Puppy training

We did Joy's Puppy Starters course with our puppy, Buddy Bear, and thought it was excellent, we all learned a lot.

The 'Puppy Life Skills: Starters' course with Joyful Dogs was enjoyable, informative and fun - well taught.

"Amazing Puppy Starters course.  Its our first time training a puppy and Joy was so helpful and knowledgeable.  Just wanted to say thank you or your help over the last 6 weeks.  Indy can be a real handful but you have really helped us with training him better."

“We chose Joyful Dogs having researched dog trainers in Cheltenham. Joy’s website looked professional and helpful, as well as her holding her qualifications which meant we were keen to work with her. Our 1:1 training has helped our dog Millie massively. We learnt recall techniques as well as games to keep Millie interested and having fun on our walks. Joy also taught us how to adapt our behaviour to get what we wanted from Millie. We found both our sessions very useful and have a number of techniques and games to take away with us.  Millie’s behaviour has really improved and her recall is excellent, meaning we have much more confidence letting her off lead on walks. I would highly recommend Joy to anyone looking for a friendly, helpful and professional dog trainer.”

I was recommended to Joy by a friend and was immediately impressed by her friendliness, responsiveness and flexibility.  I signed up our 6-month old Cockapoo, Ruby, for a series of four 1:1 sessions at our family home and within the course of a month have witnessed dramatic changes in her behaviour.  Joy spent some time before the sessions gathering information about Ruby so that she was prepared and focused when it came to training.  Initially we worked on various games and exercises to improve Ruby’s recall, along with stimulating her mentally.  Over time we moved to working on various other behavioural issues and eventually progressed to lead walking.  Since working with Joy I feel much more confident delivering training and have seen many positive behavioural changes in our puppy.  As a first-time puppy owner I would wholeheartedly recommend Joy to any new dog owner (and have already done so) and will continue to use her as Ruby gets older.

With so many great reviews, a detailed website and the option of an in-home visit as well as training out and about, Joyful Dogs was the obvious choice.  As well as being quick on communication, Joy was lovely in person and immediately put us at ease.  One-to-one training was not only super helpful for Rocky but for us owners too!  Games like ‘Find It’ are so good at engaging Rocky’s brain and making him work for his reward. We also learned the importance of body language and tone which has made us much more confident when giving cues.  After our one-to-one sessions Rocky is a lot more engaged, and his recall (which we were most concerned about!) has come on leaps and bounds!  I would definitely recommend Joy, especially to first time dog owners who are looking to build up their confidence.

We found Joy through personal recommendation.  We have learned so much about how our rescue dog’s reactive behaviour can be helped through the stimulus of training. We’ve learned basic commands like down and stand as well as search and retrieve techniques. We’ve also learned to use positive reinforcement to help her not be overly concerned when people visit the house.  Nellie is now calmer and has learned behaviours that help her cope when people visit the house ... she has also become more playful!

We needed help to get our gorgeous, friendly and crazy rescue dog 'Aloy' to be the best she can be as we had allowed her to get into some bad habits. We discovered Joy and booked four sessions where Joy taught us training games and tactics to improve recall and how to avoid the embarrassment of Aloy jumping up excitedly at strangers on walks. We all loved the training - Joy was patient, super knowledgable and fun. The games have been easy to implement at home too so we have been able to practice and the improvement has been really noticeable, and we’ve also found that elements not focused on in the training have improved too, we feel so much more in tune with our (not so) little pup. Thank you Joy, you have made a big impact and we look forward to some top up sessions with you in the future! Love Hollie, Joel and Aloy x

Thank you again for the classes, I have really enjoyed the training.  You made Mabel and I feel so welcome and were very patient and tolerant.  I valued your positive feedback and the way in which you engaged with every member of the class. You certainly made me feel as if we were achieving.

We can’t thank Joy enough for helping us with 4 fantastically illuminating training sessions, aiding our understanding of our beautiful puppy Wookie. The 3 of us gained so much - we are a much happier and well-behaved unit because of the training!   Thank you Jenny, Nick and Wookie

Having spent six weeks on Joy's Puppy Starters course, my Jack Russell - Buddy - has definitely improved his obedience, along with his ability to zone out distractions and concentrate on me a lot more.   Buddy is a very active puppy and has bags of energy and is into everything; the variety of games and exercises Joy taught gave him lots of new skills that I can continue to work on.  I would recommend Joy highly!  I will be signing up for her Puppy Improvers course soon!

 

We did a couple of  ‘one to ones’ with Joy - dealing with our puppy’s fear of walking outside and were so impressed with her we decided to do the Puppy Starters training course.  We were very pleased with all the training and help she gave us, but, most of all, it was the confidence that the training has given us in moving forward with our dog; We have also booked onto Joy's Puppy Improvers Course.

Training with Joy has been terrific and it’s been great to be able to tailor the sessions to what we wanted to learn or practice – both at home and out walking – and Murphy has loved it and soaked it up like a sponge! Joy has made it so easy for us to understand what we need to do to train Murphy, and taught us loads of tricks and games to make it fun for him and us!  We would definitely recommend Joy to everyone, she is so lovely, calm and patient (with Murphy and us!) and has a wealth of knowledge about dogs and training.  Murphy has loved it and we have a happy pup with lots of tricks up his sleeves!

We acquired a Cockapoo from a rescue organisation.  "Bella" has a lovely character and is quite compliant, but we needed some help with leash walking and recall control.  Joy was very patient and very kind, and did a wonderful job of training us (the humans!) whilst showing us how to train Bella.  Bella is now great at coming back with the whistle and even without, so much so that we can now let her run loose in the fields when we go walking. Bella has improved on lead walking too and we have no doubt she will end up doing it beautifully.  I would very much recommend Joy; she is kind, patient and so good at explaining to humans how to train dogs.

“Where do I start.....Joys puppy training was simply brilliant.

Although  we have an older dog and I have had dogs my whole life I thought this time I would do things properly!  From lesson 1 we got stuck straight in with the basics, we went away learning new things every lesson (some we have used with our older dog too!) Joy has such a caring & friendly nature and has such a calming gentle way when working with both puppies and owners. I think even the craziest of puppies would respond to her positive training techniques. Joy was so informative and happy to answer any questions we had or help on things we found difficult, she was always happy to respond to my emails if we were struggling with different things.  Yogi is still learning and  but with the training Joy provided he has learnt to keep his focus with us whilst out and about and we are looking forward to the follow on course we have booked with Joy.  I would highly recommend Joy for helping with all your puppy needs.”

 

I just wanted to say a big thank you for the puppy training classes.  Daisy has really flourished since attending classes and we couldn’t imagine our lives without her. We both had Dogs growing up, but she is our first together as a couple. We always came away from classes feeling that both Daisy and we had learnt something that would benefit us moving forward and we still use exercises and tips we picked up from Joy – who was a very patient and understanding teacher.

I wanted to say thank you for your help and advice with training Noodle. We have much more confidence with handling her unwanted behaviours and she is making progress. It's up to us to continue with the positive reinforcement but you definitely helped us to speak her language!  She will miss you :)

We all really enjoyed the course and appreciated Joy’s approach.  It gave us confidence as owners to carry on training at home and helped us understand how dogs think and the best way to interact with our puppy.  There were many simple techniques or ways of training that were a revelation and have stuck with us as our puppy grows.  We love the “Find it” game and play it almost everyday.  We also found our one to one session incredibly helpful as we were able to discuss specific behaviours or challenges.  We quite often say now “What would Joy do?"  Tulip responds well to hand targeting, her recall is improved as is her lead walking.  I think our confidence has grown too using a positive re-inforcement approach.  We would definitely recommend Joy.

We've just completed our Puppy Starters course with Joy and had a wonderful few weeks.  Things have moved on since I trained up my last dog so I was eager to learn the current techniques.  I chose Joy based upon her  positive reward based training.  Teddy Lola loved every minute and the classes have given us a great foundation to build on.  I found Joy  to be relaxed, friendly and welcoming and would definitely recommend.

Joyful Dogs were recommended to us; the training classes were a mix of fun, "a-ha!" moments - and stress as our puppy is full of beans and every session she took a long time to settle down but Joy and her assistants were infinitely patient in helping us ground our dog into our space.   Besides the standard puppy training exercises (recall, loose lead, sit etc) - Joy helped us understand the ‘psychology’ of our puppy.  It became clear to us — myself, my wife and two daughters — that our puppy was doing her best to understand us based on the confusing cues we give her consciously or subconsciously. Thanks to that understanding, we are now more aware of how our stress level and body language affect Amber.  I have seen much improvement during these 6 weeks - Amber has calmed down a lot and is easier to manage.  I totally recommend Joy. She and her assistants were so patient and generous with their time and advice, in person and by email. When we missed one training session, Joy was happy to meet us earlier the following session to help us catch up. Joy is calm and kind with dogs and very insightful about what works and what doesn’t work with dogs. The choice of the venue for the workshop is excellent… it is spacious inside and around it.

 

We chose Joyful Dogs on personal recommendations, availability, location - and a positive   experience when arranging classes with Joy.   The course helped us to ‘read’ Bramble's doggy cues and change our approach accordingly; focussing on the smallest positive steps has been really helpful, as is understanding that puppy’s get tired sometimes!  Bramble is now a much more relaxed puppy and more confident in the wider world.  I would recommend Joy without a doubt - the classes were great fun and well managed.

Having had a 1:1 training session with my 8 year old dog prior to her assessment for the Pets As Therapy charity, I had no hesitation in enrolling our new addition, Minnie, in the Joyful Dogs puppy classes.  The classes are not our closest, however based on the experience I'd had with the 1;1 session, I was more than willing to travel to attend the puppy classes (even on a Sunday morning at 9am!)   The classes made me aware of what I was doing with MY body language and positioning and how this is interpreted through my puppies eyes. I absolutely and without hesitation reccommend Joy!

Puppy Starters with Joyful Dogs is an excellent training experience.  Really nice friendly Trainer and Assistants - would definitely reccommend.  Loved the outdoor activities and the Q&A with Joy.

Our training experience on the Puppy Starters course was excellent - the staff were very friendly and patient and we loved the agility games!  All the training exercises were delivered clearly and the progression of the course was very good.  'Lead walking' and 'Leave It' were very useful.

We have just finished Puppy Life Skills Starters and it’s been great seeing Ramsey’s confidence and focus improve week on week.  Such a great opportunity for Ramsey to socialise with other puppies and for us to chat to other owners about shared experiences.  As first time dog owners Joy’s  1;1 training was invaluable and she always addresses our concerns during each session.  Ramsey loves his “find it” game and we use to either get him in from the garden or to calm him down when he’s anxious about a new situation such as lead walking on busy roads.  A big thank you to Joy for getting us all this far and making it fun.  Looking forward to continuing Ramsey’s training with Joy over the coming months.

We have really enjoyed our Puppy Starters training course and have learned a lot.  We would definitely recommend it!  Loved the agility games too.

The Puppy Starters course was a brilliant introduction to training our puppy with long lasting results.  The instruction was clear and fully explained and the first lesson gave a great overview, full of useful tips that the course then built upon.  The course was also interesting in that it made us consider the dog's perspective!  We really enjoyed the lead walking exercises especially.  Great techniques that we found helpful when out and about and lots of fun!

The Puppy Improvers course was very enjoyable for dog and owner.  It has given me alternative methods and exercises to try - rather than a one-size fits all.  Joy was able to tailor the course to each person's requirements and we learned how to keep our dog's focus whilst other dogs played.  Particularly enjoyed the open communication style  which meant we could delve deeper into specific behaviour challenges and explore new training routes.

We really enjoyed the Puppy Improvers training course with Joyful Dogs.  We use the knowledge we learned every day both at home and out on walks, thank you so much!

We thought the Puppy Improvers course was excellent!  Our dog Sherlock loved it!  The course was really informative and helps build a base to work on at home; the 'Behaviour 101' exercises were particularly useful.

We are the first time dog owners.  Although we previously attended puppy classes with out 1 yo Boston terrier, we were struggling with recall and "selective " hearing . We are also not sure how to deal with an overexcited dog.

Google directed me to Joy's web page and links to her videos. Lots of useful information, advice and examples.  We had a very productive phone consultation - I felt I was listened to and reassured that our concerns could be "fixed". Joy identified our main problems, set the plan, advised what to buy ( in our case it was a training lead).We had three 1:1 sessions - two were held both indoors and outdoors in a safe enclosed area. I felt relaxed, my dog felt at ease- he maintained interest throughout the length of each session.

Joy identified the toys and treats that Bertie was attracted to, got his attention, introduced games to "tire him out " mentally as well and physically. We had great sessions playing object "hide-&-seek" and hiding the treats indoors and outdoors. We learnt how to keep his attention away from other dogs and people ( particularly runners in our case).  Our last session was held in Pittville park.

If you asked me 3 months ago, I would have never believed that I could let him off the lead there!

Joy showed us the ways dogs receive and process information. She pointed at the temptations they may have that force them to ignore the owners .  Joy also taught us how to help the dog to make "the correct choice" and how to reward appropriately to maintain the interest.

Obviously, there is a lot more work to do with our Bertie . It suddenly became fun and enjoyable for the whole family.  Children are now playing "hiding games" instead of winding the dog up by running  or jumping like mad. And our Bertie can't wait for his walks because it means his favourite treats and outdoor toys and freedom with rewards when called back are there.

We will be back for more advice and fun sessions.

I would definitely recommend Joy- passionate and knowledgeable about dogs. Achievable goals tailored for each dog and owner. Thank you Joy!

Following the Puppy Starters course, Florrie is doing brilliantly she is excellent on her daily walks & now enjoying being let off her lead, she comes back once she is called & doesn't venture too far from us which is good. She also is so good when she meets & greets other dogs which I'm sure is down to tips you gave us & what she learnt at puppy classes.  All three of us thoroughly enjoyed your classes & will definitely look forward to seeing you again!

The 'Puppy Starters' training course was very good, really enjoyable for dogs and owners alike - great that there were lots of staff on hand to help.

Our puppy, Bubble, is now 2yrs old and she is 'adorabubble'.  The training we did with Joyful Dogs was priceless and I continue to look to Joy's "Dog Blog!" for ideas and inspiration, thank you.

"With Joy we learned fantastic, mentally challenging games for our puppy 'Nala' which were really successful.  We also learnt how to use our body language to get Nala in to position and how to ‘leave’ ‘drop’ and 'fetch'.  We particularly found ‘bowl and recall’ useful.  We would absolutely recommend Joy."

 

Joy is very calm and has a great nature.  Joy taught patience, to allow the dog time to absorb and think about what is happening.   We worked on what was needed but we had a lot of fun doing it too! We've now put in the ground work but I will continue lessons with Joy on an ad hoc basis.  Thank you for everything, we have learnt a lot and had great fun doing it :)

Joy has a lovely gentle way with both people and dogs. She put things across in a sensitive but straightforward manner and Pepper's behaviour has definitely improved.  Joy restored my faith in puppy training.

Puppy School was great fun. I went along hoping to learn some basic skills to help me manage my very bouncy Vizla puppy, Rosa. I was not disappointed, we learnt together in a happy, fun environment and came away with the tools to develop a responsive, safe and fulfilling relationship. Rosa gets bigger by the day but thanks to Puppy School she and I know how to play and work together without frustration or aggression. She is growing into a lovely, well mannered dog.

Joy is an excellent trainer, she has such great knowledge and  lots of time for you.  Our dog, Juke suffers from separation anxiety, and was very upset every time we left him in the house. After 2 training sessions with Joy we have noticed such a difference in him.  All the great tricks and advice that Joy has given us, mean we now have a much happier dog.  The training sessions are brilliant, plus Juke very much enjoys the sausages!

Our rescue dog Blue was pulling on lead, jumping at people and could be destructive when left alone.  Joy showed us many useful training techniques to make the training fun for our dog.  The important thing I have learnt from Joy is 'timing' - ie treating Blue at the right time. Joy showed us Blue’s potential - and she is a different dog now.  Joy is a very good trainer and it has been a pleasure to work with her.

I contacted Joyful Dogs because I wished to train Belle as a therapy dog and I needed some help in reducing unacceptable behaviours such as jumping up.  Joy helped me understand the process with easy, step-by-step methods and responded to all my requests and queries. The training was fun and Belle is learning new behaviours fast ... including some cute tricks!  I would recommend Joy, she is friendly, fun and knowledgeable.

"Joy has a lovely way with her: It reminds me of the type of primary school teacher who is adored by her young pupils.  Joy’s puppy school classes were fun, informative and helpful.”

 

Lilah and Bonnie are super-bright Collie/Springer crossbreeds.  What Joy brings to our house is a calm, patient attitude that has rubbed off on us all.  We watch the way Joy interacts with our dogs and listen to her advice.  It works.  We have made extraordinary progress in a short time and we feel so encouraged by Joy. Lilah and Bonnie, who are generally nervous of people outside the family, love her!

 

I was having trouble with Coco's recall: Joy explained the importance of maintaining a bond with Coco whilst we were out walking and taught me lots of activities to do just that which Coco found interesting and exciting.  Coco absolutely loved her hour with Joy and I found it inspiring; Since adopting Joy's philosophy we have all seen a major improvement in Coco's behaviour – she is far quicker to respond to us and also 'checks in' with us constantly.  Joy was a pleasure to work with and managed to inspire my teenagers as well as my dog - no mean feat!

George’s recall was non-existent! Consequently, I never let him off the lead.  Then I had some 1:1 training with Joy; she gave me confidence and loads of useful ideas to keep George focused on me. George loved the different activities and I can now take him to the park - even in daylight when other dogs are around!  He doesn't tend to jump up and comes back when called. I highly recommend Joy for any behaviour problems you have with your dog. She's so patient and kind, and she just makes you feel good!

Joy introduced us to a large number of techniques to develop Hudson’s training.  To Hudson, they were just games with a treat at the end of it (eg games for ‘find it’, ‘leave it’, ‘fetch’, ‘come here/recall’) but they created a personality that is just right.  The best part is seeing how it all fits together – ie from Hudson being obedient at feeding times (not going for his food unless told), to leaving or dropping items on cue, to just being very friendly around other dogs and people.  I would absolutely recommend Joy.

My daughter Poppy and I have loved the last 6 weeks at puppy School.  Thank you Joy for all your advice, enthusiasm, care and attention.  I feel much more confident about how to handle Coco in many situations.

 

Since our first lesson with Joy we have been practising hard all that we were taught, and whilst still not perfect, we have enjoyed some of the best walks we have ever had with Twiglet (who is nearly 4 years old)!  Joy is calm with Twiglet and very clear and informative about what I need to do to achieve the best results.  We are both looking forward to our next lesson and can’t recommend her highly enough.

As new dog owners, with a boisterous puppy, we wanted support and advice.  Joy's training helped enormously with Kipling's recall, in particular - the hand targeting techniques and introduction of the Clicker have been really successful.  As a Cockapoo, Kipling is playful and needs lots of mental stimulation, so the games we learned (especially ‘Find It’ and other scent games) have kept him occupied and entertained. We also learned a lot from Joy’s general demeanour and body language around dogs.  Kipling is much better at walking to heel now we’re using the clicker, and enjoys training sessions far more.  We would absolutely recommend Joy - we found our time with her to be very valuable.

I joined 'Puppy Improvers' because of how much we enjoyed the original puppy classes with Joy.  The Improvers course helped Roo focus on me - the Platform exercises  were really helpful, as was the introduction of clicker training! I now have a better understanding of how my body language affects Roo understanding a cue, and how I can place myself to set Roo for success!  Previously, my partner struggled to walk Roo off lead but now, my partner can comfortably walk  him without the stress of wondering if he'll come back.  Joy offers a calm and patient guiding hand throughout her classes.  I 100% recommend Joy - she taught us games to play with Roo that I would never have thought of beforehand!

 

 

 

 

We did the beginners course with Joy - brilliant!  And the 'Improvers' course kept us focused.  Joy helped me to understand how my actions and behaviour were important when teaching my dog, and also what I can expect at her age and stage of development.  We loved the games to play with her, so have lots of fun whilst training with her.  The “2 toy swap” and “Find it” are our favourites!  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Joy, her classes are small and calm and give your dog the best opportunity to learn. My puppy absolutely loved the classes!

 

Thank you.  The Puppy Improvers course has been brilliant for both of us.  It’s given me confidence and Timm new challenges and purpose. The major breakthrough has been the ‘bounce’ which has been a revelation and really brought the two of us together as a team.

Many thanks for your fab doggy training. Lauren noodle and I have really loved it!  And, it’s been very helpful in guiding us with our new family member too.

Thank you for such an enjoyable experience over the past 2 months at Puppy School; we have learnt so much, and I know Pippin has enjoyed himself and  learnt a lot of important life skills!  Looking forward to the Puppy Improvers course.

Joy helped me really enjoy training Ottilie. She's knowledgeable and straight forward with her advice using kindness and fun in training sessions.  I loved her lessons as did Ottilie. One of my favourites being when we just sat on a blanket training Ottilie to be calm and not react in a park situation. I had 7 private lessons and it was such good value.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Joy. She's fab.

Training with Joy has been so helpful for me and great fun for Bear too. Joy is a very kind, knowledgeable trainer and worth every penny!

Wally is adorable but needed training quickly. A whippet's characteristic is to see and run..... I needed Wally to respond to recall and stay at heel before I could dare let him off lead.  At 4 months he comes when I call him and walks beautifully (mostly).  Joy was clear and concise in her teaching and helped me understand how my dog's brain works. Once I grasped this, I understood how to give instructions so he could respond in the right way.  It's ongoing and practice is key, but I am confident that with Joy's help I'm going to have a well behaved and Joyful dog - if you want to enjoy your dog, contact Joy!

I contacted Joy to train my dog Ludo not to chase our cats! Over four sessions with Joy we had enormous fun learning techniques to distract and discourage him from chasing them, as well as learning a few new tricks.  I now have a much better understanding of my dog, and he's already far less interested in chasing. I'm delighted, and really enjoying using the techniques Joy taught us. I would recommend Joy to anyone. She has a very lovely manner and is never, ever stumped. Thanks Joy!

You've taught me everything I wanted to learn!  Plus, last week's "settle down" lesson has been a success too! Brody now settles on the floor beside the sofa while I work or read ... then he comes up beside me for a nap or a cuddle when I'm ready.  You are an amazing teacher. Thank you for helping me to get to know how dogs tick.

Patti jumped up at people, pulled on the lead and was not responding to commands.  Joy's manner was very helpful, always calm and in control, she rapidly connected with Patti and kept her concentrating.  We have seen significant improvement in Patti’s behaviour - she is calmer, more obedient and walks much better on the lead.  We would definitely recommend Joy to others.

Poor Reggie's behaviour was taking its toll. Reggie could not be alone, he had to be as close as possible to us at all times or he’d get so anxious & beside himself. Joy has been wonderful training Reggie in a lovely manner. Reggie is now more relaxed and does not get in a tizzy!  He's done really well in a short time and loves the lady (Joy) that comes with a never ending supply of sausages!

“My dog Doogie was a real pain to walk on-lead, constantly zipping from one side to the other and pulling!  Joy started by training me that patience and persistence were required and Doogie started to improve quite quickly. Doogie now regularly falls into step with me on our walks, the improvement makes lead walking much more enjoyable. Would not hesitate to recommend Joy - she really understood us both!”

"I would thoroughly recommend Joy - she achieves results by being calm, firm but kind and patient.  I was having problems with my Labrador, Rigsby who is constantly jumping up.  Joy taught me to understand things from his point of view; to persuade and reward rather than impose my will and punish. This makes for a better relationship and Rigsby is steadily improving."

“Joy provided really excellent care for our dog, Monty.  She worked with him from when he was just 3months old.  Joy has been a huge help, giving Monty lovely training walks and games to keep him fully entertained!”

“Joy is the Mary Poppins of the dog world!  Our dog, Milo came with many behavioural problems: incessant barking, unwillingness to go for walks, jumping on furniture and people, nervousness etc.  After just one training walk, Joy had Milo’s full attention and Milo was smitten!  Joy gave me techniques to help calm Milo down and improve his focus, she also brought fun into learning!  I understand him a lot more thanks to Joy.”

“Thor goes insane with joy (pun intended) every time the intercom makes a beep and Joy arrives for training walks”

“Joy was friendly, reliable, helpful, thoughtful, energetic and thoroughly brilliant with our puppy.   I would trust her 100% with any age of dog, she has a unique ability with dogs and they seem to immediately be calm and content in her company.”

“Lenny was looked after incredibly well, socialised with other dogs, played games with and taught one or two new tricks too! I had total confidence that Lenny would be safe and loved while in Joy's care.  I would recommend Joy without any hesitation.”