Services

Behaviour 1-2-1 Programmes

Our one-to-one behaviour programmes are ideal for dogs displaying behaviour suggestive of human- or dog-directed aggression, resource guarding, separation anxiety, inappropriate chasing, or anxiety/nervousness/fear in environments like the vets, cars or a specific walk location.

A testimonial from a 2024 client who had a terrier that was reactive to other dogs, had fought with other dogs in the household and behaved aggressively towards humans in the household that says: "Just a little message to say, both George and I have recently said how much more enjoyable Boris is being to own!! I know it's only a little step but the routine thing is deffo a huge factor in his behaviour! ... And I also am quite keen to book into or put my name down for reactive rovers when you next have a slot free! Especially now I'm finding a little bit more confidence with Boris!"

A testimonial from a 2023 client who had a terrier that was reactive to other dogs that says: "... I'm really happy with the way Dan's training is going. I am more relaxed on walks and I think Dan is enjoying them too. He responds really well to the 'Yip' marker command and we managed to avoid any reaction to two dogs coming from two different directions when crossing the lane from our house to the park this morning. Result!"

A client testimonial from 2022 about a Patterdale that was reactive to other dogs, even fighting with other dogs in the household that reads: "... Just thought I'd give you a quick update on Nutmeg. We've kept up the training, got to the stage now where when she sees a cockapoo that might previously have triggered her she instead looks straight to me for a treat. Managed to win the Epsom Terrier Derby yesterday so still has a good turn of speed! But more satisfying was that she spent the whole day in a field full of dogs, many of whom were overexcited and/or badly behaved, and she stayed calm throughout which was amazing. ... Just wanted to say thanks for all the help and advice, from where we were at with her when I first reached out to you to where we are now is night and day. Genuinely thought at one point if we couldn't improve her behaviour that my wife wouldn't be able to cope with keeping her."

A client testimonial from 2021 that reads: "Just wanted to let you know that we had a great time at Poundbury field today, the scatter food trick worked brilliantly on both dogs and it was the perfect place to do it. Thanks so much for telling me about it. We have also just had a brilliant walk near home too and using the same technique we all managed to enjoy ourselves for a change! Both dogs are responding to it so well and we've even seen an improvement already in their calmness levels and loose lead walking..."

Training 1-2-1 Programmes

One-to-one training programmes are the perfect service for dogs over 6 months old to teach things like the perfect recall, loose lead walking, what to do instead of jumping up either at people or things like the kitchen counter.

Puppy 1-2-1 Programmes

Perfect for any puppy behaviour, be it biting or how to prepare for leaving your puppy home alone. Suitable for dogs under 6 months of age.

Reactive Rovers

This 6 week course is designed to help dogs who:

bark at,
lunge at,
try to run away from,
growl at,
maybe even try to bite

other dogs. If you are unsure about the suitability of your dog for this course, please book a call via the button below, I’m more than happy to provide guidance.

This course is designed to give owners of dogs who struggle around other dogs the skills they need to enjoy their walks again. It is not designed to fix your dog’s reactivity, it is simply the first step in doing so.

A testimonial from a 2024 client, Jo Nuttall, that says: "Paw by Paw helped with our reactive spaniel a few years ago, so when we grew the family by 4 paws a couple of years later, we knew that we wanted the puppy to go to the puppy classes for the best start for him. The foundations for recall proved particularly invaluable as his teenage spaniel nose ruled his brain for a while! Fast forward another few years to another 4 paws joining the family, again, there was no question she would do the puppy classes. A rescue this time, and therefore a bit older, classes and exercises were adapted by the PbyP team to take this into account. We lent heavily on all advice as we navigated introducing a nervous, inexperienced youngster into the big wide world. We also had a lovely time in the Hoopers classes once we had finished pups. Paw by Paw will always be a part of our canine support network, highly recommend their classes and services."

A testimonial from a 2023 client that reads: "I attended Reactive Rovers with my leash reactive dog Bella last year. The course introduced some new ideas for me and reinforced that some of the things I'd been doing weren't completely wrong. Emma was brilliant throughout the whole thing, willing to offer extra help and toilet the activities within the course to each individual dog's requirements. The course reiterated to me that Bella was capable of being around other dogs without reacting which in turn gave me the confidence to continue working with her knowing that I wasn't doing everything wrong."

A testimonial fro a 2022 client that reads: "... I really enjoyed the time with you and your girls, you are all very knowledgeable, friendly and professional. They say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I would disagree, I am definitely an OLD DOG being 60 years of age, and you proved to me that the most important need was to train me rather than my Wesite, Wilber. Wilber reacted very well to your methods and clearly enjoyed the sessions. If anything it was a bit of bonding time between me and Wilber. This came at a good time because we have recently added a puppy into the household... I have used everything I learned with you on Wilber and on the new puppy and it is helping a lot. You did state that it would not cure reactive problems immediately but put me on the path to gradually fix things. Wilber is much better when he meets other dogs now and on the occasions when he reacts badly, I know how to deal with the situation."

A testimonial from a 2021 client that reads: "Just thought I would let you know the training is starting to shine through in Benson... We passed 6 dogs all within line of sight at various proximities and directions to us and no barking whatsoever! Benson listened to commands and came and sat in front of me to get a treat and then carried on walking (on lead at all times). He did pay close attention to all of the dogs and carefully watched them two or three times as they passed us (none were touching proximity), but there was no growling and no barking!! His fear reactivity to the outside world in general is also starting to get less intense. Thank you for all your help and support with the reactive rovers training. Looking forward to more classes in the new year."

Puppy Classes

This 6 week course is designed for puppies from 8 weeks to 6 months old at the time of the course starting.

Topics covered on this course include:

socialisation
positions (sit, settle)
teaching your puppy to do multiple behaviours for one reward
focus
loose lead walking
impulse control
toy play
door manners
polite greetings
teaching your puppy to be happy to be home alone
body language
introductions to other family members (babies, toddlers, children, cats, existing dogs, small animals)
stay
preventing jumping up

recall
go to bed/crate/mat
hand touch (loose lead walking, recall, preventing jumping up)
preventing resource guarding
preparation for veterinary/grooming visits
preventing separation anxiety
crate training
toilet training
getting your puppy to sleep through the night
fear & how to handle it
diet
spaying & neutering
teething & biting

Scent Club

A rolling course for dogs of any age to learn about scent detection – one of the best ways of tiring your dog out and meeting their most natural canine needs.

This course is suitable for puppies and adult dogs alike, breeds, dogs with physical limitations and dogs who require space from other dogs or people as long as they can see them within 10 metres without reacting.

Hoopers Club

A rolling course for dogs of any age to learn about hoopers – a sport like agility but with hoops instead of jumps.

This course is suitable for puppies and adult dogs alike, breeds, and dogs with some physical limitations that may rule out agility as an activity for them.

Canine College

A rolling course aimed at training dogs general manners, topics are dictated by participants in the class but regularly focuses on recall, loose lead walking, not jumping up, not being overexcited, impulse control, go mat, confidence building and trick training.

This course is suitable for dogs who need space from people or other dogs as long as they can see them within 10 metres without reacting.

Buddy Programmes

If you would love 1-2-1 training but it’s stretching your budget, our semi-private buddy sessions are the ideal alternative.

Puppies

Puppies are wonderful but can be quite a shock to the system, especially if it’s your first puppy or you have had a few years in between your current puppy and your last dog. We offer a number of pre-puppy sessions for owners who are unsure of how to prepare for their new arrival or even how to select their new family member, classes and one-to-one programmes for puppies who are already home.

Training Walks

If you’re really struggling with your dog’s behaviour or are pushed for time, training walks are ideal for you. One of our trainers will take your dog out and about for an hour whilst training them at the same time.

Workshops

If you’re unable to attend our classes, don’t want to commit to a 6 week course or simply want to address a single, specific problem with your dog then our selection of one-off workshops are a great option for you! These are held at a number of locations around Dorchester and Weymouth.

Webinars

Our selection of webinars are ideal if you would like to learn more about specific elements of your dog’s behaviour without having to attend in person or commit to a set of dates.