Dave Wright, Senior Coach

Dave has had a range of careers from a graphic designer, a prison officer and a driving instructor, all of which ran alongside his passion for dog training. He was thrilled to be a part of one of the first Dog School teams established and has been involved with the growth and development of the project. Dave has trained many different breeds in all sorts of dog sports from Agility, competition obedience to search and rescue. He has a passion for German Shepherd dogs but since working at Dogs Trust, has adopted two gundogs (Willow, a Cocker Spaniel and Moses, a Golden Retriever) who can be seen in the Dog School advert and regularly assist the team at events and seminars.

Dave is a Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK (MAPDT01300) and is also a Registered Animal Training Instructor with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council.

Shaun Bater, Senior Coach

Shaun’s interest in dog behaviour began by listening to his wife and her friend talking constantly about it! He decided if this was all he was going to hear about it was time to get involved himself! Eight years on and several dog training courses later (including the APDT instructors course and the Lincoln University Life Skills for Puppies course) Shaun changed his career and joined the team as Coach - and has recently started as Senior Coach for Dog School Essex. He is passionate about teaching owners how to continue and build on their relationship with their dogs.

Shaun currently shares his home with three dogs, a Lab Springer cross called Quiz, Border Collie called Marley and Wilma the Eurasier who loves to demo her skills at events such as Discover Dogs and Crufts.

Shaun has recently qualified as a full member (MAPDT 01387) of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers).

Rebecca Marden , Coach

Becky has been involved in dog training for the last 4 years, assisting at various different training classes from puppy basics to agility. She enjoys training her Cocker Spaniel, Bolt and Mini Schnauzer, Ellie in her spare time. Ellie has achieved her Gold Kennel Club award and has tried out agility, scent work and is even learning to recognise colours!

Before becoming a Coach with us at Dog School, Becky was a Primary School teacher. Her love of dog training led her to change her career from teaching children to teaching dogs and their owners!

Amy Dean, Coach

Amy has always been an animal person, so completed a degree in Animal Management, which she thoroughly enjoyed. She volunteered at dog training classes whilst working at Dogs Trust Basildon Rehoming Centre for 3 years, gathering lots of doggy experience helping dogs with complex training needs.

For the last 15 months, Amy has been travelling and working with racehorses! Upon arrival back in the UK (and having missed working with dogs), Amy has started at Dog School Essex as their brand new Coach. She loves training and sharing her knowledge to help owners with their dogs and finds it very satisfying seeing them progress.

Tiggy Howells, Coach

Tiggy has had an interest in dog training since she was eight years old and got her own puppy. As she and her dog Sooty progressed through different classes she became more interested in the behaviour of dogs and started to volunteer at several different clubs. She has experience in both helping to train others and training her own dog in Pet Dog classes, Agility, Working Trials and Heelwork to Music since 2006, even qualifying for Crufts in Heelwork to Music in 2011! She has completed a diploma in Canine Behaviour and Psychology and a certificate in Dogs and the Law. She hopes to use this knowledge to continue her passion of helping owners and their dogs bond.