About Us - Sophia Taylor and On The Scent
About On The Scent
Here at ‘On the Scent’ we try our best to provide training which is fun, kind and motivating for both the dog and the handler.
Although our classes are held in the village of Great Ashfield which is situated between Bury St. Edmunds and Stowmarket in Suffolk, we are drawing clients from Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Essex and London which is very humbling.
The classes take place outdoors on our new ten acre site, where we are able to train in a more natural environment, with all the smells and some of the distractions that may be encountered in everyday life.
We used to be in the village of Thurston, Suffolk on a smaller site, but as we expanded we felt we wanted to increase the type of training and services that could be provided.
We provide training with a ‘behavioural influence’ as the two go hand in hand, along with the skills needed to have a well balanced and happy dog.
All types of dogs are welcome to attend our classes, however, our speciality is in the ‘hunt, point and retrieve’ breeds and the ‘working cockers’. Our aim is to teach the handler to train their dog.
Swayne and Partners veterinary Surgery in Bury St. Edmunds hold five week ‘puppy socialisation’ classes for puppies who are not yet vaccinated and I was delighted when they asked ‘On the Scent’ to take one of the five sessions to discuss the importance of training dogs and their owners, as training and behaviour has moved on quite a bit in the last ten years.
At the vet puppy socialisation class, handling skills, name recognition, the sit restraint and general obedience are discussed along with ‘controlled play’ with other dogs, inside and outside the home and the importance of timing, consistency and positive reinforcement.
Other instructors are also welcome to come and watch our classes, as we feel it is important to share knowledge with each other however great or small, as none of us will ever know it all and as most of us are aware, all dogs are different and all handlers are different and no two ‘dog/handler’ relationship is the same.
This makes our work fun, interesting and challenging, which keeps us on our toes !
‘On the Scent’ do not profess to have all of the answers and are happy to call upon those more experienced in our field of work than ourselves for their help, support and advice, as this is another way in which we can grow and improve our skills for both our clients and their dogs.
May I just add by saying a huge THANK YOU to my husband Paul, Teresa, Sara, Bethany, Eddie, Hannah and Chris for all their ongoing help and support. We all work well together as a team. I do appreciate all their help. With them on board ‘On the Scent' has been able to grow.
About our pets... we currently share our home with various animals but sadly we only have two dogs now, Guinness and Spider as Otis was put to sleep in September 2010 as He had a brain tumour. He was only five years of age and is missed very much. With regard to our hen family, we only have Mary, Martha, Olivia and Octavia. (See gallery for photographs).
Thank you and God bless you all. Sophia
About Sophia, MGoDT (MT) Member Guild of Dog Trainers (Master Trainer)
Guild Master Dog Trainer (www.godt.org.uk) & KCAI Scheme Member working towards accreditation.
As a child I was brought up with dogs, cats and horses and always felt I had an affinity with them. My father and mother always encouraged my enthusiasm for animals and as I grew up I started to concentrate more on the dogs and the training that could be achieved through food reward and praise like teaching simple tricks and tasks around the home rather than the horses.
Back then dog training was mainly check chains and formality in the classes I attended and play was not incorporated in the class situation. We didn’t know any different then. Thank goodness training has progressed since then and I am delighted that the majority of clubs today now use play as well as food reward and praise to achieve results from the dogs being trained, whether for obedience competitions, gundog trials or agility.
Having had a variety of work placements since leaving school, my heart was always with animals, especially dogs and slowly as time went on I started to help friends to train their own dogs as well as my own, eventually helping me to make the decision to start training other people and their dogs on a one to one and finally starting up the classes.
As of 21st Ocober 2009 I have been accepted as 'Guild Master Dog Trainer'. For further information please go to www.godt.org.uk .
I am a member of the KCAI scheme, working towards accreditation. The full title is ‘the kennel club accreditation scheme for instructors in dog training and canine behaviour’. Click here to find out more: http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/482.
I am married to Paul, who is extremely supportive of the work I do and the fact that we have a house full of animals. We currently share our home with our two dogs, four cats and four hens. However, by the end of the year who knows what other four legs may have joined us - or two legs when the hens arrive! Click here to see some photos of our dogs!
Since starting up ‘On The Scent’ I am meeting some wonderful people and one of them, Teresa, has proven to be a real asset. We hit it off straight away and discovered we have the same desire ‘to promote responsible dog ownership’ in a fun way. Since we first met Teresa has now gained her certificate in Canine Behaviour and feel that between us we will continue to make a great team.
After appearing in the November 2009 issue off the Suffolk Magazine, I have been invited as of January 2010 to write a monthly column for them on Dog Training and Behaviour. I feel extremely lucky and blessed to be given this opportunity to continue to promote responsible dog ownership to the general public.
I feel I would like to mention that for me personally if it wasn’t for my Christian faith my path may have been very different.
Thank you for visiting the 'on the scent' website. We hope you enjoyed its content and will want to tell your friends about us.
Visit us again soon!
About Paul
My name is Paul and I am Sophia's husband.
I started out at 'West Suffolk Aglity Club' where Jacqui Woods trained both Sophia and I to teach the sport. I have been teaching agility for over five years and thoroughly enjoy the sport.
I have competed at a low level but due to work commitments I have not competed for some time.
Spider, my working cocker spaniel, will be competing at his first show in October 2009 with Bethany handling him.
I am currently on the 'Agility instructors course' waiting list and hope to attend the course in 2010 subject to a place being available.
About Teresa
Certified in Canine Behaviour and a Student member of the KCAI Scheme. Associate of the CFBA.
As long as I can remember I have been surrounded by animals - as a child I rode horses and have always had dogs. After leaving school I went to work in breeding and showing kennels and later went onto college after having my family to obtain a certificate in kennel and cattery management. Through this course I completed short work placements at rescue kennels, vets and boarding kennels where I became interested in dog behavioural problems.
A few years later I went onto do an Advanced award in Canine Behaviour. I am Certified in Canine Behaviour and am a Student member of the KCAI Scheme. I'm also an Associate of the CFBA (canine and feline behavioural association). This led me to meet Sophia, and we have since become great friends. We both share the same ideas and promote positive training methods and responsible dog ownership. Through our combined experience we make a great team in helping owners train and overcome any problems they may be experiencing with their dogs.
I am a great believer in letting dogs be dogs and working with their natural instincts as every dog is different. I keep an open mind and I am continuously learning from them and get great pleasure in helping those owners who feel that they have nowhere else to turn. I currently own two dogs a laid back Labrador and a feisty terrier who sometimes help us out in the classes.
As well as working alongside Sophia i run my own business - Feisty Fidos - devoted to dealing with behavioural and aggression issues.
For Dogs with Behavioural and Aggression Problems, contact Teresa: teresa@feistyfidos.com, or 01359 252 320.
About Sara
I am married with two daughters and live in Bury St Edmunds. I first met Sophia when Meg, our lurcher puppy arrived in our lives, I needed some help. We started with obedience classes, but as soon as Meg was old enough I decided to have a go at agility.
Meg picked it up quite quickly and is very fast; keeping up with her can be tricky. Seeing the dogs jumping and running over obstacles is wonderful fun and good exercise for both dog and owner. I am very excited to have been asked to become an assistant instructor in agility and as a student member of the KC accredited instructors scheme and look forward to increasing my knowledge in all areas concerning dogs.
About Bethany
My name is Bethany and I am 13 years old. I do 'dog agility' with my dog Bella who is a black Labrador and I love her to bits.
We have been doing agility together for 2 years now and have started doing competitions for which I have progressed really well.
More recently I have started to teach the Agility under Paul and Sophia's supervision as my main aim is to become a trainer when I am old enough to qualify for the Kennel Club Accredited Instructors course!
I also sit in as an obseverver at the obedience classes when I can.
My other interest along with the dogs is I love horses and ride once a week.
I would also like to add that I am very lucky and privileged that Sophia asked me to start assisting with the agility as it is amazing that this is how far I have come from a few children’s classes in the summer holidays over 2 years ago after we decided not to breed Bella!
About Hannah
Dogs have been part of my life for many years. I have great memories of playing with our family dog for hours, and became really interested in training dogs when I got my cocker spaniel Henry from a rescue centre.
He needed far more to keep his brain busy than a simple walk, so I started gundog training with Sophia. Training Henry has taught me a huge amount and is a challenge that I really enjoy: he teaches me something new every day, whether I like it or not!
Learning through play has been a great way to train Henry and I think so many dogs could benefit from this approach. Now I hope that I can share some of my experiences, and continue to learn myself.
Sophia & Paul's Dogs, and other animals!
