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Mabel, a black Labrador, joined our family as a puppy in September. COVID restrictions meant that we couldn’t attend group puppy training classes and we were worried about letting Mabel off the lead as she got very excited, albeit friendly when she saw other dogs.
Debbie’s classes were invaluable as she offered practical and helpful tips. It has made our walks with our lovely Mabel much more enjoyable.
We would heartily recommend Debbie’s classes to anyone.
Kenny

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We originally went to Debbie because we were concerned that one of our dogs might be becoming a little aggressive/ snappy with other dogs on walks, plus she is just generally a pain to walk! I think the first thing to say is that Debbie is personable and lovely - there is no judgement about the situation you find yourself in. Debbie really works to find out your background etc and then works to find solutions to problems. And she does! After the first session we noticed a marked improvement. But I suppose more than this was after a couple of sessions and careful introductions to another dog - was actually understanding that our dog was not aggressive at all - we just didn't understand what was going on in terms of dog behaviour. It was as much about teaching our dog new behaviours as it was about giving us an insight into why she was doing what she was, and what it meant. For us this has been key because we are gaining confidence and feeling calmer - and we can tell that the training has also made our pup a lot happier. I couldn't recommend Debbie enough.
Michelle

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Winston and I have been having a great time with Debbie in our 121 sessions. I have learnt so much about Winstons border collie instincts and how we can give these a positive outlet to reduce excitement and frustration around moving objects such as footballs. Debbie is always full of enthusiasm and great advice. She is innovative in her solutions and her approaching to training makes me feel at ease and unafraid to try new things. I feel that thanks to Debbie Winston and I have a toolbox of techniques to use and we can't wait to learn more. Thank you so much for helping me and Winston!
Vikki

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I attended the 121 sessions with Debbie with Ollie, our 9 months old Romanian rescue and Alfie, our 3 years old Bichon. And I must say Debbie was amazing and these sessions have helped us tremendously. With her help, we became more confident on how to handle certain situations with our dogs and Ollie and Alfie became more focused and engaged. I highly recommend these classes.
Andreea Ciofu

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We adopted Ben, a black Labrador, from a dog rescue society when he was about 15 months old. We knew little of his background, except that he was rescued initially from Ireland and then failed his training for a police sniffer dog role. When we adopted Ben, we were told that he was a dog that would require a lot of attention, as although he had a lovely personality, he knew no boundaries to his behavior. Although we were used to Labradors and their needs, we felt professional help would be a benefit with his training. Following a recommendation from our vets surgery, we arranged for one to one training with Debbie at Potter Paws. From the first session we had with Debbie we noticed differences in Bens interactions with us, which continued as we progressed with the course. All the sessions with Debbie were fun, they covered a range of activities and Ben really enjoyed them, normally falling asleep exhausted afterwards. Although the focus of the sessions was on Bens training, the major benefit we found (besides him falling asleep afterwards) was the insights the sessions provided into what Ben was thinking and why he reacted as he did, this allowed much better interactions with Ben. We saw many positive changes in Ben over the course and decided to enroll for a class with other dogs which enabled us to reinforce many of the lessons we had learnt from one to one training in a more social environment. Overall, the sessions were excellent, both us and Ben learnt a lot from them. We have had Ben for 6 months now and he has changed from a hyperactive, quite nervous dog to a fantastic friendly, playful friend. This is without doubt due to a large degree to the one 2 one sessions we had with Debbie. We would recommend them to anyone. We have had Labradors for many years and regarded ourselves as experienced but realise that we would have benefited from personal training.
Ben

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Emma

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These classes were invaluable for us and Sandy. Debbie always comes up with fresh ideas. I'm so glad we booked up for them.
Myra