Well the day has finally arrived, Joshua and Sue are about to drive on to the ferry, leaving Douglas, Isle of Man, to Heysham, and then on to Crosby Ravensworth, to meet Ingrid Grayling who will educate me, in the art of dog training!
I have spoken to Ingrid on the telephone, and she has already given me lots of useful pointers, and she sounds lovely……….
Joshua and I drive up to a beautiful cottage, and Ingrid is there to greet us, she is very welcoming, and Josh takes to her straight away. Well he
would wouldn’t he, Ingrid has just told us there aren’t usually bad dogs, just trainers that are not too well informed.
This training course was exactly what I had hoped for. Ingrid is ‘no nonsense’, and honest. Do not go on this course unless you intend to take it seriously. Ingrid will see straight through you, she genuinely cares about dogs and their welfare, and wants to give you the very best opportunity to bond with, and understand your dog. She will answer endless questions patiently, it is important to her that you understand what you are doing. My dog Josh, is a bit of a sensitive soul, Ingrid picked up on this straight away, and handled him accordingly, adjusting the training to suit.
I was extremely impressed with her professionalism. She was quite happy to go the “extra mile”. One day when it was pouring down with rain, she kindly adjusted the schedule, so we could finish off the following day, when the weather was kinder.
On the ferry on the way home, somebody complimented me on my well behaved dog, and asked where he had been trained, I was delighted to pass on her name. All in all, we had a delightful few days, we went home in the evenings tired, but happy.
I am now trying to persuade Ingrid to bring her Labradors, and visit me at home in the Isle of Man – come on Ingrid you know you want to!!
Susan Cashmore
Isle of Man
