About Maria and Happy Dogs – Dog Training Southampton

Nothing makes me more contented than making others happy, both human and furry. I guess that’s the Happy Dogs ethos, it’s hard to hate your job when you enrich animal’s lives!

After spending a few years trapped in an office, I finally saw sense and realised my calling to work with dogs. It started with volunteer work, where I watched and learned how to deal and rehabilitate damaged and frightened dogs.

Before I knew it I was working full time with dogs. Not just observing dog behaviour, but how owners react to different situations. It’s amazing how owners can make a situation so much better OR worse. My time is now split between walking and training. I thoroughly enjoy both, and am out come rain, hail or shine (and believe you me there was plenty of rain in the winter of 2013/14!!)

At Happy Dogs we strongly believe that the best form of training is through reward, praise and stimulation. We use Force Free training, meaning that we do not use harsh methods of punishment. We believe that dogs learn best through positive reward. Dogs love their owners, and we love our dogs – we need to work together in partnership to create a Happy Dog. We also believe that the investment in training is so worth it, as you will have many years of enjoying your dog – and we believe that a well behaved Happy Dog is the best type of dog! Happy Dogs – Happy People.

Hope to see you soon.

Maria

About Happy Dogs Walking – Dog Walking Southampton

Why so many dog owners are happy with our services:

  • We know that your dog is a treasured family member and should be treated as such.
  • We ask that you provide a notepad so that we can fill out “an adventure diary” detailing each walk, who they played with, where we went and how much fun we had!
  • Photos are often taken and emailed or sent via Whatsapp to each dog owner to show our happy playtimes!
  • Dogs are not taken to the same old local park; we vary our walks therefore stimulating your dog.
  • We walk in small groups ONLY. Usually no bigger than 4. Each dog is properly introduced and we ensure that each playmate gets on well with its pack members.
  • We are insured and CRB checked
  • We pick up your dog(s )from your home.

ABOUT HAPPY DOGS TRAINING – Dog Training Southampton

How do we get such glowing testimonials? We use positive reward based training, and we help the dog owner relax, correctly read dog body language and become a partnership that WORKS.

Normally by the time a dog owner has called me they have tried several different training options with no success. They feel totally ruled by their dogs behaviour. They cannot just go for a walk and relax, or they cannot have visitors over.

I cannot emphasise enough just how much an effect on your health (both mental and physical) an unruly b dog can have on you. It can dictate how you spend your leisure time, and if you have more than one badly behaved dog then you may spend all your time taking them out separately as they are too unmanageable as a group.

We deal with a variety of issues such as (but not limited to) the following:

  • Dogs with no recall or “selective hearing” (see Bailey’s testimony)
  • Dogs that are rescues that may have had a difficult start in life who have now been re-homed. Their behaviour whilst out on a walk may be anti social towards other dogs, such as aggression or fear. They may bark or lunge. They may also be extremely destructive in the home, or suffer from separation anxiety.
  • Dogs that show over excitement towards other dogs such as lunging or excessive, exuberant play which can spark dog fights/scuffles, or angry words from the other dog owner. (see Hunter’s testimony)
  • Bad lead manners such as excessive pulling.
  • Bike, car or jogger chasing.
  • Dogs that have not been correctly socialised with other dogs, leading to fear aggression.
  • You may have been shouted at by many other dog owners and told “to keep that dog under control!” and have had your confidence shattered so much that you now dread taking your pooch out.

At Happy Dogs we believe that the ONLY successful form of training is in real life, real situations. We only prescribe 1-2-1 training, we go out with you and your dog and through a combination of training your dog, boosting your self esteem/helping you sharpen your own training skills, we can get to where you want to be – which is ENJOYING your dog. We can also do family training so that your whole household learns how to safely manage your pet.

We use reward, praise and stimulation to create the perfect partnership. We also use “role model dogs” (when safe and  appropriate) who are well behaved, even tempered and playful when necessary. These wonderful dogs often teach and guide dogs that may not have been socialised before, or who are nervous. Positive engagement with another dog is vital and can be wonderful for the owner to see who may not have seen their dog play or interact positively before. We believe that positive reward based training creates a Happy Dog, which in turn creates Happy People!