About Dog-Training 4U & Gundog-Training 4U

My name is Damian Barson and I have been involved in canine behaviour and dog psychology most of my adult life. I'm based near Preston in Lancashire and I have had the opportunity to experience some great training days with dogs and their owners surrounded by beautiful landscape.

I started dog obedience training at the age of 18, this sparked my passion to work with dogs and study canine behaviour so I could help to create balance in the relationship between owners and dogs.

Working and training my own pack which includes, Springer Spaniel's, Cocker Spaniel's, Labrador's and Hungarian Vizsla's has given me a great insight into the behaviour and training methods required to create a well behaved balanced dog.

Canine Behaviour and Psychology is about having the understanding of pack structure. Understanding the dog requires that one understands where it came from, so it becomes necessary to go back to the wolf and beyond. Dogs began their association with humans well over 10,000 years ago. Since dogs came into our lives they have filled a number of roles. In modern times, breeds have been developed for specific purposes, such as herding, retrieving a hunters kill and pulling a sled. Although there are behavioural variations between breeds, the core behaviours of the domestic dog are very similar across breeds and are often similar to those of its closest relative the wolf. The wolf can serve as a basis for understanding our dogs, but its also important to remember that thousands of years of selective breeding have changed a lot of the behviour too.

As humans we tend to humanise our dogs, dogs communicate through energy within a pack. We have to train ourselves to use our bodies, eyes and hands to communicate, rather than our voice. The gentle brush of one's hand on the dog's head should be regarded as a reward. As well as training the dog, I help to rehabilitate the owners to carry on the good work themselves and to understand their dog's needs.