Our dog Louie is a black male standard poodle whom we have had since 8 weeks old, he is now 23 months old.

I first contacted Linnea and Gregor around March 2021 as I recognised Louie was not coping well with a number of things, dogs, traffic sounds and was super cautious of people. As a pup brought into the world during a pandemic we had struggled to socialise him with many every day experiences. Linnea and Gregor were fully booked with clients at that time so we carried on implementing training advice we picked up online and via other trainers etc…

Whilst we made some good progress when Louie hit 12 months of age we noticed his reactivity increase in severity, this followed a number of very difficult experiences with other dogs both on and off lead.

I reached out to Linnea and Gregor again and we had our first online consultation with Linnea in December 2021. By this point I was extremely anxious at the thought of walking Louie and the stress was impacting on me physically. I even contemplated re homing Louie via a charity as I felt I was not a good match for him.

We joined Level 1 classes in February of this year and 5 months on we have completed our first block of level 2, Louie and my husband has completed 2 blocks of Gregors running group and we participate in Linnea’s GRC Sporty Dog classes. Louie loves both of these activities. We continue with monthly 1:1s and Louie will have his first socialisation session with the day care gang next month

I now enjoy walking regularly with other clients and their dogs implementing Linnea and Gregors training and handling tips. Louie is blossoming into a more confident, calmer young dog.

We plan to continue working with Linnea & Gregor for the foreseeable and cannot thank them enough. I would have no hesitation in recommending their services.

-Brenda

Linnea has taught both Woody and I so much over the past few months. I contacted Linnea to try and help us with Woody and his fear of almost everything. He was terrified of roads, bikes, push chairs, people, going on his lead and not to happy with other dogs coming over to him. After a few months of hard work from all of us but mostly Woody, we can now walk along the road on lead, he’s much happier with bikes, push chairs and other dogs saying hello. We still have a lot of work to do but he is doing so well and is so much calmer. Thank you!!

- Kirsten

Before training our dog had heightened anxiety around people, crowds, dogs, transport, changes in routine and fearful of most of the outside world as our dog was brought up on a farm. Below are the main difficulties our dog faced on a regular basis:

* Separation anxiety

*Shutting down if teaching commands and stressful situations such as vet visits.

*Low self confidence

*Constantly required reassurance

*Controlling his impulses.

In all honesty our lives were pretty miserable and difficult as we were not educated on how to understand or support our dog on a daily basis. His behaviour affected our everyday life as we had to prepare plans around our dog as he could not be left on his own regularly. We were always anxious taking our dog to public parks as a stimulus such as another dog would trigger his anxiety.

At first we were dubious as we thought we would be prejudged because we were unable to support our dog's problems, however the dog trainer was warm, welcoming and non judgemental. They enabled us to learn valuable knowledge and techniques on how to support our dog's holistic well-being. We were extremely happy and joyful with our dog's development throughout training. The dog trainer was always there to support us during progress and challenging times.

Below are some of the skills and knowledge we learned when working with Walk and train.

*Better communication

*Establishing boundaries

*Impulse control

*To introduce a well balanced diet

*How to respond and reduce anxiety on walks (with lead)

*Techniques on how to read and recognise triggers and positively respond to support our dog's behaviour

*Reinforcement

Tiny has become calm, relaxed, independent, confident, trusting others.

Open to new and stressful situations ie vets, meeting new dogs, busy places.

* Regularly displays curiosity.

We are over the moon as our bond continues to grow stronger. Our everyday lives are calmer and more relaxed. From the dog training sessions we are confident owners of a resilient, joyful and happy dog. His personality shines and is gleaming with happiness every day. We can finally walk in public parks without feeling apprehensive. Overall we could not describe in words how elated we feel with development and support Walk and Train provided for our dog's well-being. We are thankful and appreciate the hard work of Linnea as she assisted us every step of the way. We would recommend Walk and Train for everyone as it has had such a positive impact on our lives.

- Danielle