Walk & Train Edinburgh

"Max, a cockapoo, came to join us when he was 5 months old. He was a lockdown pup and I soon realised he had lots of issues. Inside the house he would bark at myself or my husband if Max deemed we were doing something "out of the ordinary". He would bark at the TV, a hat (I had put it in a different place), if we moved quickly, anything he saw when he looked out the windows. Outside on walks he would react to just about everything. He would lunge and bark at anything fast and or noisy, especially cars and other dogs. It was a stressful time for me and I actually wondered if I had done the right thing in getting him. Luckily Walk & Train was mentioned to me and Linnea was a godsend! We had our first on-line meeting and she advised us how to tackle the issues inside the house and then we worked on the outside issues. I've had 1-1 sessions with Linnea and with her support my handling has improved and I'm now able to identify Max's triggers and deal with them. Linnea gives you confidence and the "tools" to work with. I've seen a huge difference in Max and I'm hopeful with Linnea's support he will continue to improve. We also attend the weekly group classes and Max is now on level 2 and he walks, off-leash with a group of various dogs! It's also great to walk with people who know what it's like to have a reactive dog. I would have no hesitation in recommending Linnea and Walk and Train services. Debbie"

"Having a highly dog reactive GSD, I got in touch with Linnea seeking help and I'm extremely glad I did. While we're not at that stage where he doesn't react at all, Linnea has helped me tremendously with management and things I can work on to counter condition my best friend when there are other dogs around. You're not alone when you take Linnea on as your trainer as she is very accessible and communicates her thoughts and ideas clearly and in language anyone can understand. You and your dog couldn't ask for a better trainer and friend. Thank you Linnea, Gregor and Ida."

"I first got in touch with Walk & Train for help with my 1.5 year old Cardigan corgi Merlin, after being recommended them by a friend. Merlin used to overreact to everything. He wanted to say hello to every person he saw, play with every dog, bark at every noise near our flat, and eat literally anything within grabbing distance on the ground. All of this was making him really difficult to walk and I felt like I'd missed something in that he wasn't able to be calm like other dogs. In our initial consultation and 1:1, Linnea opened my eyes to the fact that he was actually feeling frustrated, and there were things I could do to work towards keeping him within threshold. Linnea truly treats each dog as an individual. She saw right away that Merlin is high-energy (a real party boy) so showed me lots of games to make things like recall training fun, and different styles of rewarding to keep things interesting. We regularly attend group classes and I can already see such a difference in Merlin. As we've progressed through the levels the pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place, from his basic lead walking and obedience to being calm around other dogs. I feel better equipped as a handler too, and am able to recognise and address triggers much earlier. Another thing I love is the Walk & Train community. You are among likeminded people who want the best for their dogs, and are always ready to share a tip or meet up for some extra practise. I honestly couldn't recommend enough, thank you!"

"Before contacting Walk & Train my walks with my 3 year old cockapoo Archie were STRESSFULL! He would lunge and bark at people, dogs and at times even his own shadow. In my head I thought Archie was being aggressive towards everything which was rapidly changed after my initial consultation with Linnea. She helped me understand that Archie was coming from a place of fear, frustration and anxiety which then allowed us to put in place the right tools and techniques to try and reduce these elements. We proceeded with follow up 1:1 sessions, working on distractions, building confidence (for both Archie and ME!), introducing fun interactions with nature and ultimately being able to read his behaviour so I could distract/correct before something becomes a trigger. We also joined the group walk sessions which were an absolute dream and allowed me opportunities to put all the hard work into practice in a setting were other dog owners were understanding of owning a reactive dog. Walks with my Archie are now a much better experience. He no longer reacts to people and I’m able to offer him reassurance if he’s showing signs of anxiety when passing other dogs. He’s now a much more relaxed boy both inside and outside and it’s all thanks to Linnea and her extensive knowledge and patience. Thank you from the both of us! Natalie"