A DOG trainer is sharing her expertise online to help pets – and their owners – cope with the lockdown.

Like many small and medium-sized businesses, Jane Ardern’s Bury-based WaggaWuffins Canine College has been unable to meet clients face-to-face since social distancing was introduced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

As well as her Smart Pup Box programme, in which customers receive a monthly pack with training guides, toys and treats, Jane decided to take her normal business online to help owners and their pets.

She and her team are now stepping in front of the webcam to offer group tuition, as well as one-to-one help. They train dogs of any age and help with behavioural problems. But Jane knows those who welcomed puppies into their homes just before lockdown face challenges of their own.

Jane, Kennel Club Dog Trainer of the Year 2015, said: “Lockdown has put unprecedented pressure on everyone, and it is difficult to go about everyday life. But when you have a new puppy – or any dog with behavioural issues – it can cause real problems. It needs to be properly trained and carry on learning as if everything is normal.

“I have had people asking for help because, on top of everything else going on, their puppy is keeping everyone awake at night, others are chewing things around the house and there is always the problem of them weeing – or worse – where they shouldn’t.

“We recently launched Smart Pup Box – which is essentially boxing up my knowledge and experience in a box – to help people train their puppies at home, at their own pace, with feedback and updates.

“We don’t know how long lockdown is going to last, so we took the decision to adapt and try to carry on as normally as we can, to give the dogs and their owners the best start. Without proper training, if they are left to their own devices for weeks or months, puppies develop bad habits and attitudes, which, the longer they are left, become more difficult to break.”

Jane started WaggaWuffins in Bury Parish Church Hall in 2004, until it moved to Britannia Mill, Samuel Street. She has already also written a book - Mission Control – How to Train the High Drive Dog – to help owners deal with their energetic pets.