Dog Training & Behaviour in Solihull

One-to-one dog training in your own home

Is your dog's behaviour becoming difficult to manage? Whether you have a new puppy who needs the right start in life, a rescue dog that needs help settling in, or an established behaviour problem that's affecting everyday life, Bark Busters Solihull provides one-to-one dog training and behaviour support in your own home.

I'm Kirsty Dudfield, your local Bark Busters dog behaviour therapist and trainer for Solihull and Southeast Birmingham. I help you understand why your dog behaves the way it does, and I develop a tailored, practical, and lasting solution that fits your everyday life.

If you have problems with aggression, reactivity, separation anxiety, barking, recall, pulling on the lead, or you want to give your puppy the education they need, I'm here to help you find the right solution.

Dog behaviour help that comes to you

Dogs don't misbehave to be naughty. The environment they live in, the people around them and the situations they experience every day can all influence their behaviour. That's why Bark Busters training happens where your dog's behaviour comes from: in your home and local environment.

Rather than expecting you and your dog to fit into a group class, we work with you and your dog individually.

This lets us focus on the problems that matter most to you. We can help with aggressive behaviour, reactivity, excessive barking, separation anxiety, recall problems, pulling on the lead, jumping up, puppy biting and mouthing, chewing and destruction, resource guarding, nervous and fearful behaviour, toilet training, and more.

Whatever the behaviour problem, the first step is understanding what's causing it.

Dog Behaviour Expert in Solihull

I provide practical help for real-life behaviour problems. Some training problems are straightforward. Others can leave you feeling frustrated, embarrassed or worried about what might happen next.

If your dog is barking constantly, lunging at other dogs, guarding food, struggling to be left alone, or becoming difficult to control on walks, then simply teaching commands probably won't address the underlying problem.

Bark Busters focuses on understanding and changing behaviour, helping you recognise what triggers your dog's behaviour and what you can do differently to create better outcomes.

Our approach gives you practical techniques you can use in everyday situations and not just during a training session.

Home Puppy Training 
Give your puppy the best possible start in life. Getting the early stages right can make a huge difference to your puppy's future behaviour. Bark Busters can help you establish good habits from the beginning, so they don't develop into long-standing behaviour problems.

My puppy training home lessons can cover problems such as toilet training, biting and mouthing, chewing, jumping up, teaching recall, lead walking, basic manners, being handled, grooming, socialisation, and more.

My programme helps prevent unwanted habits from becoming established habits. Rather than waiting for a puppy behaviour problem to become serious, early guidance can help you build a confident, well-mannered dog from the start.

Learn more about our Puppy Training

Aggression
Aggression can be one of the most difficult behaviour problems for an owner to manage. Your dog may growl, snap, bark, lunge or attempt to bite people or other dogs. You can also find yourself avoiding certain areas and situations because you don't know how your dog will react.

I can help you understand what triggers aggressive behaviour and develop practical strategies to manage and change it.

I work with problems such as aggression towards other dogs, towards people, fear-related aggression, territorial behaviour, possessive behaviour, and resource guarding.

Training takes place in your own environment so we can address the behaviour in the situations you actually experience.

Learn more about our Dog Aggression Training

Reactivity 
If your walks are becoming stressful and your dog barks, lunges, or becomes highly excited and difficult to handle whenever they see another dog, person, bicycle or other trigger, I can help you to address the problem.

Reactive behaviour can make daily walks stressful for both you and your dog. I help you resolve your dog's reactions by developing better ways to manage triggers and changing unwanted responses.

The goal isn't simply to stop your dog barking or pulling for a few minutes. It's to help you build calmer, long-lasting, and more manageable behaviour that works in everyday life.

Separation Anxiety 
Some dogs become extremely distressed when their owner leaves. They can bark, howl, pace, scratch at doors, become destructive or show other signs of anxiety.

Separation anxiety can be particularly difficult because it often happens when you're not there to intervene. I help you understand why your dog is showing this behaviour and work towards creating a calmer routine around being left alone.

Learn more about our Separation Anxiety Training

Why Choose Bark Busters Solihull?

My training is one-to-one in your dog's real environment.

Home-based training - Your dog's behaviour is influenced by their surroundings. We come to you so we can work within the environment where problems manifest.

Personal support - Your dog isn't just another dog in a training class. Lessons are focused specifically on your dog's behaviour, your environment, and your family's needs.

Behaviour-focused - We look beyond individual commands to understand the reasons behind unwanted behaviour.

Practical training techniques - You learn techniques that you can use in your daily routines to handle situations that occur during everyday life.

Dogs of all ages - From young puppies to older dogs, my training can be adapted to your dog's age, personality, temperament and your circumstances.

A wide range of behaviour problems - From everyday manners to more challenging and severe issues such as aggression, reactivity and separation anxiety.

I work with any dog, of any age, and with any problem.

How My Dog Training and Behaviour Programmes Work

Tell me what's happening - We'll talk through your dog's behaviour, what's concerning you and what you'd like to change.

Understand the behaviour - We'll look at your dog's behaviour in context and identify the situations, triggers and patterns that may be contributing to the problem.

Work with you and your dog - You'll learn practical techniques designed to fit your daily routine, your dog's individual needs, and your everyday circumstances.

Put the training into practice - The aim is to give you the knowledge, understanding, and skills to keep making progress between lessons so you can see long-lasting results.

Communication That Your Dog Can Understand

At Bark Busters, we believe effective dog training starts with constant, clear communication. Dogs respond to our voice, tone, and body language, often picking up on signals that we don't realise we're giving. Our approach teaches you to use these everyday forms of communication more effectively, helping your dog understand what you want and respond appropriately.

By consistently using your voice tone and body language, we communicate boundaries, reinforce wanted behaviour, and build a stronger relationship with your dog.

Rather than relying on commands alone, the aim is to help you and your dog understand each other better, so training becomes part of everyday life and positive behaviour becomes easier to maintain.

Are you ready for a Happier Life With Your Dog?

You don't have to keep struggling with behaviour that's making everyday life difficult. Whatever the behaviour problem and whatever the age, Bark Busters Solihull can provide one-to-one expert support in your own home.

Let's work together to understand your dog's behaviour and create positive lasting change.

About Kirsty

After leaving school my love for horses drew me into studying to gain suitable equine qualifications. Once achieved, I began my career of successfully competing and teaching clients' horses and their riders. By the age of 21, I was running a successful business and found that good customer service and a strong work ethic were important for success. I was able to travel all over the world, meeting wonderful people and their horses, helping to build better relationships between humans and equines using kind, calm methods to overcome their horses' behaviour problems, as well as helping riders obtain the best possible results for either pleasure or competition.

Once settled in the UK, Elka, my first dog, a beautiful long-haired German Shepherd, became my companion and best friend, travelling with me every day to my equine work until she passed away at age 13. During this period, my passion for understanding the canine mind began.

I found that once I had a family, I was unable to continue with my first love of working with horses so a friend who worked with the Guide Dogs Association, suggested that I apply to work with Guide Dogs for the Blind. After vigorous vetting I became the proud foster mum to a brood bitch named Chloe, a beautiful Golden Retriever. She was a brilliant mum and had a total of 35 puppies over the years. Each litter lived with my family until they were ready to start their journey with a guide dog trainer. I was very proud of my role in their upbringing as most became successful guide dogs or medical detection dogs.

Chloe aged 8 yrs old retired and now has a lovely life with me and my young Golden Retriever pup, Willow.

You may be surprised to learn that training dogs and horses is very similar. It is about learning to watch their body language, understanding the breed, their instinctive needs and behaviours, and what they are trying to tell us. Showing patience, being consistent with the daily training methods, having good timing, staying calm and providing great leadership is the key to helping them to understand what we want to achieve. All of this is not difficult to learn with my training method and support.

I have three teenage children, so I understand how a busy home with an unruly dog or young puppy can be testing. I am happy to report that training dogs is easier than training teenagers.

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