About Dog Confidence

Vickie owns and runs Dog Confidence. After a career lecturing in Psychology she followed her true passion which was to work with dogs. At Dog Confidence Vickie enjoys teaching life skills in the Confident Dog Club; Barn Hunt, Movement puzzles and dog parkour. With a background in Psychology her passion is empowering owners to be the best partner they can be for the dogs in their life. Alongside training at home Vickie works at Creative Action Team providing Animal Assisted Therapy. Outside of work she loves all things sighthound and currently has two whippets, a lurcher and a Sprocker spaniel.

Kev teaches Hoopers and Trick Training at Dog Confidence. As a successful Hoopers competitor and judge our clients are in expert hands. Alongside this, Kev works at the Jump-In Dog Therapy Pool and is experienced in canine fitness and conditioning. Kev has experience in various dog sports including agility, obedience and Hoopers. Kev has three fabulous dogs – Roxie, Olive and Popeye and he is a member of the East Anglian Staffordshire Bull Terrier Display Team. Kev Olive and Roxie have performed in the main arena at Crufts and other shows. Kevin is passionate about ensuring dogs live the best life they can. This is what drives his keen interest in canine fitness & nutrition.

Lauren grew up in the countryside surrounded by both domestic and farm animals She got her first dog, a Border Collie called Whisper, and worked with him in both obedience and sheepdog work. This sparked her interest in canine behaviour and training and she graduated in 2021 with a BSc (Hons) in Canine Clinical Behaviour. She now has a Husky x Malamute and two Border Collies whom she does various training with.

Alongside working at Dog Confidence Lauren runs Take The Lead, Cheshire providing both dog walks and 1-2-1 training using positive reinforcement techniques. She is a professional member of NICE and also a Barn Hunt UK instructor. Currently she is completing the assessments to become a Registered Animal Training Instructor under ABTC. Lauren says she believes that the most important aspect of dog ownership is the bond built between owner and dog and, by working with their owners, together they can achieve great things.

Sophie has a BSc (Hons) Canine Clinical Behaviour and since graduating has pursued a career in scent detection. Please read a little about Sophie below -

"My diverse background spans from sports to working dogs. With a career beginning at a young age, I have had a varied start from agility dogs to assistance and then to the world of detection!

My scent work journey began with Dash, my English Springer Spaniel, I qualified as a dual-purpose dog handler searching for drugs and pyrotechnics in a variety of settings from racecourses to football stadiums.

I later progressed to become a puppy trainer for a world-leading detection dog supplier. In this role, my responsibilities encompassed many different aspects from whelping, raising litters, environmental and foundation training to prepare the puppies for detection work. Now, eager to share my passion for scent work, I have embarked on a new journey to establish my own venture -Wizz Dog Training.