Two years ago we bought home an 8 week old Black Labrador puppy. After owning 4 Labradors and one Springer Spaniel i thought I would know all about dogs. It became apparent after a while that Robbie had a different temperament to the others. We joined Helen and her team and was awarded our Puppy Foundation. After that Robbies behaviour became quite naughty. He would bark through most of the class and generally be disobedient. I almost gave up. Helen spoke to me and persuaded me to carry on. Best thing i ever did. We have gone from strength to strength, and Helen has taught me how to deal with Robbies funny ways and to read his body language. Robbie is No Saint, however i have a well trained dog, that obeys commands and is a pleasure to own. Our bond grows week by week. None of this would have been accomplished without Lincs Training Dog training made easy. A big thank you from us both!
Robbie & Jo
Helen and all the team are absolutely brilliant. When we first got our puppy, we had our doubts and concerns given what breed she is, that they can be difficult to train and pick up fundamental techniques and obedience skills.
Starting the training early, and sticking at it and using everything Helen and the team teach you, has allowed us to have a very well behaved and obedient dog.
The way they teach, allows you and your dog to start at small steps, and slowly these steps because confident strides that you know you and your dog can achieve.
Training aside, they are always there to offer support and guidance on any other concerns/tips you might have and they will always make time to do this.
If you want results and success for your puppy/dog, this is the place to be!
Betty, Josh & Matthew
After starting with another dog trainer & making little progress we joined Lincs Training and immediately started seeing a difference in our Springer Spaniel. The initial 1-2-1 home visit instantly made us realise the potential and when we watched an advanced class it encouraged us to think that with Helen V's help we could get a well behaved dog that we are proud of. Preparing any kind of food at the kitchen worktop used to be a constant battle. Now we have simple commands to use to discourage unwanted behaviour. Training sessions are full of action. Our dog is always busy learning new skills & being exposed to new experiences. Every aspect of the developing puppy's life is covered so there is continuous support as you face the challenges of each stage. There's always plenty of help from Helen's team & if a new exercise is proving tricky, support is there to help you succeed. Each activity is matched to the dog's confidence or skill level - if something isn't working for whatever reason Helen V quickly tweaks the task to suit the dog so progress is made. Helen challenges the dogs and owners but in a supportive, caring & friendly way.
Ray's cups of tea aren't bad either
Alfie, Zoe, Mark & Family
We made contact with Helen initially just for advice on which breed of dog to go for that would be most suitable for our family needs (I will also write a review on behalf of my daughter after this one). From the initial phone call Helen was very helpful and interested in what we were doing. We were invited to start watching dog training straight away before we’d even looked at dogs. This gave us such a better insight into what we had to do to train our dog in the correct way. We have been going to watch every Saturday morning for over a month now and each time we have learnt something new. This week we had our one to one at home which was invaluable to us getting her ready before we start puppy training. We have received such a warm welcome from everyone involved, the trainers and volunteers, dog owners and most of all Helen, who has not only helped us but has given special attention to our daughter.
Many thanks, we are so excited to get going and see how far we can go with our little puppy x
Following that initial review Roxy progressed through her Puppy Foundation, passed her Kennel Club GCDS Bronze Award live at Crufts and subsequently passed her Silver Award.
Roxy & James
We got in touch with Helen based on a friend's recommendation after we got our Pomeranian puppy, once the initial excitement (and shock) had passed we wanted to be sure we were going to look after him in the best way that we could. Teddy was a little over 3 months old when Helen came to visit us in our home for the first time. Our first impressions of Helen were great, she is totally professional, personable, made us really feel at ease and she instantly connected with Teddy. Poms are well known for being super cute and intelligent but we'd also read about their strong personalities and how this could lead to problems later on if we didn't establish the right behaviours. We learnt so much on that first home visit from which foods are best and why, the importance of a good harness and lead, how to care for Teddy, what to look out for, it went by in the blink of an eye. Within the first hour of Helen being in our home we instantly saw the value in having someone like Helen help us, by the end of the session she had Teddy (and us!) under full control and we were amazed at how quickly he was able to pick up basic obedience commands. Fast forward a few months, on Helen's recommendation we attended Puppy classes on a Thursday night at Spalding Grammar School. The classes were quite nerve wracking in the early days until we got the hang of the format, terminology and Teddy got used to going, but by the end of the 6 weeks we were all looking forward to training on a Thursday night to see how Teddy would do that week and eager to learn more. It really helped everyone in the class being in the same boat as us and we all helped and encouraged each other. 6 weeks went super quick and we passed our Puppy Foundation course and went on to Intermediate Classes at Pinchbeck Village hall which is a great venue, combining indoor work together with going outside to the Pinchbeck Hub for some off-lead work in a safe environment. The classes are great, it only becomes apparent later on but there's a lot of thought that has gone into planning the lessons. Each week builds on what we've learnt before, the difficulty ramping up so as to still be fun and challenging in a good way. Behind Helen is a great team of dedicated, passionate people they are all fab, nothing's too much trouble, all daft questions are answered and they take the time to make sure everyone is getting the same level of input and attention. Last week we passed our Bronze certificate and are looking forward to the next chapter. In writing this review it's unbelievable how far Teddy has come in just a few months, it's really rewarding and the sense of achievement is huge whether it's your dog or someone else's dog in the class has got something down pat or achieved a milestone. Everyone looks out for each other at the classes and we've made lots of new friends. Sometimes we hear and read a few horror stories regarding unruly Poms but we laugh it off knowing that Teddy is in the best of hands with Lincs Training. It's pretty simple for us, we go to class, listen to the advice given, do the things the team recommend and the results come fast. Lincs Training has made a real difference to our quality of life with Teddy, we feel like we understand his needs better, have become informed and educated dog owners and in return we have a happy, loving, smart Pom. We are definitely going to carry on with Lincs Training and would highly recommend for anyone at any level with any dog to give them a try, just remember to Think Dog!
Teddy, Dimitri & Kat