I visit clients in their own home with all members of the family present.  We will discuss the problems and then work out a programme that both owner and dog can cope with.  It’s no good putting a programme in place that is unworkable for the owners because they will not follow it and no progress will be made, everyone gives up and its back to square one.  It has to be remembered though that behaviour will not change overnight. It will take patience and time to rehabilitate.

Visits usually last 2-3 hours but can of course take longer.  I like to see the dog's environment, daily routine and the way he/she interacts with different members of the family. For this reason I will not offer advice over the phone.

I also do one to one basic obedience training for puppies and  one to one training for older dogs that have training problems.

I do have a more advanced class which is held on a Saturday morning at 11.30am.  This class is held outdoors so is a bit dependent on the weather!

I only use modern, reward based training, no choke chains or harsh handling permitted.  

THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY SOCIALISATION

Imagine if you will your new puppy sitting in a circle, the bigger the circle around the puppy

the more experiences the puppy has had.

From 8 to 16 weeks is a very important time in any puppy’s life.  This is the time they find

learning the easiest, so the more things they see, hear and smell the better equipped they will

be to go out into the ‘big wide world’.  Before your puppy’s vaccination course is finished

you should carry the pup outside to watch traffic, meet people in the street, watch and more

importantly listen to children playing and running about.  Dogs that are not well socialised

with children while young often find them frightening as adult dogs.  Children move quickly

and their voices are high pitched, which with a dog’s more acute hearing may sound very

strange if they are not accustomed to the sound.

Think of as many different kinds of people your dog may meet in his/her lifetime.  Not many

 men today will have a beard or moustache.  Not so many people wear hats today but you go

out on a wet day and you may meet a number of people with hats.  All these things you puppy

 will accept if they experience them in those 8 – 16 weeks, so let the puppy meet all these people

 calmly with you beside them and ask the person with the hat, the beard or what ever is new

to approach the puppy quietly with no direct eye contact and offer the pup a favourite treat. 

This same approach can be used to introduce the puppy to any new situation.

Noises are something else that it is a good idea to introduce during the 8 – 16 week period. 

I let my puppies hear household noises from the time they are born i.e. television, Hoover,

children playing etc.  As they get a bit older I will start with something like saucepan lids

 being banged together, quietly at first and gradually increase the volume.  At no time will

I give any puppy fuss or praise if they jump at the noise.  By given ‘comfort’ if they appear

concerned you are telling the puppy that there is something to be scared of.  This approach

may seem hard from a human point of view but these are puppies not children. If you show

no fear or concern the puppy will follow your lead and realise there is nothing to worry

about.  There are also tapes available with noises such as thunder and fireworks.  These

tapes can be played on a low volume to start and gradually increase the volume so the

puppy is used to hearing these sounds and will grow up with little concern for them.

Particularly for puppies that are not bought up in a multi dog household socialisation with

other dogs at an early age is not just desirable it is ESSENTIAL. They need to learn

 ‘doggy etiquette ’.  If they learn how to approach and inter act with other dogs this will

avoid him/her being fearful and therefore maybe aggressive to other dogs when they are older.

TESTIMONIALS

Richard and Jenny Scott with Max (Border collie) Paignton, Devon

 Quote from Jenny

 'Eleanor is my life saver, I really thought there was no light at the end of the tunnel but she showed me there was and how to believe in myself and the dog.  I can now go out with Max and feel in control using the methods she has shown me. I tell everyone I meet how great she is and would recommend her to anyone who has a behaviour problem with their dog. Definitely worth her weight in gold.

 We also enjoy her training classes; she has time to spend with each dog individually and always has time to talk.’

From Kate Tomlinson

 "I was introduced to Eleanor just over two years ago when I was having difficulty controlling my extremely excitable Border Collie puppy from lunging at passing cars.  At our first session, after discussing the problem, she introduced me in a practical way to the use of clicker and training discs and very quickly got Loki used to passing traffic.  With follow-up practice I've had very little trouble since with this.

I had no hesitation in calling her again when Loki's over-excitability got him into trouble again at agility.  We practised re-creating the situation and using a variety of methods to overcome the problem.

I would thoroughly recommend Eleanor's expert advice and use of positive reinforcement methods.  Kate Tomlinson"

Sally and Heidi.

Thanks to Eleanor and Harmony Dog Training I have seen a considerable
improvement in my Border collie 'Heidi' who suffers from Fear Aggression
towards other dogs.

After being attacked by several other dogs when still quite young she
developed a Fear Aggression and could not see or pass another dog without
becoming anxious and aggressive.
Since joining Harmony Dog Training Heidi has become a very happy and
obedient dog and I can see an improvement in her behaviour after every
class - even to the point of being able to play off lead in the same field
as other dogs running around and playing with a ball.

We still have our little set-backs but with Eleanor’s guidance I am learning
how to overcome our problems and we are looking forward to continuing with
our obedience and socialisation training at Harmony.

Thanks Eleanor

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