Testimonials
In the interest of being open and honest, I am in a relationship with a member of the Mindful Handler family, however this review has not been influenced in anyway and is based on my experience. The assessment was arranged and on the day we spent the first 15 to 20 minutes discussing my dog's history and our family rules and routines. I'll admit I was a little in the dark around the Mindful Handler ethos, however during our chat it was explained and it really does make a lot of sense. Our dog is a cockerpoo, she came to us from a rescue situation and she's aged around 12 to 18 months. We've had dogs before and we thought a non-shedding breed with a bit of intelligence and energy would suit our lifestyle well. Some obedience skills are great, she'll Sit, Down, Give Paw and most of the time she will Wait or stay when at home. Most of our problems are when she is out on a walk, or should I say drag! We have had four sessions with The Mindful Handler guys and we've tried to maintain the rules and homework in between training sessions. She is calm when I put the lead on her, she walks the majority of the time on a loose lead and in the "heel box". We've had to tighten up our house rules which has had mixed success, but overall she is well on her way to being a well mannered family dog. I would and have recommended The Mindful Handler to those in our circle that have dogs. Understanding that the way we live and how our dog fits with that is a big part of the fix. Thank you.
R.S. Alsager.
My labrador was on his last chance. Biscuit is 3 years old and is a huge lump that eats ANYTHING. He walks good and he is careful around children. The biggest issue has been the eating/chewing and barking when I am out at work. So far he has consumed/destroyed three sofa's, countless shoes and my clothes. The Mindful Handler popped up on a search on google and after a chat on the phone they came to do an assessment. The conversation was hard to take in places because the stuff he's been doing comes back to what I do and don't do with him. I have gotten angry and shouted and cried and pondered rehoming him. The Mindful Handler approach is about introducing proven techniques, short homework things to do every do for a few minutes, adjusting the way I react or respond or sometimes ignore and then there is the house rules. At first I felt a bit stubborn about that but now we are a few sessions down the line, it is more of a routine and Max isn't put in a position where the bad habits are ruling his choices.
M.T. Stone
We really wanted to get a Belgian Malinois and had to get permission from the landlord before we started to look for puppies. Just by absolute chance we saw a poster that offered advice on puppies and preparation to bring one home. We are both 21 and work shifts, which can sometime leave the apartment empty for 4 or 6 hours. We do live active lives and go to the gym and outdoor stuff on our days off. My partner is pregnant and will be at home for 12 months after the baby comes so will be good for a pup. We called the number and left a message for the Mindful Handlers and we had a call back the same day. They visited us at 7pm a few nights later and we had an hour and a half of discussions about breed types, individual breeds and all of the advice made huge sense. A Malinois needs a lot more space and secure garden space and constant stimulation, we would of ended up either having a stressed and possibly destructive dog or ended up rehoming it. We've put it on hold for a while and decide to have a smaller dog renowned for its devotion and reliability around children. We had a few ideas and after consultation we decided on a blue Staffy and the dog trainer from Mindful Handler came with us to help choose the right pup. He gave us a plan to support the pup's first night, days and weeks following with us. We are so happy and can highly recommend The Mindful Handler for support, knowledge and experience around preparation and establishing the rules and guidelines to nurture a new dog into a perfect puppy, that's happy, balanced, confident and loved.
H & C Penkull
The Mindful Handler was with his own dog in my local park, doing some training drills. We got chatting and he invited me to shadow the play / training he was doing. It was all about getting the dog to come back when off the lead. Reliable recall is what most people think they have when they let their dog off, but without proper training and continuous skill honing they are only a "Squirrel Moment" away from a potential mishap or worse. I booked Cassie in and a few appointments along, she is so good at it, I am proud of it and very thankful for the fair priced and fun training we are having, it really does work. Do not hesitate to give them a call, this is how training should be for everyone.
S.L. Burslem
Gunner my GSD is a strong willed and powerful lad. He's been getting a bit lively for me as I'm in my late 60's. I phoned around looking for fair prices and to ask about dog trainers breed experience and training style. Dog Training isn't cheap anywhere, The Mindful Handler are fair priced, the information and advice is in plain English and they don't take Gunner from me, I have the process explained and put it into practice with tweaks made by the trainer. Sometimes he gets his dog out to demonstrate the drill. This style suits me, no point in someone teaching my dog to do something and then Gunner doesn't do it the same for me. So far so good with The Mindful Handler, it's a refreshing and positive approach and Gunner and I look forward to our session.
B.H. Congleton
