School of Walkies
Dog Training for Better Walks
Does your dog pull on the lead, bark or lunge at other dogs, chase wildlife, ignore you around distractions or struggle to come back when called?Walks can become stressful when your dog gets too excited, loses focus or struggles to cope with what’s happening around them.At Dogmanchester's School of Walkies, we work on the skills your dog needs to manage these situations. You’ll learn how to build focus, confidence, calmer behaviour and a better response to distractions, using exercises you can practise on your own walks.School of Walkies is suitable for dogs of all ages and breeds, and for any behaviour problems you’re struggling with on walks.
Meet Your Trainer
I’m Erica, a dog trainer and behaviourist with a BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour & Welfare and over 20 years of professional experience working with pet dogs, rescue dogs, assistance dogs and sports dogs.I help owners understand their dog’s behaviour and develop the skills needed for better walks, whether that’s getting out of the house calmly, coping with distractions, reducing reactivity, walking on the lead or improving recall.
✔️ BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare
✔️ MA Wildlife Documentary Production
✔️ 20+ years of professional experience in animal care and training, including veterinary practices, daycares, kennels, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, Medical Detection Dogs and running my own business.
Services
One-to-One Training Sessions
★★★★★ Google Reviews
Does your dog pull on the lead, bark at other dogs, struggle with distractions or ignore you when you call?In a one-to-one training session, we’ll look at what’s happening on your walks, why your dog may be struggling and which skills will help. You’ll learn how to do the training exercises yourself, with guidance on how to use them on your own walks. The aim is to help you understand your dog’s behaviour, improve their response to you and make everyday walks easier to manage.Each session is tailored to your dog and the problems you’re experiencing.
★★★★★
After my super-reactive dog dragged me into the road on my knees because he was barking so furiously at another dog, I knew I had to get help - and I'm so, so pleased that someone recommended Erica. In our first one-to-one session she taught me some exercises to get my dog responding to me, and to help him calm himself down, and in the second session we went for a walk and she showed me how to put it into practice. The difference in my dog was unbelievable - he only barked at one of the five dogs we passed! He's NEVER not barked at a dog before. There's still work to be done, but both my dog and I are so much happier already - and it's all thanks to Erica.
~ Emma
What happens in a one-hour session?1. We look at what’s happening on your walks. We’ll talk about your dog’s behaviour, the situations you find difficult and what you’d like to improve. I’ll help you understand what’s contributing to the problem and which skills we need to work on.2. We practise the exercises together. We’ll work on exercises suited to your dog and the situations you’re struggling with. I’ll show you how to do them, explain what to look for and help you practise with your dog.3. You learn how to continue at home. You’ll receive training notes by email explaining the exercises, so you can refer back to them and practise on your own walks.4. You can book further sessions when needed. Training takes practice. If you need help progressing the exercises, working through another problem or adapting the training as your dog improves, you can book another session.Training focuses on teaching you how to train your dog: improving your understanding of their behaviour, developing better communication with your dog, working with your dog's natural instincts and giving you the confidence to deal with situations your dog finds challenging. All training is done using positive reinforcement techniques.
What We Can Work On
Overexcitement
Anxiety
Lack of focus
Barking and lunging at other dogs
Pulling on lead
Ignoring recall
Chasing livestock or wildlife
Interactions with other dogs
Toy play
What to ExpectYou’ll leave the session with a better understanding of your dog’s behaviour, training exercises suited to your dog and guidance on how to practise them on your own walks.You’ll learn how to work on the skills your dog needs, what to look for during training and how to build on the exercises over time.Dog training takes practice, patience and consistency. One session gives you the opportunity to learn the exercises and start working on your dog’s behaviour. Progress depends on your dog, the situations you’re working on and the training you continue at home.You can book a single session and continue training on your own, or book further sessions whenever you need help.
Sessions take place at your home and on local walks, within 6 miles of PE29 2HF.£55 per one-hour session. Payment is due at the time of booking. You can reschedule or cancel with at least 24 hours’ notice. Cancellations within 24 hours are charged in full.
What Owners Say About Dogmanchester
★★★★★
Erica is brilliant. As knowledgeable as any behaviourist we've spoken with, far more knowledgeable about dog behaviours than the vets in my family, and her confidence and reassurance is invaluable. We've made huge strides with our ditsy, mad Collie-Husky rescue, and also gained a lot of confidence ourselves in managing unexpected behaviours and situations.
~ Toby
★★★★★
Erica is very patient and knowledgeable when it comes to dog training. She is using positive reinforcement which I much prefer for my nearly 2 years old Dachshund boy who is quite nervous and reactive on walks. We went for the one hour one to one training. She gave advice, showed what to practice and sent detailed information about what to do next. My dog was very calm and responsive to her, she definitely has the aura that dogs love. 😊 Highly recommend! Thank you Erica!
~ Gabriella
★★★★★
I started to work with Erica about 6 weeks ago. Skye, my dog, is a bit anxious, not in control of her emotions and lacking some self confidence. Her recall was also not great. Erica has adapted the training exercises to the personality of my dog which made a massive difference to her progress. The exercises are fun and interactive; my dog loves to be engaged into it. I have been following Erica’s advice and have already seen lots of improvements in Skye’s recall and self control. Erica is also very knowledgeable about dog’s diet and has recommended good products (kibbles, calming herbs, toys) which helps with Skye’s behaviour. I would like to thank Erica for her professionalism and would highly recommend her services to anyone who is looking to improve their dog’s training or to solve some behaviours issues.
~ Sabrina
Get in Touch
Contact Erica
Have a question about training or whether Dogmanchester's School of Walkies is suitable for your dog? Send me a message using the form below and I’ll get back to you.
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Thanks for getting in touch. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.If you’d like to book a training session, you can view my availability below.