Meet our Trainers!

I am Alasdair Macdonald Instructor and chairperson of the club. I have two dogs, Millie, a 15 year old Scotty/Westie cross, a Scoland terrier and Skye, a Shih Tzu who we welcomed to our home when she was 18 months old.  I joined the club back in 2011, hoping to get Millie trained! We had some success although you wouldn't know it when you see her playing the leave the sausage games at our club parties!! I became an instructor with the club in 2014. I am fortunate to also run www.dogsandpups.co.uk a dog and puppy training business

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I'm Julie Eastgate, an instructor with the BDTC. I have a 15 year old Westie/Shih Tzu cross called Misty and a 6 year old rescue German Wirehaired Pointer from Spain called LooEee.

I joined BDTC in 2011 in the hope of managing Misty's tendancy to be reactive around other dogs and men! It worked pretty well, though she can still sometimes be a bit of a grumpy old lady. Having learned so much working with Misty I decided to train as an instructor back in 2015.  I also canicross - though only with LooEee now, since Misty retired due to her advancing years.

Most of my life I have been surrounded by family dogs. In 2013 I got my dog Midge, a rescue staffie cross. I came to the club not long after getting Midge and enjoyed the classes and supportive atmosphere and then in 2014 I was lucky to be approached with an offer to be trained as an instructor for the club. Last year I got to put my experience to good use when my mum got a golden retriever puppy.

Having worked on farms, in stables, and been 25 years employed in the veterinary industry, it’s fair to say that animals have always featured prominently in my life. All my dogs have been rescues, but I never struggled with training until Eddie (pictured) came along in 2013. That’s when I turned to BDTC for help. Two years later, I had qualified as an instructor for the club (but Eddie, now 10, remains a work in progress!). I now work in the local pet shop so often see our club dogs when they pop in, for supplies, with their people.

Biography to follow...