Reviews

George – Stafordshire Bull Terrier

I can’t recommend Dean enough! He was keenly interested in what my dog needs and equipping me with the tools I need to help him get there. There was no one size fits all and Dean explains the theory behind what we are doing so that I can apply it moving forward and understand why.

Dean offers ongoing support via phone after the session which is invaluable where some of the skills are not intuitive.

I really feel as if Dean is interested in the welfare and wellbeing of my dog and this comes out in his approach to training.

Willow -Kooikerhonje.

Dear Dean, Thank you so much again for saving Willow for us. We had got to the point where we believed we could not manage her and that she would be better off re-homed with more experienced dog owners. You listened carefully to our concerns, were so understanding of the situation and gently gave us the confidence and tools we needed to persevere. You were a ray of light in a what was a difficult time. We’re now loving our time with Willow and have a clear understanding of the way forward with her. We can’t thank you enough. The Clapham family.

Clovis – Welsh terrier.

‘Dean met us on the Heath to do a session with Clovis, a lovely but over-energetic Welsh Terrier puppy, and my three children aged 12, 10 and 8 (lovely but also sometimes over-energetic!). He was incredibly patient and intuitive with both canine and human youngsters. Understanding the psychology behind the training was key for me and he was brilliant at explaining this – essentially it’s all about encouraging the behaviour you want and preventing (rather than reactively correcting) the behaviour that you don’t want. We immediately began putting his philosophy into practice at home and so far I’m really noticing a difference in Clovis’ behaviour. His follow-up notes and reassurances are equally good.’

Freud – Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever:

We had got to the point where we weren’t sure if we would be able to keep Freud. His barking; high energy levels and often disobedient behaviour meant that home life with him was very difficult. Coupled with an 18-month old and another baby on the way we felt it was no longer fair to anyone. Nonetheless, we agreed to give it one last try with a new trainer. So in our final attempt we came across Dean and gave him a call.

We have only had one session with Dean so far but cannot stress enough how much change we have already seen. There has been such a huge improvement that even friends and family who know Freud have noticed and commented. Dean helped us to understand Freud’s needs in a way that no other trainer has done previously. He helped us take a softer more empathetic approach and explained some fundamentals in terms of how much ‘work out’ Freud actually needs, what food to give, games to play etc.

We are so thrilled we decided to work with Dean and are ecstatic with the results achieved so far. We know this is just the start of a really wonderful transformation and for that we are extremely grateful!

DINA – RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK:

Dean’s modern training methodology and practice has been inspiring. Informed, considered and collaborative, guiding Dina and the whole family on an ever evolving journey through training and equipping us with the tools and importantly the positivity of attitude to continue the ever evolving relationship with our dog. The results have been amazing with Dina a balanced, obedient and social dog and deserving of our growing love and respect.

BODI – HUNGARIAN VIZLA:

Dean is an exceptional trainer and our well behaved, happy puppy, Bodi, is testament to his amazing teaching. The sessions with Dean have been fun and the way he cleverly applies techniques to achieve the desired goals makes it easy to get results. I still laugh at Will and I trying out clicker training so we could understand what Bodi would be going through. Dean is always on hand for urgent questions and has enabled us to be confident and consistent in our approach with Bodi. Although the sessions seemed expensive at first they have been worth every penny and we will continue to use Dean to challenge and develop Bodi into a valued and appreciated member of the family.

Mr Darcy – YORKSHIRE TERRIER:

Hello, thank you so much for yesterday. You made everything simple for us and you are easy to get along with. The kids think your great and they said they learnt so much more with you in 90mins than they have with all the other trainers combined.. I concur!! So thank you!! – Anj, family & Mr Darcy

MOOSE – FLAT COAT RETRIEVER:

Training sessions with Dean Ashton are essential for any new dog owner.

From the day our retriever puppy arrived home Dean’s expertise and energy enabled us to better understand and enjoy the new addition to our family. His compassionate and highly successful approach to dog training has helped encourage our dog to be both excellently responsive and obedient as well as enjoy a great freedom to play- we have a happy dog, with a constantly wagging tail, what more could you ask for! – Thank you Dean. Mr and Mrs Conroy and Moose – woof ! ”

MOUSE – CHIHUAHUA:

She is fetching like a total champion! At first she didn’t even look at the ball, but I did what you said – She got it in about 20 minutes and now she’ll bring it back pretty much every time. We’ve moved on to practising outside and she’ll sometimes get distracted by a smell or something on her way to getting the ball but quite often if I just wait, she remembers and goes and gets it. It’s super cool and really fun for me! Plus I’m really proud that she got it so fast. Gonna keep working on it til it’s rock solid!

Dunder – Beagle:

When we first got our beagle pup, we were pretty overwhelmed, so we contacted Dean and he saved the day. In the first lesson alone, he had Dunder loving his crate, taught us about cue words, food puzzles, how to housetrain, how to soft bite, how to stop him biting altogether, and most importantly, how to build positive relationship with our pup. It was clear that Dean really cared about Dunder’s progress, as he’d give us homework assignments and check up on us throughout the week. His lesson on self-control and eye contact was especially impressive. We were told by many people that our beagle would never be off a lead because he’s a scent hound, but with Dean’s encouragement and training, Dunder is now very happily off the lead and his recall is ace. He is so much happier off the lead in the park! In our final puppy lesson, Dean taught us some fun games to play with Dunder, which has really helped us create an even stronger bond with our pup. We’ll definitely be meeting up with Dean again for the odd lesson here and there, simply because he has such great ideas, is so knowledgeable, our pup loves his lessons, and he is generally a lovely person be around. We would highly recommend Dean to anyone with a dog. -Kimberly & Matt Bayliss

Amazing training session today with #dogtrainer Dean @LdnDogTrainer We have one sleepy dog! #puppy #training #londonpic.twitter.com/zWlGYDOPYN – – Jen Michalski Bray

PERRY – COCKERPOO:

We contacted Dean regarding our overexcited, eleven month old cockapoo. She has always been very smart and easy to handle, but around other dogs she would forget anything she was taught nor care to listen when her name was called. The only thing she’d become concerned with was playing with the other dog. During our first session with Dean, we saw dramatic improvements in her listening, excitability and impulse control. It’s not even a week from the first session and the difference is unbelievable. We’ve read books and researched online on how to get her to be more relaxed and less excitable around other dogs and we couldn’t find anything that worked… Luckily we found Dean! He even provided us with a very detailed email outlining everything we learned in the session tailored to Perry’s needs. I would highly recommend Dean’s training sessions to anyone with a dog! – James & Jennifer, Perry the Cockapoo’s parents

LOTTIE – LABRADOR:

Dean has been very helpful advising me and working with my dog, Lottie, on overcoming a particular phobia. His positive, clear approach has given me the tools and confidence to work with Lottie and to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Dean is very friendly and generous about keeping in touch and offering ad hoc advice phone advice should I need it.

“Thank u dean u r amazing!! fantastic job with our little louis. Today he responded 2 everything you tought us. Brilliant!!!”

Hazel Amper & Louis via Twitter Doberman Pinscher

“We have an Estrela Mountain Dog called Zuki who we were having huge pulling on the lead problems and behaviour and communication problems with.
 He would pretty much have it his way or no way as he would turn and play bite if you say no. 
After having reached out to other dog trainers and tried beginner courses we were getting quite frustrated that nothing was working and we were not able to go out and have fun with Zuki as it was quite a difficult situation with such a large breed. This is when I found Dean and read all about what he does and with Zuki already being 8 months I thought we need to do something quick.
 Dean came to visit us at home and listened to all our concerns and he did something that no other dog trainer did, which was to explain the why’s, and made us see things from a different point of view. After we understood the why’s Dean then explained the how’s and since that first visit Zuki’s behaviour has changed immensely. Dean introduced to us a really simple but very effective exercise which has been making all the difference since day one. He has helped us to have confidence in doing more fun things with Zuki and still be in control. Zuki even does heelwork