MEET SAMANTHA JONES AKA SAM HEAD TRAINER

I founded Alpha B in 2020, after doing 12 years as a hairdresser. I grew up dreaming of being a police or army dog handler but fell into hair when I found a job opening locally and was desperate to buy my own dog at 15 years old. I purchased my Doberman Sully 3 months later, suffering constant criticism at my breed choice and how it would 'dominate me' and even ' eat me in my sleep' I was determined to raise an obedient dog. Sully became trained in personal protection work as well as therapy work, his loyalty to me became undeniable. 

My journey to get here however involved using many different trainers with many different beliefs ranging from being over powering to gain dominance to the other end of spectrum using only praise and rewards to mark good behaviour and ignoring the bad, I found my niche somewhere in between these two extreme methods (both of which were damaging to the development and bond of my dog). I believe the way to achieve true leadership is through a deep connection and understanding of your dog, whilst keeping rules very black and white, keeping your energy calm and balanced with no aggression or forcefulness but also setting clear boundaries correcting unwanted behaviour and encouraging desire behaviour. We must remember that we are asking these animals to live in an unnatural way and to ignore and deter from their very basic instincts. This will easily be achieved with clear rules, calm leadership and a little understanding and patience, as proven by my next addition to the family, Scruffy, the pointer cross visual, an intact male I brought into the home with my male doberman! I was more certain in my plan to raise Scruffy as opposed to Sully where all my research had given me conflicting advice meaning I was inconsistent, bringing Scruff has been a dream and he has grown into a bomb proof well rounded dog who deals with almost every situation hes put in with no stress.

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Passionate. Patient. Persistent. Pet-lover. These are just a few of the characteristics that describe my style. I know each animal is different, and I’ll work with yours to give them guidance that is tailored to their needs.

MEET SULLY CEO

Sully (Sullivan when he’s really naughty ) is the honoured CEO of alpha b Like most big wig, white collar big shots he’s not seen often out in the field he’s far too important for that of course ! A few of you will have been lucky enough to train with this handsome giant, how ever these days as he’s approaching 12 years old, he prefers to keep out of the way of madness and stick to the office work and toy/ treat testing and approval Sully is the inspiration and purpose behind all the methods we use and all though you may never get lucky enough to meet him his influence is at the absolute core of what we do and will be felt for as long as we work for years and years to come He taught me so much about getting balance in training just right and the importance of understanding and having a deep bond with your dog, he may be aging but sullys legacy will always live on

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 We are heartbroken to announce we lost Sully 06/07/2021 but his position will never be filled and so his bio will remain

MEET SCRUFFY MD

scruffy dog Otherwise known as scruff, scruffy butt, tappy toes, little woof, scruffalo and many more Most of my 1-1 or walk and train clients will be very familiar with the hairy managing director of alpha b. He’s a 3 year old german short hair pointer cross wire hair vizsla, so as you would expect he’s a huge fan of fetch and more so of attention Scruffy is the master of calming a storm, he often steps in with reactive dogs to provide a safe and sound dog to begin interactions. Scruffy joined me a lot during lockdown when we helped puppies discover the big world, he took them under his wing showing them the ropes and always detracting dogs who approached our pups with bad manners Scruffy will always strive to keep the peace and usually enjoys showing off his tricks when he gets the chance

Abbey Hi, I’m Abbey. At the age of 7 we got our first family dog, Patch, who is an English Springer Spaniel. Even then at such a young age I was interested in training Patch and would regularly go with my mum to his training classes. Since then I’ve taught Patch myself with new skills and tricks. I have always been interested in helping others to train their dogs too as we did Patch. Working with animals, especially dogs, has always been something I’ve wanted to do, so helping out at Alpha b dog training classes is a dream come true.

Hey I’m Codie, I started working with dogs in 2013, soon realising how interested I was about behaviours I soon got my own puppy Hugo, a staffy cross, and focused on basic obedience with him. Hugo has taught me a lot about patience with training, especially with him being reactive. In 2018 I moved to Australia where I continued to work in a dog daycare and now I am back, I want to carry on and help people with their dogs, no matter size or breed!

Hello I’m James. For as long as I can remember I have loved dogs. From the age of five I asked my parents at least once a week for a dog, it took two years but at the age of seven they gave in and I got my first puppy, Dave, a German Shepherd/Border Collie cross who was my best friend for fourteen and three quarter years. We also have a family dog, a very cheeky seven year old cockapoo called Finn. I am about to get my new puppy! A gorgeous black Labrador called Neo. I am very excited and can’t wait to bring him home and start his training. After I left college I completed an apprenticeship at a local doggy day care centre, my dream to be surrounded by dogs. After my apprenticeship though I struggled to find a position working with dogs so became a bar tender, a job I enjoyed but not my vocation. I am absolutely delighted to join Alpha B. I am looking forward to sharing my skills to help dogs and their humans to live their best lives possible. Hope to meet you all soon.

Bowser is our newest addition and will be a frequent attendee at class whilst he learns his dog manners and all the basic training he needs. He is a a 'bandog' which is not actually a recognised breed currently, band is an extinct breed which breeders are trying to recreate. bowsers genetics are neo mastiff, Great Dane and XL bully.