Testimonials
‘As first time dog owners, we were rapidly being held to ransom by a 6lb wilful little diva of a toy poodle puppy a.k.a. Pippin! Although delightful when out and about meeting people, she soon learned that digging up carpets, bouncing off the kitchen bin and leaping at full tilt onto anyone sitting on the settee brought immediate and spectacular attention. And the more attention she got, the happier she was! At our wits end, and not finding enough help in several books, we contacted Debbie who did a home visit, provided common-sense advice and gave us confidence in dealing with our clever little moppet. We followed Debbie's suggestions, with amazing results, and now feel back in control - well, most of the time! We are less stressed and feel hopeful about dealing with the years to come - but we would have no hesitation in calling Debbie in for help again. Forget Dog Whisperers, get Debbie, our Fairy Dogmother!’
Hilary & Paul Cater
‘Six months ago I became the owner of a low mileage, pre-loved Beagle. Unlike many rescue dogs he was a much loved and very confident dog when he came to me but his owners no longer had the time to give him the walks and attention that Beagles crave. His confidence was his undoing because he was determined to lead the walks and pulled ferociously, Beagles are amazingly strong dogs for their size and I soon found that we were indeed going where he wanted to and not where I wanted, although I am pretty strong in spite of my size and age. Alongside of this was the perceived problem of beagles never returning to their owners once they were off the lead, I did hear plenty of horror stories on this subject which concerned me even though I’d had dogs for over 25 years. Debbie’s methods are deceptively simple but my how quickly they work. This was addressed by using a new style of harness especially designed for dogs like Harvey and it worked so well that he is now learning to walk successfully to heel. Not only did Debbie recommend it she also had one to try out to make sure it was suitable.
I expected the recall to be slow and painful but using a combination of fun and food (irresistible to the beagle psyche), games, exciting treats and lots and lots and lots of praise Debbie soon had Harvey eating out of her hand, amazingly quick to learn and very eager to please. The icing on the cake was the lesson notes which appeared on screen a few hours later with an assessment of progress and a recap of what we had been doing earlier as a basis to use for homework. Beagles are not stupid dogs but they do like their orders to be simple and clear. That Debbie has got it right must be obvious from the fact that Harvey is off the lead at every possible opportunity and has never once refused to come back. I cannot believe the difference that she has made in such a short time. Harvey and I now have an excellent working relationship – I tell him what to do and he does it .The sight of your beagle barrelling down the ride, ears streaming out behind him in his eagerness to get to you is one of life’s great pleasures! However if anyone should think that Debbie has trained all the beaglishness out of Harvey I have to say that he still steals anything that isn’t nailed down and rolls in anything that is. Thanks Debbie for all the help, the advice and above all the laughs.
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Jenny Gotrel
‘Bolly is a lively young labrador who absolutely adores her walks and meeting up with other dogs and their owners. She is perfect....apart from her odd aversion to lone walkers....she can’t understand why they don’t have a dog so has to have a bark to ask them why!! Since starting work with Debbie, Bolly has become much more relaxed around strangers and very confident in lots of different situations. We took her away on holiday earlier this year and she did walks in busy towns, visited coffee shops, she even spent evenings in the local pub and apart from the odd subdued woof was a very happy dog. Bolly’s lessons with Debbie are fun and she really looks forward to seeing Debbie and greets her with a big doggie grin! For us, it has been invaluable in getting us to think the way Bolly thinks and understanding situations from her perspective. Debbie is the perfect dog trainer ........... she is gentle and kind with the dogs and gets the best out of them without them even realising they are learning. Bolly is always exhausted after her lesson........it’s all that thinking she has to do!!!’
Les & Heather Watson
‘My weekly half hour of dog therapy (or should that be dog owner therapy!) has been my saving grace over the past nine months and all thanks to Debbie. Monty, my one year old golden retriever, is a big softie at heart but, with a mind of his own, tends to wander at will. Debbie has always offered excellent practical advice with good humour. We are working hard on improving his recall and I think with a little time and maturity on his part, excellent instruction from Debbie and treats from me, we will achieve a good end result.’
Catherine Tate
‘I began individual sessions with Debbie after finding my life taken over by my very full-on, mischievous cocker spaniel puppy, Darcy, who definitely needed pointing in the right direction with regards to acceptable behaviour and manners! Eighteen months on I have a well mannered, respectful and (usually!) obedient companion who is a pleasure to be with. We both really enjoy our weekly lessons with Debbie, whose experience, knowledge, passion and love of dogs always shines through.
Darcy and I particularly enjoy obedience work and may even compete in the future!
I have no hesitation in highly recommending Debbie Martin.
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Paula Harwood
‘Debbie is a wonderful trainer - she quickly understands what you want and uses practical, down-to-earth techniques to train your dogs. She has been training our collies, Ella and Yoda - 2 very lively, mischievous three year olds - for about a year and has made taking the dogs out a pleasure instead of a worrying chore. We know that our dogs will not chase after other animals and that at the end of the walk they'll actually come back to us and get in the car! After each session Debbie emails us some training notes to reinforce the day's work which is wonderful.
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Rosie & Alice Glassey
‘Debbie has been training Kaiser for over a year now and the results are simply outstanding. Kaiser is a male Rottweiler and is also a rescue dog. Because of this when I first got him Kaiser had a lot of problems with his behavior, especially in interacting with other dogs. He would react very badly and as a result was difficult to control. Debbie had no hesitation in training Kaiser, despite his size, breed and issues, and has always been very calm, supportive and practical in her approach. This has worked wonders and is a refreshing change from the traditional, hard, aggressive approach many dog trainers adopt when training larger breeds. The results are outstanding, Kaiser is now much better behaved, does not have the same issues around other dogs and also thoroughly enjoys his weekly training sessions. Kaiser is now 3 years old, extremely well behaved and a very happy little chap! I would have no hesitation in recommending Debbie to any dog owner.’
Paula Coates
‘We adopted an older dog who was subdued and wary. We struggled initially and were unsure what to do for the best. Debbie was recommended to us and we haven’t looked back. It is testament to Debbie’s skills that he is now a happy, affectionate, relaxed and well-mannered (most of the time!) dog who is an integral part of our lives. Debbie an excellent trainer and the dogs all love her. But she has also been a great support to us during what has not always been an easy time. We cannot recommend Debbie highly enough.’
David and Lindsey Bermingham
I have found our one to one lessons with Debbie extremely successful. My dog, Alfie has gone from a stroppy 'teenager' who did what he wanted to an obedient little dog who is a joy to walk. Lessons are purposeful and productive and Debbie always puts every effort into tailoring the lesson to Alfie's needs. Most importantly, Debbie's love of dogs shines through and every lesson is enjoyable (for dog and owner!), Alfie adores his lessons and doesn't even seem to realise he is learning, to him it is an enjoyable trip out!
Katie Cowin
We adopted our rescue dog Ben as a 2 year old and it rapidly became apparent that he had had little or no training. In particular, allowing him to exercise off the lead was not to be recommended if we ever wished to see him again! At the initial home assessment Debbie offered plenty of helpful ideas and practical advice for getting him settled into his new home with us and we then started a programme of outdoor training sessions. We have been delighted with the way Ben has responded to Debbie’s reward based approach. Starting to train an adult dog is not easy but working with him now is an enjoyable experience rather than just a battle of wills!
Mark and Isabel, Maughold
We found ourselves with two lovely large bouncy golden retrievers whose hearing was fine but listening poor. After a few enjoyable sessions with Debbie their behaviour improved dramatically. Highly recommended. (Ducks much safer also!) We would have no hesitation in recommending Debbie to any new, current or prospective dog owner.
Jenny and Andrew Dean
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