About Me Cat Donald - Cat and Dogs Hebden Bridge

Hi, I'm Cat Donald. I have always had dogs in my life. Learning how to understand and communicate with them has been a lifelong passion of mine. In 1990, I graduated with a B.SC Hons (2:1) in Communication Studies (Faculty of Behavioural Science at the University of Ulster). This degree made me want to gain further knowledge about the communication and behaviour of both animals and humans.

After graduating, I spent a good few years working in the media. This covered electronic media fields in print, publishing, marketing and electronic publishing for various organisations. I loved working in these roles. Through my work, I met and worked with many great people and gained valuable experience and skills. However, I knew I had to follow my heart. In 2013, I took the plunge... I left a well-paid, secure job to start a dog-walking business in Hebden Bridge.

Following my dream further, I decided to take a dog trainer instructors' course. In 2017, I gained my Certificate as a Dog Trainer Instructor from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK (http://www.apdt.co.uk). I adhere to the APDT UK Code of Practice (https://apdt.co.uk/code-of-practice-apdt/). I have completed both the APDT UK foundation and advanced courses and am a full member of the APDT UK.

For the past seven years, I have been working in dog training in a range of different environments. Based at venues in Hebden Bridge and Todmorden we run a range of classes to suit your needs. We cover foundation behaviours, specific adolescent dog courses, progression training and the Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme.

As well as running classes, I offer 1-2-1 home visits for dogs. This is helpful for dogs who can’t make it to class or find it difficult to work in a group environment.

I am a qualifed Separation Anxiety Behavior Consultant and studied under world reknowned Animal Behaviourist Julie Naismith. I offer specialist training in Separation Anaxiety for dogs who struggle being left alone.