Kaye Hargreaves began offering "practical dog training in your own home" in 1989 at a time when the concept was unheard of. Back then, dog training consisted of militaristic route marching and doing formal obedience in a large group, but this did little to help the dog guardian whose dog would jump all over her when she went into the back yard or was destructive and unruly inside the house.
Hargreaves’ business name, Wagging School, hinted at cutting obedience school class, and having a happier dog who was wagging their tail – because she was also pioneering reward-based rather than correction-based training methods. As Wagging School developed, Hargreaves introduced puppy classes and small group pet dog training, as well as individual lessons dealing with behavior issues.
She is the author of a series of books about positive training and behavior, dealing with puppies, practical pet dog training and one of her specialties, RALPH, the Rambunctious Adolescent Lunging Posturing Hound. These are being upgraded with revised editions available soon along with a number of new titles. She also offers seminars on training and behavior topics and, for the last eight years, has run a mentoring program for dog trainers and people working with dogs. She also organizes Animal Assisted Activities with vulnerable people.
She is currently a member of the Industry Review Committee for the Animal Care and Management sector, looking at vocational training courses (such as Cert III or IV in Companion Animal Services). Her passion is to help raise the skills and knowledge of dog trainers.
Sessions
Mish, Mash, Mush... A Window (Or Two) into Training the Whole Dog