Lee Ferry – Professional Canine Behaviourist & Dog Trainer
With over 24 years of hands-on experience and a Degree in Canine Behaviour and Training from Hull University, Lee Ferry has helped train more than 5,000 dogs using only positive, science-based methods. Lee’s unique blend of academic knowledge and real-world expertise ensures that every therapy dog team is trained with compassion, professionalism, and proven techniques.
Specialist Areas of Study
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Canine Behaviour and Training
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Canine Psychology & Development
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Inappropriate Canine Behaviour
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Psychopharmacology
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Breeding & Genetics
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Canine Nutrition & Behaviour
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Canine Welfare & Legislation
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Dog Training Instruction (Beginner to Advanced)
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Agility Instruction (to Competition Level)
Professional Qualifications & Memberships
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Degree in Canine Behaviour and Training (3 years, Hull University)
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Victoria Stilwell Positive Dog Trainer (VSPDT) (2018–2024)
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Member of the Professional Pet Guild (PPG)
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Certified Instructor & Assessor – Pet Dog Ambassador (PPG)
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Certified Instructor – Absolute Dogs
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Certified Pet Scent Dog Trainer
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Certified Dog Trainer – Darwin Assistance Dogs
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School Therapy Dog Trainer – Course Designer & Accreditor
Specialist Experience
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Mountain Rescue Search Dog England – Fully Graded Handler (10 years, retired 2012)
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Pre-Stage Training Officer – Mountain Rescue Search Dog England (Elected 2025)
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Natural Way Sheepdog Training – Beginner to Advanced (3 years)
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Instructor/Demonstrator – Natural Way Sheepdog Training (Ongoing)
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Work-Based Placement – HMSO Prison Detection Dogs (6 months)
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Agility Instructor – Certified to Competition Level
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Designed and developed a School Dog Therapy Course – Certified by LANTRA
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Trained numerous school therapy dogs across the North East of England
Background in Youth and Community Work
Before becoming a professional dog trainer, Lee Ferry earned a degree in Youth and Community Work from Durham University. He spent 20 years working in youth services, ultimately serving as Principal Officer for Sunderland City Council Youth Services. In this leadership role, Lee managed a large team of youth workers and was instrumental in engaging young people through the XL Youth Villages project. This initiative significantly reduced antisocial behaviour across the city and received multiple accolades from the National Youth Work Awards
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Victoria Stilwell Positive Dog Trainer
Lee was fortunate to work with Victoria Stillwell and her team, which led him to accepting an exclusive offer to join the VSPDT (Victoria Stilwell Positive Dog Trainers) team for five years. As an accomplished dog trainer, dedicated to maintaining the highest level of professionalism and expertise, while following the latest in the ever-evolving field of animal behavioral science, Lee offers the North East of England a dog training option they can rely upon to achieve results using the same science-based, humane methods displayed by Victoria on Channel 4’s It’s Me or the Dog. Lee has also worked at Crufts many times with Victoria and the rest of the VSPDT team, promoting positive dog training techniques. (2018 to 2022)
SARDA England
Lee was a Fully Graded Search Dog Handler for Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England, with his border collie Bracken. This involved many years of training and assessments to qualify to search mountains for missing walkers and despondent people. They were involved in many callouts searching for missing people in wild and remote areas in their 10 years of service. Lee also went on to train Fern as a search dog, but this work was not for Fern. Lee stood down from this volunteering service in 2012. Lee will always be extremely humbled to have been part of one of the best dog training organisations in the world.
Lee's New Role
Pre Stage Training Officer for Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England
In January 2025, Lee was invited by the Committee of Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England to their Annual General Meeting at Blencathra in Lake District. At the meeting Lee was voted in to become the new ‘ Pre Stage Training Officer, responsible for all new potential mountains rescue search dog handlers and their puppies. Lee takes over the role from one his most inspirational mentor, Jacquie Hall, who retired after thirty years of voluntary service.
Lee’s new voluntary role involves him being responsible for the training of all new Pre Stage Search Dog Handlers and their puppies in obedience, play, socialisation, mountain ready, stock test. Once Lee feels they are ready to move forward to the next stage, the handlers have to pass and intensive obedience test on the side of a Mountain and pass a stock test. Upon completion of the set standards for pre stage set by the organisation for MRSDE, the handlers are then invited to join the organisation as trainee handlers, moving into the next stages of training, 1,2,3, then assessment, which can take up two years to become a fully trained Mountain Rescue Search Dog Team.
Remembering Bracken and Fern
Bracken
2002 to 2018
Fern
2009 to 2019
Natural Way Sheep Dog Training
Over the last three years, Lee has completed Pre Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced sheep dog training courses with Julie Hill, ‘Natural Way Sheep Training’. Julie Hill is one the most successful trainers in the history of international sheepdog trials. She has won the ISDS International Supreme Championship as well as the International Brace Championship, Scottish National Singles and Brace and Driving Championship, International Farmer's Championship, and International Shepherd's Championship. Julie is highly regarded as one the worlds leading sheep dog trainers. Over the last thirty years Julie has developed her own natural way of training sheep dogs that enhances their dog natural ability to work sheep using their own language. Lee received a great accolade from Julie in 2024 by inviting him to become one of her registered students for her brand new instructor training course. Over the next two years Lee will work closely with Julie and other members of her chosen team to become a fully certified instructor/demonstrator for the Julie Hill Natural Way Sheep dogs
This has to be one of our best reviews for our business by Simon King, Harry Bikers.
It’s been my good fortune to find School of Dogs. Lee and Steph, who run it, are great people. Arty, my Labradoodle, and Fred the Dalmation are no strangers to staying with Lee and Steph on a regular basis. I’m sure you’ll appreciate that I spend a considerable amount of time out of the County making progammes for TV and it’s invaluable to know that our Arti & Fred are well looked after. I really can’t recommend School of Dogs and Lee and Steph highly enough.
Not only are the dogs well cared for, loved, exercised and well fed, it's clear that Steph and Lee and School of Dogs go that extra mile; the dogs are always more disciplined when they come home, than when they were left. If you get the opportunity and good fortune to have your dogs stay with Steph and Lee, then you’ll completely understand why I’ve given the testimonial I have. They are good, kind people that genuinely love and understand dogs. I’d hope so because Lee has a degree in K9 behaviour.
So crack on, get them booked in, what’s not to love!
Best wishes and kind regards
Si King
Hairy Bikers
One of Lee’s most successful outcomes from working with dogs was ‘Alf’ a Staffordshire Bullmastiff which he saved from euthanasia. Have a look at the short film we have made about Alf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YfJGZbBvmE
Lee also has very well attended dog club, with members working towards assessment to become ‘Friendship Dogs’ for Wag & Co. Just recently one of the club members Lynn & Spud featured in Prima magazine promoting their volunteer work with people with dementia.
This has led to Lee now working in partnership New College Durham to provide learning placements for their students from animal care courses, to learning skills in dog training and caring for dogs, we currently have four students on a weekly basis.
Lee has recently trained Sammy, a rescue Sprocker Spaniel, to be a School Dog at St Andrews Primary School in Bishop Auckland. Here Sammy reads with children to promote a love of reading and spends time with pupils who have social and emotional issues, to help calm them and give them “time out” from their own daily emotional struggles. In addition, Lee also delivered a dog obedience after-school club to pupils and their dogs, teaching them to be responsible owners from a young age. Headteacher Nicola James says, “Introducing Sammy to our school family has been a really positive move. Lee has helped us ensure Sammy was well prepared for the role and that all risk and temperament assessments were made.” https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18230617.pooch-spreads-joy-reading-sessions-st-andrews-school-bishop-auckland/
Lee’s has also been very fortunate to produce a YouTube channel; where he can help to spread the word of positive dog training. This would not have been possible without the help from Jon Stubbs and his son Lewis Stubbs. Their vision for making dog training films has been inspirational and alot of the content, dialogue and film editing were from Lewis’s direction. Sadly last year Lewis (18 years old) was involved in a tragic plane accident. We will never forget him, his moto was ‘one life- live it’. Therefore, we dedicate our Youtube channel to the memory of Lewis. We ask our followers if they help in his memory of planting a tree. https://www.facebook.com/groups/407204986666297