Who we are:
Whistle and Wag Dog Training is run by two friends that have a mutual love of dogs and training who decided they would combine their years of knowledge and teach others how to train their dogs.
Jemma
Jemma has a varied experience from previous careers in horse breeding and training, serving as a police officer and working for the local government. These have given Jemma numerous skills to assist clients and their dogs in their training.
Jemma completed her official qualifications in dog training in 2020 with the canine instructor academy and has since completed a further diploma in Canine Behaviour Training. Jemma now teaches on the Canine Instructor Academy courses and helps new trainers progress their careers.
Jemma is a group expert for the Ladies Working Dog Group and provides masterclasses and support for their members to progress their training. Jemma has also completed her J ‘regs’ qualification with the kennel club to further increase her experience with working and competing spaniels in gundog skills.
Jemma has 4 spaniels of her own
From left to right
Nuka – 4 year old working cocker spaniel works and competes in working tests
Red – 6 year old (Nuka’s brother) works and competes in UK Dog Sports.
Yara – 1 year old (Nuka’s Daughter) not yet working but has competed successfully in working tests and has a bright future.
This is the wonderful Jelly – 13 year old cocker cross, Jelly has been through all my career journey. Jelly is a professional farm dog and has competed in agility with Jemma. Jelly now has a quieter life and occasionally helps being a stooge dog to help clients dogs with training.
Jemma loves nothing more than being out with her dogs and enjoying the outdoors and everything her dogs were bred to do.
Jemma believes that our dogs should be a valued member of the family that bring enrichment to our lives. Dogs give us so much and it is our duty to look after them and to ensure they are well balanced members of the family.
Nicci
I have had a life-long passion for dogs. Living life in the fast lane, I started my journey when I became the proud owner of my first Ferrari (working cocker spaniel!), called Purdey. Something that I truly embrace is a challenge and training a spaniel is definitely up there on my list, however it is also one of my greatest accomplishments and one that continues to grow and progress. Over the years, I have learnt a variety of training techniques which have not only developed my knowledge and confidence as a dog handler but has also led me to add to my collection of Ferraris. Training Cosmo to be a pet gundog has been a walk in the park.
Professionally, I started my career in social care and then made the transition to education and became a teacher, coach and mentor. I have taught children and adults of all ages and have specialised in supporting people with special educational needs and English Speakers of Other Languages. I am currently a strategic advisor.
I met Jemma through the Ladies Working Dog Group and found someone that shared my love and interest in dogs. We both completed a canine behavioural training course with Robert Alleyne’s Canine Instructor Academy and with our combined skill base it was a no brainer to embark on a new venture together…Whistle and Wag was born.
Nicci and Purdey have taken part in agility, canicross and scentwork together. Nicci is an accredited scentwork handler. She also works Purdey as a beating and pickingup-dog on local shoots and is currently training her new addition, Cosmo, to take up the mantle.
For Nicci, owning and training dogs are more than a hobby, they are a way of life. Training dogs helps us to grow and learn more about ourselves; what drives us and what limitations we put on ourselves.
Our ethos:
Nicci and Jemma are firstly dog lovers so believe that training should never cause the dog harm or undue stress.
We are part of a group of trainers that believes in the ‘PRAMA’ methods – Positive reinforcement and minimally aversive.
We believe in using positive reinforcement in the form of treats or whatever else motivates the individual dog and also believe dogs need to learn what behaviours we do not want them to repeat by using minimal aversive cue such as a verbal interrupter.
It is important to understand that every dog is different and to train the dog in front of you, just because one method works with Fluffy does not mean it will work for Fido.
A dog that knows the rules of life, is a happy dog as it can spend more time having fun with its owner and not wondering if it will make the right choices.