Our lovely one-year-old Vizsla Stanley went to stay with Helen for a week’s residential training as we were struggling with his behaviour both at home and on walks. Looking after him was hard work and was making family life stressful. On walks he had very little impulse control. As soon as another dog (or any other creature) was in sight his recall was poor, and he was full-on and quite dominant with other dogs, meaning he could rarely be off lead. On a lead he pulled a lot so taking him out was stressful. At home he was hard work too, constantly stealing things and unable to settle, he’d follow us around and whine if we even left the room, and was boisterous and jumped up if anyone visited.
Helen worked on Stanley’s behaviour with the help of her own and visiting dogs, teaching him how to be gentle and socialise with dogs of all temperaments. She did lots of recall and manners training with him, and taught him to settle without needing constant attention.
It’s been a week since his stay and we’ve been AMAZED at the dramatic change in Stanley!! At home he is so much more relaxed and able to settle, he is more obedient and is it’s much easier to correct his behaviour on the rare occasions he needs it. If he’s left in a room alone he doesn’t whine or bark anymore, and he doesn’t jump up at people. On walks he’s like a different dog, he always stays close to us and his recall is excellent, even with the distraction of other dogs, horses or pheasants. We are trying hard to keep the boundaries and expectations Helen has put in place and use the commands she has taught us, and so far Stanley has behaved brilliantly.
I would not hesitate to recommend Helen to anyone needing help with their dog, whatever the issue. She clearly has an incredible understanding of dogs and how to get the best out of them. We are so grateful for what she has done for Stanley!
