“Many thanks again for your time and valuable advice. Thankfully, everything is going so well. I am actually enjoying going out with Igor now as the training is part and parcel of the outing. Igor is a really contented dog and loves his new regime. I don’t think he even minds not guarding the gate, he seems almost relieved not to be doing it. He is taken, at least, four times each day up to his field. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like, we go!! He now can walk past the gate without looking. Occasionally he will glance but shows no interest in going to the gate. The other day our paperman was late and we were outside with Igor. Igor was keen to see who it was but didn’t bark or pull when we went to see Phil. Igor recognised him and jumped up to say hello and had a treat, then went down and moved away without even looking back. Success.

He is now coming to command most of the time on the first call. This is when horses go past the gate, or runners and dogs. He will also stay sitting and quiet inside until he can go out again. Another success. Still have lots to do but we can see the marvellous results from your input Sarah. Your ears must burn quite a lot because we talk about you (nice things) frequently. We haven’t tried the car again but we are thinking about doing what you did in a week or so. Kind regards from both of us and a sticky licky from the boy.”

— Mary & Roy

My Veterinary Practice gave me Sarah’s card and I’m so pleased they did as she’s brilliant! I lacked confidence in my ability to train my puppy in the best way possible for us both. Sarah’s very gentle, calm and intelligent approach was perfect and her knowledge of the breed invaluable.
I would highly recommend her for both dog and owner training!

— Claire Hawes

“I met Sarah Cooke through the stalwart work she does for Greyhound Rescue West of England. She has helped me so much in my work as National Behavioural Officer for GRWE. Often when I am struggling to help a damaged dog that has just entered the rescue she will help me to find the way forward. She is very skilled and has an excellent understanding of dogs of all breed types.

For this reason when I became the owner of Tammy a bright German Shepherd pup Sarah was the obvious person to turn to for our puppy classes (at Westfield Vets) and then to continue with our Bronze and Silver KC awards. Tammy is now half way through doing her Gold award. This looked unachievable when I first started on Bronze but Sarah breaks it down into tiny steps and makes it seem so easy for owner and dog.
I am so proud of what Tammy has done and what a lovely dog she has turned out to be. Thank you Sarah for your advice, your intuition and your support both with Tammy and with the GRWE dogs.”

— Carol Baby
National Behavioural Support Officer Greyhound Rescue West of England (GRWE)

“If only all dog trainers and behaviourists were like Sarah...she has a wonderfully calm and understated manner and is never judgmental. Her laid back confidence has done wonders for Paddy and for me; we leave the training sessions feeling ten feet tall at our successes rather than admonished for our failings.”

— Rowena & Paddy

“I contacted Sarah as I was concerned about an issue that had developed with my 14 month Schnoodle, Monty. Monty is a happy, playful young dog but he had bitten my parents on a number of occasions, always whilst being petted. I was concerned about how to deal with this behaviour and how to prevent this happening in the future. I had an initial chat on the phone with Sarah, and then she visited my house and spent the morning with me, my Mum, and Monty. Sarah observed Monty's behaviour over the course of the morning and advised us on our interactions with Monty and how to build a more positive relationship with Monty. Sarah advised us that Monty was giving us clear canine signs about certain situations which he found unsettling, mainly to do with being handled too much. Monty had been giving us these signs for quite some time, but we as his owners just hadn't been reading them!

With Sarah's guidance we have learned to understand how Monty is communicating with us, and we have adapted our behaviour towards him so that we have a more hands off approach which Monty is more relaxed about. Monty has absolutely blossomed under this new regime and we still have lots of mutual affection, but we now understand that there are lots of other ways in which to positively interact with Monty without having to always stroke and cuddle him.

Sarah advised that there were occasions when using a muzzle on Monty would give me confidence and protect Monty and those who were interacting with him but that didn't understand his behaviour. Sarah taught me how to build a positive relationship for Monty with the muzzle using rewards and building up the time wearing the muzzle very slowly. This has worked very well and I use the muzzle purely when Monty visits the vet as he can be reactive to the intense handling; the vet has really appreciated this and wishes more dog owners would understand the benefit of using a muzzle in certain situations!

Our relationship with Monty continues to go from strength to strength. Because of the guidance which Sarah has given us, Monty is a much happier and more relaxed dog and we have had no more issues with biting.
I would encourage those owners who are experiencing a similar issue with their dog to contact Sarah. It’s all about understanding the dog and speaking the same language - I can’t thank Sarah enough for her help with Monty and I thoroughly recommend her.”

— Christine Chadwick & Monty