Gundog training

“I think Monty is our fourteenth dog. Some were not gundogs, but the last five have been. We never had any problem training any until Monty turned up. He is one of the nicest of the dogs we have had, but certainly the naughtiest. He was totally uncontrollable in our garden, and impossible to let off the lead outside it. Although he was intended as a working dog we would never have let him go elsewhere. However we were at our wits end, as we did want him to have a life, whether as a worker or just a friend. By chance a friend of a friend put us on to Ian, and Monty has been on the up ever since. We took him to Ian’s for six weeks, and he returned as nice a dog, but hugely more controllable. It happened we then had an unusual six weeks away and Monty had a refresher with Ian. Another immeasurable improvement. He now is safe in the open, an important step. He is also a good retriever of birds, although there is scope for him to be calmer on the peg. With the massive improvement Ian has imparted, I am confident that he will be first class within a year (He is now two), both on driven and walked up birds. Importantly for us, and I know Ian, this has been achieved without dampening his ebullient personality. We really appreciate Ian’s help, which has undoubtedly transformed Monty’s life.”

"Thank you so much Ian for all your help with my little chap. His dominance was potentially leading to real problems and being only two could have been a lifetime of difficulty. Your insight as to how he thinks, and how I should engage with him has been a revelation. I have continued to follow your advice as clearly you have shown me how to “think outside the box”. He is now working really well in the field too. With the work you have put in and the advice and training you have given ME. I now have an even more adorable dog who is a real pleasure and we are both very happy. Thank you"

“On a friend’s recommendation I sent my young springer down to Ian. He had developed retrieving issues and had also started squeaking. We had tried two other trainers who couldn't help. 3 weeks later I got back the perfect dog. I was amazed. Ian then showed me how to connect with him and carry the training on. This method was a revelation. I cannot recommend this guy highly enough!”

“I cannot express enough thanks and gratitude to Ian for everything he has done for my dog, Blue. From a dog I was unable to handle and would constantly ‘butt heads’ with to an amazing working dog. Every step of the way I have been updated with his progress and have been sent videos and photos. Ian has been incredibly patient and understanding in everything I wished to achieve with Blue. There are not enough words to say how thankful I am to have found an amazing trainer like Ian!”

"Our 18month old Labrador was being aggressive towards other dogs. It was having a huge impact on our lives, and affecting where we could go and what we could do. We had been to see a local behaviourist who told us it was because she was nervous and gave us some techniques which involved lots of treats. Needless to say things were getting a lot worse! Amongst the tears, I came across Ian’s website and thank goodness I did! We did 2x2 hour sessions with Ian over 2 days. He spent time observing our dog to understand her and her triggers, and used his own dogs to create scenarios. Ian then gave us techniques to manage her behaviour. Unlike other behaviourists, Ian did not skirt around problems he jumped straight in and wanted to see her at her worst so that he could give us solutions that he knew would actually work! When we told Ian we wanted to take her picking up but were worried she might be aggressive towards other dogs, he did everything he could to simulate a picking up day, including lots of dummies flying around with all of his 7 dogs and put her in the back of his car with all of his dogs. This gave us so much confidence that we would be able to manage her behaviour. Ian even invited us to his house to show us how best to introduce her and manage her behaviour when in an enclosed space. It has given us so much more confidence and completely transformed our lives! We have been out picking up twice since we met with Ian and had no problems at all and have had the best time enjoying our dog work! Beyond grateful for all of Ian's advice and support".