Who is Kamal Fernandez?

Head trainer and owner of Kamal Fernandez Dog Training, Kamal Fernandez, has over 27 years experience training dogs from all walks of life. His current dogs include a Belgian Malinois, Border Collies, a German Spitz, a Boxer and Sugarpuff his rescue Jack Russell, Poodle Cross.

As an internationally renowned seminar instructor, Kamal has been invited to teach in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Belgium and Germany, amongst many others. Kamal’s other career highlights include being an Championship Obedience judge and Crufts competitor.

Kamal started training in 1991 after getting Scrunch, an independent free-willed Chow-Chow mix. Like many other first time dog owners, Kamal found himself in for a rude awakening when he got her…Lassie she most definitely was not! You name it, Scrunch did it – running away, biting, resource guarding, nervous aggression – Scrunch did it all!

But, if nothing else, she prompted a trip to Newham Dog Training Club at Eastlea School. And so began an epic journey into the world of dog training which has taken him from a dog that wouldn’t come back when she was called, to competing in the Obedience Championship at Crufts!

Since this humble start, Kamal has immersed himself in the world of animal training, led by some of the leading ‘lights’ in the field such as Sylvia Bishop, Susan Garrett, Bob Bailey, Ian Dunbar and Karen Pryor.

This thirst for knowledge combined with his job as a police officer, working with young offenders and studying psychology has contributed to his dynamic and innovative teaching style and his ability to get the best from his pupils, be they human or canine!

Kamal is a faculty member of the Fenzi Dog Sport Academy, associate member of the Pet Professional Guild, speaker at the Victoria Stillwell Bite Prevention Conference and international seminar presenter. Kamal was involved in the Oxford Scientific groundbreaking program ‘Dogs Might Fly’ which took 12 rescue dogs and taught them to fly a plane! He has appeared on ‘The Secret Life of Dogs’, ‘The Underdog Show’, ‘The One Show’ and many more. He has been involved in film and television with his own dogs and other creatures.

He now resides in East Sussex with his dogs and young family, he regularly teaches and consults on behaviour issues. His students range from overwhelmed, first time dog owners to World Championship Competitors.

I was lucky enough recently to catch up with Kamal and find out a brief description of the workshops he is planning to deliver and some advise for any aspiring dog trainers out there.

1. What did you want to be when you grow up?

- A lawyer….. I was all sets to apply to University to do a law degree, but realised this wasn’t my ‘passion’, so became Police Officer, and eventually left to become a Professional dog trainer.

2. If you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you take with you?

- my phone, laptop and coffee!

3. What piece of advise would you give to aspiring dog trainers or anyone considering taking the leap?
- Get your hands on dogs… It sounds obvious, but whilst you need a sound understanding of theory, there is nothing like hands on dog training. I feel that this is something that the modern era of dog training and behaviour definitely has a trend of. My ‘best’ experience was working in a kennel, training and handling dogs on a daily basis. I dealt with the residential training dogs, and dogs that had been seized by the Police etc, so it was a steep learning curve, but it has stood me in good stead as I have literally handled and trained thousands and thousands of dogs. It gives you ‘feel’. This is something that you cannot ’teach’, it comes from doing it and doing it, and not being afraid to make mistakes and learn from them.

4. Can you tell us a bit about the workshops you are teaching?

Day 1 shaping skills - blueprint for behaviours ‘learn how to ’think, plan and do’, planning efficiently for any dog sport, behaviour and trouble shooting….

Shaping has long been a technique used to train dogs, and animals from insects to large marine mammals, but often in dog training we miss the opportunity to create and nurture cognitive skills and benefits, that go far beyond the dog simply ‘doing’ a behaviour. With ‘effective’ shaping we can create clarity for our dogs, train faster and more efficiently and yet teach our dogs to cope with stress and frustration, whilst emboldening them in the process…. Whether your dog is meek and mild, and lacks confidence, susceptible to over arousal and reactivity, shaping can help teach them to overcome these challenges and become confident and focused!

Day 2. Learn with Kamal Fernandez, how to plan effectively, review and implement a fast and efficient shaping session, develop it into ‘bigger behaviours’ and trouble shoot potential problems.

There are both handler and spectator spots available. Full details of all the workshops and how to book can be found by clicking the link below.

We hope you have enjoyed the first installment of "Who is...." keep your eyes open for our next trainer spotlight. You can also get daily event updates by following the events page on facebook.

Thank you to those that have bought tickets so far. We look forward to welcoming you and your dog(s)

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