Puppy training

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.

"Puppy Starters" has been fantastic!  Joy is so calm and a great teacher and to have her Assistants supporting during class has been really helpful and made a huge difference.  I have learnt so many skills and will be looking forward to building on all of it - thank you!

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.

Really enjoyed our sessions with Joy and the team.  There is no doubt Tiggy has learned a huge amount – with plenty of fun and stimulation - she is always exhausted after class so that must be a good sign!  Thank you for all your advice and support

Joy has really helped us with our French Bulldog puppy Sybil. Walks used to be our biggest challenge - Sybil would sit and refuse to move but with Joy’s help she is now clearly engaged and walks happily next to us. Joy also helped us with road crossing skills, dropping items Sybil shouldn’t be chewing, understanding her cues and generally communicating with her more effectively. Sybil’s mealtimes are more interesting now too, Joy showed us how to put kibble in/on cartons & containers so Sybil has to work to get it, which she clearly enjoys. Our training experience with Joy was really positive, it’s made our interaction with Sybil easier and happier.

Huge thanks to Danyelle at Joyful Dogs. The techniques she has demonstrated have been incredible. Dannyelle listened to where we needed help & focused on desensitising Poppy to those things; Poppy is responding to the bucket game in a way that is eye opening, the ways in which we can use this game are almost never ending. I watched youtube videos previously but only after seeing Danyelle demonstrate, could we do it properly. We now see how very important it is. Dannyelle is an asset to Joyful Dogs;  for the first time since we got Poppy, I feel optimistic that whatever our little dog throws at us, Danyelle can help us through. Poppy is  not an easy puppy and still has quite a journey ahead of her but she wouldn't still be with us if it weren't for Danyelle – we have witnessed huge improvements in only 3.5 weeks.

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.

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.

“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.”  

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.  

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!

“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.”

Baxter is our Romanian rescue puppy.  Although he has settled well, we noticed that he was very nervous around visitors to our house and towards other dogs when we walked him. (barking and lunging at other dogs when they came too close.) I heard about Joy via recommendation and I am so glad she has been able to help Baxter. Joy explained Baxter’s behaviour really clearly and worked with us on distraction techniques whilst we are out with him (recall, finding treats and the ‘flirt pole’-he loves this!), as well as how to welcome guests into our home with minimal barking. After only 4 sessions with Joy, I now feel much more confident about taking Baxter to places where there are likely to be other dogs. I would recommend Joy without hesitation, thank you so much!

The training was very useful to get us started as new dog owners. Now we need to practise, practise, practise!

After bringing our beautiful puppy, Bruce, home it quickly became clear that we would need a little bit of extra help in managing some of his more ‘over the top’ behaviour/general spaniel madness. Following a recommendation from a friend and reading some of Joy’s blog posts, it was Joyful Dogs’ calm, rewards-based approach to training that encouraged us to sign up for both a 1-2-1 session and group puppy class. Joy was brilliant with Bruce and he was immediately calmer in her presence, we learned a lot about how we act around and communicate with him- less is definitely more! Bruce is a typical sprocker spaniel and we were struggling with focus and over excitement, especially as he’s not particularly foody. Joy supplied us with loads of great games to keep Bruce’s focus away from distractions (the flirt pole is a particular favourite!) and fantastic tips to ensure walks on a lead are stimulating for him. She also gave us some invaluable activities, such as ‘find it’, to keep Bruce occupied in the house that don’t focus entirely on food. Obviously, Bruce is still a little mad (we wouldn’t have got a spaniel if we didn’t love a bit of craziness), but now we are learning how to manage his more manic moments so that spending time with him doesn’t end in us tearing our hair out. Puppy classes were really well organised and great fun for both us and the pups, we thoroughly looked forward to Sunday mornings! It was great to work with Bruce around other dogs, but we were really pleased that there was plenty of separation to prevent Bruce from becoming overwhelmed. We use the ‘vet’ game and ‘find it’ scent game we learned in class all the time. Sadly, the classes were cut short due...

Anyone looking for support with dog training in Cheltenham - definitely get in touch with Joy! After adopting my first dog in 2019 I booked in some sessions with Joyful Dogs for support with training and support with understanding my pup. Joy has an amazing understanding of dogs and how to work with them; Noodles has really come out of her shell and is so much happier and more confident for being able to enjoy her walks off lead, work on recall, learn to stay, and more. Her games-based approach means that Noodles absolutely loves her sessions and wants to practise her training all the time!! Thank you Joy, highly recommend getting in touch :)

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!

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!

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.

As a first-time dog owner, I was incredibly nervous about training Margot, especially as I’d read that the first three months were so critical in a dog’s behavioural development.  However, I need not have worried!  Joy, with her calm, caring and common sense approach, gave me the confidence to enjoy the process and both Margot and I have hugely benefitted from our 1:1 sessions with her.  Lead-walking (not as straightforward as it may sound!), recall and general behaviour have all been enhanced by Joy’s excellent tuition.  Joy is also extremely organised and efficient and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her.

I had 121 training sessions with Joy when I got my new puppy. We covered basic training, lead walking and recall. I found the training really helpful as there were no distractions for either Jarvis or myself and we covered a lot during each session. Joy also helped with the bonding process with my pup and older dog and he attended one of the sessions as well. Joy uses a variety of locations depending on what you are working on. I would fully recommend 121 sessions with Joy!

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.

When I first had Jasper, a 4 month old cocker-jack, he was terrified of people and was too frightened to go on a walk. I found Joy on an internet search and was immediately drawn to her principles of dog training, giving choices and approaching their problems in a force-free way. From our first 1:1 meeting I was not disappointed. Joys methods were proactive, allowing Jasper to get to know her in a calm yet effective way, with games, play and food. By our third session we were walking in the park which is something I never thought we would do, and by our last session we were on Cleeve Common walking past people without so much as a bark from Jasper. It is on-going training but Joy has given Jasper and I the tools to help us get to where we are and where we are going and I cannot thank her enough for the support, patience and guidance. I highly recommend! More sessions will be booked for loose-leash walking. Brace yourself, Jasper!

Remember Nala the Vizsler?  We had individual training sessions with Joy 5yrs ago; I’m grateful for the ‘human’ training you gave is every single day. We get compliments constantly on how well trained Nala is, and its down to the things you taught us: Respect, time ... and sausages!  Thank you – because we are so proud and lucky to have Nala.  Our dog daycare provider – Tim at Forest Dogs – insists Nala is the best trained and most adaptable dog; and welcome in his home any time.

"Joy has been an amazing help with my nervous rescue dog, Pie; he's a different dog now. When I first contacted Joy I was really struggling and wasn't sure I could cope. Pie was reacting badly to everything, and I was particularly concerned about his fear of strange men. I used to dread walking him because it was so stressful. Joy gave me lots of brilliant advice and was really supportive. I can't thank her enough"

We found Joy online through her website and her experienced background in dog-training & helpful blogs convinced us to book 3 x 1;1 sessions with her.  These were perfectly tailored for Luther & his temperament and Joy ensured that we covered enough techniques & exercises to progress Luther's training in our own time. We saw immediate improvement in Luther's behaviour, we went from only lead walking him to having the confidence to go off lead in public parks within 3 days. We continue to use what we learnt in our sessions on a daily basis & Luther's behaviour continues to improve.  We would highly recommend Joy to anybody looking for a personal, knowledgeable and enjoyable dog training experience.

A huge thank you to Joy for all of her help and support training our golden retriever, Barley.  After 3 very informative sessions, Barley is already showing amazing progress with his lead walking.  Most importantly, Joy’s sessions taught us how to have more fun on our walks.  We can tell how much Barley has changed in so many ways.  He loves training on our walks and we are enjoying walking with a calmer dog too.  We still have a bit more work to do on recall,  but all of Joy’s advice and support is helping tremendously with this.  Joy’s professional, calm and fun approach has helped us in so many ways.  Thanks again. 

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!

"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.”  

We looked forward to the Puppy Starters training classes every week and found the sessions so fun and helpful. Our family grew in confidence with Luna and, having never owned a dog before, that was a big deal for us. Helen is warm, funny and knowledgeable and this came across in the sessions. I’d recommend Joyful Dogs to anyone!

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 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.

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.  

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.

We found Joyful Dogs through a Google search, luckily we picked the best one!  Joy's 1:1 sessions were extremely helpful, especially as we haven’t been able to attend puppy classes due to COVID. We did our first sessions not long after bringing Rupert home, so it was great to start when he was young, and also importantly to train us too. We worked on all sorts of techniques based around game playing, recall, dog socialising, walking on and off lead, distractions from prey chasing etc. Joy was happy to help us with anything that we needed or had questions about. Rupert has developed amazingly as he’s grown older using the positive reinforcement and training taught to us by Joy. He’s extremely gentle, friendly and pretty obedient, he’s still young and there’s still more to work on, but he’s grown into a wonderful dog and that’s largely down to Joy’s help.  I would absolutely recommend Joy, she’s been friendly, helpful, polite and very reasonably priced for her invaluable help.

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 :)

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!  

I chose Joyful Dogs 1:1 sessions as these were convenient for me.  I was having  trouble with Lexi travelling in the car.   The training sessions wit Dannyelle helped me to strengthen communication with my puppy.  I learned a lot through a couple of sessions -  it was a big eye opener.   It will definitely affect how I am with my dog in the future. I had heard about Kongs and Enrichment games but I had no idea how important they were. I have definitely seen a calmer side to my pup in just a few weeks. I am impressed with how quickly the training is coming along. I would definitely recommend my trainer, Dannyelle and the company, Joyful Dogs. The experience has been fantastic for both myself and my pet.

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.

"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."  

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!

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 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...

Geralt had a great time!  And we picked up so much that we were able to use outside class too - which has helped us both as well as our puppy.  We particularly enjoyed the recall, agility and scent games.

Really enjoyed the course, thank you!  Loved the Snuffle Bowl game – we use it at home now too. And also the mini-agility.  The focus games and desensitization games also really helpful.

Just completed the "Puppy Starters" course - thank you Joyful Dogs!

I don't often write reviews, but feel compelled to do so about Joyful dogs as we have gained so much from it.  We  recently finished the Puppy Starters group course with our puppy, and also 1;1 training sessions and have had such a brilliant experience - its made having a puppy infinitely more fun and enjoyable!  It wasn't the chaos I was expecting in a puppy class instead it was structured and a calm environment for the puppies (even if our dog did try his hardest to create havoc), learning many skills that we will continue to develop- far more than the sit and lie down commands!  Our one to one's with Helen have been targeted and extremely helpful, ensuring we are able to adjust training Howie to his needs, and also ours! We recognise that alot of the training is actually training us! We look forward to continuing training as and when the need arrives but have plenty of skills to be working on now and developing!  I love the use of positive reinforcement and the suggestions and tools we have been given to reinforce behaviour has be invaluable- our puppy loves training and we do too!

Joy and the 'Puppy Starters Course' team have been absolutely amazing!  They gave such clear instructions and were very supportive even if things went wrong.  Pippin has learned a lot - as have I - and I would definitely recommend the Puppy Starters course to any new puppy-parent.

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.

"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."

Highly recommend for anyone with a puppy.  We did the 6week Starters course with our (then) 3 mos German Shorthaired Pointer, Betty.   Joy & the team were so welcoming and knowledgeable, our hour long sessions always flew by. We and Betty learnt so much and we have taken away lots of hints and tips which we're still using now.

"We are firm believers in positive reinforcement training - after a quick chat with Joy we knew we'd be in good hands - and we absolutely were! In just 3 sessions Joy showed us lots of fantastic techniques and games to help us and our pup Ivie with her ability to be on her own and recall - especially when distracted. Joy's knowledge is fantastic and her kind and fun approach meant Ivie was a fan from the off. Ivie has come on leaps and bounds and we have new skills to help her grow and enjoy her time both in and outdoors - thank you for everything!! "

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.

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!

I genuinely can't reccomend Joyful Dogs enough! Since getting our first puppy, Helen has been incredibly helpful, caring and supportive both during the sessions and generally by being available to offer help and advice. We have had two 1:1 sessions so far and they have been brilliant. Helen listens to your specific needs and is incredibly knowledgeable. We also found that by being in our own home meant we could really work on the specific things we need help with and build confidence. We have definitely seen an improvement in our lovely pup's behaviour (and feel much happier/relaxed!) We can't thank Helen and Joyful Dogs enough and are looking forward to our walking session soon! :)

"A well planned course. We learned new exercises and techniques and Mylo loved it. When I got our 'training bag' out at home Mylo got very excited! I recommend Joyful Dogs to all puppy owners"

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.

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.

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!

We all enjoyed the "Puppy Starters" training classes and have learnt lots of useful skills.  Saveloy particularly enjoyed the treats!

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.

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!

"We chose Joyful dogs after extensive search via Google; many schools didn’t cater for our then, crazy Lurcher’s reactive tendencies. Joy answered our emails and questions promptly, unlike a couple of other places we have contacted, and provided us with a solution to our misbehaving canine! From the start, Joy was able to help. She listened to the problems we were having, and gave us solutions to counter them. Joy understood our dog and taught us how he learns and what would benefit him. We started with recall exercises and then “Find- it” to help our dog keep his nose to the ground and sniff rather than stand and stare. Joy also taught us to work at a distance - rather than our previous technique, which was not helping our dog but rather making it worse! (Sorry Bertie, thanks Joy!) Joy offered dietary advice for our dog too and we have seen a change in his behaviours. Altho' Bertie can still be over enthusiastic, he no longer completely ignores us and will respond better to recall commands! Joy’s training has made taking him out a pleasure rather than “what is going to make him go bananas this time”. We, and Bertie, would absolutely recommend Joy to anyone in need of dog advice. She is an absolutely amazing person ... and always has sausage! Thank you so much Joy, you have helped us keep our sanity!

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!        

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.

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.

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.

Training with Joyful Dogs has been very enjoyable and extremely useful.  Using the techniques and advice, Oscar is like a different dog!

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 had 6 training sessions with Dannyelle who I highly recommend.  She is very patient and extremely knowledgeable and has a genuine love of dogs.  She is really encouraging and I have noticed a huge improvement in my puppy’s behaviour.

"Joy came highly recommended as a gentle and rewards-based Dog Trainer. Our 1;1 training sessions have been a wonderful experience. Joy is highly knowledgeable and was able to meet our exact needs for helping our puppy gain confidence around other people. We learnt lots of games to increase her pride and sense of wellbeing and unlearned lots of rubbish we had previously read on the internet!  Would absolutely 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.

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.

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!  

We came across Joyful Dogs via an internet search whilst looking for a local Trainer to help us with some issues with our rescue puppy being fearful of strangers in our home. We were recommended the expertise of Danyelle to come and work with us on this problem. She was great, very experienced and amazing at explaining Finn's body language and why he reacts the way he does. Over a few sessions we built up from Finn being uncomfortable with Danyelle in the house to not reacting, learning to relax and eventually gaining the confidence to interact in a positive way. We now have some great tools to use to help us continue working on this. We are very grateful to Danyelle and Joy for their professionalism and experience and would not hesitate to recommend them.

Having recently welcomed Bryn, a Boxweiler pup, into my home I was keen to provide him with the best start, given the size he will become. I was pointed towards Joy by a fellow dog owner near me and couldn’t be more grateful for the recommendation. During just the first 121 session I felt confident that I would be able to “speak” Bryn. We had 4 sessions in total, ending with an off lead country walk and a ‘picnic’ with Bryn just pottering about. Joy shared many techniques, games and exercises to keep this ‘little’ bundle of physical and mental energy busy and helped me to understand what I can do to help him become a lovely canine companion. I recommend Joy without hesitation! Thank you, Joy from Bryn and me! X

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

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.

We were recommended Joy from the breeder we got River from, he spoke very highly of her working with his Portuguese Water Dog so we looked her up online. We found the training very useful, her knowledge and incite was priceless to us being new to having a puppy. Particularly helpful with re-call and lead training, and the use of positive reinforcement using treats. Joy was also brilliant with our two young boys, involving them perfectly when they attended the sessions. River has come on a lot, even after just 3 1:1 sessions ... as has our understanding of him and his ways of communicating with us, that’s also something Joy really helped us with. We would absolutely recommend Joy to anyone looking for help with their pooch!

We have just completed the 6 week Puppy Starters training classes at Joyful dogs.   The classes were small and extremely well run by knowledgeable and professional leaders.  I have learnt how to walk my pup on the lead and as this was a priority for us as a family it makes me very happy to recommend the style of training and support provided by joyful dogs , thank you from Murphy the puppy and Linda the owner

After searching google and reading the positive testimonials on Joyful Dogs, we decided to book 1;1 training to help with walking Freddie.  Joy taught us  techniques to encourage Freddie to focus on us when out walking. This has really helped build his confidence as he used to be very timid and refuse to walk. The sessions have also really helped us understand Freddie better and made us realise how important mental stimulation is for dogs. We’ve learnt some great games like ‘hide it’ which Freddie loves to play. Would definitely recommend Joyful Dogs. Thank you for your help Joy x

Really enjoyable and useful course.  We found the information about Dog Body Language invaluable – really helped us in the early stages.  As did the Enrichment Games (snuffle bowl) and the agility course was lots of fun too!  Thank you

"It is thanks to Dannyelle that I learned how to help my dog Lexi. The trainer has been very kind and patient, thank you!"

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.

Behaviour training to stop car and traffic chasing

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!

Joyful Dogs popped up when I was searching for positive dog trainers for my reactive dog.  The individualised attention that Bailey and I received through our four 1:1 training sessions with Dannyelle allowed us to really focus on our needs.  Dannyelle taught me how to reinforce Bailey at the right time, slowly build up the criteria for rewards and, more importantly, when to step back if the situation was proving to be too challenging for Bailey.  Bailey has made great gains and we will continue practising what we have learned.  I will sign up for more classes with Dannyelle (the best endorsement I can give is the fact that I will work with her again) after we become more secure in the skills we have learned and are ready to move to the next level.  Dannyelle has a nice, calm demeanour and was very patient with me when I made mistakes.  She also was helpful in putting things in perspective if I, or Bailey, were to make a mistake or we were faced with a particularly challenging situation where Bailey reacted to another dog.

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

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.

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

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 had used a Dog Trainer before with my rescue dog but something wasn’t clicking, so I decided to try Joyful Dogs. They had come highly recommended on local dog forums. Dannyelle was our Trainer and she was attentive, understanding and incredibly knowledgeable.  She has helped my rescue dog grow in confidence in only 4 sessions! I can see a visible difference in my dog and taking her for walks is now a pleasure, not a chore. I would highly recommend Dannyelle to anyone who is looking for a kind and attentive trainer who understands and loves dogs completely. Thank you, Dannyelle and Joyful Dogs!

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.

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

A fun course - Joy was fantastic!  Our puppy Dylan really enjoyed it and it was good for us to learn the background behind training.  We particularly enjoyed the scent games and outside games!

We contacted Joy about 1:1 training with Rudi after a really enjoyable 6 wk Puppy Course last year. We found Joy’s approach clear and straightforward.  The 121 training focussed on lead walking and recall; using treats and their placement to reduce pulling on lead along with the bowling game, flirt pole, and squeezy cheese game to reinforce Recall.  Rudi is not  that food orientated so Joy highlighted exactly how to reinforce her using play and chase games! We found the sessions extremely useful and whilst we would have liked more before moving away, we have been practising daily with what we did learn. There has been a marked improvement in Rudi’s lead walking and recall – she pulls less on the lead and is more likely to respond to us when on the long line out and about. We would wholly recommend Joy for your dog training needs!

The Puppy Starters course has been really useful for understanding what Coco is thinking and to communicate with her more effectively.  The exercises all help to bed in the behaviours really well.  Particularly enjoyed the 'Vet' games, Q&A sessions and the mini agility course in Week 6.

Training with Joyful Dogs - it's been fab!  Thoughtful, impactful training.

The "Puppy Starters" course provided a lovely, gentle and calm learning environment; we particularly enjoyed the Q&A component ... and the mini-agility course on Puppy Graduation Day!