Advanced Senior Trainer, BSc, PPG Stafford

After a successful 4-week residential training stay, it’s time for lovely Leo, the 3-and-a-half-year-old Golden Retriever, to head home. She has worked very hard during her time with us, and we’re excited for her family to see all the hard work pay off. When Leo first arrived, she struggled with reactivity on walks, especially when encountering other dogs. Barking, lunging, overenthusiastic and sometimes anxious greetings were common, but with time and focus, Leo has made incredible strides. Now, Leo is much calmer when meeting other dogs and people. Her greetings have improved significantly, and she’s much more controlled and polite in these situations. She’s becoming more confident and secure, which has helped her relax around distractions. One of our other main focuses was teaching Leo to settle in various environments, and she’s done wonderfully. Whether at home or in busy public spaces, Leo now knows how to relax and stay calm in busy surroundings. This will make both home life and outings more peaceful for everyone. Leo’s recall has also seen great improvement. She’s better at disengaging from distractions and responds to her family when called, which will make walks and other outings much easier to manage. In terms of lead walking, Leo is doing a fantastic job with loose-lead walking. She is now much more comfortable walking calmly by her side, even when faced with distractions. This will make walks more enjoyable and less stressful for both her and her family. We’ve seen so much progress with Leo, from building her obedience foundation to increasing her confidence and focus. She’s truly grown in all the right ways, and we know she’s going to continue thriving at home. We’re so proud of you, Leo, and can’t wait to hear how you continue to shine! www.adolescentdogs.com 08002229007 Info@adolescentdogs.com

Louis has just completed his two-week residential training stay with us, and we’re thrilled to share the incredible progress he’s made! This energetic Cocker Spaniel has worked hard, and we’ve seen some amazing improvements in his behaviour and confidence. Throughout his stay, we focused on helping Louis overcome his challenges with lead pulling and anxiety around roads. With plenty of practice, Louis has learned to walk calmly on a loose lead, even in busier environments. His confidence around roads has also improved, and he’s now more relaxed when out for walks, making it easier for him and his family to enjoy their time together. We also worked on teaching Louis to settle in public places like cafes, helping him to remain calm and comfortable in new environments. It’s clear that Louis is becoming a more confident, well-mannered companion, and we’re so proud of the progress he’s made! We’re excited for Louis to continue his journey at home with his family. With all the hard work and dedication he’s shown, we’re confident that he’ll keep growing into the calm, confident walking buddy his family needs. Best of luck, Louis—you’ve done an amazing job! 🌟🐾 www.adolescentdogs.com 08002229007 Info@adolescentdogs.com

August the Golden Retriever has completed his two-week residential training stay with us, and we couldn’t be more excited about the progress he’s made! During his time here, August worked hard on his loose-lead walking, and we’re happy to say he’s now walking with greater focus and calmness, even with distractions around. His recall has also greatly improved, and he’s now consistently responding to his name when called, which is a crucial skill. We also made great strides with August’s emergency stop, ensuring he can respond quickly and safely. His overall focus and engagement has improved around a variety of distractions and in different environments too. August has truly impressed us with his eagerness and dedication. We’re so proud of everything he’s accomplished, and we’re confident that with his owner’s continued commitment, he’ll keep progressing toward his Silver Award and beyond. We look forward to hearing about all the great things August will continue to do. Best of luck, August—you’re on an amazing path! 🌟🐾 www.adolescentdogs.com

The time has come for Wynnie and Wanda, our 6-month-old Australian Labradoodle and Golden Doodle duo, to head home after their first of four training stays with the assistance dog program! Over the past 4 weeks, these two sweet pups have made fantastic progress as they’ve started their journey to becoming assistance dogs for their owner. From the very beginning, their natural exuberance and friendly personalities made them such a joy to work with, and we’ve been focusing on building calm greetings with both people and other dogs, as well as enhancing their ability to focus among distractions. Their training has been all about laying the foundation for obedience, working towards achieving their Puppy and Bronze Awards. As Wynnie and Wanda have always been together, we've worked on building their confidence and reliability when trained separately. This ensures that, when the time comes, they will be fully capable of working independently to assist their owner. Their owner has recently started venturing outside after five years of staying indoors, and we are thrilled to be part of this journey. The goal of training Wynnie and Wanda as assistance dogs is to help their owner regain more independence, confidence, and mobility, while also providing support for a range of daily tasks to help mitigate his disabilities. We’re so proud of the progress they’ve made, and we can’t wait to see them continue to flourish as they move into their next phase of training. Well done Wynnie and Wanda 🐾🐾 www.adolescentdogs.com

We’re excited to announce that Smudge, the energetic 7-month-old Cavapoo, has successfully completed his 3-week residential training stay with us! From the moment he arrived, it was clear that Smudge was full of spirit and mischief, and we were eager to help him channel that energy positively. Throughout his time here, we focused on addressing some key behaviours. Smudge learned valuable skills to curb his jumping and mouthing, making playtime much more enjoyable for his first-time dog owner. We also worked on his recall, helping him understand that coming back when called can be just as exciting as exploring the world around him. Impulse control was a big focus, especially when it came to his tendency to snatch up anything he could find on a walk! We implemented “leave it” and “drop” exercises, which have already made a noticeable difference. Smudge has made great strides in general obedience, and can follow cues in a variety of environments. We are proud of the progress he’s achieved and he has really enjoyed all of the training. He’s now better equipped to enjoy adventures with his family while keeping everyone safe and sound. Well done Smudge🐾 www.adolescentdogs.com

Cherry, the lively 5-month-old Vizsla, has completed her 2.5-week residential training stay with us! Cherry’s owners wanted to ensure she had the best possible start in life so she could be a confident, well-socialised, and well-mannered pup ready to join in on family adventures. When Cherry first arrived, her confident and friendly nature was clear—thanks to the excellent socialisation from her breeder. However, her enthusiasm led to some challenges: Cherry loved greeting everyone, whether dog or human, with boundless excitement, which included jumping and mouthing. This was particularly worrying for her family’s younger children, who began to feel nervous around her. During her stay, we worked on teaching Cherry foundational obedience skills, including recall and loose lead walking. We focused on encouraging calm greetings and helping her learn to settle in the house. Cherry’s love for food meant she had a habit of counter surfing and attempting to steal items, so we included impulse control training to curb that behaviour. We’re proud of the progress Cherry has made and know that with continued guidance, she’ll grow into the well-rounded companion her family envisioned. Welcome home, Cherry! ⭐️⭐️ www.adolescentdogs.com

Willow, the 7.5-month-old Labrador, has just completed her 2-week assistance dog residential training stay with us! Her owner has been working through our Online Academy awards with the goal of Willow becoming an assistance dog. Since her owner was finding it difficult to progress with Willow's training due to her disabilities, she sought out some extra help to keep things moving forward. Willow has already earned her Bronze award, so during her stay, we focused on working toward her Silver award and began laying the foundations for some assistance tasks. Willow is an excitable girl who struggles to follow cues around distractions, so we worked hard on improving the reliability of her cues in different environments. We also dedicated time to strengthening her lead walking and recall—two areas that were particularly challenging for her. Willow made great progress, and we can’t wait to see how she continues on her journey to becoming an assistance dog. Well done, Willow! 🐕🎓 www.adolescentdogs.com

Daisy, the 8-month-old Miniature Goldendoodle, has just finished her 3-week residential stay! Her owners have laid some great training foundations through puppy classes and practice at home, but they were struggling to progress with more distractions. Daisy’s a little anxious around people, both inside and outside the house. She tends to bark at guests throughout their stay but paws at them for attention when they’re settled on the sofa. She also reacts to outside noises, barking at other animals or neighbours. On the other hand, Daisy absolutely loves other dogs and gets a bit overexcited—she pulls towards them on the lead and struggles to recall when off-lead. During her stay, we’ve worked on strengthening her general obedience cues, building her reliability around distractions, and introducing calm into her daily routine. We’ve also focused on boosting her confidence to help reduce her barking and anxiousness. We’re excited to see Daisy continue her progress with her family—good luck, Daisy! 🐕🎓 www.adolescentdogs.com