Sorrel Beth Canine Services

24/10/2025

I have been soooooo rubbish with pictures this week! Here’s a few we did manage to snap! The weather has well and truly turned. Dry robe, balaclava, hand warmers and thermals have all been dusted off! 🍂 🍁

17/10/2025

The bestest gang of pups ❤️

16/10/2025

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

𝗔𝗕𝗧𝗖 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗨𝗞𝗔𝗦 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - 𝗔 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿. 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

The Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC) is proud to announce that its Assessing Organisations Certification Scheme has been formally recognised by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Following a detailed review, UKAS confirmed that the ABTC Scheme meets the requirements of the international standard ISO/IEC 17067. In simple terms, this means the Scheme meets the high standards required for recognised certification programmes, the same framework that underpins quality assurance across many professional sectors.

This recognition, published in the UKAS Stage One Report on 6 October 2025, confirms the ABTC Scheme as suitable for use within formal certification processes. It also enables the ABTC to apply for Certification Body status under ISO/IEC 17065.

For the first time, the animal behaviour and training community has a UKAS-recognised certification scheme. This milestone strengthens ABTC’s long-term goal of embedding professional standards, supporting practitioners, and helping the public find ethical, evidence-based help for their animals.

We extend sincere thanks to the volunteers and representatives from our Member Organisations whose expertise and dedication made this possible.

“The ABTC Assessing Organisations Certification Scheme was reviewed for compliance against the requirements of ISO/IEC 17067. UKAS confirmed that the ABTC Scheme is formally recognised as suitable for use in the Conformity Assessment arena.” - UKAS Stage One Report, 6 October 2025

[Alt text: Red graphic titled “Important Announcement.” Text reads: “ABTC secures landmark UKAS recognition — a first for the animal behaviour and training sector. Driving excellence in animal behaviour and training.” Includes ABTC logo and two megaphone icons.]

14/10/2025

This right here is one of the (many) things wrong with the dog training world.

"Become a certified dog trainer"

Someone can spend £25 and be "certified" then start up their own dog training business, marketing themselves as certified.

What's worse? You don't even need to do any course to call yourself certified . There is nothing stopping any one of you from starting your own dog training business tomorrow, claiming you are qualified or certified and pricing yourself similarly to properly qualified professionals in the area.

There's no regulation as to who can provide courses for others. It's all optional. Those without qualifications themselves can provide "qualifications" to others, who can then market themselves as such.

And that's not the worst of it. There's also nothing stopping anyone from calling themselves a Behaviourist, and doing the same with that title.

It's absolutely insane. And it's dangerous.

Qualifications should not be optional. It would be illegal in the UK for anyone to set up a business and sell their services as a human psychologist. A criminal offense, and rightly so!

The law does not stretch to dogs, despite the fact that studies collectively highlight that dogs possess emotional and cognitive abilities similar to those of human toddlers

What's really interesting, is humans feel they know more about a subject than they actually do. This is called the dunning Kruger effect.

I remember when I was at college (25 years ago now) and we covered a module on behaviour. I felt so knowledgeable about behaviour! I felt confident I could start my own business. Thankfully I chose to do a degree after college where I quickly realised how complicated it actually is 😆 and I've been learning ever since.

I feel less confident in my ability now than I did at college. I feel that the more I learn about dog behaviour; the more I don't know.

And I know a lot of people in the dog training and behaviour world (who are totally amazing, highly knowledgeable people who I look up to) who feel the same.

What is the answer, when mandatory regulation is unlikely?

And the subject of qualifications only touches on the bigger issue. Experience is important too, and we all have to start somewhere! Continued professional development is also important. All of these are required in order to be regulated by the highest quality organisations in the UK such as the APBC

But maybe we should have all done a £25 course instead?!

13/10/2025

Camouflage dogs 🍁 🍂

09/10/2025

Just a boy and his girls 🥰

07/10/2025

You see it all the time 🙄 people saying ‘the prong collar doesn’t hurt my dog, it just gives clear communication’ or ‘the slip lead or halti doesn’t cause pain, it just helps them understand.’

But the ‘clear communication’ is literally 👇
this behaviour causes discomfort or pain, so don’t do it again.

That’s how corrections work. That’s how punishment works. If it wasn’t unpleasant or uncomfortable, the behaviour wouldn’t change 🤷‍♀️ this is why dogs keep pulling on harnesses because they’re not painful, not because harnesses inherently encourage pulling.

So either corrections don’t work at all (which we know isn’t true) or they *do* work because they hurt or feel unpleasant. You can’t have it both ways.

And I’m going to say it again for the people in the back 🔊 there is no bad behaviour.

Pulling on the lead isn’t bad. Reacting isn’t bad. Pooing inside isn’t bad. It’s just dog. We happen not to like it. Dogs are amoral: they don’t have a sense of right or wrong.

So when we correct them for being “bad,” they don’t understand they’ve done something wrong. All they know is that something unpleasant or painful just happened, and we caused it (or were around when it happened).

That’s why it’s so much kinder (and actually more effective) to reinforce the choices we do want, instead of punishing the ones we don’t. Because they’re not being bad — they’re just being dogs, doing what works for them in that moment ❤️🐾

If you choose to use corrections and you understand the fallout they can have on your dog’s emotional wellbeing, that’s your call ❤️ but call a spade a spade.

Other people are out here modifying behaviour without needing pain or discomfort because they’ve built the skill not to rely on it 💪🐾

24/09/2025

Lovely graduation last night for Bosun, Dash and Maddie. We were just missing lovely Arlo and Ozzy! We also had a wonderful Puppy Power graduation for wonderful Bonnie and Lily, just missing the beautiful Anya. ❤️

23/09/2025

Thug life chose them…

19/09/2025

The most beautiful week ❤️

18/09/2025

This mornings group Little Clayhill Farm had me in fits of laughter.
The girls had very important things to discuss- probably how crazy Poppy beagles ears are!!