DOGS are a man's best friend — and one woman from Okehampton is closer to her dog than most.

Lauren Langman, a prize-winning dog trainer who lives on the edge of town, has shared some of her training tips with the Times, and given a special insight into her relationships with her canine companions.

As the head trainer of Devon Dogs, run at East Bowerland just outside Okehampton, Lauren's dogs are not just her beloved pets, but the key to her livelihood.

She has an unusual pathway into dog training, having studied law at university before becoming a primary school teacher. When teaching, she became interested in dog training, and took it up for a hobby in 1998. In 2004, she decided to do it for a living.

A key lesson learnt during those early days of training has stuck with Lauren to this day.

'When I first started training one of my mentors gave me a very good piece of advice that I would not truly understand until much later on.

'She said the thing you will come to realise is that the lives between dogs and people is complex, and at times emotional. All I can add to that is wow, she was right!

'When I look at how close we are to our dogs it completely makes sense.

'They are often our working companions, not only our right arm to help retrieve a bird or to bring in the sheep but also our work mates.

'Many of us spend a lot of our time with our dogs. They are valuable to us in so many ways.'

Since finding East Bowerland Farm through the Channel 4 programme Location Location Location around four years ago, the Devon Dogs business has steadily grown, with many clients from the Okehampton area.

'I love living and working in Okehampton, and particularly love Okehampton's welcome and enjoyment of dogs,' Lauren said.

'I think what shocked me most is quite how involved we are with our pets and our working dogs in the area.

'While living and training dogs in and around Okehampton I have observed that people have dogs for sport, companionship, protection of property and for so many other reasons.'

Lauren's eight pets are all competitive agility dogs that travel all over the country with her, competing in elite competition.

In December, Lauren and her border collie Fiji won the prestigious Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes finals in London.

'For me personally it is a massive achievement,' said Lauren.

'I am so busy running my business and living my life with my family and two-year -old daughter, it's easy to forget your competitive nature. Achievements like this remind us we can compete and do great things.'

For budding enthusiasts, Lauren suggests starting simple.

'I can honestly say whatever your dog's role, training them should be fun. What I love watching most of all when a new trainer comes to us is seeing quite how much enjoyment they can have from seeing their much loved companions learning not only fantastic new behaviours, but also being mentally and physically stimulated.

'If you haven't already had a go at training your family pet, start with the basics.

'Whether you want a good family pet, an agility dog or simply a fit working dog, teaching simple behaviours can not do any harm.'

Lauren recommend trainers start by teaching their dogs to sit, lie down, spin left or right, or come back to their trainer on recall.

She said: 'I started when I was 16 or 17 at Lydford as part of a club once a week. Anyone with a dog can try training.

'We are lucky in this area, it is a fairly accessible activity. Something like horses can be out of reach for people due to money. It is also a really healthy lifestyle.

'You are out and about, moving, socialising and it is really refreshing.'