Understanding Dogs

Welcome to Understanding Dogs. We are based in central Somerset in South West England, a beautiful county of open meadows, rolling hills, stunning moorland and one of the finest wetland habitats in the world.

My name is Jan Windsor. I share my life in this beautiful landscape with my family and my 4 dogs.

I have been involved with training dogs from a child - being raised on a farm I grew up with the sheep and cattle dogs and learned a great deal from the shepherds about the way these dogs were trained. It was inevitable I suppose that my breed of choice would be the Border Collie, but over the years I have owned and trained many other breeds.

I am an Affiliate Member of the COAPE Association of Companion Animal Behavour and Training (DipCABT), an Agility Club Approved Instructor and a Full Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT Member no 79785)

I am also a Level 2 Sports coach (people). Probably my proudest coaching moment was in 2000, when I coached and qualified a field hockey team for the Millennium Youth Games. I am now retired from active sports coaching.

I have a degree in Microbiology - not particularly useful for dog training but a science background comes in handy - and for 20 years I worked as a Senior Programme and Project Manager for a multi national plc, a role in which I was required to give seminars and workshops around the world. 

Now I spend my free time competing in Agility with my own dogs and coaching others to do the same.

My four gorgeous dogs - Moss, Bob-Bob, Meggie and Toby