Reviews & Testimonials For Graham Milgrew
Back to Trainer2nd July 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Aggression
Firstly, what really helped from the start was that I was told that Jo could help Dudley; this immediately made me feel more relaxed and that there was light at the end of the tunnel.
When Jo arrived, she put us both and Dudley at ease.
There was an immediate improvement with how Dudley greeted people at the door and when Jo explained how stressed he felt by having to answer the door, it all made sense. There is still work to do, but there was an immediate improvement, so thank you.
Trainer note from Graham
Dudley is a young miniature schnauzer. He is very anxious around meeting new people both in the home and outside and it got to the point where he nipped someone. This behaviour is common when a dog is trying to drive away what they are scared of. Although it is possible to avoid meeting dogs it is almost impossible to avoid seeing people when out on walks so it will take time and effort on his owners part to rebuild his confidence. He is very keen to listen to his owners so I believe that they will be able to make a huge difference to Dudley's life.
Dudley is a young miniature schnauzer. He is very anxious around meeting new people both in the home and outside and it got to the point where he nipped someone. This behaviour is common when a dog is trying to drive away what they are scared of. Although it is possible to avoid meeting dogs it is almost impossible to avoid seeing people when out on walks so it will take time and effort on his owners part to rebuild his confidence. He is very keen to listen to his owners so I believe that they will be able to make a huge difference to Dudley's life.
30th June 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Aggression
The lesson was very enlightening and helpful. Not only did Jo explain how to perform the training she also explained the thorough reasoning behind it to give us a full picture. Jo herself was polite, patient and understanding which we greatly appreciated. Lottie responded so well to her calming influence and we saw marked improvement on the first lesson! We also learnt so much more than we have ever learnt from dog training classes before.
Trainer note from Graham
Lottie is a young Lakeland and Patterdale Terrier cross and is a very active young dog who needs lot of exercise. She has been well trained by her owners but sadly she has been attacked and badly injured twice by other dogs. As a result, over time she has steadily become more aggressive towards dogs. Her owners are very practical and walk her on a muzzle and lead for safety, but she lunges and barks when near any other dogs which is embarrassing for her owners. At this point we are working on getting control of Lotties lunging and barking but she has shown clear signs that she can be more relaxed around other dogs so we will do future work on this.
Lottie is a young Lakeland and Patterdale Terrier cross and is a very active young dog who needs lot of exercise. She has been well trained by her owners but sadly she has been attacked and badly injured twice by other dogs. As a result, over time she has steadily become more aggressive towards dogs. Her owners are very practical and walk her on a muzzle and lead for safety, but she lunges and barks when near any other dogs which is embarrassing for her owners. At this point we are working on getting control of Lotties lunging and barking but she has shown clear signs that she can be more relaxed around other dogs so we will do future work on this.
15th June 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Puppy management
Very good and useful - we have never had a dog puppy before and Jo gave us a lot of tips, guidance and information - we are looking forward to our next session.
Trainer note from Graham
These owners have an absolutely delightful Miniature Schnauzer boy. They booked their session before they got the puppy which proved to be fortunate as they had unexpected problems with separation anxiety. It is common for puppies to have this when they first come to their new home but their little boy puppy had it worse than most and was keeping them up every night. It is important that pups with this problem are safe and secure with their new owners and are then taught to separate properly. He was too young to go outside on the first visit so we will be doing lead walking on the follow up.
These owners have an absolutely delightful Miniature Schnauzer boy. They booked their session before they got the puppy which proved to be fortunate as they had unexpected problems with separation anxiety. It is common for puppies to have this when they first come to their new home but their little boy puppy had it worse than most and was keeping them up every night. It is important that pups with this problem are safe and secure with their new owners and are then taught to separate properly. He was too young to go outside on the first visit so we will be doing lead walking on the follow up.
11th June 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Aggression
On the very first meeting with Jo she noticed straight away how it had affected my husband and explained how it can be helped and put his mind at ease, a program was put in place and when she came back a week later could not believe how well penny had responded and my husband was a lot less stressed. We are both more calm in ourselves knowing in time her resource guarding will stop.
Trainer note from Graham
These owners have a 4 year old rescue Jack Russell girl. Penny was with them for over six months without any problem but then became aggressive to the male owner after she was spayed. She started to guard food and also the female owner so her husband couldn't enter the room without Penny lunging and barking at him. Resource guarding is a common behaviour in dogs. They will often guard their food, chews, toys, beds etc and can guard people. This is not personal. Penny showed similar behaviour with visitors. Dogs can be trained that humans are not a threat to them with calm and patient commitment from the owners. Although we cannot say why the possible trigger was when she was unwell after her spaying and it had then become a habit. Fortunately Penny has a great male owner who once he realised what was going on was prepared to tackle it. On my second visit Penny was developing a strong bonded relationship with him. It was great to see them both much happier.
These owners have a 4 year old rescue Jack Russell girl. Penny was with them for over six months without any problem but then became aggressive to the male owner after she was spayed. She started to guard food and also the female owner so her husband couldn't enter the room without Penny lunging and barking at him. Resource guarding is a common behaviour in dogs. They will often guard their food, chews, toys, beds etc and can guard people. This is not personal. Penny showed similar behaviour with visitors. Dogs can be trained that humans are not a threat to them with calm and patient commitment from the owners. Although we cannot say why the possible trigger was when she was unwell after her spaying and it had then become a habit. Fortunately Penny has a great male owner who once he realised what was going on was prepared to tackle it. On my second visit Penny was developing a strong bonded relationship with him. It was great to see them both much happier.
2nd June 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Barking, Jumping up
Jo did a fantastic job of quickly getting to the root cause of Cookie's behaviour issues. She listened attentively and provided structured feedback and solid ideas that we can use. It has only been 24 hours since Jo came to our home to work with Cookie, but through using her techniques, Cookie's behaviour has improved already. Jo is very approachable and clearly loves what she does for a living. I would highly recommend her for any training needs.
Trainer note from Graham
Cookie is a English Bull Terrier and I originally saw her as a puppy over two years ago. Her owners have done an excellent job of raising an obedient and well behaved dog. However, she is a sensitive dog and recent family changes have worried her and she has been playing up as a result. This can happen with any dog. They are social animals and respond to what is going on in their environment. Cookies owners are committed to helping her and I am confident that they will be able to sort it out very quickly.
Cookie is a English Bull Terrier and I originally saw her as a puppy over two years ago. Her owners have done an excellent job of raising an obedient and well behaved dog. However, she is a sensitive dog and recent family changes have worried her and she has been playing up as a result. This can happen with any dog. They are social animals and respond to what is going on in their environment. Cookies owners are committed to helping her and I am confident that they will be able to sort it out very quickly.
13th May 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Aggression, Barking
Jo was brilliant! Very relaxed, which meant I was relaxed. She took time to hear all about Riley and my concerns, and then talked through solutions - always explaining the theory behind what she was suggesting. By the time Jo left at the end of the first session, I had already noticed a change in Riley!! I've been putting in to practice the things I learned, and Riley is improving all the time! Looking forward to learning more from Jo in our next session
Trainer note from Graham
Riley is a young Maltese who barks at people in both the home, the car and when walking outside. His owner is taking him to Center Parcs this summer which has some dog friendly places when booked in advance and is very keen that he behaves himself when on holiday with the family. His behaviour is typical of young animals who get worried and express it by barking. He was very responsive to training and relaxed once his owner let him know what he should and shouldn't do. She has been practicing regularly and we have a further practice session booked in before she goes away with her family.
Riley is a young Maltese who barks at people in both the home, the car and when walking outside. His owner is taking him to Center Parcs this summer which has some dog friendly places when booked in advance and is very keen that he behaves himself when on holiday with the family. His behaviour is typical of young animals who get worried and express it by barking. He was very responsive to training and relaxed once his owner let him know what he should and shouldn't do. She has been practicing regularly and we have a further practice session booked in before she goes away with her family.
9th May 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Puppy management, Recall, Separation anxiety, Other
We have had 1 visit to date and Jo is great and explained what was essential for us to train Oona well. We do have separation issues with Oona so Jo is going to come to Sue's workplace which is a care home as she is hoping Oona will become a therapy dog there. Jo prepared a clear and concise training programme for us to work on with Oona. Already these are starting to work. Particularly the bell ringing to go out. People are so impressed. Recall has improved but still needs us to work at it. Looking forward to working with Jo and reaping the benefits.
Trainer note from Graham
This owner has a Border Terrier puppy. She works in a home for the elderly and it is critical that Oona develops into a well behaved dog. She gets lots of attention when at work and after my first visit she worked out that she could bark to get attention. This is very difficult as ignoring this type of behaviour is the quickest way to solve it, but this is not possible in a work place. We worked on how to redirect Oona on their second visit. She is an exceptionally bright puppy and her owner is making great progress with her.
This owner has a Border Terrier puppy. She works in a home for the elderly and it is critical that Oona develops into a well behaved dog. She gets lots of attention when at work and after my first visit she worked out that she could bark to get attention. This is very difficult as ignoring this type of behaviour is the quickest way to solve it, but this is not possible in a work place. We worked on how to redirect Oona on their second visit. She is an exceptionally bright puppy and her owner is making great progress with her.
7th May 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Aggression, Barking, Recall
Graham was very encouraging, keen to really understand our challenges with Poppy to really get focused on right training.
Very supportive and coaching us on approach with clear examples.
Highly recommend
1st May 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Pulling, Recall, Other
Bella is now a completely different dog in a very positive way. Additionally I have got much more confidence and can now take her for walks in the park without a lead. She responds really well to the whistle and this seemed to be the key to her change in behaviour. Jo is a very competent trainer and I am very pleased I availed of this service.
Trainer note from Graham
Bella is an 18 month old Golden Retriever who came from Mayhew Dog Rescue. She was very cautious with her new owners. She would get scared when taken out at night and plonk her bottom down and not move. She was also reluctant to come back when called and would just stand and look at them. This type of behaviour can happen with dogs who are fearful generally and can also happen if have been punished by previous owners. They are scared to make a mistake and shut down and don't respond. It was impossible to know with Bella as there was not much history. The key was to get her confidence in her owners. She responded really well to whistle recall (which never sounds angry!!) and on my second visit she was a totally changed dog. She clearly loved her new owners and had settled in with them really well.
Bella is an 18 month old Golden Retriever who came from Mayhew Dog Rescue. She was very cautious with her new owners. She would get scared when taken out at night and plonk her bottom down and not move. She was also reluctant to come back when called and would just stand and look at them. This type of behaviour can happen with dogs who are fearful generally and can also happen if have been punished by previous owners. They are scared to make a mistake and shut down and don't respond. It was impossible to know with Bella as there was not much history. The key was to get her confidence in her owners. She responded really well to whistle recall (which never sounds angry!!) and on my second visit she was a totally changed dog. She clearly loved her new owners and had settled in with them really well.
25th April 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Chewing, Digging, Hyperactivity, Jumping up, Pulling, Puppy management, Recall, Sibling rivalry, Toileting
We had 12 dogs of which 7 were 6 month old puppies when Jo and Graham came a year ago. We couldn't take them for walks and couldn't have visitors because the dogs would bark at them and jump up. This has all changed now and we are very happy. Jo and Graham gave advice on dog care and feeding which has proven to be of massive benefit. The techniques used have been amazing and worked out so well # HAPPY HOME # THANK YOU #
25th April 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Barking, Chewing, Digging, Jumping up, Recall, Other
Following Jo's visits I am enjoying the girls so much more - learning techniques to calm and control - the girls are happier and so am I. We have got more to do but we have achieved so much already. Thank you Jo.
24th April 2017 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Puppy management, Recall
I enjoyed very much meeting Jo for the first lesson. She spent over 3 hours explaining very valuable basics of raising and training our new puppy. The printed hand-outs are very helpful as they briefly summarise precisely what you need to know about crucial things in raising and managing your dog. Our puppy loved Jo too, she was great at teaching Jessie some basic commands and establishing a good contact with her straight away. Jo has been responsive and very helpful in providing follow-up assistance by email/sms and is always ready to help. I am happy that I have chosen Bark Busters and Jo Milgrew for our puppy.
