A barking-mad fee to train your dog | Dogs

Your article (Bone of contention: why dog trainers are at war, 28 October) says “in-person training can cost £150 an hour”. I do wonder where you got that figure from. I am a postgraduate-qualified clinical animal behaviourist and an accredited dog trainer with the Professional Association of Canine Trainers, with more than 16 years’ experience, and I charge £60 an hour for in-person training in affluent Cambridge. Delighted to hear I can double my prices.

I don’t endorse the use of prong, shock or spray collars as I work under the assumption that most people, like me, love their dogs and don’t want to subject them to unpleasant startles, pain or fear. Treats are part of what we use, but relationships are built on so much more than food.

Dr Susannah O’Hanlon

Oakington, Cambridgeshire