About Us
Our main aim at Cleaver Dog Training is to make certain that dog ownership is an enjoyable experience. We strive to ensure that all learning is fun and rewarding, whilst at the same time achieving the best possible results.
Dogs can make a hugely beneficial contribution to your health and well-being but, similarly, if it is not approached in the right way, can impose unnecessary additional stresses. Cleaver Dog Training can guide you through so that the latter does not happen.
Training is generally carried out in our dedicated spacious carpeted unit and adjoining garden area which is set up to help replicate real life situations. We also have the use of fantastic fenced paddocks for agility training.
The Team
Vikki Cleaver
Vikki has owned and trained dogs for all of her life and qualified with The Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT), The Agility Club and Pet Professional Guild (PPG). She also holds both human and canine first aid qualifications, is DBS cleared and is a mum of 3 children.
Her passion for training started when she was given her first dog on her 8th birthday, a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel called Cindy (Cindy was home bred so it may well have been that her parents had forgotten to buy a present so put the puppy in the box with a ribbon on her head to get away with it – sorry mum, only joking…or am I?). She also grew up with a Norfolk Terrier, several Labradors, more King Charles Cavaliers and a German Shepherd Dog. Since adulthood, she has owned and trained her own Labs, Golden Retrievers, a Field Spaniel, a terrier and Working Cocker. Vikki’s current dogs are Millie, Hettie and Pixie.
Over the years, Vikki has competed in agility, obedience and rally competitions as well as having shown at Crufts.
Millie (Fecimus World’s My Oyster)
Millie is a delightful and beautiful Field Spaniel, born in 2014. She is very laid back and can normally be found lying around doing pretty much nothing! Millie has been shown at Crufts twice which she takes all in her stride and loves the attention. She also does some agility and rally competitions but would rather leave most of that to her more energetic partner in crime, Hettie!
She does, however, love to chase rabbits and this is really the only time that she truly comes to life….then her selective hearing kicks in and anything that mum says is totally ignored.
Hettie (Hett Set Go)
Hettie is a cracking but very crazy Border Terrier cross who was rehomed at 15 months old as her previous owner could not offer her the attention she needed. Now she well and truly has her feet firmly under the table, over the table, on the beds, in the cupboards and anywhere else she can cause mischief.
Since her arrival in 2016, she has gone from barely knowing how to sit to learning over 80 tricks. She has competed in agility and rally competitions and undertaken many demonstrations at events and conferences.
Pixie
Pixie came from a rescue charity who managed to save her mum from puppy farmers when she was heavily pregnant. Pixie was born 10 days later in November 2018. She is a typical Working Cocker and always carrying things around and causing mischief wherever she goes!
She enjoys scentwork and trick training but Pixie really thinks the term ‘loose lead walking’ should be renamed ‘bomb around like a nutter on the end of the lead while mum desperately tries not to get spotted as a dog trainer’.