Flo

I chose Joyful Dogs because my dog Flo has been looked after by one of the team (Helen) previously; so, Helen knew Flo’s background and I knew Helen’s feel for and love of dogs. I was easily able to explain the challenging situation and to discuss Flo’s growing anxiety around other dogs. Helen recommended working with Katie in 1:1 sessions. The 1:1 sessions with Katie are working really well with Katie’s clear demonstrations of counter-conditioning ‘in action’ and clear explanations of what we were aiming for. The use of positive encouragement during managed encounters with other dogs was carefully explained and I gradually became more confident as I could see how Flo was learning to make good choices, with support from me and Katie. There has been a huge improvement in Flo’s behavior already, and more generally she has grown such a lot in terms of her confidence when out on walks. She is now keen to go for walks and her tail is up and wagging. Flo is confident now to be with other dogs on walks and more recently staying with lovely Helen and her dogs for a week – something I could not have imagined 2 or 3 months ago. I would strongly recommend working with Katie if you have an anxious dog, as she teaches you and gives you confidence as well as teaching your dog. I am going to continue with the training to reinforce all the good that has happened so far. Thank you so