You have come to the right place to resolve dog problem behaviour!

My name is Ian Mackay and I have been helping owners to resolve their dogs’ behaviour problems since 2007.  Dog Listening is not just a dog training method, it’s a way of life.  It really works.

By giving your dog simple signals, he will be relaxed and a pleasure to own.  He will be a dog you can take anywhere.   If you live in or around the Hampshire area, I can help you to achieve that.

Traditional dog training won’t improve your dog’s problem behaviour.

Command-based training, if based on positive, reward-based methods, is perfect for teaching your dog to perform an action – such as sitting or recall – because you are asking the dog to do something and rewarding him for doing it.  That’s the approach I use myself.  But commands won’t work if he is doing something you don’t want him to do.  If you tell him to “get down!”, you might assume you are correcting him but you are actually rewarding him by showing him that he gets your attention when he jumps up – because you speak to him!  So you are reinforcing the behaviour you are trying to change.

Ordinary training methods are ineffective in dealing with dogs that have problem behaviour because the training approach attempts to correct the symptoms, failing to tackle the underlying cause of the dog’s problems.  Training methods that punish the dog when he displays the unwanted behaviour actually make his behaviour worse.  Recent research has shown that punishment is the leading cause of dog aggression such as lunging, growling and biting, damaging the relationship between the dog and its owner in the process.  Some training techniques are based on theories that are totally incorrect and will never resolve a dog’s behaviour.

Unfortunately, dogs don’t communicate in English and they don’t think in the same way as humans, so they need to be trained using their own language by an approach that takes into account the dog’s nature and the way the dog actually thinks.  Your dog needs to be trained in a way he can understand.

Dog Listening is an amazingly effective, simple, gentle yet powerful way to improve your dog’s behaviour without the use of force, domination or gadgets – whatever your lifestyle, the breed of dog, its gender or its age.  If you are looking for dog training in the Hampshire area, Dog Listening provides a complete solution by showing him that his undesirable behaviour is unnecessary.  He will become a pleasure to own – a calm, relaxed dog that you can take anywhere.

Once his behaviour is resolved, you will find that any activities you subsequently undertake with your dog, such as agility or tracking, are much more effective and enjoyable due to the strong bond you will have developed with your dog.
Your dog will seek to co-operate with you.  You are now a team!

Your dog will be happy and stress-free.

Once he is off-duty and free of his responsibilities, you will actually be able to have fun with your dog!  He will be able to play.

Many dogs don’t play or will only play on their terms.  Play is important in establishing and maintaining the appropriate relationship with your dog.  By playing with your dog, you will be relaxed and that feeling will transmit to your dog.  He should prefer to interact with you than with other dogs and play is an important element to help you to achieve this with your dog.

If you play a game of tug, let him win, at least sometimes.  On this basis, he will be encouraged to want to play with you more than if he was never allowed to win.  Your dog will not became ‘dominant’ as a result of this approach.  You are showing him that play with you is fun.  He will be keener to interact with you if the interactions with him are positive.  This is what you want.  It’s also what the dog wants.