Demetae Dog Training

We took our human/dog reactive teenage collie/lab/staffy, Basil, to Miles to address his issues. During the first session, Miles assessed Basil, he managed to safely put him into situations where Basil would potentially fail - this was really useful for us because it clarified everything we’d been concerned about and Miles then instantly knew what we needed to work on and how to approach it with Basil in an encouraging and safe environment. Miles showed us how to manage Basil’s difficulties by tailoring his teachings in a completely unique way to suit Basil and his 'working line' breed.

Before our sessions with Miles, it was becoming clear that we were unable to take Basil for a walk down the street - even country lanes were proving difficult because Basil was getting more and more reactive if someone passed us (with or without a dog). He would start lunging and barking - sometimes in over excitement and play, but sometimes he was scared, anxious and frustrated. We didn't know how to read which was which and how to best handle such behaviours without stressing him further (even though we've both had dogs our whole lives). Basil had been bitten by off lead, 'friendly' dogs in the past when he was a puppy/adolescent - which was the real catalyst for his reactivity. He's always been a bundle of energy and we've learnt (through Miles) that he greets dogs a bit rudely - which didn't help his situation and would often get him further into trouble.

Having worked with Miles over 6 sessions, we can confidently say that we can now seek out more dog populated places, we have been given knowledge on how to manage Basil and uncomfortable/difficult situations that may be thrown at us - even meeting dogs head on. With time, effort and consistency, the tools Miles has shown us will continue to pay off and we feel Basil's extreme reactivity days are already heading into the past. Basil is now much more confident in himself, (which we learnt, was one of the root causes of his reactivity - being under confident), he's so much more fulfilled with focused play sessions which let him blow off steam in a way that really feeds his working line breed. Basil now has 2 proud owners that no longer avoid situations that would previously have scared us off. Working with Miles has been a game changer for us and Basil because we genuinely felt we were totally lost before we started working together, fearful when going out with Basil - which thankfully, is no longer the case. Miles taught us that, with a dog like Basil, play, engagement and enrichment games are so important to build the trust between us. We felt we were exercising Basil enough prior to Miles' sessions - long walks and hikes (away from anyone because his reactivity got so bad), but it turned out Basil wasn’t satisfied at all even though we’d be walking for hours. Play has been a massive aspect of this whole training and I can’t believe how well it works to not only tire him out but also to teach obedience and connection to us as his owners. We couldn’t even think of taking Basil to a cafe or busy space before working with Miles, but just a few weeks ago, after our 5th session, we sat outside a busy cafe in Cornwall with dogs and people around and he was as good as gold - this is testament to Miles. I would recommend Miles to anyone who needs help with their reactive dog (or any other issue for that matter!) he has changed our lives and we are forever grateful. Thank you Miles x

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Owain Jenkins