Hi Martin, Just wanted to say it's been a while since rob, me and Bailey came to see you but just wanted to say a massive thank you for your help. Bailey is off lead all the time now thanks to your assistance training we how have a knackered Dobie every night. We would recommend you to anyone hope everything is good with you..... Thanks again Rob, Jo and Bailey

 Bailey

Toby’s Story
We were recommended to seek help from Martin by a friend of his in the North East. We have had Dobies for some 20 years but had always had bitches, however 3 years ago we brought home our first (and last) Dobie boy, Toby. He was adorable and so was his sister Mabel, we enrolled them for puppy socialising classes through bronze and onto silver awards for training.
Toby was the most sociable dog that loved everyone & everything until he reached 8 months, everything changed in less than 2 weeks and he became very difficult. We took advice from our vet and had him neutered but this made little difference. His walks were becoming increasingly difficult.
Toby loved to chase a ball and ragging but would not accept it when the game was over and it was time to go home and on one occasion ripped the pocket off my coat to get his ball back. On the advice of a friend who runs a re-homing centre we stopped Toby’s walks with a ball. Toby’s walks were becoming more & more of a daily challenge as he was getting less tolerant of other dogs and young children.
Toby’s walks were changed as to lessen the contact with other dog walkers, and soon became a daily battle. Toby started jumping up and pulling at our clothes, nipping & pulling hair, this resulted in torn cloths on occasion and light grazing to skin, Toby would often snatch the lead from my hand, gloves or anything he could get his teeth into.
Everyday I would walk him for up to 2 hours and try my best to control his behaviour. I work until 2 PM and from lunch time I would start to feel physically sick and by 1.30 PM I would be almost in tears at the thought of Toby’s daily walk. We had to face facts we had a male Dobermann that weighed 49 kilos and was out of control, I was terrified of him and felt a complete failure. We could not understand what Toby needed and was it something we were unable as owners to give him. I would rather work 12 hours in accounts than my own dog – CRAZY.
We had Behaviourist (not Martin) access Toby’s behaviour and he said the only possible solution would be to re home Toby where he would be an only dog as he required more attention than we could give him and possible dominance issues, but that wasn’t the real issue.
Martin called to our home 8 months ago. He was a breath of fresh air. He was such a positive person and we were so pleased when his first words were ‘our dogs are polite and very well mannered’. He spent time with both Toby and Mabel and then worked with Toby. Martin explained Toby had a lot of European Working Lines within his breeding and a lot of something we had never heard of ‘Prey Drive’ – in other word he loved to chase anything he perceived as prey – this explained why the ball was so important to him. I told Martin of my bad experiences with Toby and the ball and Martin explained that I didn’t have to take the ball from Toby and that I should trade it for something else a special treat – cheese, hot dog or chicken this meant in Toby’s mind he never lost his ball it was traded for something else he valued. Martin also taught us bite control – if Toby’s teeth caught our hand and not the ball – the game ended – the game only continued when Toby displayed good manners. Also Clicker Training was introduced.
Over the coming week Toby’s behaviour changed dramatically. The ball became part of his daily routine and immediately all the jumping up and tugging stopped he had no interest in passing dogs – the ball is the most important object in Toby’s eyes. We have followed Martin’s advice to the word and worked very hard and we are now so proud to have Toby as our dog he is now a pleasure to walk and we have been able to channel his prey drive in a positive manner.
Toby is now a much happier and content dog all thanks to Martins expertise; he has become a valued friend and a fantastic source of continued advice. ...Thanks for all your help – a less stressed Angela & Gordon Whyte.

Toby                                                  Toby & Mabel

We came across Paws Training when seeking help with our English pointer Nero aged 5 years. He had always shown more territorial tendencies than our previous 3 pointers, all males, and his increasing dominance was causing problems and concern. He had been neutered the year before but this had made little difference. We put some of the problem down to having moved into a barn which we spent 18 months restoring and renovating. Nero's area in the kitchen had been subjected to a constant stream of workmen passing through and as the kitchen was at the bottom of stairs, he was unable to see who was approaching. Visitors were now seen as a threat to his security. The situation worsened at Christmas when he became extremely aggressive to my mother (no mother in law jokes please) when she walked into a room where Nero was sleeping. We felt really desperate at this stage and contacted Rebecca and Martin. A date was arranged for a home visit in the following weeks. During that time, we acquired a 7 month old pointer bitch, Eve. We had been looking for a companion for Nero and by the time Martin and Rebecca arrived, Eve was in situ. They spent some time asssessing the situation and going through Nero's history and explained their tried and tested method of click and reward to restore a dog's confidence. The theory was that Nero's aggression was based on fear and that if this could be allayed and diverted then things might improve. The next hour was spent coming into the house and ignoring his persistent barking. At the same time, Rebecca approached him with a treat, using the clicker at the same time to establish the situation. A command, a click and a treat reinforced his good behaviour and diverted his attention from the visitor. This progressed to the visitor entering the premises and being asked to click and reward Nero. In this way, we established that visitors meant treats and we were encouraged to ask any future callers to go through the motions of clicking and treating to build Nero's confidence. Martin then assumed the guise of a stranger entering the house and the same proceedure was put into action with good results. Eve was also involved in the same way so a degree of teamwork was established. Following this visit we were sent detailed notes of the methods used to calm Nero and to establish a better relationship with visitors. All good behaviour should be rewarded and bad behaviour ignored. We have followed this through with good results and in different situations on a daily basis. For example when out walking with bikes, runners and oncoming dogs when situations can easily become difficult and stressful for all concerned. A few months later, we decided to attend the Paws training classes at Bingley on Saturday mornings. These 6 weeks proved a great success and were really enjoyed by us all. The class was small with 4 dogs so we were able to have individual attention, and held inside but more often out in the 2 large paddocks with loads of space. Nero and Eve flourished and we have not looked back. We would thoroughly recommend Paws for any canine problems and for training classes. Martin and Rebecca show such enthusiasm, encouragement and committment and we wish them success in the future.....  Richard & Ros Brearley.

 Eve & Nero