Fergus was a nervy, anxious puppy who was always hyper & never calm.  Although things like bikes & cyclists didn't bother him when he was wee, once he reached a year old he became very scared of anything on wheels - which manifested as barking, growling, lunging and trying to nip.  This behaviour escalated until there were certain dogs he didn't like, as well as all other animal types & this was beginning to transfer onto humans too.  Although always a challenge, due to him pulling on lead and running away when off lead, walks became extremely stressful.  360 degree vision was required to keep him and the rest of the world safe.  The final straw came when he lunged & tried to bite a lady who had patted him whilst he was sitting on lead with my husband, outside a shop.  To be fair to the dog, the lady came out of nowhere & literally pounced on him whilst ruffling his backside - I wouldn't have liked it much either! She was quick to apologise as she realised it had been her actions that had caused Fergus' meltdown.  However, we realised we couldn't go on like this & that there was a real possibility of Fergus hurting someone.  I was also suffering from sore shoulders and a painful neck, partly due to the stress and partly due to his pulling.  We decided to look for a behaviourist/trainer to see if we could turn his behaviour around.  We didn't want to think about the alternative.   

I came across Walk & Train on a Google search & explained our problems.  Linnea replied very quickly & was so supportive in that first email - suddenly we didn't feel we were all alone with a problem dog.  She set up our first meeting which would be followed by several one-to-one sessions.  

Linnea arrived on one of the wettest days we had last year - in the summer!  She observed Fergus on the walk whilst asking questions & getting his history.  She made several suggestions which we could put into practice straight away - one being, to feed him whilst out on his walk & using his food as a reward rather that buying special treats.  This worked very well for Fergus as he just loves using his nose to sniff out his breakfast & tea.  She also showed us how a slip lead would help to control him and get him to walk without pulling.

She also explained how to handle Fergus when he didn't respond after being given a command such as 'on your bed'.  Linnea also suggested changing Fergus food.  We opted for a lower protein food, which we think has helped.

Linnea left us to put the new regime in place & then did an enormous amount of work putting together worksheets which were completely relevant to our problems - in other words, totally personalised.  This all came with suggested video and web links - the amount of work she did should not be underestimated.

Then the hard work began - we were to implement the new regime, whilst doing things like having Fergus on a lead as my husband rode a bike at a distance Fergus was comfortable with, getting closer over a period of time.  We walked past joggers at distance, then got closer to them over time, we walked past hundreds of buggies, around the outside of playgrounds etc.  We got him to jump over low branches, onto tree stumps, wriggle under low branches, anything that would build his confidence.

We had several meetings with Linnea building on what we were doing with Fergus - then she decided it was time to walk him at heel through a busy environment&chose George IV Bridge - Fergus responded excellently - & that was our turning point - you could see him think that actually, he could manage this.

We are still a work in progress - does he still pull?  Yes, but I know the fault lies with me. Do I still suffer with my neck & shoulders?  No, because he only pulls occasionally during a walk & I can get him to stop.  His recall is excellent, he can walk past bikes & joggers whilst on lead, although we are still cautious when he is off lead.  He never does his old barking/growling/lunging routine - not even when he sees a cat!  Walks are no longer fraught with fear & we can once again take him with us if we go for a coffee.  Yes, he can still be nervous sometimes, but we have been complimented on having such a calm dog!  People have noticed that he seems to be a much happier dog & he now actively comes to us to be petted, which he never did before, preferring his own company.

Life was hard last year, but Linnea was with us every step of the way, between our sessions and email back-up & life is so much rosier this year.  She works exceptionally hard for her clients & gets brilliant results!

- Liz

First got in touch with Linnea as we had reached the end of our tether with our 2 year old lad Dexter. He really struggled with walking on the lead and would constantly stop, put the brakes on and refuse to move. We had recently got another puppy, Daisy, and trying to walk them together was a nightmare. Linnea suggested we change them both to slip rope leads, and take charge of the dogs. Focus on where we were going and don't stop regardless! Four months on and both dogs are walking perfectly on the leads. We also focused on eye contact and how important that was. The dogs are now really attentive, are good off lead and respond really well to our commands. They both get on really well and its now a real joy to be out with them. Daisy is a confident 10 months old now and Dexter has vastly improved in all areas. Linnea gave us great advice and lots of training tips to be going on with and is still in contact to see how the guys are doing. We can't thank her enough for her advice and time. We are now more relaxed and confident as owners too and I think the dogs really respond to that. We are really enjoying our beautiful dogs. Thank you so much Linnea.

- Helen & Blair

I contacted Walk and Train Edinburgh when my 6 month old Cocker Spaniel Oscar started to develop separation anxiety when left in the house alone and also to help us with recall training when out on walks.

In our consultation Linnea spent time observing and speaking to all the family to understand the way that we were interacting with Oscar and the circumstances that were causing his behaviour. She identified that Oscar never made eye contact with us which I hadn't noticed and explained the importance of him focusing his attention on us both inside and out of the house.

She talked us through what we should be doing to build his confidence in being left alone, firstly by stopping him following us around the house and building up the time he could hold his position in the crate. Following the consultation Linnea sent us detailed notes. She contacted us after a few weeks and provided further training ideas.

We saw a nearly immediate improvement on Oscar's recall by engaging his attention throughout a walk and this has continued to improve over time. Oscar responded well to the separation training but this took longer to see results. Now at nearly 9 months Oscar calmly goes to sleep when we leave him.

Linnea is extremely knowledgable about dog behaviour and is good at explaining the reasons behind it, as well as giving specific guidance on what needs to be done. I would highly recommend Linnea for dealing with dog behaviour issues and training.

- Lorna

It is just over a week since you spent a very informative and enjoyable afternoon with Monty and his "gang of owners". We have tried hard to follow your guidance and the results, certainly in my opinion, are remarkable.

Monty now realises that there are three parts to his life apart from eating, sleeping and the "other". 1. Exercise, walks etc (including down time during walk): The long line works a treat and has meant that walks have become fun for all (including Monty) without any concerns about getting him back on the leash at the end of the walk. Monty's recall is improving again and just about all the time, during the walk, he will return to our side and allow immediate contact with collar (or whatever). The long line is not really needed during the walk, At the end of the walk sometimes it is still necessary to utilise the long line but not always - a definite improvement. Walking on and off the lead to heel is also becoming easier. 2. Mental Stimulation / Structured Activities: Really seems to be working - trying to do a lot more in the house - Monty is calmer during these activities and it is fun for all - again a big improvement. 3. "Downtime" / Passive time: All I can say is thank you. Monty now seems to realise that both he and us need passive time. He is far more content to sit or lie quietly about the house and not always be having to "do something" or look for attention. We have followed your guidance regarding "his mat (and now including a basket)" however he does like to get off "his mat" and find his own spot to lie and have downtime. We will keep working on this but in truth the main thing is we all now have quality downtime.

Linnea, It was really good to meet you and gain from your experience - definitely worth it - once again a big thank you. Monty would send his best wishes too, but he is asleep at my feet and has not interrupted once while I was emailing you. We will keep in touch re progress and will not hesitate to use walk and train again. We have also highly recommended you to other dog owners.

- Douglas and "the rest of the gang"