Hi my name is Gill Gallagher I run Speaking Spaniel personalised puppy & dog training programmes, one to one training sessions and packages specialising in spaniels & spaniel crossbreed such as Cockapoos from 8 weeks. I only use gentle and rewarding methods of training methods following the ethics and instruction from the IMDT, APDT, The Dog Training College and in January 2023 became a Certified Family Dog Mediator after completing the amazing Kin Brophey's L.E.G.S.® Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation® Professional Course.
I am based in Waterlooville Hampshire Covering South Hampshire including Clanfield, Horndean Waterlooville, Havant, Portsmouth, Southsea, Fareham, Emsworth, Petersfield & surrounding areas for puppy or dog home visits. One to one training sessions or for for those living out side these areas are held at my training field near Clanfield Hampshire.
I have been the owner of Allsorts Dog Training since 2016 and I now specialise in personalised programmes for all types and age of spaniels:
- Working bred cockers, springers & sprockers (springer x cocker) spaniels
- English/Show type cocker & springer spaniels
- Companion/Pets such as American cocker & Cavalier King Charles spaniels
- Spaniel crossbreeds such as Cockapoos
- Vulnerable breeds such as field, Clumber, Sussex, King Charles, Welsh Springer & Irish Water spaniels - I would love to meet more of any of these fabulous dogs.
My programmes and one to one training sessions are for all types of spaniels from 8 weeks including working type cocker, springer, sprocker & spaniel crossbreeds such as cockapoos.
Long before I became a dog trainer/coach I loved spaniels (50 years in fact). My next door neighbour when I was growing up in bred cocker spaniels (show type as working ones were not kept as pets in those days) an I had the amazing luck to be able to spend hours with the dogs and their puppies before they went to their new homes. So I got to know this breed very well even at an early age.
When I got my first spaniel Morris working bred sprocker 12 years ago it made me realise I would going forward always have a spaniel in my life. His love of life drew me to these amazing but sometimes challenging, loving, funny independent & sensitive dogs.
It was because of Morris aka Mo that in 2012 I decided to learn about dog behaviour and I eventually changed career and became a dog trainer.
This was because one lovely August morning I was out walking with Mo and my border terrier Riley approx. 1/2 a mile down a bridle path a hare popped out in front of us and ran off (which it would) and Mo followed.
Unfortunately the fields either side and across a busy road (especially at that time in the morning) had bee harvested and there was nowhere for him to hide so ran back to the road across it and another field until he found safety. Once the chase was over Mo headed back and was hit by a car on his way back.
Fortunately he was not killed but seriously injured and after surgery to rebuild his pelvis and 2 months of rehab of physio and hydro therapies he was back to his spaniel best. 10 years on he is still with us full of life and just needs more rests when running about. He is in all of the pictures on this page.
As I said this incident was the start of my dog training journey as thought at the time if he had had a better recall which on the whole was good or I could have stopped him which I didn't know how to he may have not chased as far or been injured. So my journey to become a dog trainer commenced details of my training are on the credentials page.
Five years ago Riley died of a brain tumour and I re-homed Cleo a 6 month old working cocker spaniel I realised my training journey was to be re ignited.
Since then especially as Cleo was a farm bred working cocker spaniel I realised their natural instinct, drive motivation and reinforcers were different from my previous dogs which were mainly terriers (who I also love) and needed to be understood & harnessed to ensure they were the fun, active & safe working dogs when out with me & a calm family pet at home.
So my learning began again and as I understood more about these amazing and sometimes challenging dogs my passion for my two dogs and helping other families with spaniels grew. Because of this I was attracting more families with spaniels through Allsorts Dog Training than many other breeds. These families were contacting me for the same reasons I found hard when Cleo came into my life. I love helping these families to understand their dog and supporting their learning I decided to become a spaniel training specialist.
Speaking Spaniel as been a long time coming as I needed to alter my understanding of many things which took me down a rabbit warren of new methods and skills.
In August 2020 Speaking Spaniel - personalised dog training programmes for specialising in spaniels, spaniel crossbreed such as Cockapoos was launched
My passion is to help and support families who have chosen a spaniel as their family pet (maybe for the first time) and would like to understand their needs, natural hunting instincts, drive, motivation and reinforcements and want to understand why their dog behaves as it does. The families I work with are committed to giving their dog the tools they need to follow their natural instincts in ways that do not offend or upset them or others, but also be chilled and happy family pets when required at home.
As an advocate for gentle, rewarding & pain free methods of training I do not use or condone the use electronic collars, prong collars or other pain emitting equipment or the use any force physically or verbally towards dogs. Any other equipment used must not tighten or cause your dog discomfort.
I believe that this is essential but the well-being of you & your dog is the basis of everything you do, so uses gentle & rewarding training and shared activities that help you understand your dog's needs & natural instincts and build a strong relationship, connection and two way communication with your dogs
Therefore I have developed Speaking Spaniel puppy & dog programmes and one to one training sessions and packages for spaniels from 8 weeks old.
The programmes are not exclusively for spaniels and can be adapted for spaniel cross breeds Labradors & retrievers, pointers and hunt point & retrieve (HPR) dogs. II you would like to discuss whether a programme would suit your dog contact Gill via the
contact us page.
Please note these programmes are not to train your dog to become working gundog even though I use lots of gundog skills, there are specialist working gundog trainers for this.