About Robert Alleyne

Having spent some years studying the subject, I started working as a canine behavioural trainer in 1992, with the majority of my clients coming to me via veterinary referral, or from recommendations from previous clients. I have had a book published on the subject of dog behaviour and training, The Trouble-Free Dog, which was published in 2000, and had very positive reviews in The Times, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and Dog Training Weekly and has been reprinted twice since then. It was revised and reprinted in 2008. I am currently writing my second book. I have also produced several booklets and pamphlets for Lewisham Council on dogs, which are distributed freely to the public.

In May 1990 I began working as an animal welfare officer for the London Borough of Lewisham, and continued there until January 2007, where I held the position of Senior Animal Welfare Officer. Dealing with all types of animals, ranging from escaped reptiles, to injured wildlife, to nuisance complaints, and of course – stray dogs, which was the services core function. This aspect of the job was obviously potentially very dangerous, so an ability to immediately assess a dogs’ attitude was essential, since stray or abandoned dogs could potentially turn aggressive. I left the service in 2006 to work full-time as a behavioural trainer.

I am a signatory to the Registration Council for Dog Training and Behaviour Practitioners (RCDTBP), and I have lectured on canine behaviour on many occasions for different groups and organisations, both nationally and internationally.

I am a Member of the Kennel Club.

I am also a member of the Canine and Feline Behaviour Association (CFBA) and also a patron for the charity K9 Crusaders. I am a keen campaigner trying to make a difference for dogs in relation to their care and welfare, and am firmly against breed specific legislation, and have attended several of the London protests against it.

I have talked on many radio programmes on the subject of dogs. I have also appeared on numerous television programmes talking on dogs and other animals. I was the behavioural trainer on the hugely successful BBC3 show Dog Borstal for all four series. I have also appeared on the BBC News, This Morning, Good Morning Britain and London Tonight, covering a variety of dog related subjects. I have written articles for most of the major national dog related magazines, such as Our dogs, Dogs Today, and Your Dog.

I have acted as an expert witness in court cases, both as a canine behavioural/trainer and as an animal welfare officer for the London Borough of Lewisham.

After acquiring a puppy from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in 1981, I began attending dog training classes with him, and soon started working at competitive level obedience with both him and my next dog. I have run my own dog training classes since 1986. By 1994 I had won my way up to and including class ‘B’ before work commitments forced me to retire from competing. I have judged at limit, open, and championship level obedience competitions since 1986. I have been training people on instructing dog training classes since 1995.