Lucy O'Brien

I have spent 12 years working with dogs, in many differnt roles. These include stints in grooming and animal welfare law enforcement. The bulk of my career however, has been in rescue centres and also training assistance dogs. I worked as Dog Behaviour Advisor for the UK animal welfare charity the Blue Cross, where duties included rehabilitating dogs, training staff and creating behaviour modification programmes for dogs in their care. I was also responsible for carrying out consulations with adoptors who were having difficulties with their new dog.

I have worked as Manager of teams of professional dog trainers at UK assistance dog charity Canine Partners. This organisation trains dogs to the highest standards, to provide enthusistic canine helpers for people with physical disabilities, mainly wheelchair users.

I currently work for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People training the puppies and the people who look after them! I also run my own dog training and behaviour consultancy CanineClinic. I am a qualifiied Puppy School Tutor and have run my own successful puppy classes for several years.

I am a very experienced clicker trainer but this is by no means the only technique I use. I have had the fortune to train and work with several well known people in the fireld, including Gwen Bailey and Nina Bondarenko. I use only positive, motivaional methods, with a strong emphasis on empathy, welfare and simplicity.

I have an Advanced Diploma in Animal Behaviour (Distinction) and am working towards a BSc (Hons) in Applied Animal Behaviour, to complement my practical experience. I am on the panel of international experts at Allexperts.com, in the fields of 'Canine Behaviour 'and 'Dog Training', where I write answers to a huge variety of problems from the public. I have 2 A*s in English at GCSE and an A* in Psychology.