrition and behaviour enables her to treat a dog as a whole, ensuring the root cause of their behaviour is addressed to ensure long term balance as opposed to a ‘quick fix!’. Jo teaches dog owners how to listen and connect with their dog by observing their body language and feeling their energy. Through that connection dog owners learn how to build the respect and trust between them and their dog and the tools and understanding that enable them to achieve balance. Whether working with dog owners, trainers, vets or rescue organisations, Jo’s calm, positive energy empowers people to believe in themselves, think ‘outside the box’ and connect with their dog in order to achieve success.

She likened dog training to raising a child where they need boundaries, but she also added people these days treat their dogs more like human beings. “People over love their dogs and think correcting them is cruel. They need boundaries and rules. If we are constantly negotiating with them, you end up not developing their respect and trust. Owners are led to believe they constantly have to treat their dogs.

“It’s all about developing a balanced relationship, teaching them the behaviour you want and correcting the behaviour you don’t want in a calm yet assertive manner.”

Jo said she seen a lot more dogs since Covid who are anxious, neurotic or aggressive or suffering from separation anxiety, a consequence of being unable to socialise them.

While a dog trainer attempts to get the dog to walk, sit and stay, a behaviourist looks at the overall picture to understand their behaviour, balancing the dog’s mindset, emotional state, environment, health, nutrition and owner interaction.

And at the open day, Jo and her team showcased how they rehabilitate dogs.

“When a dog comes to us to be rehomed, we look at the fundamentals - we do blood tests, put them on a raw food diet and develop their respect and trust.

“We try and match the owner to the dog by inviting them to work with us, do house visits and overnight stays. By sup- porting people we get the right fit for the owner and the dog and achieve a high success rate. For many rescue centres a lot of dogs bounce back because they were matched in the wrong way.”

Jo grew up on the farm surrounded by dogs. Raised in Wokingham she attended Luckley-Oakfield School and volunteered at the Diana Brimblecombe Centre.

“I love living here and love Wokingham town centre, but I think it’s sad there has been so much development. We seem to be the last bit of countryside left.”

Constantly running workshops and one-to-one training sessions, Jo’s skills are in high demand and she admitted she would like a year off to write a book and just be with her dogs. She usually has around 15 dogs at any one time including long-term foster dogs and those looking for new homes.

“Sometimes I feel like a therapist and marriage guidance counsellor. You have to learn how to protect yourself from being affected by the negative energy. Sometimes it takes its toll, but I love being in my bubble, surrounded by my animals. They are my therapy.”

What Dog Trouble offers

Dog Trouble offers a range of workshops and clinics throughout the year. Topics include dog basics, fear and anx- iety workshops, dog aggression workshops, junior pack leader workshops and dog walker workshops. Clinics are available on topics including raw feeding, essential oils, canine first aid and canine massage. Bespoke workshops can be arranged for groups of family, friends, or rescue volunteers.

Their dog behaviour consultations are an opportunity for owners and potential owners to learn how to achieve a calm and balanced life with your dog and iron out any issues that may be driving you mad.

They pride themselves on rehabilitating dogs with extreme behaviour issues where other professionals have not been successful - so whatever issues your dog has they can help.

Boot Camp is for those dogs that require a more intensive residential programme away from their home environment in order to learn how to be a dog again and become balanced. Dogs exhibiting dog aggression issues really benefit from this programme as they are integrated with a pack of balanced sociable dogs.

Board and Train is for those puppies/ dogs that require basic training or a ‘top up’ to get them back on track in order to learn how to become a balanced dog.

Dog Trouble offers two paddocks to securely exercise your dog, off-lead. The enclosed paddocks are a great way for individuals to practice some dog agility and/or to allow your dog off leash in an enclosed environment, providing them with both mental and physical exercise.

Socialisation club is led by their assistant dog behaviourist and is to help owners gain confidence from walking together in a pack and to help socialise their dogs. They know that a lot of dogs missed out on socialisation time due to Covid and this has led to some dogs having behaviour issues.

Puppy courses are designed to help the handler learn the skills and techniques required in achieving balance with their dog, in addition to building a dog’s social skills with other dogs in a safe, positive environment.