Terry
Andy came to help us with our Border Collie herding instincts. He took his time to meet us and the dog. How he was at home, what was our routine, how he was on a walk etc. He helped us to understand how a dog's mind works, and what a change that was. It is true that to solve a behaviour on a dog, takes time, whatsover, since he came on his first visit it was a game changer. He is not only outstanding at his job, he also knows how to work with the owners. Checking on us constantly and giving his advice. His knowledge and personal touch worth every single penny!
Lola
Andy, was brilliant! We got a 9 yr old Romanian Rescue who's anxious and nervous around off lead dogs especially those around the same size as her and had difficulty walking to heel. Andy recommended a figure of 8 loop round her nose which has eliminated any pulling when walking and she is much calmer now when off lead dogs come up and approach her. Thank you again for all your help and advice, 100% would recommend! Dogsense Ltd
Rome
Thanks to Andy and his vast amount of knowledge, I have a well-trained, happy dog I contacted Andy as I found out my year-old Rottweiler has severe separation anxiety and also because he didn’t travel well in the car from being a puppy his socialising skills were not very good and due to his size controlling him was getting a nightmare. From the word go Andy was very professional and knowledgeable in his field and after that first call, I felt so relieved that all Rome’s issues were resolvable by just training me. Andy is prepared to go the extra mile at every step and even travelled 4 hrs to come and see us in person, nothing is ever to much bother and he is always available at the end of the phone or email for that little bit of extra advice. I can’t recommend Andy and his work enough and thanks to him I have a massive loveable lump who I wouldn’t change for the world. Thanks Andy
Steve
I have no hesitation in recommending Andy to anyone needing help with their canine's behaviour. Steve, our black lab now aged 3 and weighing 40kg, is my first dog so not an easy start! Andy came to visit us when Steve was a puppy and, in a refreshingly non-judgemental and entirely supportive way, gave us loads of tips on how to raise Steve, socialise him, integrate him with our family and reward him for good behaviour. Andy is clearly very experienced yet easy going to the core. After watching Andy in action and seeing him demonstrate training techniques I felt much more confident going out and about with our extremely excitable, rapidly growing, incredibly strong pet. This visit was followed up with written material and an invitation to get in touch whenever we needed further help. I called Andy again when Steve, our normally submissive, gentle natured pup, was 18 months old when he went through a spell of displaying some aggressive behaviour (growling and teeth baring when I tried to move him off the bed etc). I was worried I might have to have him re-homed but Andy was entirely unperturbed. He observed Steve interacting with my daughters aged 4 and 7 at the time, noting that my older daughter had the situation entirely in hand, explained that our dog was an adolescent and pushing his boundaries when challenged and gave me things to do to re-establish pack order in a safe manner that I was comfortable with. This worked within a week or two giving me back the confidence and dominant position I needed. Steve is now a young adult dog, a devoted companion to my children, husband and I, provides a warm welcome to all who visit our home and is a great walking buddy. I rarely walk him on a lead as he recalls extremely well. I would most happily contact Andy and seek his advice again any time in the future."
Barclay
I booked Andy's sessions over a 6-month period to help me with my German Shepherd, Barclay. I adopted Barclay when he was 2 and for a few months he was trying to be the leader while not listen to commands. Andy was recommended by a friend to help with Barclay. After researching Andy and his impressive credentials, I decided to ask him for help. After a couple of educating walks, Andy could see what the problem was and proceeded to work with Barclay and myself. I was surprised to learn that a big part of the training involved training the owner, not just the dog. Over time I put Andy's advice and techniques into practice with Barclay and very quickly saw improvements. Not only did this help me but also it helped Barclay to know his place and be comfortable. Barclay is now very obedient, and I know how to handle a special German Shepherd with a lot of character! Andy is a pleasure to work with making the whole process enjoyable and professional. He went above and beyond to help me with Barclay. He also gives your dog fancy treats!
Andy
We had our 8-year-old Labrador Andy, from the SSPCA following the sudden death of his owner. Andy, although good-natured, was not used to walking on a lead or responding to commands. He was excitable, and uncontrollable – perhaps due to the circumstances of being parted from his previous owner. Andy Bernard’s help has been invaluable. It was comprehensive and gave us a much better understanding of dogs’ behaviour. Most of all it has enabled us to give our dog the life he deserves in his senior years. Would not hesitate in recommending any dog owner to get advice from Andy Bernard.
Rafi
Certainly, I feel after implementing some of the techniques you guided me through, we are and have made great progress with Rafi. As you also said jumping will take a long time and how right you were, he is still jumping, but does settle down a lot quicker and possibly listens a bit more. Out walking on lead he is really good, until such times as to he sees something then my god he can pull but I try to be aware of things around us and try distracting him, not that it always works. Of the lead I usually do it when again not many or any distractions, as I do not want a 50 kilo dog charging at or after anyone, but again when he is of he is very good at returning and walking with, infant or behind you and always returns, also he does not go to far from me. An odd time when you call him he comes back so far, then thinks its a game will not let you put lead back on, jumps woofs and makes fool of you. But all in all it was a great benefit having you down Andy, and giving me good sound advice as now I am more confident and relaxed with Rafi and certainly enjoying him lots more since your visit, and hopefully this reflects in Rafi’s overall behaviour, I don't expect a perfect dog but a social one which I think we are getting closer to achieving, thanks to you.
Max
Brain here Andy from Auchtertool you came to see Max. I have to say mate I am amazed with your teachings Max almost overnight has become a different dog. Its only been 48 hours and Val and i have stuck to what you said last night i walked him up village as you did with lead around shoulder and very little contact... its not Max you sorted out it was us. Great stuff ....”
Ribbon
Fantastic experience with Andy today. Our first session and already my overanxious Jack Russell is 100%, and you gave me simple strategies for all of my dog’s issues and was able to answer every question that I had. I am now confident that I know exactly what to do when she is not cooperating. She seems so much happier… I cannot recommend Andy enough.
Lucy
When we first got Lucy (our mixed breed Romanian rescue) we knew it would not be easy training her. So straight away we started to look for a behaviourist and somebody recommended Andy to us. We had a look on his website and liked what we saw so we gave him a call and set up an appointment. When he arrived, we were very impressed with how knowledgeable and professional he was and he soon tailored a training plan for both Lucy and ourselves, as training is a two way street! We have been following it for a couple of months now and while she is not perfect, yet she has come on leaps and bounds and is well on her way and we as owners are much better at recognizing when she is reaching her stress threshold and what to do about it. Andy was great in reassuring us and encouraged us to phone him with any more problems.
Ollie
I contacted Andy at Dogsense as our puppy Ollie who was almost 9 month old was jumping up when people came the door. He went crazy when visitors arrived and just didn’t seem to calm down. We were worried about how Christmas would go as one of our granddaughters who was 8 years old was terrified of him. She is scared of dogs as it is and was the same with our previous dog but as he just lay about she was ok with him. But Ollie was hyper, so we really needed help. Andy reassured me by email that this was easy to resolve, and I felt there was hope. As soon as Andy came to the door Ollie as Andy put it mugged him but as Andy talked to us (myself and my husband) reassuring us he would calm down we felt at ease too. Andy stayed standing and encouraged us not to intervene. Within minutes of this Ollie sat down – we were amazed. Ollie got a treat from Andy. When Andy sat down Ollie again sought his attention by play biting, but Andy quickly let out a yelp and stood up – giving us all a fright. Ollie stopped and again went to sit down. At first, he sought our attention but then sat down. He remained calm for the rest of Andy’s visit. Honestly it was amazing to watch. We quickly realized it was our behaviour with him that was causing the distress and that he could learn to adapt quickly. Andy sat with us for over an hour – maybe an hour and a half talking about all aspects of Ollie’s life. He gave us some treats which Ollie seemed to love and recommended them along with a better lead and rope for long walks. Andy emailed us the recommendations so we could order them. Treats from Barker and Barker and leads from Karenswood International. Christmas was stress free and with people we know we can adopt this new behaviour. However, we have still to tackle it with people we don’t know as everyone wants to pat him. We go long walks out the parks and use his rope lead which lets him run about freely whilst at the same time we are able to get him back easily. It’s a God send. I would definitely recommend Andy at Dogsense as he is a miracle worker. Thanks Andy”
Dizzy
We contacted Andy for help with our four month old puppy, Dizzy, an exuberant working cocker spaniel who had brought love and chaos into our home in equal measure. In particular we were finding it hard to cope with his frequent nipping/biting of us and our young daughters (aged five and two) and chewing everything he could get his teeth into (and a few things he couldn't). Andy immediately helped us to understand Dizzy's behaviour and his motivations and we saw that the issues were more about us than our puppy. It was amazing to see how relaxed and settled Dizzy was in his company, and how well he responded to being rewarded positively for good behaviour. Andy took his time - we did not feel rushed - and were able to ask all the questions we needed to. He gave us lots of useful tips including getting our youngest to feed Dizzy to reinforce his position in the pack and help him feel more secure, which has worked a treat. By the time Andy left we both felt reassured that we were on the right track to do our best by our dog and the follow-up visit some weeks later was also reassuring. Dizzy is a much-loved member of our family but if we encounter any further issues we will not hesitate to turn to Dog Sense again.
Milo
I have a five year old yellow Labrador called Milo, who was showing increasing aggression towards other dogs. I became very nervous when I saw a dog approaching and to combat this I tightened his lead to hold him back; even standing in front of him to preventing him seeing other dogs. Nothing worked and a walk was becoming a nightmare. In desperation, I contacted Dog Sense. Andy came to see me and after an in-depth talk about Milo’s habits – both at home and outside – we went for ‘walkies’. After only a few sessions, the improvement in my dog’s behaviour was amazing. I have learnt a lot about my own behaviour too! Andy also encourages you to phone him between sessions, for updates and to provide telephone support. I would highly recommend Dog Sense for any problem dogs. Thank you One year on an update on Milos Behaviour 'He's a transformed animal! Since you worked with him and my Mum last year, Mum has worked hard at reinforcing both his - and her - behaviours. Milo now looks forward to the local park's 'puppy parties', where lots of local owners congregate daily to walk their dogs together. Milo is one of the most sociable animals, enthusiastically interacting with all the dogs and owners. Mum even takes him to the village cafe on occasion, where she sits and has a coffee and Milo has his regular biscuit. I have to say, I can't believe its the same dog and the transformation in him in just over 12 months. Both Milo and Mum are more relaxed, happier and it's opened up a whole new range of experiences for both of them. From Mum, myself and Milo, a huge thank you - you are a true master when it comes to dog and human psychology!’
Brodie
"Brodie was my first male dog and it was quite a steep learning curve for me. Andrew was recommended to me and I'm thankful to this day I took up the recommendation. He helped me understand how Brodie ticked and gave me the confidence to handle the dog and be an effective leader so that within a fairly short period of time, the problems started to disappear. In fact of course as I soon learned Brodie was just a typical exuberant over enthusiastic Labrador who liked to throw his weight about with other dogs if they would let him. Andrew spent time with the dog as well as watching how I interacted with him and handled situations. Just a few hours over a couple of sessions and I felt I had the necessary tools to take everything in my stride. The most important aspect for me was that not only did I learn a lot but by removing my anxiety and building up my own confidence, it was as if I had got back my old relationship with my dog and that was worth every penny I spent."
Bracken
"Andy has been our trainer since Bracken was 3 months old (she is now almost 8) &, even when we moved a good distance from town, he came out to give us lessons & advice. He has helped me understand Bracken's reactions to situations & realise that she takes her lead from me, which has enabled me to form a closer bond & has made it easier to train her and enable us to overcome or control most fears we both had. Andy is patient & calm. He is always ready to advise or listen to any problems which arise. He makes training fun, too, so we both looked forward to our sessions. I highly recommend Andy as a trainer."
Charlie
Living some distance away from Dog Sense at Paisley has not been a problem in any way for Andy giving continued on-going support with our 7 year old rescued collie dog, Charlie, who came to us needing a lot of time and work to improve his social skills, including getting on with other dogs. He is a much better behaved dog now, thanks to Andy working patiently and flexibly with us through the problems. We are very grateful for all his help."
Layla
Andrew gave us some great advice and we are now following this advice layla is changing day by day, we have changed her diet and set out a routine to follow.
Would like to thank you very much for your assistance with our three golden retrievers. As you know, we knew in our hearts they were good boys, but we struggled to control their barking and chasing after passers by, and wanted to understand their behavior and how we could change it. It was immediately obvious to us that you know your stuff, and we quite amazed when after only a few tries our decoy dog was able to pass the house without being chased and barked at by our three. Your explanation of their behavior was easy for us to understand and your instructions on house we should continue training them very clear. The detailed written report you sent was also very helpful as ones struggles to retain the info we are given on the day. I also like to say how much we appreciate the follow up and after care you are providing, as you said it's a work in progress and appreciate that your always there at the end of the phone or email when we need you. I would be happy to recommend your services to anybody who needs help understanding and changing their dogs behavior. Just one more question?.. can you do anything with disobedient husbands?
We called on Andy for help with our little Boston Terrier, who had developed a tendency to become aggressive towards other dogs while he was on the lead. Andy came round to the house and carefully assessed our dog. He really knew his stuff and immediately could tell us where we were slipping up. He gave us a detailed plan of action and encouraged us to start with the basics. After a week or so of beginning the training, I became impatient and really wanted to get to grips with my dog's aggression. At no charge, Andy met us at a park and spend a long time with us, really giving us the tools we needed to be able to start tackling the problem ourselves. Of course, it's a slow process and Andy make no pretences that he had a fast cure, but he did give us the confidence to persevere. Now, just a few months on, we have noticed a huge difference in our dog's behaviour and it really is thanks to Andy's advice. He's approachable and honest and genuinely loves dogs - we would definitely recommend him to anyone wanting help with their dogs.
The training programme is being followed. We thought your visit was a valuable one. It has provided us with a lot of knowledge on different methods to deal with behaviour. We also think your post-consultation follow up is of a high standard. The comprehensive report was well structured and enlightening. I will keep you updated with the training progress. Thanks
Bailey
I contacted Andy regarding my Labrador, Bailey and his behaviour of barking and not really being able to socialise with people that he did not know, I had a home visit from him, which was very helpful, as he has shown me how to train Bailey to make him become more of a social able dog. Am working on his training with him now and I am finding he is showing signs of improvement. There is still a long road to travel but with the training methods giving. Im positive me and Bailey will get there.
Olly
Olly, our Border collie is just over a year now and in that time have attended many obedience classes. Olly picked up the basic commands very quickly but we continued to struggle with on lead walking and jumping up on people. Then Olly began barking at us at home, he didn't seem to like the word 'no' and wanted constant attention. I came across the Dog Sense website by chance and boy am I glad I did!!! Andrew helped me understand that Olly was not an aggressive dog but had a lot of unspent energy that needed to be released. He taught me that off lead training led to better on lead walking and also let Olly release all that energy. I was very nervous about letting Olly off his lead initially but since working with Andrew my confidence has increased tenfold. What a difference in Olly now! I have a much happier dog who is behaving much better at home and who I love watching running around having fun! I have had a few heart stopping moments but on the whole Olly's recall is very good and on lead walking is improving. I would love another dog and if or when I decide to go ahead I will go straight to Andrew for training.
I contacted Andy from Dog Sense when I was having problems house-training my 6 month-old Yorkie puppy. Having an older Yorkie at home I foolishly thought that training a puppy with an older dog in the house would be relatively easy - wrong, wrong, wrong!! Andy and I spoke on the phone quite a number of times and he advised me that what I was doing/had done was wrong but, more importantly, told me how to correct this. He was very honest and advised that it would take some time to retrain my puppy but to be patient and consistent. I'm ecstatic to say that I now have a fully trained puppy!! Andy was very giving of his time and expertise and his knowledge of dog psychology/behaviour is commendable. I know where I will go in the future should I have behavioural problems with any future dogs I have and will certainly recommend him to my family and friends. Thank you most sincerely Andy for your help and advice.