Clients' Comments
e-mails from clients
(All Client's Comments are Verifiable)
Case: Boston - American Cocker Spaniel.
Over-reactive to strangers & new situations.
Hi Nikki
Just thought I’d email you with a Boston update.
Well Boston (and I) are doing really well. Boston still continues to bark and run to the door but he knows that he has to go back to the mat before the door is opened. He also is still very keen to run forward but I am doing a good job in showing him its my door and my visitor.
Out and about he is amazing. He walking is brilliant on the new lead and he really seems to like being ‘lead’. He is also really good at reading other dogs body language and so am I now. He is still a little unsure of playing with other dogs but always makes an initial approach to sniff etc. Yesterday myself and a dog walking friend went over the park and met a whole load of other dogs and owners who meet there everyday at the same time for the dogs to play and so that was good and we’re going to try to get there more often, for me more than him really!
As a Leader I am so much more confident and in charge of him and he is truly a joy. We’ve also being having more people and kids over so thats really nice and he is getting used to it. Once again thank you so much for all your help.
Best wishes, Jodi x
September 2011
Dog Boarding - Bailey - Male Beagle.
Hi
Just a quick mail to thank you for looking after Bailey so well for the past week. It was great to pick him up and see him so happy and wagging his tail; I think he would have quite happily stayed on if he could! He slept all day yesterday - I think he was worn out by all the playing.
Thank you again.
Fiona and Graham
September 2011
Case: Theo - Male Pug.
Afraid of strangers.
Dear Nikki
We thought we would update you with how Theo is doing after his training sessions. Well we can only say a big ''Thank you'' because your training has made a huge difference to his and our life. As you are aware we were on the verge of re-homing him as we could not deal with the issues that he presented due to the neglect he experienced from his previous home and as a last resort we sought your help. I'm sure you can remember Theo barking at yourself as you entered the house or at the slightest body movement after you had sat down as he was so afraid of strangers, I am happy to say this is no longer an issue. With your techniques we have managed to stop this by reducing his anxiety of strangers (our friends and family) entering our home. Theo was also afraid of people when he went on walks and showed his anxieties when he saw other people - even at the end of a road/field. With your help of teaching my husband and I to feel relaxed and confident during these times (as a pack leader influences the behaviour of their dogs) this has reduced dramatically. Feeling confident and calm at any time when around Theo and our other dog Nico has made a huge difference in both their behaviours. This has been the most profound technique that you have taught us, yet one of the most difficult (to begin with) and what a difference it has made. I am happy to say we are now a very happy and calm household and are so glad we sought your help for Theo and Nico.
I would happily recommend your service to friends and family and have become a big advocate of dog behaviourist training. As you know I had watched and read 'The dog whisper' and 'It's me or the dog', but whilst these give you an understanding of why dogs behave the way they do and offer techniques to reduce these, it is very difficult to implement. You taught us HOW and WHY by showing us the techniques and observing us when implementing them. You were empathic and no question was out of bound regardless of how silly we believed it might have been. The individual profile guide you wrote to meet Theo's and Nico's needs was brilliant as a reference guide and showed that you listened to our situation and offered solutions that were easy to use in our everyday lives.
A BIG ''THANK YOU'' again from myself, husband, Nico and Theo.
May 2011
Dog Boarding - Bessie - Female Siberian Husky.
Dear Nikki,
Just wanna say a big thank you for having Bessie for us. She's completely different - very calm!! Fell asleep on my lap last night & even cuddled up with my 7 month old boy asleep!
X
Charlotte
March 2011
Case: Boston - American Cocker Spaniel.
Over-reactive to strangers & new situations.
OMG YOU HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE!!!!
Dear Nikki,
Seriously - you have changed my life in just 48 hours!
I have just had a beautiful, calm and enjoyable walk with Boston, without him pulling. I bought the lead after you left yesterday and have given him 3 walks since and cannot wait to walk him again. Obviously it goes without saying he is having the corrections here and there but nothing at all like I imagined.
During his walk we also met a few other dogs and at this time he was off his lead and played so happily, but what was also amazing was that the recalls were brilliant and he was so happy to have the lead back on....I am gob smacked!.
With regards the door I am so much more confident and whilst he is still not quite getting it straight away, I just close the door and relax him before carrying on. We still have a long way to go with the door (and strangers) but I can see such an improvement and the fact I want people to knock the door is just so brilliant.
I have noticed also that I am approaching situations that before I would have avoided. As an example we’ve just returned from the walk and my neighbour was out cleaning his car (with a noisy hoover!) and I went over very confidently to say hi with Boston, and Boston just sat calmly next to me. Normally I would have just gone indoors with Boston in case going over would have just resulted in him barking & barking.
Not wanting to get too mushy, but you have truly inspired me and I know for an absolute fact my life is going to be much better since you have taught me these tools. Thank you so much. Like I said, I know we still have a long way to go but I cannot wait.
Have a lovely weekend and see you soon.
Jodi and Boston x
March 2011
Case: Tia - Female White German Shepherd.
Extremely aggressive, with both other dogs & strangers.
Hi Nikki,
I just wanted to let you know how Tia's doing. We've still got a lot of work to do with people in the house but we're slowly getting there as with correction she does do as shes told. Outside of the house is 100 times better we really enjoy our walks now, she still doesn't like the head collar but she is still not confident enough for me to take it off. I can now talk to people that approach occasionally she needs a small correction but she is so much better. She is really confident down the beach now even with dogs and people walking past so we've just started on Bransbury park as the dogs and owners are playing closer.She has met a few different breeds of dogs in the park from a playful Labrador puppy to a snappy staff and handled them all well. The fur still goes up as shes still a bit unsure but i encourage her towards them and she has a sniff then comes straight back to me. Another dog owner approached us this week and played catch with Tia for a while which was good, she kept bringing her kong back to me instead of him but its a good start as i didn't think she'd let him touch her toy. I'd just like to thank you for giving me the confidence and push i needed, we've still got a long way to go but I'm now confident we'll get there as i didn't ever think I'd be playing in the park with her. I will contact you again in the future if thats ok for further work with dog walking, i would love her to trust other people to walk her.
Thanks again
Kerry & Tia
February 2011
Case: Kane - Male Czechoslovakian Wolfdog.
Boisterous & disobedient puppy, often biting his owners.
Hi Nikki,
Hope you had a good Christmas.
Thought I would drop you a line to tell you how our puppy Kane is doing now.
He's doing good! He has his mad moments but does calm down quickly and will sit and chew on a bone or play with his toys with us. He's still having a few mishaps going to the toilet, but not many - he's good and trying to wait until we take him out the back or for a walk.
We went to mum and dads and he was good as gold as he just sat at my dad's feet for about an hour until dad moved.
So all in all he is settling. He does have his mad moments and sometimes they last bit longer; but you can see he's in one of his "I want to win" moods and they are not often and most of the time a correction will stop what he's doing.
We've taught him to give a paw and then the other paw he picked that up really quick.
So if any of your clients think their dogs are out of control, just tell them about Kane - if he can improve like he has, then their dogs can too!
We've still got long way to go but the progress we've made is amazing. I did wonder if we could ever get to this stage - but we have!
Take care
Corina
December 2010
Case: Kia - Female Northern Innuit.
Dog-aggressive & snappy with children.
Dear Nikki
I just wanted to let you know you how delighted I am with the changes that you have enabled us to bring about in Kias’ behaviour. I’ve gone from dreading every potential encounter with another dog to feeling confident that, now Kia sees me as a Leader of the Pack, she will do as instructed. She has become more relaxed and ‘chilled-out’ since the pack responsibility has been lifted from her shoulders. I would strongly recommend you to anyone who is experiencing problems with their pooches. As far as I’m concerned you’re brilliant!.
Take care for now m’dear.
Best Wishes
Sue
November 2010
Case: Eddie - Male Labradoodle.
Aggressive with strangers.
Hi Nikki,
I just thought I'd send you an email on Eddie.
We have had a hectic week. Loads of people, loads of kids, loads of noise. Lots of people coming in and out the house. Eddie has been absolutely brilliant. He had his muzzle on for the first introduction, but I then took it off - & even with the children, he was so relaxed, happy and confident. He also met people who he has been very aggressive with in the past and just sat down in the lounge with them. Not a growl snarl or snap! We know that we still can not be off guard with him with people, but we are all so happy & everybody has commented on how well behaved he is now. What a difference from this time last year!!!!!
Thank you for all your great advice. I'm now looking forward to Xmas when we will have another house full.!!!
Carolyn, Tony and Charlotte and Josh, and of course Eddie.
October 2010
Case: Tilly - Female Yorkshire Terrier.
Multiple problems including chewing, barking & messing in the house.
Hello Nikki,
I just wanted to let you know that things have changed for the best with Tilly.
We let her out in the garden all the time now and she seems a lot calmer in herself. She now eats her food when it is put down & she goes for a walk every day. We have seen a massive improvement with her chewing and just being crazy so that’s another good sign. The humping has stopped, and the licking has now kind of subsided with her only occasionally licking but stopping as we do the correct. She is still sleeping in our room, but IN HER BED on most occasions (she sometimes sneakily gets on the bed in the middle of the night). She still barks when the door knocks, but as soon as the person enters and approaches her she stops barking and calms down. Another massive improvement is her toileting outside, she now goes out to the toilet all the time and even when out on walks! Slowly but surely she is now letting other dogs approach her without attacking them, and we have had some success with her being off her lead down the park and responding when I call her.
So all in all - as you can probably guess - I am over the moon with her behaviour!
Once again thank you for all your help.
Many thanks,
Kaylee
April 2010
Case: Costa - Female Doberman.
Aggressive with strangers when out.
Hi Nikki,
Hope all is well with you. I just wanted to let you know that everything is going well and that we have already seen a distinct improvement in our girl, Costa. Lots of "eh's" and "tsh's" both at home and on walks! She is walking SO much better on lead the way you showed us when we went out at yours and we have tried to take her to busier places. She is also having lots of "aerobic" walks with the boys! I'm still only letting her off when I am really sure in a big open space. The rest of the time she is still on extended lead with me, but has been walking really nicely past people on quite a long lead on paths etc. I am quite happy like this at the moment and think I will continue in this way for a little longer until I get more confident still, although I have to say my confidence has grown since we saw you.
Best Wishes
Judith
March 2010
Case: Dushka - Male Akita / Malamute Mix.
Boisterous & disobedient puppy, often biting his owners.
Dear Nikki,
As you know, a few months ago I brought to my home a very cute and potentially dangerous puppy. & he was biting me and my children and trying to take over the house. Thank you so much Nikki – due to your expertise, time, compassion and loyalty to my pet, he is now a big giant softy. He has Akita in him which I know is one of the very hardest breeds to look after and train, so I’m glad I had you on hand or it could have ended up with him taking over the house or worse still one of my children being bitten and him being put to sleep. Thankfully this never happened and now we can all just enjoy each other.
Thank you so much again and I will keep you posted on his progress.
Kind regards,
Michelle.
March 2010
Case: Norman - Male Border Terrier.
Pulling & dog-aggressive when on the lead.
Hi Nikki,
I thought I should email you with a progress report.
All is going very well indeed - Norm is now a pleasure to walk on the lead, and we both know that I'm in charge of the walk rather than him. He still begins a brief huff-puff at some (not many) dogs we pass but on the whole has improved immensely.
The difference being that I now have the confidence to nip it in the bud immediately it starts.
We are really pleased to have achieved such swift results and are very grateful for your valued advice - glad we found you when we did!
Hope all's well with you
Kind regards
Suzanne
January 2010
Case: Charlie - Male Chocolate Lab.
Dog-aggressive.
Dear Nikki,
I have to write to thank you for your effort and time to effect a change in Charlie's behaviour , we have seen a positive improvement since he came to your Boot Camp. I also have a better understanding of the underlying problems and a clear action plan to follow.
I would say you have an excellent understanding of dog behaviour and a great ability to transfer the theory into practice, but above all you have an obvious passion and genuine concern for the dogs in your control. I think anyone would be hard pressed to find better service and value for money elsewhere. I wish you every success with you future plans and would be very happy to recommend you.
Yours sincerely,
Stephen Moore
December 2009
Dog Boarding - Coco - Female Chocolate Lab.
Dear Nikki,
I would like to send a belated thank you for the weekend you came to the rescue, without which our plans would have to have been cancelled. A sincere thank you to both of you for taking such good care of Coco at short notice, and for being so patient on our return.
We are always apprehensive about Coco being left in new and unfamiliar surroundings and to say that she was well looked after is an understatement, the house was welcoming, animal friendly and she quickly got into the way of things. I also know she enjoyed her stay as she had a little sulk on our return home.
We will without doubt be returning Coco for another well earned break and also be recommending you to our friends in the future. Once again our sincere thanks and we wish you all the best for the future.
Kind regards
Pete
December 2009
Case: Zeus - Male Dorset Old Tyme Bulldog.
Boisterous & disobedient.
Hi Nikki,
I thought I would drop you a line to say how grateful we are for your help with Zeus.
I cannot believe how much of a different dog he is!! He was hectic, jumped up at people, grabbed at their clothes and was very intimidating - we were ready to give up on him, until we found you. Now he is happy to just lay around without a care in the world. You showed us what areas we needed working on and explained that Zeus wasn't being naughty, he was just confused!! Now we can enjoy our dog like we planned for when he was a pup. You didn't just show us how to change Zeus' behaviour, but how to change ours, showing us how to address situations in the correct way that Zeus understood. Now we are the leaders of the pack and he is happy to tag along as a follower.
We have recommended you to all of our friends and shall be keeping in touch with you regularly to let you know how we are all getting on.
Once again thank you so much!!
All the best
Paul, Stacie, Charlie Lou and Zeus.
X X
P.S When you have your own T.V show remember us!! Lol xxx
October 2009
Case: Meeka - Male Siberian Husky.
Nervous, recent rescue.
Dear Nikki,
I just had to drop you a line and let you know how my boy is doing. Meeka my Siberian Husky who I rescued 4 weeks ago, who you visited and helped me with 3 weeks ago, is doing great. I put into practice all that you left me to do, & I still can't believe it. It's one thing seeing behaviourists doing it on telly with other peoples' dogs, but to see you come round and do it with him was just amazing. Just goes to show with the right people and right routine and exercise etc. it really does work. When I first had him as you know he was really skittish, worried and anxious; now he is calm, happy and full of bounce. You really wouldn't recognise him.
I really can't thank you enough. He is so different and a pleasure to be with. Also the children are helping more too now, like you suggested. They love to make him sit and wait for things, & they have also learnt not to talk to him when they come in from school. It was quite hard at first, but worth it in the end. Thank you so much. In just that two hours, you have given an abused rescue dog peace of mind and helped me understand him. Putting all that into practice over 3 weeks has made it happier for all of us. Thank you from Meeka too, because this now means this is his fourth and last home - His Forever Home.
Kind regards,
Mrs M Clark,
September 2009
Client Ratings & Reviews from FreeIndex.co.uk
Rating: 5/5
[Dog-aggressive Labrador]
Friendly, professional service with clear guidance and support throughout training. The prices were very reasonable and coupled to the level of service I would say excellent value for money. Dedicated and conscientious. I was very happy with the service and results and would be happy to recommend.
Mr Moore - 17 Feb 2010
Rating: not completed
[Two disobedient Greyhounds]
We used Nikki to help us out with our dogs, they were not out of control but she showed us how to become better dog owners and to have much more control over them. Now they are just happy dogs. Excellent service and such a nice person - I would recommend her to anyone who has a problem with their dog big or small. A really genuine dog lover and all round nice person.
Mrs Waight - 16 Feb 2010
Rating: 4.7/5
[Shih Tzu with separation anxiety]
The services provided were carried out in a truly professional but friendly way and a comprehensive programme covering all aspects of my dog's problems was provided.Contact is regularly made as to my dog's progress which is steadily improving.
Mrs Gilmore - 16 Feb 2010
Rating: 5/5
[Nervous & disobedient Staffordshire Bull Terrier Mix]
Leader of the Pack worked on our dogs anxiety and social problems and also advised us on creating a calmer household for our dog. The advice and follow on support was exceptional and we are able with lots of hard work to keep our family pet. Leader of the Pack were non-judgmental and worked on the whole families needs.
Mrs Coombs - 16 Feb 2010
Rating: 5/5
[Two Great Danes & English Mastiff - pulling on the lead & over-reactive to dogs]
Nikki's approach to both dog training and customer services was very refreshing in a world where many businesses seem to have forgotten how far knowledge and understanding will take them.
If anyone has a dog training issue I mention Nikki and "Leader of the Pack" to them.
Mrs Greene - 16 Feb 2010
Rating: 5/5
[Nervous Siberian Husky]
I have a rescue dog that was in a bad way when he came to me, he's had four different homes and if it wasn't for the time equipment and expertise of Nikki he would have gone on to yet another home. Definitely value for money if anything i thought she could have charged more, but that's what is so nice about Nikki - she has the love and compassion too.
Mrs Clark - 15 Feb 2010
Rating: 5/5
[Boisterous & disobedient Dorset Old Tyme Bulldog]
Nikki is fantastic. She completely transformed our dog.
Ms Knights - 15 Feb 2010
