Hugo is a gorgeous big German Shepherd who didn't have the best start in life and has now been rescued by a wonderful, kind family. He's quite nervous and was showing this by barking and lunging at strange dogs and occasionally people. This is not uncommon for dogs that have been previously abused. His new owners are now patiently working through Hugo's issues and showing him the guidance and support that he needs to become a happy, confident dog.

Rocky is a typical, adolescent Boxer - big, bouncy and full of life. It was clear from the outset that the family had fallen in love with him from the outset and just needed guidance on how to communicate with him and channel his energy. The whole family participated enthusiastically in the first training session and Rocky responded beautifully. I'm really looking forward to watching Rocky grow and develop over the coming year.

Many puppies are relatively easy once an owner knows how to handle them and what to do with them, but some puppies can be like Hollie.  On the go constantly and into everything.  This is totally exhausting for owners and they often feel “it must be my fault” that their puppy is so difficult.  However, some pups are simply very high energy and have very short attention spans.  They can be difficult to train initially because they can’t focus and no amount of “no” will stop them getting into mischief.  Having the knowledge of what to do, and when, is the key to dealing with these puppies. As they mature the owners reap the benefits of all the groundwork the owner has put in. Hollie is brilliant with other dogs, very friendly with people, obedient to her owners and her owner has had many admiring comments about what a well-behaved dog she is. As she says, “there is light at the end of the tunnel” and Hollie is a dog that they can be truly proud of.

Pickles is a lovely little Border Terrier who had picked up some bad habits from her older friend, Lucky. Pickles was very excitable and jumpy when I first met her and would bark at other dogs while out on walks. Her owners have worked really hard and Pickles no longer jumps up on guests, is listening well to the owners and recently went for a nice walk with a strange dog. She still has a way to go but is definitely on the right track now. 

Kelly is a very bright little Chihuahua girl puppy.  She is confident, but like many small dogs, she can potentially get hurt trying to negotiate peoples feet, steps/stairs, holes in the ground and all the other obstacles that small dogs have to deal with in life. Owners can worry about "babying" their small dogs, but Kelly's owners have just the right attitude.  They understand the difference between keeping Kelly safe while she meets people, dogs etc while not preventing her from experiencing the world and are doing an excellent job of training and socialising their puppy.

Bruno is a French Bulldog puppy who was getting over excited, mouthing his owners feet and generally not listening.  As he is their first dog they weren't quite sure how to tackle this and communicate with Bruno so he understood what they wanted.  They have worked hard with their training and Bruno was behaving significantly better on the follow up visit.  I look forward to seeing him as he grows up.