My wife and I, having had golden retrievers for over 30 years, became concerned when our 2 year-old golden retriever Bracken started to show aggression towards other male dogs. The problem came to a head when Bracken and a dog belonging to some visitors had a fight in our hallway. Not knowing quite what to do for the best we approached our vet to ask whether we should consider castration. Her advice was that castration would make Bracken worse if he was suffering from a fear aggression but might help if he was showing dominance aggression. Although we felt fairly confident that Bracken was suffering from a fear aggression (he had been attacked by two different male dogs in the period leading up to the fight with our visitor's dog)
we could not be absolutely sure and,even if we had been sure, we would not have known what to do. We contacted Brian at Dogs Listen Up after seeing one of his leaflets in the Carlisle branch of Pets at Home. A quick look at his website confirmed that he would undertake a series of one-to-one sessions at our home and,although £200 seemed to be quite a lot at first, we nevertheless decided to contact Brian and seek his help. All we can say is that it was £200 very well spent. After spending nearly 3 hours with us on his first visit Brian had convinced us that Bracken's aggression was because he lacked confidence. Moreover, we were partly to blame as we were treating Bracken too much like a child and not enough like a dog. In short, our pack lacked pack-structure! In the 6 one-to-one sessions that we had with Brian we have been shown how to relate to Bracken in a way that will make him feel more secure and confident - and thus more able to face other dogs without ailways thinking that attack is the best form of defence. Bracken is not yet fully cured of his tendency to be grumpy towards other dogs but he is far, far better than he was.Indeed, we are also enjoying somefringe-benefits in that
we have a dog that is much happier and relaxed than he used to be and is a joy to walk on a lead ( before Brian's help Bracken would often pace the house whimpering and would pull like mad when he was on the lead). Also, Bracken sometimes lacked appetite (unheard of in a golden retriever) but this is much improved too. Some time ago we had need of another dog behaviourist but we both felt that his single visit was an event rather than a program. with Brian we had 6 long sessions each of which built on the previous ones. In addition, without additional charge charge, Brian invited us to attend his weekly group classes for dogs
with behavioural problems (referred to us as Grumpy Classes). We are grateful to Brian for his patience - and for the fact that he didn't make us do anything that we felt uncomfortable about! All in all we would not hesitate to recommend Dogs Listen Up. It may not be possible to work miracles but with Brian's expertise has helped enormously.

Dora was a lovely but hyperactive black lab dog, but thanks to Brian she is just as lovely but a lot calmer. We have followed Brian’s training schedule and with his help she has learned a lot of commands. Brian also advised us to buy a cage as Dora loved chewing everything she saw, that I can state was a very good investment as she loves sitting in her cage when she wants some quiet time and we don’t have to worry about what has been chewed when we go out.
I just want to say a big thank you to Brian for helping to achieve a rebelious pup into a loving adorable dog.

We had no experience with dogs when we got our puppy Rosie, and very quickly we found having her was dominating our time and energy. Thank goodness Brian came along because he helped show us how to keep Rosie in her place and helped us enjoy having a dog. The training is simple to follow, so all the family have been keen to put it in to practice and the results have been really encouraging.

Thank you Brian.

Excellent course ! I thoroughly recommend it. I am finding it much easier to manage our excitable year old border collie.

I contacted Brian so I could brush up on my skills when I acquired a Border Terrier(ist) puppy "Silas". Having had dogs for 30 years you always assume you know what you are doing. I was wrong! Silas was fine I needed training and so away we went. Its so important to get the right training, right from the start, as a busy pet owner my consistency and technique with Silas lacked something, Brian helped me with a consistent yet simple approach so I could fit the training in while walking Silas with our other dog Frank. Extra sessions in the house and garden meant Silas and I sailed through the training. We passed with honours just today 09/02/2010, earlier than anticipated. I would advise anyone who is thinking of getting a dog to do the one to one with Brian if possible it concentrates you gives you a defined programme its great fun and as a trainer Brian is aware that your dog is still a pet they can still be part of your family, but a well behaved member (at least most of the time). Thank you Brian I enjoyed the training enormously.

We contacted Dogs Listen Up for our bearded Collie puppy Myllo. He was a typical boisterous puppy and we wanted to ensure that we were using the correct training methods to give him the best start in life. After arranging the first home session we did not know what to expect, however when Brian arrived we felt instantly at ease due to his friendly approach. Everything was explained in great detail, the pack structure of dogs along with good examples of how to implement each training method. We worked on commands sit, stay & down and recall, Myllo picked these up quickly and we continue to work on them. Brian made the lessons enjoyable for all. During Brian's visits we discussed diet and appreciated Brian being open minded with regards to Myllo being naturally reared. Although our home sessions have finished
Brian has made us welcome at his group sessions an extended part of the training to mix with other dogs and handlers. We would have no hesitation in recommending Brian and his training methods to anyone with a dog young or old who want a well behaved pet and know that he is at the end of the phone should problems arise. Thanks Brian.

When we decided we were taking the leap to get a puppy we wanted to be more than prepared ( damage limitation ) especially since our puppy is an Alaskan Malamute.
We came across Brian at Pets at Home one day when we were looking for supplies. After reading his customers testimonials and listening to what he offered we decided it was fantastic value for money and were really keen to do the 1 - 1 training. So we booked him there and then. The stages of training were great, 1st he trained us prior to Indy arriving. We had 3 hours pre puppy session to get us prepared with equipment, information and advice. Following this were the 1 - 1 sessions which we all benefited and progressed well, we found them very useful as any questions or concerns we had we could discuss them at length with Brian, and he was on call incase we needed advice between sessions. The sessions are tailor made to accommodate your needs at the time as well as obedience training fantastic.
Also included were the puppy classes which Indy loved for socialising with other dogs. We were more than happy with the complete package and will continue to pester Brian for tips and advice. Thank you so much Brian.

Brian’s help with Mya has been wonderful. We love her very much and are keen for her to become a happy, balanced dog and a faithful companion to us both. But of course Mya is a puppy and needs to learn acceptable behaviour. Brian has given us excellent practical advice and training, and yes we needed to learn how to behave too! We were given 1 to 1 support and went along to Brian’s puppy socialisation classes. We would recommend Brian and both approaches to anyone with a dog. Brian was very patient with us and took a lot of time to find out more about us in order to tailor his approach to our needs. Mya is a happy dog and we are much more confident with her since we began to work with Brian. We still have goals we want to achieve and now we are sure we can do it. Many thanks for everything Brian.

Firstly I have to say, Brian was a lifesaver! Amber is my first dog so I was very nervous about all of the different things I would have to learn in order to train her, which is why I chose Dogs Listen up. Amber is a border Terrier with a mind of her own and can be quite stubborn! However with Brian’s help and training she is now a well behaved dog doing as she is told. Although she can still be a little stubborn at times, at 8 months old we can relax in the knowledge that we can take her out anywhere and she will always come back to us when called. The reason I wanted help was to ensure that I could learn properly how to train my dog and I have found Brian very helpful in achieving this. I would like to thank you for this Brian and I know that your always just a call away if I need your help.

A very good and through service with a positive and great result. It has been a pleasure for the family and Tia to learn with Brian and his colleagues. Great advice for the future and it's good to know that we can call anytime in the future.