I trained my first dog (a female, hunting breed, related to a Spaniel) with positive only reinforcement. And while that worked to a certain degree, her instincts still got the better of her in certain situations and neither toys, funny noises I was making nor high value treats would get her attention back towards me. This was manageable while she was the only dog but when we got our 2nd dog, a boy of the same breed, her behaviour gradually got worse and in the end she stubbornly ignored most commands - I was worried for both my dogs’ and my own safety and the daily walks I used to cherish became very stressful indeed.My girl used to pull on the lead when squirrels were nearby (and boy, are there are a lot of them in London parks!). When off lead she went into a frenzy around them, barking at trees, running away from me - and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING I did would get her out of it. But the worst was that she taught the boy how much fun was to be had with squirrels and I ended up with two dogs that were out of control. The embarrassment I felt, when I used to try to get them back under control while they were in a squirrel frenzy, was mortifying.Sarah‘s balanced approach between positive reinforcement AND making the dogs understand that bad behaviour is not wanted (in my case we introduced a remote control spray collar and a tone), made me able to communicate exactly what I wanted, and now my dogs understand straight away what is allowed and what is not.Especially the change in my girl is incredible! She can be quite anxious in certain situations (she used to be noise reactive after a couple of traumatic incidences) but I was very pleased (and surprised!) to see that Sarah‘s training method made a huge difference to her anxiety levels (and mine!). Within weeks of training with this new approach my girl trusted me more, is now much more focussed on me as a whole and eager to learn new things. She also does not react in panic anymore to situations that used to be very challenging for her, but looks for my guidance instead. That in turn enables me to give her more freedom to enjoy life and she certainly loves it! This also shows that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks (she is now 6 years old) with a bespoke training approach.I can now walk both of my dogs off lead in my local parks without any issue, they come when called, their leave command is now very good and we are working on walking to heel while on lead (which they are already pretty good at). All three of us are happy all around. I will never stop being grateful to Sarah for helping me become a proud and confident dog mama.
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I'm Sarah, and I'm a professional dog trainer operating in the Cotswolds, Midlands, London and online. Working with dogs of all ages and breeds, I specialise in the rehabilitation of unwanted, difficult and dangerous behaviours. I am passionate about offering real-life training with a purpose: to help dogs and their owners enjoy happier lives together.