Had a FREE consultation with Nick regarding my extremely nervous anxious and reactive 11 month cockapoo. Nick was so patient with the barking he didn't even bat an eyelid and the barking continued for just about the whole hour! Nick is very knowledgeable about all breads and types of dog and he really helped me understand why my doggo is the way he is. I love the fact that at the end of the FREE consultation there is no hard sell or commitment to sign up for any of his training packages. Trust me though after the consultation and getting to know Nick you will definitely book training with him! I certainly did!!
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for tonight, the seminar was super helpful. Reminded me how we have to continually think about how our actions are perceived by our dogs!
After battling for 3 years to get Harris to settle down when we arrive home, instead of being an absolute crazy whirlwind. Tonight I waited until he stopped barking and then straight away opened the door and gave him a huge fuss.
It’s heartbreaking to think that’s all he wanted, bless him within 2 mins he was happy and calm instead of running around my feet trying to get my attention.
Sometimes it’s the small things that make such a huge difference.
We will definitely book in to do a course with you. We have a super little dog who just loves life and loves everyone, it’s just learning how to harness that excitement and as you said tonight making him polite.
We’ll definitely start training the magic sequence and hopefully by the time we book in we’ll have already made progress
Hi Nick
I just wanted to say thanks again for yesterday. We initially had Bella on her 8 week training programme when she was just 15 weeks old - feels like a lifetime ago!
Almost a year later we enrolled in the 6 week follow up training programme and - as expected - it's been amazing.
I was lucky enough to be able to join you on your session with Bella yesterday and it's even more obvious how much time you invest in getting to know your clients.
I'm so thankful for everything you've done - and continue to do - for us and Bella. Having never owned a dog before you have taught me so much and made for a very contented and confident owner.
And Bella agrees!
Thank you.
Suzanne
"Our story with Nick so far!! We contacted Nick when we brought our 8 week old GSD home Breagh 💗. We wanted to ensure the best training/coaching with our precious ball of fluff knowing she was going to be a big strong girl and we didn’t want issues arising common with the breed. We have owned GSD’s forever as we are now in our later 50’s 😫 (really dont feel that old 🤣) and know that our mistakes with her could be detrimental, hence having Nick come on board!! Well things have progressed because Breagh is doing brilliantly with Nick so he is now working with our 4yr old Ava who is also a GSD 💗 She really is the sweetest girl and loves everybody but we have not managed to get her to walk well on her lead, Nick in the first couple of sessions has worked wonders with her, he really is a Dog Whisper and she is so excited when he comes to visit. Nick is also training Taz our 2yr old sprollie and wow, he adores Nick and is training exceptionally well with him. Moral of the story………if you are a dog lover like us, employ Nick to do his “stuff” with your dogs, this is what Nick specialises in, and we are learning so much from him 🤩 like I say you wouldn’t employ a baker to build your house!! 👏👏👏👏👏 Nick you are Amazing 🤩"
"So, where do I begin!! We are probably bonkers in most people’s eyes, thankfully not Nick’s 😊. We have 4 dogs (Gyn) 14yrs Golden Labrador , (Ava) 4yrs German Shepherd, (Taz) 2yrs Sprollie and (Breagh) 6 months German Shepherd. I first contacted Nick when Breagh was about 12 weeks old because my husband and myself are getting older (50’s) and we wanted Breagh to be good on the lead and not pull which our other GSD Ava does. On our first meeting with Nick the dogs adored him, Nick has an aura around him and the dogs are instantly drawn to him, as are their humans 😊 we have owned dogs for 40 plus years, we used to breed and show some of our dogs , so we have some knowledge, but wow Nick is on a different level!! Our baby Breagh has hit the dreaded nervous stage and Nick is calmly getting us all through it, his techniques and advice really do work, so with Breagh doing really well we asked Nick if he would kindly take on our Ava and Taz and train them to as we are Uber impressed with the results in such a short time 👏👏 we are letting our old lady Gyn off with the training, she is such a good old lady and just likes to potter about in the garden now, but Nick always goes to see her when he visits and let’s her out in the garden for a bit. Nick genuinely has a love for animals and really cares about their wellbeing. I am recommending Nick to all our friends with dogs, we know first hand how AMAZING he is. Huge thanks for all you do Nick"
My 5 year old lurcher used to be so happy go lucky. He'd happily play with other dogs, any size, age, colour or breed,. Never in a million years did I think that I'd be dealing with a reactive dog 5years down the line. His issues started around 1.5 years of age. Over time, they gradually escalated(several reasons, Nick has explained to me but I won't go into here). Until I'd got to the stage where every walk became a mammoth expedition to try to find somewhere quiet to let him off the lead, with me in constant fight or flight mode that a dog may appear or an incident might happen. Weren't dog walks supposed to be meditative, a chance to relax and explore off lead, meet other people, perhaps let your dogs play together, in one big “happy dog/owner extended family”? Not for me and my boy. I blamed myself. I felt inadequate. I felt a bad owner. I felt a failure. I felt bad for Pookie, as I know the lovely boy he is. I felt lost, lonely, stressed , like I was going round and round in circles trying to achieve “normal” . I felt like I was constantly holding my breath and ready to either burst into tears or hide away from everyone.
Then enter Nick. From the get-go in our initial email and phone-call correspondences, I felt like I could finally exhale. I had read very positive testimonials from other owners, but the proof would be in the pudding when we started to work with him. First impressions: both me and Pookie took an immediate shine to him. I felt like I'd known him for years....and Pookie seemed to think that too. Yes, Nick has an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience with reactive dogs, but first and foremost he makes you and your dog feel at ease, makes you feel like you ARE normal and what you are experiencing isn’t some flaw of nature – in fact the very opposite, it’s a very natural and understandable conditioning in dogs! He doesn't set unrealistic happy, frills and fancy fairy tale endings. Instead he explains things simply, clearly, honestly and realistically, setting small achievable goals that set me and Pookie up for success.
It soon sunk in that Pookie's behavioural work was going to take more time, patience and commitment then I had first naively anticipated. But that this would also develop and strengthen my relationship with Pookie. Nick helped me to see how much a sensitive dog can give back when they start to trust and feel safe again. This took the pressure off me to want things to be perfect now. And I realised my vision of perfect may not be Pookie's vision– Nick helped me to understand Pookie's world of fear, Pookie's anguish and the need to go at Pookie's pace. He taught me to understand and genuinely listen to Pookie. Small steps, even big steps, could be made and as cliched as it does sound “the goal is in the journey”
Pookie adores Nick. I often knew when Nick's van was passing our neighbourhood(2 roads away!) as Pookie started to howl in the living room! And Nick is just brilliant with Pookie, instinctively understanding him and gaining Pookie's trust. Nick exudes a genuine love and passion for his work and for dogs. In fact, Nick is perfect for his job – not simply as a dog trainer but as a coach. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I need coaching, (calmed, encouraged, taught, supported, reminded, praised and guided) as much as Pookie does in this journey. Nick certainly makes it feel like a team effort and I think I can talk on behalf of Pookie that we love our sessions with him.
The challenge is me now being able to do this out on my own but I know with continued future sessions with Nick, that this will come.
Thank you Nick,for believing in me and Pookie.
I'll be honest, we initially had some reservations; what could Nick do that would be different to the 700 YouTube videos, 10 books, Puppy Classes, etc... that we had sat, watched and read through already!
What a difference a day makes! Kip (absolute mad Springer Spaniel) was all over him from the moment we met and in those first few initial sessions, I learnt more about Kip and his behaviours, his love for a challenge and what a quick learner he was; than I had in the 12 months prior.
Work for both me and my wife was a challenge, but Nick made sure we knew what he was doing with Kip and provided great explanatory notes for us to follow, allowing us to work as Kip carried on his sessions.
In terms of the progress made, it's still going to take some time, but we see the foundations that Nick has put in place each time we go out with him in the garden or out to the Loch, we can let him off the lead, something that we could NEVER even dream of doing before the sessions and 8/10 times he will come back on command and the other 2/10 times he will come back when he's good and ready to do so, but he comes back!
Walking with Kip, which was our biggest challenge, is still our
biggest problem, but as per the point above, we can both see the
foundations work, he looks at us, he comes back when the lead pulls and we stop and we can therefore see a light at the end of a long long tunnel. However, Nick had pointed this out all along from the start of training, that this has to be a 2 way interaction between us and Kip and training isn't an overnight success, it just takes engagement and time.
It really was a pleasure working with Nick and worth every penny spent!
Ray, Jill and Kip
Bailey was your typical lab… excitable, hyper and danced to his own tune (literally… we nicknamed him happy feet).
I reached out to Nick after reading the reviews and testimonials and I signed Bailey up for the 9 week intensive training package.
Nick worked his magic from the meet and greet… I had never seen Bailey so well behaved in someone’s company. Whatever vibe Nick was giving off… I wanted to learn it and adapt it as quickly as possible.
Nick continued to work with Bailey and I joined him on as many of the sessions as I could. I’m in awe of Nick’s knowledge and the difference he has made with our boy.
Bailey is a different dog. He listens, he’s calmer, he his recall is on point, he walks by my side, he behaves.
It’s now a delight to take Bailey a walk… I feel proud to be his owner, which is a far cry from how I felt before working with Nick.
Nick goes above and beyond with his training and explains everything in terms that are easier to understand and apply. I’m using some of his techniques with my horses too.
I’m booking a follow up package with Nick as his training is invaluable and I want to continue learning and doing the best I can for Bailey. Bailey and I will now always have Nick as a part of our lives. Yes he’s our dog trainer but I also class him as a friend.
I’ve went from considering rehoming my unruly bundle of fun and Nick being our last chance of hope, to now loving having Bailey as part of our family and being proud of the very clever, well behaved dog that he is. All thanks to Nick.
Nick was the second dog trainer we engaged to help train Max our German Shepherd puppy and while the first trainer was good Nick is a different level.
His understanding of dog behaviour and his passion to pass on his knowledge makes training interesting and fun both for the owner and dog.
Max loves his training sessions and is a much calmer and more easily controlled dog now walking calmly on the lead and remaining attentive most of the time. Still work to do but I have no doubt of the benefit of engaging Nick and we will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
I can’t recommend Nick highly enough and I know Max agrees!
We recently had the pleasure of working with Nick 6 weeks ago when he started training our fox red lab. Our dog Lola started her training at around 8 months of age. From our first session, we were very impressed with his professionalism, knowledge, and friendliness. Nick took the time to understand our dog’s unique personality and needs, and tailored our sessions accordingly. The results have been fantastic! Lola has made tremendous progress in a short amount of time, and we are so pleased with her behaviour and obedience after only 6 weeks. He has also helped Paul and I understand what Lola needs from us. We plan on continuing the hard work that Nick put in.
Nick was always available to answer any questions and provide us with additional guidance and support. He was patient and kind, our dog Lola has responded well to his training methods. We would highly recommend him to anyone looking for an excellent dog trainer. We are so grateful for his services and Lola will definitely miss his weekly visits.
Thank you
Lisa Paul and Lola 🐾
Otto has had 9 sessions with Nick. Yesterday we went up to unleashed with the dummie dogs and I couldn't believe how well Otto had come on with his training lessons.
Nick goes above and beyond just training the dogs, he really cares for their welfare and makes such a difference to their lives. Otto has always been anxious and lead aggressive, but he come on so far since Nick started his training. I know I still have a lot of work but I have been given the best tools yo help me do it with Nick.
Highly recommend him to anyone with a dog that has issues.
Thanks Nick
I contacted Nick as, although our girl is only 5 months old, I'm desperate to work on recall with our pup. Nothing I do seems to work.
Nick came to our home for the initial Meet and Greet and our girl was delighted to meet him. He has a calm, reassuring presence which not only put us at ease but our puppy too.
Just talking with him and seeing how he interacted with our girls fills us with nothing but total confidence about our journey moving forward . We just need to get our first one to one appointment booked. January is pretty full, if that's not a testiment to how good he is I don't know what is
Reached out to Nick for his 3 week walk and train package to get us back on track with our 18month Vizsla after experiencing increasing reactivity with other dogs and recall going completely out the window. This really helped gain our confidence back and by training alongside Nick we saw some quick results from our efforts. Nick showed us techniques to manage Jura's reactivity, explaining dogs body language and spotting triggers. All the way from the meet and greet to the end of week 3, Nick was extremely calm and patient with Jura and us! I definitely recommend Nick to anyone seeking support with training and figuring out ways to deal with any behavioural issues. Looking forward to continuing with a few more 1 to 1s and keep building on the progress made in the last 3 weeks
Nick is fantastic with my super energetic, 11 month old, Goldie pup and reassured me that things will get better. He has a very kind nature and Kya was very at ease with him from the start (she would rather look to him for treats than me!!! LOL
). He is moving at her pace and adapting the sessions to her attention span and willing to learn which allows it to sink in better for both of us.
He instills confidence in the owner and ensures I understand what is expected of me. I look forward to our next session and Kya does too.
I met with Nick on our meet & greet at my house yesterday, I was a bit nervous that everything I had been doing with my German Shepherd was wrong. Nick made me feel at ease straight away and more importantly he made my nervous gsd feel happy in his company too. I know we have a journey ahead to help my boy with his reactivity, but I am sure with Nick's help and guidance we will make life a lot easier on walks for my boy and myself.
Look forward to working with Nick and seeing a difference in the weeks to come.
Thank you again for all your understanding and advice yesterday
I would just like to leave a review for Nick. What a job you’ve done in helping us with Charlie. He is off the lead with his buddy Rocco. It was scary at first as he refused to come back and stayed about six feet away even though we had the tastiest if treats. I remembered what you said about his safe space so I threw his treat for him. We did this a few times and eventually he came back to me for the squeeze cheese. He was determined that Rocco wasn’t having it all
. We go for a walk with Rocco every Friday and now as soon as Charlie hears his name he comes running back with Rocco gets his treat and wanders off again. Needless to say I haven’t tried this when it’s just us yet but another few turns up at Unleashed should do it.. even firework night was a breeze. I used the firework app for four or five days leaving the phone in different rooms at different sound levels and on the nights leading up to firework night there were some going off and Charlie didn’t bother. I can’t thank you enough Nick for you patience and understanding of Charlie and the things he must have gone through on the streets of Romania on his own. I would highly recommend you to anyone who has issues with their dog
If you can give a thousand star review I would! Amazing, trustworthy and safe are the words that come to mind when I think of Nick. Nick is very knowledgeable and conveys information in a down to earth and understanding manner.
We asked Nick to support my husband and I with some pointers on a very stubborn basset hound. Our dog loves Nick. We think he acts up just for the possibility of seeing Nick again. We have used Nick over the past few years for different pointers and tips. Most recently to help with anxiety our dog has faced since a newborn has come into our lives. Nicks support has been amazing. I know if we were stuck or if needing more support Nick will come over and pick up from where he left off. He treats our dog like his own and remembers all of his little quirks.
If you are unsure about getting support with your dog for whatever reason, perhaps a poor service or lack of trust from a previous trainer, I can guarantee you that you will walk away from your session with support and knowledge. Perhaps a spring in your step.
We love doing our training and our dog loves it too. You can see him get excited
We booked the 6 week training package with Nick to help us with our extremely lively 10 month old Fox Red Labrador who was highly excitable on walks and around people. Our expectations were to have more pleasant walks without excessive pulling and the drama that came with meeting other dogs. I can genuinely say that the training and advice provided by Nick more than met these expectations and are walks are genuinely now far better with pulling less and less and also having confidence in meeting other dogs as we are armed with the guidance he provided to deal with situations that may arise. I can honestly say that the training provided has worked wonders in our dog’s behaviour and although she is still very young he has set us on the way for developing her training even further but wouldn’t hesitate in engaging Nick’s services for future follow up sessions where and when required
Just finished one to one six week dog training with Nick with our very excitable 2 year old lab. She loved him his treats and the training which has made a big difference to her behaviours. She is still no angel but is going onwards and upwards with her walking and behaviour. Can’t thank Nick enough for all his help and advice
Nick came to my house yesterday to meet my 5 year old rescue dog who has been with us a week and a half. He was great with her and gave me a lot of great advice and Definately knew his stuff! We have booked our first training session for a couple weeks time and really looking forward to it
Thankyou again and we will see you soon!
Good morning, Nick!
Thank you so much for your complete notes. What a good guide to follow!!!
This morning in our first walk Yogui really do ALL the orders requested. Absolutely amazing!!!
We will practice all the orders during the next month and I will inform you of the progress.
Really amazing today!
Thanks a lot!
Nick is very friendly, calm and empathetic in his approach and puts you at ease when feeling overwhelmed with your dogs behaviour. He listens to the difficulties you and your dog are experiencing with genuine interest and care.
Nick first helped out my Beagle, Beau, with a walk and train package last year. Beau is now experiencing reactivity and I contacted Nick again for help.
Nick was open and honest at the meet and greet about what could help Beau and the timescales. I felt under no pressure to go ahead with training after the meet and greet which I appreciated. Nick explained some of the strategies he will use and suggested some reading for me to give me an idea of what training may look like moving forward.
I recommend Nick if you and your dog are in need
Nick has been amazing helping to train our 5 year old rescue. Within a few minutes of meeting he had already started working up a bond with Molly. From short games to tricks to deal with issues Nick has been excellent.
As well as face to face sessions each visit is met with comprehensive pre and post notes and advice. Training intervals are sensible and fair. Can’t recommend Nick enough
I’ve been meaning to write a review for a while now!
Our experience with Nick has been great. Our dog had started to become a bit leash reactive following some negative experiences with certain dogs and I wanted to get a handle on that behaviour before it spiralled, we also wanted to improve his recall and general engagement with us when we walked him as he had a tendency to pull ahead and although his recall was decent I knew it could be improved.
We signed up for the walk and train package and noticed a change immediately which has only continued to improve. Now we have great engagement, no more pulling, instant recall and virtually zero leash reactivity. It’s become such a pleasure to be with our dog now so I really owe a lot to Nick. Pirate loved him too!
Otto has had 9 sessions with Nick. Yesterday we went up to unleashed with the dummie dogs and I couldn't believe how well Otto had come on with his training lessons.
Nick goes above and beyond just training the dogs, he really cares for their welfare and makes such a difference to their lives. Otto has always been anxious and lead aggressive, but he come on so far since Nick started his training. I know I still have a lot of work but I have been given the best tools yo help me do it with Nick.
Highly recommend him to anyone with a dog that has issues.
Thanks Nick
Can’t recommend Nick enough! He made such amazing and quick progress with our high energy border collie x poodle mix puppy. The best part is that he really teaches you want to do as well so you can continue to train your dog and progress yourself. Our puppy went from fully pulling at the lead all the time to “walking nice” and sitting for cars, people and other dogs in just a few short months. I now use Nick’s training methods every day with her and she is continuing to make progress. On top of that, Nick is a great guy and she adores him. 10 out of 10, definitely recommend.
Nick has been very helpful with practical exercises for us to use with our lively Dalmatian. Our dog is at ease with him and has enjoyed every session. He explains the reasons behind the different exercises and we have learned so much about her behaviour. Would definitely recommend him.
Having only done one training session so far we can already see progress with Wookie, who is reactive with other dogs since he was nipped at around 6 months. Nick obviously loves and understands dogs and encourages the dogs to be themselves... no robot dogs here. I am looking forward to seeing further improvement as we continue with our sessions. It has been fun too!
We contacted nick after our WCS Leo was run over, thankfully he was not badly hurt. Nick has been the best thing we have done. He really is the dog whisperer! He has helped Leo our WCS with loose lead walking, better recall and emergency stops. He also picked up the fact that Leo has an anxiety with cars now but only shows subtle hints in his body language. We now know what to look out for.
He is very professional and Leo loves him.
We have carried on with nick after the 8 week course to keep up with training.
Thank you Nick!!!
Nick has been a great help to us since we got our cocker spaniel puppy. Nick delivers excellent training advice in a very friendly, professional, and encouraging manner. I would recommend him to anyone looking to build the closest bond with their dog.
Thoroughly recommend Nick for dog training. We saw a difference in our pup (actually, our puppy saw a difference in us!) even after the first session. Excellent practical advice that really works and comprehensive notes following each session. Nick clearly adores dogs, has a wealth of experience and a sense of humour when the wee dawg runs off the pen!
Nick has a lovely disposition and cares deeply about dogs and really believes in them. He does a really good blend of show and tell and practice. I found I very quickly trusted him with Jojo.
We were recommended Nick by our previous dog trainer after moving into the area. He has been absolutely excellent - Harvey loves his group walks and his reactivity is improving with his training sessions too. He is very professional and Harvey is so comfortable with him. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend!
Nick has been absolutely fantastic with our boy Rocco! He’s not only helped Rocco with his walking but he’s also helped me understand Rocco and the way he thinks. He’s given me valuable guidance and methods to keep Rocco calmer on walks which in turn, has made our walks more enjoyable! Rocco loves Nick to bits so we’re going to keep going with the walk/train for now and see where it takes us. Thank you so much Nick
Nick has been working with our pup for a couple of months now, and things have been going great. He has a genuine love for dogs, and a really nice guy. Would highly recommend. Graeme (Poppy)
Highly recommend Nick for any training requirements. I contacted him for some assistance working on recall for my 6 month old puppy Ralph and he’s been fantastic. Nick offered a free introductory session to meet Ralph at my home and find out about him and the subsequent session we’ve had so far was very detailed, fun & beneficial for Ralph as I’ve already seen improvements after just the one training session. After the session, Nick provided a detailed list of what we covered in order for me to work on techniques and games to help train Ralph. This was very helpful as it allows me to simply refer to that list on my phone before & during the training as a reminder/guide. Nick is very pleasant, accommodating & Ralph loves him, taking to him right away. Give him a shout
Nick has been absolutely amazing with our puppy Duke and of course with ourselves during training. Duke absolutely loves going out with Nick, can’t wait to see what the near future holds with training
Copyright © 2023 Esk Valley Dog Training - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data. Privacy Policy