Madeleine Burr APDT No.00563

Madeleine with Corrie, Fallin and Devon

Madeleine’s doggie history (by Paul Burr) Madeleine always wanted a dog as a child but after the family collie was tragically killed her father always refused until finally, when Madeleine was 13, a new arrival came along in the form of a collie x Labrador. So she set about taking him for walks and doing basic training although she did not have a clue what she was doing. The family also had a large picture dog book which was constantly thumbed through. In it was one dog in particular that stood out against all the others that she fell in love with and promised herself that one day she would have to own one, it was a large black dog. In the early 1980’s when circumstances allowed, she remembered that picture in the book and found out that the big black dog was a Flatcoated Retriever. Flatcoats were not very well known in the 80’s, but Madeleine found a breeder and phoned her. The breeder asked many questions and one in particular: “What do you intend to do with this dog as they are a working breed”, when Madeleine replied that she only wanted a pet, the breeder said that she was not willing to sell a dog in such circumstances. However, not being put off Madeleine went away and read as much as she could about the breed and realised that this dog would need lots to do to occupy him and keep his intelligence satisfied. She persevered with the breeder and eventually she allowed a lovely black puppy to come to live with us, but only on the understanding that she would train him as the gundog he was bred to be. ‘William’ taught Madeleine so much and would have done much better in competition under a more experienced handler. This did however, start Madeleine’s complete interest in dogs and together they competed in gundog working tests, field trials, obedience competitions and showing. From these early beginnings Madeleine has gone on to be thoroughly involved in the doggie world. She has been Secretary and Working Test Secretary the local branch of a national gundog club. She has shown all the dogs we have owned and has been awarded prizes at Open and Championship level including Crufts. Her interests have extended still further and would love to do even more with her dogs if only time would allow. Being trained as teacher she is keen to pass on her knowledge to others. As well as being a member of the ADPT and an associate member of the BIPDT, she is also working towards her accreditation as a Kennel Club Accredited Instructor. During the summer months she teaches gundog training for the local gundog club, organising the training and teaching for the Mid/East Sussex Flatcoats as well as organising the Southern Area Flatcoated Retriever working tests. In 2004 Madeleine was invited to become a member of the Kennel Club. In the last 25 years we have had the companionship and love of 15 flatcoats and have bred four litters of puppies. We regularly work the dogs doing the job that there were bred for. Paul Burr

Madeleine has been running pet dog training classes as an APDT member for a number of years. The Association of Pet Dog Trainers was founded in 1995 by John Fisher to offer pet dog owners a guarantee of quality when looking for a puppy/dog training class in their area. All members of the APDT have been assessed according to a strict code of practise and have agreed to abide by kind and fair principles of training. The use of coercive or punitive techniques and equipment are not used. For further information about the APDT please visit the website - www.apdt.co.uk Madeleine is an Associate Member of British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers (ABIPDT). The Institute is one of the leading bodies for the N.C.V.Q. together with the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, the Royal Air Force and Royal Army Veterinary Corps whose brief is to set standards for trainers and handlers of dogs. The object of the Institute is to award qualification that will be recognised throughout the European Community. For further information about the BIPDT please visit the website - www.bipdt.co.uk MGB training are able to offer the chance to participate in the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme, the largest dog training scheme in the UK. Its aim is to promote responsible dog ownership and in turn, enhance our relationship with our pets and to make the community aware of the benefits associated with dog ownership. The Scheme is open to all dogs regardless of age or breed, with four levels of achievement; Puppy Foundation, Bronze, Silver and Gold. As well as offering the chance to participate in the scheme at MGB Training, Madeleine is also an assessor for the Good Citizen scheme for other training clubs and societies. Other related links: www.thekennelclub.org.uk www.flatcoated-retriever-society.org www.unitedretrieverclub.co.uk www.utilitygundogsociety.com Madeleine currently shares her home with 5 Flatcoated Retreivers (and Paul, of course!)

Sitting Pretty! On holiday with friends Showing practise with Devon Typical Flatcoat... bonkers!

Madeleine's class assistant is Ali, who has 3 rescue dogs - Lucy, Meg and Murphy. Ali has a particular interest in dog rescue and is involved with Greyhound Gap, a greyhound and lurcher rescue - www.greyhoundgap.org.uk

Lucy, Meg and Murphy