We are the owners of a very sensitive Border Collie who can struggle with dogs, people and certain environments. We had got so far with her with our previous trainers help. Our gut feeling was Cass still had potential in growing her confidence, but we’d need to look for something specific to help push her and us on. It turns out this does exist, it’s just we would have to go to the other side of the country for it, and we are so glad we did.

With Linnea and Gregor it never felt like training, it felt like hanging out with your friends that love your dogs as much as you do. What’s more Linnea didn’t stop with Cass, she worked on all our dogs as a group. We were struggling with not making our training mechanical and were beginning to lose the relationship aspect. We don’t know how Linnea does it, but she tunes you into your dog, so that you can support them so much better. Working with them is holistic, no stone is left unturned, working as much on our day-to-day interactions within the house as those behaviours outside.

We also had the privilege to join Gregor on a social walk with Cass. This was invaluable! His ability to work with so many dogs, all with differing personalities and bring balance to the group is an art. Seeing him integrate Cass into the group was so useful. He read her perfectly, and proved with the right support she has so much more potential if nudged in the right way.

So how good are they? Well we have done two holidays to Scotland to work with them. That’s how good they are! We will continue with everything Linnea and Gregor can throw at us. We just need to move to Scotland!

-Zoe

We contacted Walk & Train to help with our collie x lab who became reactive to new people and dogs about a year old. Linnea has changed our lives. We couldn’t walk along the street. Now Max happily walks along busy pavements and sits in cafes while people step over him. The big difference between Linnea and other trainers we have worked with is that she is training me, not Max - and that’s the key. She expertly spotted where we were going wrong and taught us what we needed to do. And the group classes are fantastic. Seems so simple to provide the chance to be neutral around other dogs in a structured way, but it works. Thank you!

-Gillian

Having a highly dog reactive GSD, I got in touch with Linnea seeking help and I'm extremely glad I did. While we're not at that stage where he doesn't react at all, Linnea has helped me tremendously with management and things I can work on to counter condition my best friend when there are other dogs around.

You're not alone when you take Linnea on as your trainer as she is very accessible and communicates her thoughts and ideas clearly and in language anyone can understand.

You and your dog couldn't ask for a better trainer and friend. Thank you Linnea, Gregor and Ida.

-Khaled

I first got in touch with Walk & Train for help with my 1.5 year old Cardigan corgi Merlin, after being recommended them by a friend.

Merlin used to overreact to everything. He wanted to say hello to every person he saw, play with every dog, bark at every noise near our flat, and eat literally anything within grabbing distance on the ground. All of this was making him really difficult to walk and I felt like I'd missed something in that he wasn't able to be calm like other dogs.

In our initial consultation and 1:1, Linnea opened my eyes to the fact that he was actually feeling frustrated, and there were things I could do to work towards keeping him within threshold.

Linnea truly treats each dog as an individual. She saw right away that Merlin is high-energy (a real party boy) so showed me lots of games to make things like recall training fun, and different styles of rewarding to keep things interesting.

We regularly attend group classes and I can already see such a difference in Merlin. As we've progressed through the levels the pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place, from his basic lead walking and obedience to being calm around other dogs. I feel better equipped as a handler too, and am able to recognise and address triggers much earlier.

Another thing I love is the Walk & Train community. You are among likeminded people who want the best for their dogs, and are always ready to share a tip or meet up for some extra practise.

I honestly couldn't recommend enough, thank you!

-Bianca

Linnea and Walk and Train have been an absolute godsend for me and my worried young german shepherd. Linnea has given us heaps of really positive strategies that are totally effective in reducing her anxiety around things. Linnea is so approachable that I can ask her anything without feeling that I might be being a bit daft! Her in-depth knowledge always comes up with a plan to help manage issues that is always positive and confidence building for my dog.

I really couldn't recommend her enough.

-Sandra

Walk and Train Edinburgh have been nothing short of life savers. When we first contacted them for advice, we were having difficulty even on the shortest, simplest of walks with our 1 year old rescue dog. After the first consultation with Linnea, we already felt better. Instead of dreading going for a walk, we were given tools and advice that we could use to help calm and focus the dog (and us) when out and about and build trust between us all.

We had difficulty with our dog reacting to other dogs in the neighbourhood/in the park and also people she did not know, coming into the house or trying to talk with us in the street.

We joined these fantastic ‘reactive dog’ training classes and noticed a massive improvement in the dog but I think even more importantly, there was a difference in us. Walk and Train Edinburgh give you direct, non-nonsense advice, trying to explain how the dog is feeling and how you can work with them to provide a calm and confident environment.

Our dog has settled down a lot, she now knows how to deal with previously stressful situations and we know that we can all work together to make further improvements. This result has only come about through the caring ad clear advice that we have received from Linnea and Gregor. They are always on hand to offer advice, even though we now live too far away to attend the classes, and I would suggest anyone that is struggling with their dogs behaviour, should speak to these guys over anyone else. I honestly don’t know what we would have done without them!

-Maree

Patch is a first line working stock Bearded Border Collie Cross. We originally contacted Walk and Train whilst dealing with some over excitement issues when seeing and dealing with other dogs. He would also shut down when outside and seem overwhelmed. We had tried a few other trainers and groups including staged reactive dog classes all of which never had any effect and increased stress of Patch and us.

As we were planning to move from the countryside to a new Metropolis in Canada we enlisted their help. Due to being so busy we struggled to get a date to start. They referred me to another great trainer for a session. Eventually we managed to begin both private sessions and group sessions with Linnea and Gregor. Patch came on massively very quickly as there was a complete understanding of his nature and the confidence to control it. We focused on calmness out walking instead of just playing fetch all the time. Continued and improved on structured walks.

However it was also about building an understanding relationship between us and Patch. He is a high strung dog however with the help of Walk and Train we can now walk off leash with Patch around other dogs without the worry of losing him to distractions. He plays better with other dogs and leads a happier life in a busier city now.

Linnea also has some fantastic videos online for hints and tips.

- Lewis

Linnea helped my dog-reactive Shepherd Husky pup and I become a much better team. We loved working with her and always felt like we were in good hands. Can’t recommend highly enough!

- Dora

Linnea and Gregor have been a big help with our reactive rescue dog Hugo. We had a great private consultation with Linnea where we got lots of tips and ideas for working on some of his issues. We also attended their group classes which have been really good practice for being around other dogs and putting the things we have been shown into action, in a controlled environment - Linnea and Gregor are complete experts and so in tune with dogs. Thank you so much guys!

- Anna

We were recommended to go to Linnea and Gregor at Walk and Train Edinburgh by Kylie from KCK9 in Fife to save us the 90 mile round trip to get the social walk we were looking for.

Our rescue GSDs are very different characters, Zack the older who has been with us longer is generally laid back and friends with everyone. He does however get excited at the start of an outing or when he sees other dogs who look like they would be up for a play, at these times he can be a bit vocal. Ted, on the other hand is an anxious dog, who was not socialised in his first 3 years of life, and was reactive to just about everything when we got him. The journey with Ted has involved behavioural consultations and obedience classes. By the time we hooked up with Linnea and Gregor he had reached a good level of obedience, and is generally relaxed around people and the environment. Ted however remains anxious around strange dogs, and although able to just about cope when out on his own with me, was still very reactive when encountering them out in company with Zack.

The group classes were a good way for Linnea and Gregor to verify that we had the basic building blocks of obedience in place, but the real benefit for us came from the social walk element of being amongst a pack of dogs but also encountering numerous different situations and on and off leash dogs while on a walk in the ‘real’ world. We gained so much from the advice that Linnea and Gregor could give us and their tips that arose from observing Ted in this way. After 3 months of weekly sessions Ted was coping well with new dogs being introduced to our group, and showing no reactions to them. He was also vastly improved on his encounters with strange dogs. By employing the techniques learned we were able to help him to not react in the vast majority of cases, and also to calm down quickly on the odd occasion where, for example, a boisterous off lead dog had just got too much for him. As a by-product, Zack’s lead walking is much improved too.

Linnea and Gregor have a sympathetic and supportive approach to both owners and dogs, they clearly draw on a great combination of personal experiences, and lessons learned from courses and other respected trainers. I like the fact that their solutions are tailored to individuals, and that they are both constantly listening and watching to find ways to help.

Please run some more of these social walks, we’ll be first in the queue, it is money well spent!

- Liz

We contacted Walk and Train Edinburgh in the hope of finding some support with our lovely dog Peanut who struggled with some situations, such as when seeing kids rushing around, or hearing a skateboard whiz by. Peanut's response was to be reactive, and this was something that we wanted to address in a meaningful way - that is, by first understanding what was wrong and, then, by learning of ways to make positive changes.

Meeting Linnea was wonderful for our little family of three (my husband, Peanut and I). She quickly addressed how things that we had been doing, such as focussing on high intensity exercise, was perhaps contributing to Peanut's high levels of anxiety and vigilance - this, then, making Peanut less able to concentrate on us during walks and, instead, being easily stressed by what was around him. Linnea taught us how to integrate focus training during our walks, for example, by bringing Peanut's breakfast with us and creating opportunities for him to remain attuned to us, rather than the environment. In addition, Linnea gave us some great exercises for at home, for example, playing tug and letting Peanut get out his play, before helping him to calm down and regulate his emotions.

Taken together, we learned that perhaps we had been making the world a little too hectic for Peanut, through making things so fast-paced, without realising that this was not what he needed. Instead, we've made changes that allow for him to enjoy being outside, running with me in the mornings instead of chasing the ball, or going for hikes (he even completed the 90+ mile hike from Ullapool to Sandwood Bay this summer). Breakfast is always provided through search games out in the open, and this gives Peanut the opportunity to explore and use his sense of smell. There was so much help in what Linnea provided, and it's really made for a meaningful change in Peanut's behaviour when out and about. He is far less reactive to others and far more attentive towards us. He seems to be a happy, and less anxious dog, which makes us all very happy.

Thanks so much!

- Sarah & Nate

Fantastic with dogs highly recommend walk and train after just 2 days of training our 7 month old GSD has never been so peaceful and better on walks. Before he'd bark all the time for attention wouldn't settle, on walks he'd pull always run to other dogs to play and was so much work just to keep him by our sides such a difference now. Looking forward to try there out door classes :)

- Steven

Walk & Train Edinburgh (Linnea) were great in giving me the confidence to train my Sheltie puppy. They taught me key exercises and techniques to ensure a good bond with my puppy from the beginning, for example the importance of getting the puppy to focus on me (with the 'look' command) and give me eye contact, which has been useful in a range of situations. The theory was well explained to me both face-to-face and in writing after the session with a useful guide. The trainer has a positive and cheerful approach which makes the sessions enjoyable. I'm grateful for all the email advice I was able to get outside the sessions too, as puppy training can be challenging.

- Cindy