South Lincolnshire’s Bright Hounds Dog Training out to teach your pooches how to behave

As a result of witnessing animal abuse from a young age – the founder of a dog training business in our area hopes to educate and spread awareness.

Craig Lambert (41) has always felt passionate about the welfare and mistreatment of dogs, after growing up with an adult relative who was abusive to the family labrador.

These previous childhood events motivated Craig to set up Bright Hounds Dog Training.

“What I witnessed when I was younger made me more aware of other peoples behaviour when they were with their animals,” he said.

“Back in the day it was a more heavy handed approach towards dog training, such as heavy physical corrections and intimidation, which is still practiced today in some cases.

“This made me think ’there must be a better way of training dogs and looking after them’. I wanted to make a difference.”

Bright Hounds Dog Training has been offering services around Lincolnshire since 2021.

Some of these include puppy training, one-to-one life skills and manners training and behaviour modification.

Craig explained that a dog will often misbehave due to their diet, the living conditions at home and their daily routine or health issues.

He added: “Dogs don’t have a moral code like humans, they do what feels good and will do things that they think will work in a particular situation.

“It’s all about guiding the dog rather than just bossing them around – you’ve got to be working as a team.

“It is also really important to give your dogs enough mental stimulation and physical exercise. Many people do get impatient with their dog when they want to sniff things on a walk for example, but this is the best way for them to understand the world around them.

“Sniffing also encourages the release of dopamine and drops the dogs heart rate which helps them relax.

“Other examples of mental stimulation for a dog can be problem solving activities, going to agility classes, doing a few tricks and allowing them to have adequate chew time.”

Craig explained giving dogs the right kind of food is also really important.

He added: “ Poor quality dog food which is full of carbohydrates and poor ingredients would be like giving children too much sugar.

“It spikes their blood sugar which causes them to be hyperactive and then have a sugar crash – leading to mood swings.

“This will also affect their quality of sleep and they will be less responsive in training.”

Craig offers single and block sessions, one block of four starts at £180 depending on the travel distance.

All of the clients will also receive feedback including helpful tips, reminders of what has happened in the session so it is easy to refer back to, as well as support between visits.

If you are interested in booking a session with Craig, visit the Bright Hounds Dog Training Facebook page, submit a form on the website or call 07887 494454.