Freephone 0808 100 4071

Reviews & Testimonials For Graham Milgrew

Back to Trainer

8th July 2022 - Graham Milgrew

Graham dealt with Puppy management

Contacted Bark Busters as our 12 week old cockapoo’s biting was getting out of hand. Graham came alone and in the space of 2 hours it was as if we had a different dog. Graham explained to us how Lily thought we were litter mates to play with and that the biting was part of the playing. He showed us what to do and say to show Lily that the biting wasn’t acceptable. Don’t get me wrong, all the problems didn’t vanish in those couple of hours, but Graham has given us some of the tools we need to show Lily what is/isn’t allowed. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Graham and Bark Busters to anyone with a dog that needs pointing in the right direction.

- L.E, London (Testimonial)

19th May 2022 - Graham Milgrew

Graham dealt with Aggression, Barking, Jumping up, Other

Graham is very likeable and confidence-inspiring. He managed to calm our nervous GSD Thea quickly, gave us very practical advice and demonstrated a series of commands and techniques that worked exceptionally well; he recommended leads and equipment that have been transformational with our dog. We are delighted with his service.

- S.W, Dulwich (Testimonial)

23rd February 2022 - Graham Milgrew

It was a good session with some helpful tips

- J, London (Testimonial)

5th September 2021 - Graham Milgrew

Graham dealt with Puppy management

Jo and graham have been absolutely amazing for us being first time dog owners! We NEVER would have thought about food making such a difference to a dog's behaviour, but Jo recommended new food and treats and it is like we have a new dog!

- -.C, London (Testimonial)

Trainer note from Graham
These owners have a wonderful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel girl.  They have made wonderful progress and are well on their way to having a wonderful little dog they can be truly proud of.

2nd September 2021 - Graham Milgrew

Graham dealt with Barking, Sibling rivalry

I had recently taken on two male pugs, very close in age. They would compete with each other; to have their harness put on first; to be first through the front door; to be first to sniff the approaching dog. Every walk was fraught. Then I came across Jo & Graham. Jo provided a very reassuring and understanding voice over the phone and took a great deal of time to talk through and note the issues we were experiencing, in order to equip Graham for his 1:1 visit with us. Graham arrived and immediately had gravitas with the dogs: they listened to him. He gave me very clear instructions to enable me to train and improve the dogs' behaviour. Things were improving, but there was still work to be done with the dogs and Graham kindly made another visit to us a few months later. That second training session with Graham really helped consolidate the training ideas I had been taught, and I now feel empowered and much more confident in dealing with any remaining behavioural issues. A huge thank you to both Jo and Graham - my "Manna from Heaven" - for helping us through our issues and for giving us the tools to keep improving.

- -.C, London (Testimonial)

Trainer note from Graham
This owner did every bit of training asked and more to the point practised with her two pups.  Two young dogs can be very hard work when puppies and even more as adolescents but this owner spent a lot of time reinforcing the good behaviour she wanted and ironing out the difficulties over time.

11th August 2021 - Graham Milgrew

Graham dealt with Hyperactivity, Jumping up, Puppy management, Other

We have received comprehensive guidelines both online and face to face. We feel comfortable with this and confident that this will help us and Bailey. We feel Jo and Graham will guide us with any issues that arise and already feel Bailey's taking notice. We have a long way to go yet but this is just week one.

- -.T, Bexleyheath, Kent (Testimonial)

Trainer note from Graham
These owners have a nervous shy dog.  She seems to be confident, but a lot of it is bravado.  She has responded very well to being taught simple routines to help her when meeting visitors and new people.  She has also been learning to be calmer around the grandchildren and another family dog.  It takes time when a dog is not certain of itself, but these owners have made lots of progress already.

21st July 2021 - Graham Milgrew

My first lesson was a zoom call, with Jo. I found this invaluable as it gave me a real insight into my dog and his behaviour and I realised he isn't being naughty but just being a puppy. We did a lesson on 'watch me' or 'look at me' which was very successful as a first training method and Hector and I practice every day.

- -.G, London, Greater Manchester (Testimonial)

Trainer note from Graham
This owner has a 10-month-old English Bulldog.  He was a typical young dog and really struggled to pay attention to his owner, but adored her so was always getting underfoot.  He was also very excitable and anything new would make him explode with energy.  Not easy to handle in such a heavy-built dog.  His owner has worked really hard on getting his attention and their follow up visit recently has shown how far she has come with him.  He is a total credit to her.

7th June 2021 - Graham Milgrew

Graham dealt with Separation anxiety

I contacted Bark Busters when I realised my puppy is very reluctant to stay on his own. I was not able to take a shower without him panicking and starting to bark like there's no tomorrow. I frantically googled what to do with him and advice was mainly: start by leaving him for short periods of time such as 5 minutes. I was not able to leave him for 5 seconds and this was starting to affect my mental health. I had considered getting a dog for years and I have had dogs before but nothing prepared me for what I was facing now with my puppy. I had the first Zoom session with Jo and she ensured me that I am not the cause of this problem and she was very understanding that I was struggling. Jo helped me by being very encouraging and ensuring me that progress is being made. I have a habit of seeing the negative things and ignore the positive ones. We are now at the stage where my puppy is able to be on his own for 2 hours and the time keeps increasing slowly but surely. I take this as a huge success when I think back: even 5 seconds of alone time was too much for the dog. Graham also came to visit us and gave me great tips how to train with the puppy. I am now about to contact Jo again to help us further with the training (barking etc.) Jo did not only help the puppy, she helped me to cope.

- -.V, London (Testimonial)

Trainer note from Graham
The assumption with puppies is that it is natural for them to cry for their Mum and Siblings and that if you leave them to cry it out for a few nights they will get over it.  The sad thing is that for many puppies this is not true.  If it is recognised that the puppy is struggling then the advice is to crate and to start leaving a puppy for 5 minutes and build from there.  Again there are puppies who cannot cope with this and the owner is left to feel they are must be doing something wrong because their friends and family puppies were quickly fine. When a puppy has true separation anxiety help is needed to make sure the puppy doesn't grow up unable to be left on his or her own,  This little pup is doing fine now but has started a common adolescent behaviour of barking on lead which we are tackling now.

27th May 2021 - Graham Milgrew

Graham dealt with Aggression, Chewing, Jumping up, Puppy management

I came to Jo and Graham as I was incredibly upset that I was not doing well with my new puppy and thought I would have to give him up, which would have been devastating as I fell in love with Bob at first sight. But, I picked a border collie so an active dog - which I knew, but did not know it would be so hard. I was immediately reassured that I am not a bad Mum to Bob. I just needed to learn how to manage him and his needs. I hadn't appreciated the attention he needed 24/7 but that this could be on my terms. He also was a nipper so I thought he didn't like me as my arms could testify but I was again reassured that this was not good behaviour but could be changed. Yes! My puppy doesn't hate me! I learnt a lot from Graham's visits for training but have to say that Jo has been totally straight with me, honest and transparent when looking at dog behaviour. My relationship with Bob has become stronger as he has more direction from me and more structured time. My partner is happier when he comes home as Bob enjoys quality time but understands when to calm it down. Still very much work in progress as it's up and down but there are more positives and I am so pleased that I did not throw in the towel early doors as Bob has enhanced my life and I know he loves me as much as I love him. Should have got a lap-dog? No chance. He's the love of my life and I am going to do everything I can to make his life with me a good one. Thank you to Jo and Graham - highly recommended and always available for emergency chats x

- -.J, Dagenham, Essex (Testimonial)

Trainer note from Graham
Some dogs are hard going as puppies.  Herding breeds are often very nippy. They are affectionately called Puppy Piranhas by some Trainers, but it is no fun for the owner who is on the receiving end and who is bitten black and blue. There is no quick fix.  A lot of work has been done to appropriately train and direct these dogs,  They have a very strong work ethic and when they are puppies they don't have the emotional or physical maturity to deal with many day-to-day situations.  It is down to the owner to train and guide these pups.  Despite this, many owners love their high energy dog and go on to own these types of dogs for life as they do give so much in return.  


  Ther

 

Google serves cookies to this site to analyze traffic and for ads measurement purposes. Your personal data may be used for the personalisation of ads and cookies may be used for personalised and non-personalised advertising.
Learn more about how Google uses your data and cookies from their Privacy and Terms.

You can also view Bark Busters privacy policy here.