Reviews

With less than 3 weeks to go prior to our home relocation from suburbia to the countryside, Ian generously offered to fit us in, to assess and then work with both our 6 year old GWP and ourselves.

Under Ian’s focused and highly experienced leadership, we literally saw a changed dog in the first few hours spent in the field. His understanding of the GWP and how we as owners need to behave and respond to get the very best from our companion is immeasurable. At the end of our training period, we felt truly equipped for the first time, with the knowledge of how to handle our dog, and as to what she needs to be more fulfilled as a family pet from working lineage.

The relief is huge, as we’re able to finally place feelings of being out of control behind us. Our dog no longer pulls on the lead and for the first time has good recall, the ability to leave objects alone and is less reactive to distractions with a focus towards ourselves. We came away from the whole experience literally buzzing, empowered, and with a tired, much happier dog, who is instantly more chilled at home and who’ll now enjoy walks and family home life supported by the focus and challenges we’ll give her each day.

The consistent method of command, praise and food reward, works so well as part of Ian’s training. This is something we began and gradually got out of the habit of from early puppy training, to which we now see the real value in and which we will continue into the foreseeable future.

Words can’t express how grateful we are to have received such brilliant advice and training, giving us the confidence and skills required going forward… especially into our new home, with a respect for the safety of both our dog and livestock in the neighbouring field and surrounding setting.

We have a lot of work to do, the majority continuous to retain and strengthen what we have been taught over our training period, though we’re excited and really looking forward to a more joyful future with the correct tools finally in place to understand what our dog needs.

If you’re struggling with your GWP, we honestly have to say contact Ian, he works miracles for you and your dog.

We really questioned whether long term learned behaviour could be changed, and can gladly confirm, that in contrast to the cliche… you can teach an older GWP and it’s even older owners good habits!

Thank you Ian, the faith has been restored and we hope to visit again in the New Year!

Okay, long review incoming!

We are a bit late as we actually came to seek Ian’s support and advice in May, but due to family bereavements I am only just adding the review now (although I believe this is actually a positive thing as it gives an indication on longer term results).

We booked our 3 year old boy in for a week’s boarding and training, with us staying onsite and plans to be trained by Ian ourselves!

Obi is a lovely boy, and appeared fine for the first two years, although very headstrong and wilful, and didn’t respond as readily to the same training techniques that were effective with our previous dogs, a Weimaraner and GSP. He didn’t seem to have the same focus and desire to please us and despite daily training sessions, plenty of exercise and stimulation, he continued to push boundaries, particularly with recall. He was fine with all other dogs, however, and was friendly with visitors, although a bit wary of strangers.

At age 2, we had him castrated, and the problems escalated from there. He started to be reactive to other dogs – not all, but initially it was the ones that had “had a go” at him in the past. He’d ignored these for 2 years, even when they barked and snarled in his face, but now he started reacting and having a go back – barking and jumping / lunging to get to them. This soon extended to dogs that looked like the two offenders, and then progressed to other large uncastrated males. He was fine with all female dogs and small dogs regardless of sex or whether or not they were entire. He was unpredictable on walks as not all large males elicited this response, and we found walking him was suddenly a real pain.

In the field, we had to go back to using a long line because of his unreliable recall too.

At home, he started barking at us if we told him “no” for stealing cushions/getting up on the sofa etc. which we’d never experienced from any of our previous dogs.

We contacted a very experienced behaviourist who visited us at home and walked with us. He reassured us that Obi wasn’t aggressive, but that he was sometimes ‘silly’ and advised that we needed to reinforce boundaries and firm leadership, and gave advice on how to manage him better on walks.

After a small improvement, we were still not where we hoped and I saw Ian’s name mentioned several times on the GWP Facebook page, and made contact. In October we booked a week at Anvilstone the following May and waited excitedly.

Before I get onto the review of the training, I must comment on the cottage which is also rented out separately but if you book directly with Sue (Ian’s wife) you receive a significant discount. Even without the training the cottage is gorgeous – the most amazing views, really comfortable, clean and well equipped accommodation and Sue is lovely; attentive without being intrusive and gave lots of suggestions for local activities etc. It is literally across the path from the farm where Ian and Sue live and the dogs are kennelled. The surroundings are incredible-rolling hills and perfect peace.

When we arrived, Ian took Obi, asked for a recap of his issues, declared that they were much the same as most other GWP’s he’d seen over the past couple of years, then calmly took him away and told us to “have a holiday” for the first few days, during which he would assess Obi and after which, we would join in with the training.

Later that afternoon, Ian met us and asked who had lost a white sock; when we looked quizzical, he went on to tell us that Obi had “$h!t one out on the field…” mortified, we assured Ian that he had never eaten ANYTHING that he shouldn’t have before. We were aware that we sounded like ‘those’ owners who state “he’s never done that before”, but he genuinely hadn’t! Of course he chose that day to do so – it felt like he was giving us all the middle finger (or claw) in anticipation of what was to come!

We had a wonderful break for 3 days and as the sun shone down we did some sightseeing and lots of eating out at beautiful restaurants, and occasionally caught sight of Obi and Ian in the field opposite – then the hard work began…

The start of our training coincided with a change in the weather and it absolutely tipped it down for the next few days. We were in the fields with Ian and Obi for a few hours each day and straight away we could see a change in him. He was so attentive, looking up at Ian for direction and racing back to him when whistled. We’d started training with the whistle initially, but he soon became disinterested so we didn’t continue. This time, he was really keen, and using the cheese that Ian uses as a reward (made locally and which frankly looked and smelled far too good for dogs!) reinforced the whistle and when thrown, provided a reason for them to move away so they could be called back.

Ian had us walking around the fields (did I mention these were filled with sheep?!) rapidly changing direction constantly whilst expecting Obi to follow us. We were stunned that he did so, sticking to us so closely, to the point where it was difficult to get enough distance between us to be able to call him back!

We continued to practice the same simple principles over the next few days, taking him amongst the sheep (terrifying for me, but Ian’s calm reassurance gave me confidence), and into different fields further afield with different smells of deer, rabbits etc to challenge him. We also took him for on lead walks along the land and finished by taking him for a coffee in a local pub, to test him in a more social setting. He did attempt to chase the sheep once, but Ian “buzzed” him with the e-collar he tried on him (just sound not shock). Ian recommended an e-collar for him, as he felt he would likely be unpredictable again if presented with livestock, but although we understood the explanation given of their correct training and use and felt when Ian demonstrated on us, that the “shock” was a mild sensation (less than my TENS machine!) we didn’t feel it was right for us at that time. There was no pressure or hard sell on the method by Ian, just an explanation of how they can be a useful tool.

In addition to the training described briefly above, Ian also gave lots of other tips, particularly in terms of ensuring Obi knows that we are in charge – no harsh punishment, shouting or “alpha” bull$hi£, but little things that mean that he looks to us for direction, and calms down when we ask.

So, six months on, how has the training lasted? Well, Obi remains so much more responsive and focused during training (which we continue to do on a daily basis). We live in a very much more populated area than the beautiful spot that Ian lives, so there are lots of dogs to distract him in the fields when we train, but he looks at them, then continues to focus on what we have asked him to do. He’s so much better on the lead, and passes 99.9 % of dogs with no issue; still not happy passing his two nemesis’ but he calms more quickly after.

He seems so much calmer and happier in general and is so settled at home. He’s never been a big barker, apart from when he was having a strop and he was attention seeking or we said “no”. Now, we rarely have any barking at us, if he does, rather than putting him out of the room, or us moving to another room, as we were previously advised, we now follow Ian’s advice of holding his collar and putting him behind us until he stops/sits. He stops instantly and immediately slides to a ‘down’ position, then after we ‘release’ him, he goes to his bed and lies quietly.

We can’t recommend Ian enough – my only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner. Whilst we were there, we saw Ian training with a young GSP and thought that’s the ideal, start correctly before bad habits begin… We thought we had done everything properly in terms of training, but we learned so much during our week and realised we’d unwittingly made mistakes.

So, in a nutshell, if you are having issues with your dog, particularly your GWP (Ian’s speciality, obvs), then get yourself up (or down!) to Anvilstone. It’s not cheap, but we paid less for a week’s training and cottage hire than we paid the year before for our week away in a house in the New Forest and we came back with more than lovely memories and holiday snaps – we’ve got a dog that is a pleasure to be around.

Thanks Ian!

We got Nero ( Doberman/collie cross) few months back. After 4 months of unsuccessful training with a diffrent trainer who suggested drugging the dog to stop his reactivity we got recommended Ian. We were promised results after one day by the recommender and even tho we came in optimistic we didn’t expect to come out with a new dog just after one session. We will be coming back to work on his reactivity to people and dogs and anything in between. But we can already see a clear path forward. after being explained what is wrong with him and how we can fix our behaviours to fix Neros we are supremely optimistic that Nero will be the perfect dog thanks to Ian!

We can’t wait for more training with Ian. We can’t recommend him enough. The man is full of knowledge and is able to talk dog language!

Quinn, 3 yrs old, was rehomed (a second attempt) with us a year ago. She was jumpy, mouthy and unpredictable with other dogs. We took her to Ian Wh who spent a few days with her establishing that she is a perfectly nice dog when properly handled, and then a day showing us how to handle her properly (that part probably harder work than the first). I would wholeheartedly recommend Ian wh to anybody needing some support with their GWP. He got her so quickly, and gave us the confidence that if we follow his instructions, we can manage her too.

We took our 15month old GWP for training with Ian as he had started to show signs of lead aggression to other dogs when out walking. Ian was a fabulous trainer, he not only trained Loki but trained us as well, explaining how to understand and work with Loki’s behaviour step by step. We have now been home a week and can see a huge difference in him. We now enjoy our dog walks and understand our dog a lot more. Ian is highly experienced and knowledgeable of the breed and we would recommend him to anyone.

My 4 month old GWP pup suddenly bit my wrist hard enough to make several deep puncture wounds which bled copiously. I had just pulled her back from chasing a crisp packet across the road, and she reacted with the bite. The shock stopped me in my tracks, and I stood frozen while she rolled on the verge, growling and wrestling with the lead. After about 20 seconds she seemed to get over it, let go of the lead, shook herself then looked up at me and wagged her tail. I took her home quietly and put her in her crate.

I had already identified and tried to avert some emerging dominance behaviours, but biting with purpose was an escalation, and I had no experience of dealing with it.

I messaged Ian via his website contact form, and he called me within a few hours. He recommended changes including isolating her crate, having her on a lead at all times and hand-feeding. I did all that. The biting got worse, always when I stopped her doing what she wanted or getting her to do something she didn’t want to. Long story short, I took her to Ian. She challenged him briefly, then his calm, no-nonsense approach won her over. She stayed for a week, and he kept me updated with videos of a biddable, happy puppy. I went to collect her and left feeling optimistic after 2 days with Ian training me.

Within a week she was challenging me again, always when we were out and she wanted to do her own thing. At home she was affectionate and responsive even though she was still on the lead and all the rules applied. The biting got so bad that I resorted to muzzling her when I took her out.

After a sustained attack when she used the muzzle to batter me while I stood on her lead and prayed she wouldn’t get the muzzle off, I decided that the vet was the only option. It was devastating, but I couldn’t carry on with her like that.

I rang Ian and told him what had happened and what I was planning to do. He told me to put her straight in the car and bring her back and he’d work with her again. And that’s how he saved her life.

She came home 9 days later with an e-collar and revised instructions for managing her. We’re a few weeks along now and she hasn’t bitten. She’s still pushing boundaries, but without the biting when thwarted. Also she’s a GWP and smart as she is, she’s still a puppy. I’ve been able to keep use of the collar to a minimum, recall is mostly good, and Ian is always at the end of the phone.

No matter how many years’ experience you have of a breed, there is always more to discover and more to learn. Don’t struggle, get help, and I would absolutely recommend Ian as someone who knows the breed at its best and at its worst.

It is hard to explain the extraordinary change Ian’s skills have made to our nearly 4 year old GWP bitch. We went to Anvilstone looking to improve her recall (great until she sees a deer or worse a squirrel), steady her down and to stop pulling on a lead.

After a week she is a changed dog (as are we). Ian patiently explaining how to change our mindset, giving us the training and tools to enable us to fully enjoy GWP ownership. Now the hard work begins. Thank you.

We have just used Anvilstone dog training and would highly recommend Ian. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience that he very clearly conveyed to myself and my husband. We had booked in for a week with Ian, mainly for resourse guarding dead animals and dominancy. Ian contacted us after two full days for us to go and work with our dog alongside Ian. After a full afternoon’s handover, we came away with our dog. We are full of knowledge and understanding of how to continue moving forward with positive reinforcement. Thank you so much, Cheryl, Dave.

For me this was the most important, insightful & informative 3 hours of training with my 11 month old Labrador, Pepper.

For Pepper it was exactly what he needed; someone objective & experienced in knowing how to manage difficult dogs by understanding the psychology of the dog.

I have left with a lot of work to do & it is *me* who has to do this work. I am optimistic. I don’t underestimate the importance in adhering to Ian’s guidance (rigidly) & it will be tough but we saw immediate improvement & progress so it is worth it.

Ian has kindly offered to see us both again after a few weeks & to answer any questions or concerns I have over the phone.

If you’re contemplating sending your dog to Ian at Anvilstone, just do it!!

Lilly our 3 year old GWP came to us at 5 months after a rough start in life, didn’t know her name or any basic commands, pulled on the lead, recall was hit and miss. We did what we could with her on our own and finally sought Ian’s help.

We booked her in for a 4 day residential with us joining on days 3/4 for some training of our own, we asked for help with her pulling on the lead and recall.

Training started as soon as I dropped Lilly off, she was out in the field with Ian on a long line learning. We got regular updates on how she was doing, videos and phone calls. The difference even on day 1/2 was massive, she was a calm dog walking nicely next to Ian, when usually she would have run off and come back a few minutes later.

Day 3/4 we joined and saw a huge difference in Lilly both with use of collar and no collar. Her walking was better, her recall was brilliant, her general behaviour and calmness was a massive improvement, We even walked through a field of sheep off lead with no need for a lead! Ian taught us lots about our own training, he told us how much of a nice dog she was and how well we had already done with her, which was lovely to hear. Ian’s help really did just fine tune what she probably knew deep down but we just couldn’t get out of her, he’s like the GWP whisperer, I would highly recommend Ian!!