A ZOOKEEPER is putting his animal expertise to good use and has set up his own business helping people to train their dogs in a kind way.

Nick Shelley set up Riley’s Canine Coaching, a force-free dog training experience, a few months ago in Andover.

The business opened late last year with the aim of giving all dogs the chance to have healthy, happy and content relationships with their owners.

Solely run by Nick, who is the founder and the only staff member, his work is already receiving five stars reviews online.

Nick, 32, has a background in zookeeping and has been a dog owner himself for many years.

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He said: “I want everyone to experience the type of relationship I have with my chocolate lab. It’s about connecting an owner to their dog and building trust.

“I have a big background with all types of animals and I even work at a dog rescue charity. I see dogs come in all the time who are skittish and have lost trust in their past owners - this is what my training is trying to avoid.”

Nick’s hands-on approach introduces force-free training to dogs as he believes that animals must be willing participants in order to achieve a good level of trust.

He said: “If you try and teach a dog through force, they’ll obey through fear rather than trust. When you use force, you also risk the chances of dogs becoming randomly aggressive in reaction to their fear.

“I have learned this way of training through my work background, my qualifications and my own personal experiences. Working with so many breeds and different types of animals gives you a good eye for this. If I can train an otter, I can definitely train your dog!”

The average price range is £75 to £120. For example, the £75 New Arrivals package includes: pre-arrival session, post-arrival session, what to expect, how to help a dog settle and more.

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Nick, who is also a director at a conservation management project, said he hopes to make his business a full-time occupation, so he can achieve his dream to 'help the two way street between all dogs and their owners'.

For more go to facebook.com/RileysCanineCoaching/ or email rileyscaninecoaching@gmail.com

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