Testimonials
Read our clients’ stories.
Use the search bar to find stories of dogs with particular issues or of specific breeds. Click on the tag above the dog’s name to narrow it down by service or breed group.
Max
Gregor has been amazing with my dog Max. He didn't get on very well at Doggy day care and I was looking for a dog walker to help and who would understand my dogs behaviour. Max loves his walks with Gregor and his smaller group of dogs, and really knows how to handle him. Thanks for the wonderful service you offer.
- Anna
Basil
Basil joined Gregor and Linnea for their dog walks while I was at work. It's a good mixture of mental and physical exercise and some training too. He enjoys his time with them and we joined their group classes to fine tune his obedience. I have been very impressed with their patience and skill at reading dogs and have been trying to reinforce what they have taught me. I am completely at ease when Basil is in their care.
I cannot recommend them highly enough.
- Cheryl
Bella
We contacted Linnea and Gregor soon after adopting our lurcher Bella.
When Bella first arrived with us she was wary of new people, easily spooked and could become reactive towards dogs that wouldn't play on her terms. We also struggled to maintain her attention when outside, which sometimes made for stressful walks together.
We needed someone to help us get the best out of Bella and to provide her with exercise and stimulation while we were at work during the week.
It was obvious as soon as we met Gregor that he knew how to put the needs of Bella first and the regular updates on how she was integrating with the rest of the pack gave us confidence that she was in excellent hands. Bella returns tired and content after every walk and is excited to go again every morning! It is great knowing that she is getting to explore and socialise in a safe environment and that she has an outlet for her excess energy.
Having a training session with Linnea gave us a clear plan of action to help Bella. Linnea's knowledge regarding canine behaviour is second to none and her friendly and patient approach made it easy to ask questions and understand how to make better choices for Bella. The notes and youtube videos provided allow us to refer back when we feel we need some more help and Linnea has always been available to answer one off questions when we've needed some extra support.
Most importantly it is clear that Bella thoroughly enjoys spending time with both Linnea and Gregor! Having a regular routine has made a huge difference to her behaviour and our confidence.
We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Walk and Train for training and doggy day care, in fact, we'd like to go on some of the walks ourselves!
- Corinne & Peter
Dougal
When I moved to Edinburgh city centre with Dougal he became increasingly reactive towards other male dogs, and territorial towards dog walkers coming in to the flat, and I was at a loss. By the time I contacted Walk and Train I was stressed and worried.
Linnea first explained possible reasons behind Dougal's behaviour and showed me simple techniques to help me take control of the situation. Understanding the reasons behind his reactions made a big difference to me and felt like I could get control back. Gregor started taking Dougal out on walks and now he's out three days a week getting a great run around in the country and socialising with other dogs. The routine and the training has made the world of difference, Dougal's behaviour with other dogs is vastly improved, I'm able to trust and control him better and our walks are much more fun. I'm also able to go to work happier knowing that Dougal's out having a great walk.
I am so glad to have found Linnea and Gregor, their patience and dedication has made a huge difference to both Dougal and I, and I would recommend them to anybody!
- Leanna
Roshko
I first contacted Linnea when my dog Roshko became reactive. He was pulling on the lead and he was very nervous when walking on the lead and became reactive to cats, dogs across the street. Linnea was extremely helpfull with giving me directions of how to make him feel calmer and listen to me more. I am so grateful to her. She is amazing teacher. After Roshko became better he joined their doggy day trips and short walks. I can not say how amazing is Gregor. After 2 weeks of walking with Gregor i saw real improvement in Roshko's behavior while out on a walk, his recall was much better and his heel of lead was awesome. I can honestly say that Linnea and Gregor are amazing and i admire their knowledge and skills. They will make sure that your dog becomes a calm confident dog and show you how to become a better owner. Thank you guys you are awesome.
- Masha
Henry
Henry absolutely loves his Doggy Day Trips with Linnea and Gregor! As I work long shifts it's essential that Henry still gets plenty of time out of the house which is what makes Doggy Day Trips so ideal. I can leave the house content that soon he'll be picked up and taken to the gorgeous countryside, hills and beaches around Lothian and Borders and he'll have an amazing time walking, exploring and socialising with his new doggy friends. As a rescue dog, Linnea and Gregor have helped Henry with his anxieties, such as traveling in the car, 4 months ago he would shake and not settle, and within a short time I was amazed to see him happily jump into the car without a second thought! Henry is also learning how to be calm outdoors, he is walking nicely on a leash, he is learning many new things from socializing with his Day Care buddies and his manners have also improved greatly! Henry has clearly bonded with Linnea and Gregor, I cannot fault them at all, they have often gone out of their way to help me out and I trust them both 100% completely with Henry's safety and happiness. :)
- Suzi
Polly
Whilst we are all away working hard to earn the pennies to keep our fabulous best friends kept the way in which they have become accustomed ( spoilt rotten in my case ;-)) all we want is to know that whilst we are grafting, our beloved pooches are receiving the best care and attention they can get in our absence. Linnea and Gregor at Walk and Train not only do this but also offer the best walks any dog can ever wish for. It gives me great comfort knowing my girl is in such good, experienced hands and not only loving the walks but also receiving some training whist enjoying their countryside escapes. I cannot recommend these guys enough and I am very grateful to have found them. You will come home to a tired but very happy pooch ;-) Thank you Walk and Train.
- Debbie
Dylan & Briar
We adopted Dylan from Cyprus via a small UK-based rescue in early 2016. When he arrived in the UK he was about a year old, very skinny at 26 kg, and with a thin coat totally unsuited to the Scottish climate! It was love at first sight when he met Briar, our golden/flat-coat retriever cross, and they bonded instantly, playing and sleeping together from the start.
All went well for the first few months and Dylan continued to grow and put on weight (he is now 36 kg with a thick, luscious coat!). Unfortunately, as his confidence and strength increased, he began to show a number of behavioural issues. Despite looking like a black retriever, he has a lot of German shepherd traits and is highly intelligent and very sensitive. Our biggest problem, however, was his strong hunting instinct and this escalated to the point where he would disappear for hours if he picked up a scent. Much more worrying was the fact that Briar regarded him as pack leader and would follow him on his hunting trips, despite her usually perfect recall. We were forced to made the decision to walk them separately and to keep Dylan on a long line on walks. This led to him becoming increasingly frustrated and reactive towards certain dogs.
Thankfully, we then discovered Linnea and Gregor. We arranged for Gregor to take Briar out on his pack walks to give us more time to concentrate on Dylan. Briar is a real outdoor girl and being up in the hills all day is her idea of heaven – her fitness has increased with the long walks and she is now much more confident around other dogs. She is very calm and Gregor allows her to be off leash with freedom to explore, but is always in control. She returns from the walks tired and very happy.
Our work with Dylan is an ongoing project. We attended Linnea and Gregor’s Sunday group classes with him, where he excelled in obedience and learnt to be calm around the other, often excitable, dogs. We also worked on a one-to- one basis with Linnea in the Meadows and were shown how to read his reactions to other dogs and to anticipate when there might be a problem. Linnea explained how our behaviour affects his response to situations and we progressed to being able to let him off leash to chase a ball in a busy area and to walk calmly past other dogs and people without reacting. Dylan now has a number of doggy friends he can play with and is much happier and more relaxed. Linnea and Gregor’s advice has been invaluable in helping us to understand his complex character. We are now much more aware
of the issues that can arise when adopting a rescue dog, especially one from abroad, and would highly recommend contacting Walk & Train if you are thinking of doing so!
- Anne
Flynn
In August 2014, I adopted a dog, Flynn, from Edinburgh Dog & Cat home. I brought Flynn home unaware the behavioral problems that he had, such as crate and separation anxiety. It was very severe, in which, he would follow me from room to room and I could not leave him in the crate for more than a second before he started barking , peeing, and destroying the crate. I patiently worked with him for couple of months and we were progressing very slowly. Flynn got very ill and needed to be hospitalized for a week and reverted back to his original behavioral problems after returning from the veterinary hospital. A few weeks later, he escaped from the crate and got into ibufrophen and returned to the hospital, which made me decide to get some help. I did my research online and found Walk & Train Edinburgh. Since then, my life with Flynn has drastically changed. Linnea and Gregor were able to help me to identify Flynn’s issues. They gave me lots of ideas on how to fix Flynn’s anxiety issue and help me to become a confident owner. Now, I am able to leave home without worrying about whether or not Flynn has barked all day, peed in the crate, or broke the crate while I was away. Flynn has become more relaxed as well in the house and has become more attentive to me. He still has much to work on, but without Linnea and Gregor, I do not know if I would still have Flynn.
Linnea & Gregor provide a fabulous daycare service for Flynn. He is a very active dog, so the 4 hour walks are just what he needs when I am not home for the entire day. Every time he come home he is exhausted and will sleep for the entire night if he could. It also helps with his separation anxiety as well so he is not home alone for long periods of time. Linnea & Gregor do a fantastic job with the dogs and I know Flynn does enjoy his time with them. I would highly recommend Walk and Train Edinburgh for daycare trips.
- Laila
Mylo
We wanted a dog, that much we knew. But we had no clue how to go about adopting a dog and what factors to consider when doing so. Gladly we got in touch with Linnea and Gregor, who gave us so much essential advise for adopting our new family member! When we finally got the perfect dog (Mylo the Greyhound), our contact with Walk and Train Edinburgh did not cease. On the contrary; from day one we received a lot of behavioural consultation as well as more general tips and tricks about how to start our new life with Mylo. Having received so much support, we decided to continue staying in touch with Walk and Train Edinburgh.
Ever since adopting him, we sent Mylo on Doggy Day Trips with ‘Walk and Train Edinburgh’ and could not be happier! Mylo comes back from the walks tired, relaxed and happy. He is being socialised with other dogs, which is something he needed (being an ex-racing Greyhound this is a completely new experience for him). The (very professional) pictures are testimonials to the great destinations Mylo is taken to, and the friendships he is building over time.
Entrusting your dog to just ‘somebody’ is something that has always been out of question for us. It was always essential for my partner and I to only ever leave Mylo with someone whom we could trust our dog with, based both on our personal sympathy but also based on someone’s knowledge of dog behaviour and psychology. Knowing that Linnea is doing her PhD studies on the dog and human bond/psychology, and seeing how professionally both herself and Gregor treated Mylo made our decision of using the Doggy Day Trips a very easy one.
Thus, we would both highly recommend Linnea’s and Gregor’s services, as they are not only extremely friendly and helpful, but also have the knowledge-base and professionalism needed to work effectively and responsively with your dog and yourself. All in all an opportunity to send your dog to a great adventure while being able to lean back and not worry (relax)! Thank you to Linnea, Gregor and Fausto!
- Martin, Nadia and Mylo.
Rocco
We first contacted Linnea and Gregor back in January after we had adopted Rocco the miniature schnauzer. He was great in the house but could be very excitable outside and reactive to other dogs. We worked with Linnea on a couple of 1-2-1 sessions and Rocco joined their weekly walks. Linnea and Gregor have been invaluable helping us help Rocco to behave better. We have seen a big improvement in Rocco's behaviour and have learned a lot ourselves! Rocco comes back from his walk a tired and happy pup. Highly recommend Walk & Train Edinburgh.
- Rhona
Wilson
We first contacted Linnea and Gregor for a consultation session to help with some behavioural issues we were having with our little rescue dog Wilson. Although he's always been very affectionate, he was reactive to certain dogs, becoming frustrated very quickly when denied interaction, and occasionally mouthing. Linnea worked with us on a number of training techniques, focusing on calm and controlled behaviour. We also attended their brilliant group training classes which really helped with his social skills.
Since starting Wilson's training programme with Walk and Train, we've noticed a huge difference in his state of mind during our daily walks. Rather than constantly running around, lunging and pulling towards other dogs, he walks calmly beside me, his recall has improved and because he's more focused and relaxed our walks are so much more enjoyable!
He's now progressed to joining the walk and train pack on their day trips and the transformation in his behaviour has been amazing, thanks to Linnea and Gregors hard work and patience. Wilson adores his walks and we now come home to a tired but very happy dog.
I can totally recommend Walk and Train Edinburgh for consultations, classes and dog walking. We were very lucky to find them. They do an amazing job and are 100% committed to all their dogs.
- Ali
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