Understanding first. Training second.
Positive reinforcement puppy classes and one-to-one behaviour help around Downend and Bristol. Reward-based throughout, and I'll teach you both to understand each other.
★★★★★43 five-star reviews
Positive reinforcement puppy classes and one-to-one behaviour help around Downend and Bristol. Reward-based throughout, and I'll teach you both to understand each other.
★★★★★43 five-star reviews
Where to start
A five-week course in a hall in Downend, with never more than five puppies in the room. We cover the everyday things you need, and we build the confidence that makes all of it easier.
One-to-one sessions at home, for dogs of any age. We work out together what your dog is finding difficult, and I'll show you how to help them through it.
If your dog is somewhere in between, an older puppy or a rescue who's just arrived, message me and we'll work out what suits them best.
How I work
Almost every behaviour is a need that hasn't been met, or hasn't been understood. So stopping the behaviour is never the goal on its own.
Once you know what your dog is actually asking for, you can support them through it, instead of suppressing something and hoping it stays down.
That's why everything I do is reward-based, and why every session comes with the reasoning behind it, so you can adapt it yourself once I've gone.
And I'll tell you if you don't need me. My goal is always to equip you with the skills so that you need me as little as possible.
Who I am
I have a degree in animal behaviour and welfare. I started out in a rescue centre, then in 2012 I began working for an assistance dog charity, where I spent eight years supporting volunteer puppy raisers through the training of dogs that would go on to change somebody's life.
I still work for the same charity as a community dog handler, and I keep my own training current alongside it. The research moves, and what we understood about dogs ten years ago isn't what we understand now.
At home there are two dogs and three children, so anything I suggest will be something you can realistically manage on an ordinary weekday.
There's a longer version here, if you'd like it.
“Absolutely loved Julia's 5 week puppy class course and would really recommend it. Our cairn terrier pup has come out having learned loads, been socialised really well and is developing great.”
— Ben, with Dougal“Julia is really calming, understanding and relates things to busy real life scenarios.”
— Becky Craig, with Jeff★★★★★43 five-star reviews
What areas I cover
Puppy classes run in a hall in Downend. One-to-one work happens at your house, which is usually where the problem is anyway.
That covers Downend, Mangotsfield, Emersons Green, Lyde Green, Bromley Heath, Pucklechurch, Staple Hill, Fishponds, Kingswood and most of north-east Bristol. If you're a bit further out, ask me anyway.