Charlie the Golden Doodle

It was on the way back from our usual walk around the fields that I first met Sally and her two German shepherds. My first thoughts from past experience were, ‘I better hold on tight Charlie is going to need to say hello’.

Our dog Charlie is a 20 month old Golden Doodle who is incredibly friendly and at times very excitable, however his exuberance, whilst being lovely to watch had lead to a few problems. He could no longer be let off the lead as he would not come back, when on the lead he often pulled and jumped up and mouthed. Another of Charlie’s favorite pastimes was stealing things; personal objects like socks but he has been known to chew the odd kindle or blackberry smart -phone. Charlie not coming back was also an issue in the garden; he saw it as a big game.

As I walked closer towards Sally, sure enough Charlie went to say hello and had a bit of a shock when Sally paid him no attention. I began talking to her and learnt that she was training the dogs up the road from us, so decided to ask for her help with Charlie.

We started from the very beginning with Charlie and with Sally’s help realized where we had gone wrong. It was not all down to Charlie! We all have to be in tune and stay consistent to enable him to get it right. (My husband still struggles to grasp this at times but Sally is working on it!) The results were not instant but he has come on leaps and bounds (the dog) and can now be walked off the lead with me and my daughter. He is also no longer stealing things which has made our lives much easier.

Sally was not the first trainer to tackle Charlie but she has been very successful and we now have a happier and more obedient dog. It is very much a case of work in progress and we need to remember that all the little things we do at home and outside all make a difference to his overall behavior.

Sally’s talents lie not only with dogs but one day whilst training Charlie to ignore chickens (previously one of his favorite toys) at my daughters livery stables, she gave Emma some tips whilst schooling her horse. It was the little things Sally told Emma that day that have helped her improve her dressage ever since.

We are very grateful to Sally and would recommend her to anyone.

Kathryn