Documentary Unit: Research on Roy Dyer and Essex Dog Display Team

As the focus of our documentary has shifted i decided it would be useful for me to read up about the centre and Roy as Danny had been the person in our group to focus on this side of the project. By doing my own research it will help us when we are coming up with the script for any different points i may have found out.

Here is some of the information i found:

" The course, which is free of charge and is currently helping 15 children, is thought to be the only one of its kind in Europe and boasts a success rate of 98 per cent in helping children feel more comfortable around dogs.The centre’s chief instructor, Roy Dyer, who devised the training methods more than 20 years ago, said: "It is generally accepted by most experts who work with children with phobias that the best way to deal with cynophobia is gradual exposure therapy. Unfortunately, it is not just a case of simply introducing a child to a dog; there is no margin for error, and the dog has to be the right type and the handler must have knowledge of canine behaviour.” 

" Roy Dyer is also director of the Essex Dog Display Team, which he formed 33 years ago. The team has made more than 130 TV appearances and 15 royal performances in that time and has now been selected to appear at Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Tattoo and family weekend in London’s Hyde Park on June 2 and 3. There it will perform two displays a day alongside some of Britain’s finest military units before live and international TV audiences. The following day the team will be in action at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, for Essex’s jubilee celebration. "  

From: http://www.dogworld.co.uk/product.php/68907#sthash.nC6MZEZl.dpuf

Learning about Roy was really interesting. He is a guy who has being doing dog training for a very long time and built the centre himself. This has given me the idea to ask Roy about any pictures he may have of the centre when he first began to build it.

" The Cynophobia classes have been assessed by Psychiatrists from Harley Street and Hertfordshire University, who have written critiques about the methods used as positive and encouraging "

" The Essex Dog Training Centre was formed in 1979 to help owners build a bond between themselves and their dog so that they both know what is expected of each other.  This organisation was formed, and is run totally by volunteers who, although are highly qualified, do not receive payment. All training fees are invested back into the excellent facilities which you are able to use.  Whilst looking through our website you will not find lots of ‘questionable’ testimonials as used by many training centres. We invite you to visit our training centre, have a look around, ask questions, speak to people, watch a training class in action and then make your own decision.  The Centre has a very welcoming atmosphere with a non-fanatic attitude. We do however always recommend that you visit as many dog training centres/clubs that you can before making the final decision on where is best for you and your dog to receive training. Over 90% of members attending our centre do so on recommendation. All the training methods used by our 12 Instructors are reward based i.e, treats, toys or verbal praise.  We do not advise the ‘total domination method' of force on a dog which has often been used by many training centres/clubs and organisations.  Whilst it is important that a degree of firmness is used when training your dog it is imperative that you are fair and always reward good behaviour. We do not allow the use of ‘choke chains’, ‘spiked collars’ or ‘electric collars’.  
 The classes are ongoing, we do not expect you to sign up for a course as we understand many people work shifts and have other commitments.  The cost of the class includes both obedience and agility. You can attend as little or as often as you wish and once a member you only pay when you attend a class.  Children are welcome to attend under strict supervision of parents/guardians at all times, they are welcome to train their dog as long as they are over eight years of age providing they can physically control the dog. 
 Our great team of qualified, dedicated and friendly Instructors are here to help.  You will not be shouted at, intimidated or made to feel silly. In the early stages of training we recommend you attend at least once a week, but remember the more effort you put in to training your dog, the more results you will see. The Training Centre, along with the Display Team, have been selected to appear in over 130 television broadcasts, many of which have been shown Worldwide.  HRH The Duchess of Cornwall recently visited the Centre after a request by The Lord Lieutenant Petre of Essex to arrange the visit.  Annual events are held where you may have the chance to be awarded, or nominated for, one of our prestigious awards.  Throughout the year competitions are randomly held and you will get the chance to be presented with a rosette for good training achievements. "

From: http://www.essexdog.moonfruit.com/about-us/4576601435

Reading this from the Display Team's website was useful because it helped me to find out a bit about the background of the team and what they have been involved with. They are a very respected centre and the only one in Europe to be delivering Cynophobia classes. It was very interesting to read about them having their classes assessed by psychiatrists as this gives them credibility.

" The Essex Dog Display Team has attracted a further year of Drontal sponsorship from Bayer and also drawn the attention of royalty.
Recently, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall specifically asked if she could visit the Dog Training Centre in Chelmsford, Essex whilst attending other events in the area.
The Essex Dog Display Team entertains crowds at shows and events nationwide such as the Eastbourne Air Show, from March to October every year. The team is made up of 20 handlers and rescue dogs, with many different breeds ranging from Yorkshire Terriers to a Rottweiler. The training centre runs a range of courses including classes to help children overcome Cynophobia – the fear of dogs. The course is free of charge and is thought to be the only one of its kind in Europe.
The EDDT is sponsored by Drontal and Bayer’s Drontal product manager Dan White was also invited to attend HRH Camilla’s visit. He added: “We are delighted to continue our Drontal sponsorship of the centre and team into 2012, especially as the EDDT is run by volunteers. As a part of the team’s display programme, the event commentator reminds the crowd of the benefits of worming their dogs, and the team members – both dogs and their owners – are great ambassadors for the brand. Meeting HRH was an honour especially as Camilla herself cares for three Jack Russell Terriers called Beth, Tosca and Rosie – one of which was rescued from Battersea Dogs’ Home.
A competition run via a website and facebook page, as part of Bayer Animal Health’s consumer-targeted Drontal campaign, has won two social media awards and also helped encourage pet owners to worm their pets.
At the Some Comms Awards 2011, held in Manchester, Drontal’s ‘My Pet Superstar’ social media campaign, devised by public relations agency, Pegasus PR, was a winner in both the Private Sector and Best Community Engagement categories.
Drontal product manager Dan White commented: “My Pet Superstar was an online competition based on the same principles as The X Factor – but for pets. It gave dog and cat owners a place where they could openly celebrate their love for their pets with others via social media, such as Facebook. But the campaign also had a deeper message, that of animal health and the importance of frequent pet worming.”
In just three and a half months, the competition attracted more than 6,000 entries, 265,515 votes and 79,000 Facebook ‘Likes’. Around one third of traffic to the My Pet Superstar website was generated via Facebook alone.
Mr White added: “Post-campaign consumer research analysis has proven that the competition was a success: two thirds of pet owners would now worm their dog or cat more frequently. Also, more than a third of respondents clicked through to the Drontal product webpage to find out more information about worming their pet.” "

From:  https://www.drontal.com/news/31133646/

What was interesting about this was that a lot of their display team dogs are rescue dogs. This could work as another angle to our documentary if any of the dogs have particularly sad stories as this gives another aspect of the "hero". The team and Roy give dogs a second chance and also train them and put them in high quality shows which in turn may have an effect on the people who watch the shows and encourage them to get a rescue dog rather than a puppy.

Stay Safe,

Helen