A CONGRESBURY woman is aiming to show pet owners you can teach a dog of any age new tricks. Dog psychologist and listener Jo Buckingham has opened a canine consultancy in the village to give owners a place to take troubled dogs suffering from a range of p

A CONGRESBURY woman is aiming to show pet owners you can teach a dog of any age new tricks.Dog psychologist and listener Jo Buckingham has opened a canine consultancy in the village to give owners a place to take troubled dogs suffering from a range of problems.K9 Affinity offers a range of services to dogs with issues including excessive barking, pulling on a lead, fussy eating, separation anxiety, nervousness, aggression, destructiveness, compulsive behaviour or even travel problems.Jo, aged 41, of Hill Park, decided to open the business after being made redundant from her office job after 15 years. In 2003 she set up a small business dog walking and caring for all kinds of animals while their owners were away on holiday or at work. Jo said: "I have been working with and around animals of all kinds including dogs, cats, horses, guinea pigs, rabbits and ducks for a large part of my adult life, but I had always been fascinated by animal behaviour."I often wondered 'why do they do that?' when my own dogs had behaved in what appeared to be a particularly illogical or puzzling manner."To answer these questions Jo decided to move into the field of dog psychology and has recently been training with TV 'dog listener' Jan Fennell.She said: "I took a course in canine psychology at the Canine College in Cumbria and passed the course at the end of last year. Then in April I passed Jan Fennell's foundation and advanced courses in canine communication, making me a trained dog listener."It is amazing how things fall into place when you look at them from a canine point of view rather than from a human perspective." Jo says the methods used in her canine consultancy are kind, gentle and do not involve force or require any expensive gadgets.She said: "Dogs are encouraged to make the correct decisions using their natural instincts to point them in the right direction."I can give owners the tools they need to communicate better with their dog in a way the animal can understand and relate to, regardless of its breed, age or history."Anyone interested in a consultation can call 01934 835123 or log on to www.k9affinity.co.uk