Suzy has a BSc (Hons) Psychology and joined Best Behaviour School For Dogs as a dog behaviourist in 2013. She has two young children and has owned dogs herself for a number years.

Suzy has a great deal of experience in teaching and coaching from her years as a post-graduate lecturer and student counsellor. She also spent time training other lecturers both from the UK and overseas. Suzy took a career break to bring up her children but decided to undertake a degree in Psychology at the same time.

Whilst studying for her degree, Suzy developed an interest in the behaviourist paradigm, looking at learned rather than innate behaviour. She noted that for almost a century psychologists have taught dogs, rats and pigeons to display specific behaviours using positive reinforcement and rewards. On achieving First Class Honours in her degree, she decided to pursue her interest in this area, looking at the relationship between dogs and their owners.

Combining her teaching and counselling skills with her interest in dog behaviour, Suzy has offered courses for puppies and juniors as well as an obedience club, recall workshops and sessions teaching children how to train their dogs too. She also offers one-to-one behaviour counselling dealing with a range of issues including basic and advanced skills training, jumping up, mouthing, chewing, housetraining, dog on dog aggression, dog on person aggression, separation anxiety, desensitisation to stimuli, resource guarding, managing nervous dogs, managing the relationship between children and dogs, supporting owners with disabilities and helping train assistance dogs.

Suzy loves working with families to help them enjoy their dog by offering behavioural solutions to difficulties they’re experiencing. By helping them understand why their dog is displaying a particular behaviour she is able to support them in the counter-conditioning process. In doing so, she teaches owners how to diminish their dog’s undesirable behaviour in favour of displaying more socially acceptable behaviour.