Echo Holding

Hartpury has an amazing reputation

I’ve always loved dogs of all sizes, temperaments and breeds. After working at a kennel for two years, I know I want to work with dogs for my career. I choose Hartpury because it has such an amazing reputation and in the only place with a course that was made for me!

A typical day on my course

I have lectures Monday to Friday, so most days I will be up at 8.30am and will be doing work until 5pm. Mondays are the busiest day, with three lectures.

I’m currently studying modules in Fundamental skills for the Animal Scientist, Animals in Society and Nutrition, and Introduction to Training and Performance – which is my favourite module.

In Fundamental Skills, we cover all skills and compare them all in a portfolio. These skills vary from how to correctly learn in a lab, academic skills and Animal Handling. The Nutrition module allows us to go into the lab and work with others. We’ve been using feed from the farm to analyse the variation of proteins, carbohydrates and fats fed to different species.

Hearing from professionals

We often hear from amazing guest speakers. Recently, we heard from a canine rescue professional, which gave me a great insight into this sector and what it’s like to rescue animals.

We’ve also heard about the training of canines to sniff out Covid-19. It was extremely interesting to discover how we’re able to find and treat Covid-19 as efficiently as possible.

Gaining experience in the field

I love exploring the biology of dogs in lectures and learning training techniques in practical sessions for my Introduction to Training and Performance module.

My Introduction to Training and Performance lectures are on Thursday and Friday. On Fridays, we have a two-hour practical session, which is my favourite of the week.

We get to train dogs in a live environment, with multiple breeds with different temperaments. This allows me to gain great experience in this field.

Exploring different points of view

Animals in Society is an interesting module. We have discussions from everyone’s points of view, especially in the sessions about the use of animals in industry. It’s good to be open and listen to people’s views whether they have different religions, are meat eaters or do not eat meat.

My dream canine career

In the future, I would love to gain a career in canine training, no matter what sector it is. My ultimate dream would be to train detection dogs.

I’m also very passionate about rescuing all types of animals. I would love to open a rescue centre, alongside rehabilitating and training them.

Hartpury graduates are doing amazing things in the animal industry. I can’t wait for that to be me!

Living on campus

I’ve recently moved on site here at Hartpury. It’s a great way to meet new people and to get a sense of being independent. I spend a large amount of time in the uni study lounge with friends, as a quiet place to study and get on with work.

In my block, I’ve formed friendships that will last a lifetime. Due to Covid-19, I haven’t been into Gloucester much, apart from doing a food shop, but that will change as national restrictions lift.

Covid has changed everyone’s daily lives. Much of our learning has been online, so we haven’t had many face-to-face session. Now we’re coming out of lockdown, weekly Covid-19 tests and social distancing mean we’re going to have more in-person learning, which is great.