James Conroy, of Oak Tree Close, says the aggressive behaviour of his white German Shepherd Caffrey convinced him to turn to the methods of Cesar Millan –– star of National Geographic TV show, Dog Whisperer.

And it was a move which eventually led to 35-year-old James travelling across the Channel to France in 2005, where he studied to become a trainer for owners of 'dangerous' licensed dogs.

"(Caffrey] could sit, stay, fetch, do tricks, bark on command, even relieve himself on command," he said. "I was pack leader and he knew his place. But I still couldn't stop his aggression toward other dogs. I knew he'd been attacked as a young dog, and that it had made an impression on his mind.

"The classical 'dog training' and operant learning, which uses positive re-inforcement and reward, was only half the equation."

Improved

James says that even though Caffrey had been well trained since he was a pup, it was only when he tried dog behaviourist techniques that the pooch improved.

And now Caffrey has transformed into the model mutt, James has been able to add three other rescue dogs to his pack.

He told Chad: "We can train a dog to sit, stay, fetch all day long, but without truly understanding the psychological needs of a dog and treating it as the species rather than the pet – without knowing how the dog thinks – it's impossible to truly understand the dog. What seems like unpredictable behaviour, suddenly becomes very predictable indeed."

And after three years working in France, James says he wants to use his experience to help UK owners –– even those whose dogs have had life-long problems.

'Evaluating'

"My approach is a culmination of evaluating the dog, re-teaching, rehabilitation, but mainly, it's to educate the owners. Just as the dog needs to re-learn, you need to re-learn and be prepared to alter the way in which you view your dog," he said.

"The dog is so loveable, child-like in many ways, and devoted to us. But they aren't human. They aren't children. They're dogs, and we have to break the habit of a lifetime and approach them with new eyes, with a better understanding of what our dogs need from us."

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