Hi, I’m Tony May founder of Stix ‘n’ Bones Dog Training Club. Born and bred in London I have lived in Northwood with my family, pets and police dogs since 1996.

 

I am a retired Metropolitan Police Officer having completed 30 years in the Met with 14 years in Dog Section. During my time in ‘Dogs’ I had the privilege of acquiring the ACPO accredited Team Trainers course and the pleasure of handling 4 police dogs of my own, each with their own personality and challenges.

 

One of the joys of police dog handling was to watch a puppy develop into a highly trained and responsive police dog. The bond created by working so closely together is very strong. The ethos or purpose in setting up Stix ‘n’ Bones is to help create the same bond between owners and their pet dogs; nothing can surpass the devotion of “Man’s best Friend”. This bond is created not only by mutual respect but primarily through repetitive training and reward which will be the basics of Stix ‘n’ Bones training club.

 

Sadly, I have witnessed owners and dogs that don’t have full control and consequences can be serious. My aim is to ensure that every dog completing a Stix ‘n’ Bones course will be a sociable, well trained animal giving many years of joy to its owners. To this end I have attained certificates in the Puppy Foundation Course, Instructors Course and dealing with Dog Aggression with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT).

 

Why Stix ‘n’ Bones and the Pirate theme? Well, the emphasis is not on me but on the dogs, who as we know are renowned for their love of sticks and bones! In creating the name and logo there was a natural inclination to err towards the pirate theme as that generates an ambience of fun and informality that will hopefully appeal to all ages.