Dog Sitting in Petworth

Kelly has been helping us with our reactive dog, Roger, for the past three years. When I came across Tails We Win, Kelly's philosophy of preserving your dog's personality really stood out to me. Roger is a fun, intelligent and sensitive dog, but when his reactivity developed I could imagine seeing him as a stranger might - a large, strong, intact male dog barking frantically and leaping at almost everything he saw. By the time I found Kelly we were confused, embarrassed and stressed with no idea where to start. Kelly patiently, kindly and diligently learned all about Roger and us as a family, what our goals were and what training skills we had so far. She then developed a personalised training plan covering everything from what treats might work best, to step-by-step guides on integrating training into our daily life. Kelly supported us flexibly during COVID, and we no longer felt like we were tackling anything alone. She always listened to the smallest queries we had, and must have watched hours of thrilling video of Roger being walked around car parks. Since that first period of working with Kelly, we have moved twice and had many life changes to contend with. She has made time to chat about anything I've wanted to work on with Roger, and somehow she has always made it fun. We have now reached a point that three years ago I would have thought impossible. I am able to walk Roger out of the front door and around town. We have walked past builders, cyclists, pedestrians, children on a school trip, and other dogs! Roger knows now that it's ok, we are just playing Kelly's game. We look at something, then back at me, then we get some treats, and then we carry on with our lives. My favourite thing of all is that Roger is able to be himself while we do this. Kelly has always encouraged us to embrace his personality. He is not walking perfectly to heel, he is darting around sniffing and occasionally bouncing happily at the end of his lead. We are happy and relaxed and able to enjoy ourselves together. I cannot thank Kelly enough for her fantastic advice and encouragement, for equipping me with the knowledge to feel confident and prepared for anything. I wholeheartedly recommend her services to anyone. Many, many thanks, Alicia and Roger

We were those people ashamed to walk our lovely Layla, a very young but excitable and nervous Saluki cross, in public. Over time, her keen interest in other dogs had developed into mayhem. Layla would do an excellent impression of the entire pack of the Hounds of the Baskervilles even if it was just an innocent and elderly labrador minding its own business on the other side of the road. It was time to get some professional help - and Kelly came to the rescue. This was for the second time as we had already adopted a street sight hound from Spain who was a hoyden. Three years on she is mostly a model citizen. Thanks, Kelly! With Kelly's expertise, understanding and, above all, willingness to understand Layla's personality and our lifestyle, Layla has transformed from a complete hooligan (at least as far as other dogs are concerned) to a dog that we are confident taking out to places inhabited by other dog/dog walkers. Layla has loved the programme too! It takes work and commitment, but if you put in the time and effort and follow Kelly's expert advice you will see excellent results. We have - twice.

I found Kelly’s online ‘Behave’ class incredibly helpful as a first training class for our puppy. Being able to work through the exercises at home without distractions was so much easier than in a group with other puppies and have really smoothed the path into live classes for us. The class also focused on everyday situations around the house, which is not something usually covered in a live class. The homework exercises, which had to be recorded and sent in for evaluation, were really helpful for me to see what I was doing wrong (body language, hand positions, etc). I think I learnt as much as my puppy! Highly recommended for all puppy owners!

Kelly thank you so much as it wasn’t just Bryher you were helping it was the whole family. You have great advice from compromising training activities to suit us or Bryher to helping with getting a new harness and lead. Showing us with Bryher doing activities when we met up to show us where she was happy but also to the point out where we had reached her limit in feeling comfortable and not anxious! Thank you doesn’t actually feel enough! I found sending video clips/photos weekly on our progress and you sending the video back with your feedback was really helpful. Your positivity and enthusiasm boosted my confidence even when I felt it was all going to pot! Your belief in us and helping me to connect all the different bits of training together and see that they can be used even on walks to get out of tricky situations! In all honesty you were training me rather than Bryher! 😊 Positivity and making it fun! If my head isn’t there then I listen to your voice in you telling me don’t do it unless both in right place! Set realistic goals and just go for it and trust yourself! I do keep having to tell myself that! When we do our Petworth walks I do make sure we head towards rather than away from people but I do also only as far as I can see Bryher is happy with on that day! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Tails You Win to anybody! And would certainly be in touch if needed any advice or just how we’re doing! I can’t actually imagine Tails We Win not being apart of Bryhers life now! There is now light at the end of the tunnel - we’re not there…..yet but we will be and pushing me out of my comfort zone is actually helping my dog! THANK YOU!

Useful and practical dog training course with helpful tips and additional materials. I liked the opportunity to send in videos for feedback.