Dog Training Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, South Cheshire

Welcome to dog training in Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire. I'm Lee Hardy, a Bark Busters accredited Grand Master Dog Behaviour Therapist & Trainer, and I received recognition in 2024 for helping over 5,000 dogs and their owners during my 26 years with Bark Busters. A dog trainer, who would have thought that would end up being my career when I rescued Rannan, an 18-month old female black Labrador, from the RSPCA in August 1998. There she was in the kennel with a male Collie cross called Houdini, both quite relaxed with each other and very calm for dogs in kennels. The staff loved her and said she was quite responsive to commands so probably wouldn’t require much training. Home check done, papers signed and home she came. She was very friendly, loved people and dogs, especially my friend’s Collie who taught her to swim. You would think I fell on my feet in getting such a wonderful dog. Her walking to heel was excellent and her recall was brilliant. Her general obedience, for a dog that was in a rescue, was second to none and it looked as if all the training with her during her time at the RSPCA had been remembered.

• Fast, Effective & Long Lasting Results
• Proven Training That Works
• All Problems Addressed
• Any Dog, Any Age, Including Puppies

 
However, the first behaviour problem with Rannan appeared 6 months after getting her home. Her recall started to become hit and miss and during this time she started to show signs of aggression. First, she started with dog aggression, she would run off and seek out dogs to bully, charging at them head on knocking them to the ground or rolling them. As her bullying behaviour became more aggressive, I had to keep her on the lead around other dogs. Soon after stranger aggression followed. One day in a quiet park, I let her off lead and what followed was a very serious incident where she knocked over a lady and stood over her barking. I was horrified and realised I needed urgent help if I was to save Rannan from a one-way trip to the vet.

I searched high and low for a dog trainer near me that could help. Most were saying she could not be helped as she was too aggressive, especially now she had started to show food aggression to me around her bowl. I was starting to feel lost until I come across Bark Busters. The calm communication methods, using voice tone and body language, along with the various daily exercises I was given, worked miracles and my relationship with Rannan changed almost instantly. She stopped making her own decisions and focused on me instead. It enabled me to get my Rannan back.

It has been said that you never learn anything from an easy dog and that was certainly true with Rannan! I was over the moon and it was while I was working with her that someone suggested I’d make a good dog trainer. That comment 26 years ago changed my life and in the year 2000 I joined Bark Busters.

As dog trainers and behaviour therapists, it’s up to us to teach you how to control and retrain your dog with consistent, calm, kind, easy to follow methods so that you can enjoy having a dog to be proud of, on and off lead.

Are you looking for a dog behaviourist near you? Then why not consider my home dog behaviour training lessons.

If you are looking for quality dog training near you, then you have found the right place. To date I have now helped over 5,800 dogs and their owners in my 26 years with Bark Busters. My training programmes focus on assessing the root cause of the issues, which then leads to the tailor-made training programme. Showing and teaching the family the Bark Busters methods of communication, which dogs instinctively understand, and not leaving until the family have successfully carried out the exercises demonstrated, thereby giving them the confidence that they can continue with the daily work to change their dog into a well-balanced responsive member of the family. Of course, our Support Guarantee is in place to ensure that you never have to worry if things go wrong.

I have worked with many different breeds, from the largest Mastiffs to the smallest Chihuahuas. I work will all behaviour problems from severe aggression to general puppy training. It is very rewarding helping dog owners like you with a huge variety of issues from giving puppies a great start in life to helping with recall, pulling, jumping up, aggression, separation anxiety, nuisance barking and much more.

If you are looking for puppy training classes near you, then why not consider my home training. Group training classes can be very stressful for your pup and if they become disruptive in the classes you can often be asked to leave. My lessons are informative and provides puppies with the very best start in life.

My home puppy training lessons can cover topics such as:

• Best toileting habits
• Appropriate diet and good food manners
• Recall - coming when called
• Gate and door control
• Sit, stay and down training
• Correct holding of the lead and walking
• Walking to heel
• Distance control (staying with you when there are other distractions)
• How to successfully socialise your puppy
• How to de-sensitise, for example, vacuum cleaners and car travel etc…
• Protecting your puppy from being overwhelmed by people or other dogs
• Accustoming to handling, bathing and grooming
• Bad behaviour prevention and management, e.g. jumping up, mouthing, play biting and chewing etc…

If you are a first-time dog owner or an experienced one, but you and your dog are not happily enjoying each other’s company, call me, regardless of your dog’s age, breed or behaviour, to hear about how I work, and the Bark Busters’ unique Lifetime Support Guarantee that will ensure you always have someone to turn to for help should you need it.

I can also help you if you're looking for a trainer in Crewe, Nantwich, Congleton, Northwich, Stafford, Winsford

Your trainer is an independent business owner who operates their own business under a franchise agreement with Bark Busters. BBD Home Training Limited, trading as Bark Busters, is a franchisee of BBDT (UK) Limited, the Master Franchise holder.