If your only goal is to stop unwanted behaviour fast, we're probably not the right trainers for you.
That might seem like a strange thing for a dog trainer to say, but it's true.
If you're looking for someone to make the barking, growling, lunging or jumping disappear as quickly as possible, we're probably not the best fit. That's because we'll always look at the underlying cause of the behaviour and why it is happening before we decide what to do about it.
Health comes first.
A dog in pain can't be trained out of it. If something hurts, that's the first thing that needs dealing with.
Then there's emotion.
Scared dogs don't stop being scared because they've been punished for barking. Frustrated dogs don't become calm overnight. Changing how a dog feels takes time, patience and the right support. We have to essentially rewire their brain.
We'll also look at welfare.
Is your dog getting enough sleep? Enough opportunities to sniff, chew, forage, dig, run or simply switch off? Sometimes the biggest changes come from meeting those needs properly, not from doing more training.
Behaviour is information. It's your dog telling us something isn't quite right. Our job is to work out what they're trying to say, not just silence them.
Could we stop some behaviours more quickly by focusing on the behaviour alone? 100%. But if the reason behind it hasn't changed, it often comes back in another form and you are removing the warning system which allows you to be proactive instead of reactive.
We'd rather take a little longer and help your dog feel better, not just behave better. That's the kind of training we believe in, and it's the kind of training we'll always offer.