Are you getting a puppy soon? Would you like to know what to expect? Do you want to give your puppy the best start to living with you? If you answered YES a 40 minute Speaking Spaniel Puppy Prep video session may be just what you need.
Further DetailsPersonalised one to one spaniel puppy programme for spaniels, cockapoos and other spaniel crossbreeds from 8 weeks. Your individual programme can commence in your home as soon as your puppy has settled in. and is designed to help you build your confidence, communication & connection The programme is individual to you and your puppy to help and support while you learn to understand their needs, personality & natural instincts & how to harness them as they develop. As well as providing puppy support and advice including: biting, barking, jumping up, calmness, manners and assisting with life long routines. Puppy training programmes take place in your home or a suitable public location.
Further DetailsPersonalised one to one spaniel puppy plus training programme for spaniels Cockapoos & other spaniel crossbreeds, which can commence once they have completed the spaniel puppy programme or another puppy training course up until they are 6 months. Your programme is designed to help you build your confidence, communication and connection in real life situations & distractions. including the countryside, popular dog exercise park, woodland or public recreation area & town. The puppy plus training programme is personal to you and your older spaniel puppy, to help and support you both while you learn to navigate the real world. and are available at appropriate locations near your home. Puppy plus training programmes take place in your home or suitable public location.
Further DetailsPersonalised one to one adolescent training programme for spaniels Cockapoos & other spaniel crossbreeds once they have reached 6 months until they are approximately 18 months. Your programme is specifically designed to help you and your adolescent dog navigate their way through hormonally charged and sometimes scary adolescent period. Also to help you maintain you and your dog's confidence, communication & connection during this period. We will hold sessions in real life situations & distractions. including local countryside, woodland or public recreation & urban areas. Adolescent dog training programmes take place in your home or a suitable public location.
Further DetailsPersonalised one to one programme for spaniels, cockapoos & other spaniel crossbreeds at any age after adolescence who require an in home assessment and a specific individual training plan for single or multiple issues. Programmes are personal to you and your dog are designed to help and support with any important issues. Including :understanding their individual needs, natural instincts & learn how to harness them, by building your confidence, & relationship and improving recall, lead walking, Communication & connection = confidence programmes take place initially in your home or a suitable public location.
Further DetailsPersonalised one to one dog behaviour support programme for spaniels, Cockapoos & other spaniel crossbreeds from 5 months who may require an in home assessment and a specific individual behaviour modification plan for single or multiple issues. The programmes are individual to you and your dog's needs and are designed to help and support with any behavioural issues. Including: chasing, barking, anxiety, biting & chewing, guarding, separation and reactivity. Behaviour support programmes take place in your home or a suitable public location.
Further DetailsTraining and behaviour support video programme For spaniels, Cockapoos and other spaniel crossbreeds Suitable for dogs that are anxious around new people or with issues that do not require hands on support. Or if you are outside the area that I cover for face to face sessions.
Further DetailsTrainer & Support
I am Gill I don't have any nick names that I know about or care to make public. I have been a "dog trainer" for 8 years and you can read more about me on the About Speaking Spaniel page. I am from Cheshire and lived in Hampshire for the last 25 years and moved to Shropshire during the summer of 2024. I am so looking forward to continuing my Speaking Spaniel journey with you and your fabulous dogs. I specialise in Spaniels, Cockapoos and other spaniel cross breeds as I have two who I have introduced on this page and I just love their passion for life and loyalty. But have also experienced the more challenging sides of their personalities such as their sensitivities, hunting instincts and independence which I initially tried to address using general pet training methods. These methods worked to a point but I soo realised that each breed of dog has it's own needs, personality, and natural instincts that one person could never master them all. I therefore decided I to expand my knowledge so I could specialise in a particular group of dogs and where better to do this than with my own amazing dogs. who had already taught me so much. In 2022 Speaking Spaniel was born and has developed over the two year to what it is today and while I continue to learn it will develop further. My focus is on helping my clients to understand their dog's individual needs, personality and instincts while focussing on their communication confidence & connection. I only use gentle and pain free methods and will never use pain or coercion to achieve results. When I am not helping clients I am hoping to get involved int the local community and make new friends through my love of the countryside and photography
Wing Dog
Mo is my first "wing dog" he is a older and very gentle man. He is as Springer x Cocker and will be 14 next birthday so he is living his dream in a more leisurely way as he is now deaf and has stiff joints. He competed in agility for a number of years but now just loves hunting and "spanielling" around. His favourited thing these days is finding something lovely to roll in or eat. This morning it was a fully plucked bird carcass probably thanks to a sparrow hawk and we do a weekly tracking session which he adores. Mo was the reason I became a dog trainer and then a spaniel specialist as when he was 2 or 3 he chased a hare over 2 fields and a road and was hit by a car on his way back to me. Fortunately he was repaired by some fantastic vets and is still a happy dog over 10 years later. Apart for hunting and finding dead things he loves carrying socks and shoes, cuddles and food. Since his accident though he does have anxiety issues around other dogs and if we get to work together and you would like me to I can tell you the whole story.
Wing Dog
Cleo is my second "wing dog" , she is a7 next birthday and is a crazy working cocker who I adopted at 6 months as she was too much for the family with small children she came from. Cleo is as mad as a box of frogs who has two speeds asleep or 100mph. Her working traits are amazing she will hunt and chase all day if allowed so we ensure she gets to use theses skills in appropriate and safe ways and she is my partner when I am learning new skills and techniques to use with my clients. Cleo did start agility but when the pandemic hit we stopped and didn't go back. We now do regular mantrailing, tracking and scentwork which I am hoping to add to my services soon. Apart from hunting, tracking Cleo loves water , she can find it anywhere we go even if it is a trough, she is a very tactile and needs to be on or attached to you hence her name "Chocolate Armrest" as that is where she spends all here evenings on the sofa next to me.
This a question I ask myself often. My answer to this is that it is because they are very very special animals and we sometimes do not appreciate how special they are. Most dogs regardless of how they are treated by us show us such undivided loyalty and affection. This should be respected and we should thank them every day for putting up with our inconsistency and unpredictability
Recall is one of the most regular behaviours I am asked to help with because if a dog can’t recall back to you in distracting or potentially dangerous environments the result can be at best annoying and embarrassing to you and others or at worse potentially dangerous for your dog and frightening for you if your dog is out of sight or have got themselves into a situation they or you are unable to deal with
Many of the initial enquiries I receive start with "How can I stop my puppy or dog ..........? doing things such as toileting in the house biting, chewing, barking, Jumping up, crying when left, guarding Items, chasing, pulling any other issues This blog will explain why these may not be answered successfully without seeking help from a dog trainer or behaviourist
Spaniels are full of personality, loyalty and have boundless energy and because of this they have long been chosen as companions for families. If you are new to spaniels being aware of their overriding hunting instinct that dates back centuries is important for your sanity and your relationship with them that you understand these instincts which underpin most of the activities, they enjoy.
Understanding Why Your Dog Barks & What You Can Do in the Different Situations Barking is one of your dog’s natural behaviours and one of their key methods of communication to us. other dogs and even inanimate objects. Even if we know and understand this, we as humans find barking irritating, annoying or embarrassing. In this blog, we'll delve into the understanding the emotional, & environmental to reasons why dogs bark and explore positive ways to manage and reduce excessive barking without compromising their happiness or well-being.
For many years it was normal & accepted practice for humans at school and for dogs in a training class to be taught in a classroom/hall environment where a "teacher" instructed & sometimes demonstrated to the class what they were learning that day and pupil/dog owner were supposed listen, maybe have ago and to go away with some "homework" and remember it before the next class. While I have been learning to become a better trainer I have found there are different and new ways to do many things that my client and their dogs expect from a dog trainer. One of the most enlightening to me was that over the last few decades the way people learn has been researched. It has now been accepted that one method does not fit all, as humans learn and retain information in different ways due to their physical limitations, genetics, upbringing, emotions, personalities & many other factors.
Speaking Spaniel is moving to Shropshire after working in Hampshire for 8 years and helping many families and their puppies and dogs. I am looking forward to meeting lots of new families with spaniels, cockapoos and other spaniel crossbreeds to work with. Face to face programmes will be available within 10 miles of Oswestry other locations in North Shropshire and the Welsh borders will include an additional travel charge depending on the distance. Online video programmes are available for dogs that are anxious around new people or with issues that do not require hands on support or if you are outside the area that I cover for face to face sessions.
Read MoreNEW Courses & Introductory Offer until 22nd October 2023 Helping you & your puppy or dog with 3 essential life skills. The courses are 1-2-1 and held in Clanfield, using methods which consider their needs, personality & natural instincts to build your relationship & confidence. Covering • Loose lead walking • Recall • Calm behaviours in public places Puppy Essentials (for puppies from vaccination to 5 months) 3 x 45-minute sessions held weekly Offer Price - £100 for bookings (price after offer ends £120) Essentials (for dogs from 5 months) 3 x 60 minute 1-2-1 sessions held fortnightly Offer Price - £125 for bookings (price after offer ends £150) Available Monday to Thursday
Read MoreNEW Starting Saturday 24th June 2023 Speaking Puppy confidence communication & socialisation sessions for all breeds up to 20 weeks 9.30am mini and small breeds 10.30am medium & large breeds. Come and join us for on and off lead fun with your puppies. This is a controlled play and confidence building session for you and your puppy held at my training field near Clanfield This sessions must be booked in advance and are limited to 5 puppies per session
Read MoreI have just completed and passed L.E.G.S.® Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation® Professional Course and I am now a Certified Family Dog Mediator. This is one of the most exciting courses I have completed. I read Kim Brophey's book Meet Your Dog and loved the content and started using the concept in my training until I could join the course. Family Dog Mediation is bringing the integrated scientific concepts of “WHY” behaviour occurs together with the “HOW” of behaviour change for comprehensive& effective practice that considers the whole picture of your dog using the L.E.G.S. method. The L.E.G.S method considers you and your dog's Learning Environmental Genetic Self (personal) Preferences and background when working with you both. I will be incorporating this when working with my clients and their lovely dog's whenever required.
Read MoreBlack Friday Week Offer 20% OFF & only a £50 DEPOSIT* to secure On the Speaking Spaniel Personalised programmes for puppies & dogs One to one 3 or 5 session packages All of the Speaking Spaniel programmes & packages can be adapted for spaniel crossbreeds & gundogs The programmes & packages need to be booked and the deposit paid before midnight on 30th November 2022 and must start before 31st January 2023 To book contact me via https://www.speakingspaniel.co.uk/booking-enquiries and I will call you back to agree your start date and take you deposit. * Programme bookings are normally subject to payment at full at the time of booking
Read MoreThe speaking spaniel one to one course is designed for spaniels and spaniel cross breeds but is suitable for other gundog breeds & includes: 3 x 60 minute weekly sessions held held at the Green Lane Park Clanfield The initial course will cover: Focus & engagement activities Recall Loose lead walking A follow on course can be booked if required Initial programme (as described) - £150 Follow on block of 3 x 60min sessions - £150 This one to one course is suitable for spaniels from 12 weeks. As this is a public space so will not be suitable if your spaniel has reactivity issues with dogs or people.
Read MoreI am so proud. This week I was awarded the top Private Dog Trainer South England (Hampshire) Award. Selected by Prestige Awards who have be championing small businesses for a number of years. I was so shocked as I have never won an award before and also the fact I was even nominated. The other thing that made me so proud is it was for of my recently launched Speaking Spaniel Personalised Programmes. This is something I had wanted.to do for a long time but didn't have the confidence to do and I took the plunge this year.
Read More