Dog trainer Graeme Sims retires over £4,000 prosthetic nose

Graeme Sims, 89, trained more than 3,500 dogs over 40 years, giving advice and canine psychology seminars to tens of thousands of owners.

His training philosophy, The Graeme Sims Method, built around “love, compassion and understanding”, is used by dog owners around the world and his training guides have become international bestsellers.

But after having his nose removed because of cancer and replaced with one held on by magnets he has finally called time on his career over concerns that an overexcited puppy might “send it flying”.

Graeme, known as the UK’s original ‘dog whisperer’, has a collection of six silicone noses in slightly different shades, which he wears at different times of year to match his tan or outfit.

He said his decision to retire was triggered by an incident this summer when a border collie he was training jumped up and sent his “favourite” nose flying into some bushes, leaving him searching for it for hours.

Graeme Sims, 89, trained more than 3,500 dogs and spent almost four decades giving advice and canine psychology seminars to tens of thousands of owners but after having his nose removed and replaced with one held on by magnets, he has finally called time (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)

Graeme, who is now clear of cancer, tells the full story of his diagnosis, surgery and life with a prosthetic nose in his new book, The Answer is Under Your Nose.

The grandfather-of-eight, who lives in Ystradgynlais, said: “Dogs and dog training have been a major part of my life since the 1980s, so calling it a day wasn’t an easy decision to make.

Graeme Sims, 89, trained more than 3,500 dogs and spent almost four decades giving advice and canine psychology seminars to tens of thousands of owners but after having his nose removed and replaced with one held on by magnets, he has finally called time (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)

“But I simply can’t afford to spend countless hours searching for expensive noses if they get knocked off.

“And I can’t do online seminars any longer either, as I think it would scare people half to death if one of my own dogs’ tails whacked it off midway through a Zoom call.”

Graeme Sims, 89, trained more than 3,500 dogs and spent almost four decades giving advice and canine psychology seminars to tens of thousands of owners but after having his nose removed and replaced with one held on by magnets, he has finally called time (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)

Graeme Sims, 89, trained more than 3,500 dogs and spent almost four decades giving advice and canine psychology seminars to tens of thousands of owners but after having his nose removed and replaced with one held on by magnets, he has finally called time (Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)

The father-of-four, was diagnosed with aggressive cancer in early 2018 after his nose suddenly began to cave in while he was training sheepdogs in Turin, Italy.

Within three months, during which he underwent radiotherapy, surgeons at Velindre Hospital in Swansea removed most of the tumour.

The team at nearby Morriston Hospital then fitted him with what he called a “piggy nose” – a small, rounded temporary replacement that looked nothing like his own.

After enduring stares from strangers, experts made his first prosthetic nose, modelled on photographs of his original.

Titanium rods were inserted into his skull, allowing the prosthetic to be held in place with magnets.

Since then, the dad-of-four has had at least one replacement nose each year as they wear out or become discoloured.

He keeps all of his old noses in a shoebox under his bed in case NHS funding for replacements – which cost around £4,000 each – ever dries up.

They range from a deep tan for the late summer months to a much lighter shade for winter, matching the change in his skin tone throughout the year.

He also swaps them around for fun to match his outfits, moods, or suits for special occasions.

He said: “The piggy nose looked awful, but getting my first proper prosthetic was life changing. It looked so natural that people stopped staring.

“They’re incredibly expensive, though, so I never throw the old ones away. I keep them all and now I’ve got enough to match my clothes, the time of year or, if I’m feeling a bit mischievous, wear one that clashes completely with my face.”