I have a very excitable 2 yr old lab and had been really struggling with him, despite almost constant training. On lead he just dragged me around, and off lead he was out of control and would go bombing off after other dogs, even if quite far away.
He didn’t seem to see any reason why he should listen to me and, without that, I was only able to train him to a certain point. I sometimes came back from walks nearly in tears; and I couldn’t see any meaningful improvement after 2 years. At home he terrorised my husband; it was like living with a desperately badly-behaved toddler.
After reading an article in the paper that mentioned Ingrid – thanks Martin Clunes – I emailed her immediately and then went to Devon for her one-day training course. Ingrid was wonderful; huge amounts of experience and knowledge. We didn’t just train, we also talked about my dog, his behaviour, and what I could do. I then carried on with the training programme at home, with telephone support from Ingrid.
He is now like a different dog: he walks beautifully to heel beside me on the lead. He no longer decides which way we’re going and refuses to move in any other direction; he now looks at me to see what I’m doing. He comes back when summoned, and is lovely and calm in the evenings. I think he is actually much happier, and we certainly are.
My husband has become really fond of him, instead of seeing him as an irritant. It’s a huge relief, and I don’t dread walks any more. I am so grateful to Ingrid and would absolutely recommend her to anyone who is struggling with their dog’s behaviour.
Joanne Symes
