About us

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SMart Paws Dog Academy was founded in 2020, based on the principles of...

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Experience matters

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Sharon Malkin is the founder and main trainer of SMart Paws Dog Academy. Sharon has lived with dogs all her life and found her passion for training after joining Kath Bell Dog Training over 25 years ago with my first Golden Retriever "Becky." I began assisting the trainers as well as still training my own dogs. Moving on to become Head Coach. Over the years I have gained invaluable experience and seen many different ways and opinions of getting dogs to do things, some of which I don't believe have a place in a modern dog training environment. This has driven me to focus on helping  dogs and their humans work together, using encouragement, kindness and reward to build a happy, fulfilling relationship. As part of my journey I also wanted to be able to understand how training is for the dogs, from their perspective, so we can make it more pleasant and fun, so I undertook a level 4 dog behaviour diploma, which enables me to help people whose dogs may not be suitable for the class environment.  I love nothing more than a muddy walk with my two goldie girls. I enjoyed working as Head Coach for Kath Bell Dog Training and have now set up my own SMart Paws Academy, training puppies through to advanced classes. I have recently  passed the assessment to become an IMDT approved instructor, so you know you are in safe hands. 

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Knowledge Matters

Dog training is currently an unregulated industry, anyone can set up as a dog trainer. When you choose a trainer you are putting your trust in a complete stranger to help with one of the most precious members of your family. So why choose SMart Paws? I am an approved IMDT trainer. A Member of the British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers, I have a level 4 diploma in dog behaviour, I am currently working towards KCAI. As part of my commitment to offer our clients the best services; I regularly attend seminars, training days and courses to ensure I am keeping up to date with the latest ideas, scientific evidence and support from like minded people. Our dogs deserve the best from us and part of this is to help them cope in an ever changing environment, with new challenges, helping them to be resilient, confident and happy.  So I train/coach and educate using the latest reward based methods where the dogs and their guardians enjoy learning. I am also here to support you too; having a dog can be so enjoyable but I know that they can also be challenging; so I want to help you build your relationship with your dog, after all dog is man's and woman's best friend. Why not check out my certificates to see what I have been up to!

You are welcome to contact me by email, messenger or phone to talk about your needs in more detail, please be assured that there isn't much I haven't come across so I wont be shocked or surprised by any problems you may be having; I promise!