OTS Mentorship for students and Pet dog owner courses.

The next 12 month OTS Mentorship programme starts April 2026.

Welcome to the OTS Mentorship programme.

My name is Sophia Taylor and for those of you who have navigated straight to this section of my website, welcome.

As you have come to this section of my website, I am guessing like me you are absolutely passionate about the dog training industry.

I firmly believe we can all learn from each other regardless of methods. We may not always understand or agree with how some teach in this industry or the tools that may be used and this is fine, but we all need to be open minded and remember, every day is a school day and regardless whether you have been in this industry 2 years or 50 years we can still learn from each other and take a nugget of information which may prove helpful further down on our journey.

Most people are aware that I am absolutely committed to helping clients with their dogs and after 30 years I am still as committed today as I was on the day the business was launched.

Over this period I have gleaned so much knowledge and support from my peers and especially Sue Evans from Alpha Dog training in North London. Sue mentored me for many years and we are now good friends and compare notes, even now we can be on the phone having long conversations and I will still come away with a new nugget of knowledge or something to think about.

I have written for the Shooting Times, I was a monthly contributor to the Suffolk Magazine and have been on Suffolk radio both as an advisor and on the couch with Lesley Dolphin. Television opportunities have come my way, but to be honest was not a road I wanted to explore.

As you maybe aware, our industry is not regulated and everyone will have an opinion on this. However, I strongly believe in ethical, positive, reward based training as far as possible with minimal correction. Dogs do need boundaries and limitations and on occasion a dogs behaviour will require an interrupter to be used. This is an absolute last resort and not a go to.

During the length of time Ive been enjoying my passion, I have gained a wealth of knowledge through webinars, books, courses and workshops from Gayle Fisher clicker training, breed specific Kennel Club seminars on canine movement, dog aggression, nutrition, Sarah Whitehead PDTI conference ‘What we should be teaching dog owners’, to Robert Alleyne Canine Instructor Academy Behaviour training course to name just a few.

Over the past 20 years I have had the pleasure to mentor several students as they take their first tentative steps into this industry and enjoyed watching them grow in both confidence and experience. One in particular student now has their own dog training school in Colorado, USA.

With so many in the dog training industry offering this type of service, what makes my mentorship that little bit different.

I offer a personal service and meet the student where they are at the moment and what their goal is moving forward. We all learn differently and as I have autism am fully aware of what struggles this can bring. Not everyone is comfortable learning in a group scenario and therefor this mentorship offers private tuition with me.

Below is a brief outline as to what to expect to be covered during the OTS Mentorship journey.

Regardless whether a student has little or zero knowledge or are only now starting out on their new venture with some knowledge behind them, I am here to help students to grow and gain confidence in this industry.

I only take up to three students a year which enables me to give the best service and support that I can and after the mentorship has been completed I am happy to continue to answer questions students may have for up to four weeks from when the mentorship ends.

My ethos is this.

“An inch of correction and a mile of praise”

This is worth remembering when dealing with dogs and people.

What is provided.

1. 24 hours of video calls a year divided into one two hour session a month(Monday or Tuesday) with me.

2. Between 6 and 8 shadow days at my dog training school in Suffolk where students may attend to shadow classes, private lessons or workshops. In the event that up to 4 shadow days have not been achieved due to unforeseen circumstances eg weather conditions, then these will be honoured the following year only.

3. The opportunity to assist in puppy classes and once confident enough students are invited to prepare and teach part of the class under my supervision.

4. Pdf downloads of each module covered. These are sent out 3 days before the video call.

What is covered in the mentorship.

Module 1.

How to start up your business: finding a venue. Indoor or outdoor venue. Advertising, overheads, insurance, trade discounts. Terms and Conditions, copyright and privacy.
The different registers worth joining including the ICO(Information commissioner’s office).
How to set up classes, private lessons, consultations, building a rapport with clients.

Module 2.

The importance of life skills: Handling, vet consultations, habituation.
How dogs learn.
Helping clients to build connection with their dogs and how to achieve this.

Module 3.

How to teach clients to be motivated and exciting with their dogs and why this is so important.
Building motivation. How to teach clients to build motivation in their dogs which is fun and brings drive.
Rewards and correction.

Module 4.

Signs a puppy or dog maybe stressed in a class environment.
Aversive tools: Is there a place for these in modern dog training.
Equipment eg the different collars, leads and walking aids and their use.

Module 5.

Car travel safety.
Play. The different ways dogs play, what is appropriate. Dog toys and which toys are best for puppies and older dogs. Help my dog will not play.
The benefits of tricks.
Luring, shaping, capturing, rapid rewards, using markers.
How to teach the basics to clients, handler body language, proofing, distraction, and impulse control.

Module 6.

The different types of recall.
Hormones, adolescent and the phases in development.
Timing, proofing, distraction training and impulse control.

Module 7.

Your dog and how it behaves. Why your own dog needs to be a 10!
Cats and dogs. Introducing these two different species.

Module 8.

Choosing a puppy. Helping owners to choose the right dog for them, covering pedigree, cross breeds, mixed breeds and dogs from abroad, coat type, energy levels, size and exercise required.
Choosing a breeder or rescue centre.

Module 9.

Collecting the puppy. Journey home, pros and cons of breeder giving the first vaccination.
Settling the puppy in to the home(pre puppy class consultation).
Vaccination protocol today. Boosters and titre testing.

Module 10.

Fearful dogs.
Stress in dogs.
Risk, Survival and stress.
Nutrition and diet. A brief look at how good nutrition and diet may affect behaviour.

Module 11.

Calmers, stress relievers, veterinarian intervention.
Massage, Ttouch, micro movement and its benefits.

Module 12.

Recap on the year.
Moving forward after the course.
Feedback.
Further resources.

What is the cost

The cost of this 12 month personal Mentorship for 2026 including all 12 modules is £p paid in full at time of booking.

How to book and pay.

After a chat on the phone interested students who would like to enrol onto the mentorship need to read the terms below and then make payment as follows:

Payment is by bank transfer within 48 hours of reserving the booking.

There is a 14 day cooling off period from the day the reservation is made providing the student has not begun the programme. No refunds are given after this time.

If at any time a student is no longer able to continue with the course for any reason, remaining sessions are not able to be transferred to another mentorship and no refund is given.

For further information and a non obligation chat then please contact me directly Sophia 07784349976.

***New for 2026***

Individual mentorship package.

All the OTS Mentorship modules are available to purchase individually and include:

1. One 2 hour private video call with me on a Monday or a Wednesday with a Pdf download. The module will be sent over via email 3 days before the video call.

2. One shadow day at my dog school. Either observing a workshop or a day observing classes and private lessons.

Individual Modules are available to purchase independently at £p. Payment is by bacs and due within 48 hours of reserving the module. Once booked and paid there is a 14 day cooling off period. No refunds are given after this time.

**Pet dog owner training Courses and downloads**

Who are these for

These short courses are for pet dog owners who wish to learn more about their canine companion. They are designed to educate dog owners with the opportunity to ask me questions which is not achievable when reading a book or watching reels on social media.

The courses last 3 weeks and are offered on a private tuition basis. Owners attend 3 one and half hour sessions via whatsapp face time on a Monday evening at 7.45pm until 9.15pm.

What is covered in each course

Course 1. The wolf in the room. How different types of dogs survive eg street dogs. How dogs evolved. Dogs today and their purpose in our modern world.

Course 2. Dog traits and how to channel their behaviour. Cross breeds, pedigree dogs and mixed breeds, what is the difference. Dogs from overseas pros and cons.

Course 3. Puppies: The journey home, the first few days in their new surroundings. Settling in, fun games and training sessions.

Course 4. tbc

What is the cost

3 week Pet dog owner courses are charged at £ tbc

Note: Group courses may become available in the future.