An expert dog behaviourist and trainer from Cotgrave has adapted her way of working during the pandemic and is set to revolutionise the dog behaviour industry.
Dog lover Natalie Turton revised her business so that she could still provide the support needed by her clients and began to offer remote dog training and is reaping the rewards.
When the lockdown was announced Natalie, who owns Pawsitive Dog Behaviour, knew that she would have to adapt her business in order to support the clients she was already working with.
At the time, she was working with owners whose dogs had severe behavioural issues and she felt that it would not be safe to stop the training at this point. Under normal circumstances, she would meet the client and their dog and work with them in person to get to the route of the dog’s behavioural issues.
However, once lockdown measures were implemented, she was unable to meet up with her clients so Natalie devised a new business model which meant that she could provide an in-depth level of support remotely.
As a result, she has found that the new format has been extremely successful and she believes that this way of working is actually having a positive impact on the training needs of the dogs.
Natalie asks that the clients send 1-3 short videos of their dog to capture their natural behaviour, they are also asked to complete a questionnaire. From this, she is able to perform an in-depth analysis of the footage and spot issues more clearly. This analysis, alongside the information provided by the owner, enables her to develop a bespoke behavioural plan specifically for their needs.
Natalie then works with the client online through video contact. At first, she aims to get the basics in place and then tackles the main behavioural issues. She has found that working remotely has been extremely effective, as the dog is in its natural surroundings with their owner. Natalie is able to instruct the owner without disrupting the dog and the environment is a more natural place for them to learn and bond.
Natalie said: “I had a number of clients with dogs with severe behavioural issues and they needed the support right away and could not have waited until after the pandemic. I had to quickly think on my feet and adapt my way of working.
“I’ve found that the dogs behave differently when I am there, so by working with the owner remotely, they are able to train their dog in a one-to-one situation without me as an added variable. This way of working has proved extremely successful so I have decided to carry on with this method going forward.” Natalie added: “My new online format for behaviour work is set to revolutionise the dog behaviour industry and is achieving my clients faster and better results.”
Client Katie Deacon, who started working with Natalie before the pandemic, commented: “At first I was hesitant as I didn’t think that it would work as well as the face-to-face sessions however I decided to give it a go and I have been so pleased with the results.
“I really couldn’t recommend Natalie and this new way of training enough. Natalie is hugely knowledgeable and a fabulous help, I’m looking forward to our next video call.”
Natalie offers regular feedback throughout the training and also holds monthly consultations to evaluate the progress made. Socially distance meetings can be set up if necessary, but most issues can be dealt with remotely.
In 2015, Natalie was diagnosed with bone cancer and had to undergo a bone transplant in her leg. During her recovery, she started to reevaluate her life. She loved working with dogs and decided to start working for a large organisation to brush up on her skills. During her career, Natalie has helped thousands of dogs and since launching her business, Pawsitive Dog Behaviour, in 2018, she has helped hundreds of owners and their dogs. She now owns seven rescue dogs with varying behavioural issues all of which she has trained herself.
Natalie uses positive behavioural training methods and she is keen to educate people on the way dogs should be trained. She has witnessed the effects of poor training and has had referrals from owners whose dogs have received the wrong type of training which has resulted in them having more severe behavioural issues as adults.
