I was recommended by a friend to contact VIP dog training. I have a standard Dachshund called Matilda. She was very reactive on the lead barking, lunging at anything that moved including dogs, people, prams and bicycles. Walking Matilda was an absolute nightmare, it was very stressful and so embarrassing. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve come home vowing that I would never walk her again.
We tried everything, from buying books on reactive dogs to watching lots of on line training on YouTube. We even sought help from another dog trainer before Justine but nothing worked .
Matilda’s behavioural problems also extended inside the house too, she constantly barked at anyone who walked past and also terrorised my poor neighbour whenever she sat out in her garden.
We booked a consultation with Justine to assess Matilda.
To start with we were given training exercises to practice with Matilda in our home environment, the settling exercise and lots of brain enrichment to calm Matilda.
Justine also recommend changing her diet. The reactivity behaviour wasn't going to be a quick fix, we knew that we had to put lot of time and patience into training Matilda..
We practiced a lot of distance training with Matilda, so she wasn't over the threshold when she would see other dogs or people, we also did engagement training so Matilda would focus on us.
I can honestly say from the moment I met Justine I just knew that this woman would be the one to help Matilda. She was so knowledgeable and professional, she knew instantly what Matilda’s problems were and gave us plenty of advice on how to manage them. She was an absolute godsend, I cannot thank Justine or recommend her enough .
Matilda has calmed down so much now, she is no longer a nightmare to walk and for once she is a pleasure to walk. We have finally got the family dog we always dreamed of having ,don’t get me wrong Matilda can have a little outburst now and again but thanks to Justine when she does we know how to manage the situation and resolve it quickly.
Sharon McCombe
Last year my Dad got his new best little friend, our lovely Beagle puppy called 'Pal'. A friend of mine recommended Justine from VIP training and we never looked back! The advice was literally priceless with everything from toilet training and crate training to enrichment toys and whistle 'call back' training for walks to name but a few!
How quick Pal responded to the positive reinforcement training was unbelievable! And even though our bond with Pal was fabulous from the minute we set eyes on him through training our bond just got stronger and stronger and training was actually fun! Pal was as excited and delighted as us!
With Justine’s amazing dog walking training my Dad (and us a family) have literally gone from being pulled down the street to having our gorgeous Pal casually walking beside us... unbelievable! The way it has changed our whole life with Pal is just amazing!
With Justine’s training Pals adventures have widened from enjoyable walks to taking the train to London with my Dad to spend the week in my brothers with his family! Not to mention joining my Dad on the ferry over to New Brighton too! Honestly I cannot recommend VIP training enough and Justine is amazing with help and advice whenever we needed it.
I highly recommend VIP training to all. Amazing service, advice and life changing help all round.
Liz Lewis
I’ve read a LOT about Justine’s service and would HIGHLY recommend her! With such a beautiful soul inside and out, how could you not trust your beautiful pets to this wonderful woman?! God Bless Miss Justine, if she lived in the states she’d be working with my stubborn Goyles!
Bonnie Darlington
I would highly recommend Justine who is a fantastic dog trainer I can see a great difference with my dogs just after one session.
Jeanette Dorrian
Buster, my 11 year old jack russell, has had a few problems over the years. He is a very anxious which causes problems i.e. leaving him on his own, if he sees another dog he will start to bark even before it gets close. As we leave the house, he will bark and nip at your ankles. Also pulling on the lead and jumping up with excitement when he is going for a walk. What made the situation worse was his sister Millie died in January and he just became really depressed and his anxiety increased. I decided to ask Justine to give me advice on the best way of dealing with him. Aside from the help on training him she advised me to buy an easy walk harness and some St. Johns Wort for animals. It has made such a difference with his anxiety issues, he no longer sits shaking if people come into the house. He seems a lot calmer and happier, going for walks is now a pleasure. We haven't got to the point of leaving him on his own just yet. I do believe if we follow the advice Justine has given us, that will happen. About four years ago I was very ill and Millie my Jack Russell took to her bed, wouldn't eat or drink, we had to lift her out to the garden and when she did walk, she crawled along. Took her to Woolton Vets who could find nothing wrong with her and they recommended Justine. What I appreciated about Justine was when I told her I was on my final dose of Chemotherapy, she advised me that once I had finished that Millie would most probably return to her normal self and did I want to wait and see. I didn't because I wanted Millie to get support as soon as possible. Within a week Millie was back to her normal self after I followed the advice from Justine. I would have no hesitation in asking for Justine’s support in the future.
Jacquie Dee
I would just like to say that Justine is an excellent dog trainer she is so professional, understanding and caring. When I take my dog to the park people are amazed how good my 5 month old staff is Justine whistle trained her to come back never thought she would do it but she is amazing I would recommend Justine to everyone who has problems with their dogs or just want a well behaved dog
Diane Thomas
I have an over excited and anxious 18 month old black lab who Justine has provided us with some extra crucial and important training he needed after he had bitten another dog! Her technique and advice is most valuable and our dog has responded so well to her training regime we are doing good stuff now.
DI had a problem with my family (especially my 3 year old granddaughter) coming into the house, my 17 month old very excitable Rottweiler was a nightmare not realising his size and strength just wanting to say hello but knocking her over and not leaving her alone as he wanted to play, Justine after 10 mins had him calm and at a point even ignoring my granddaughter, showing us what to do and practice to get the same result ourselves.
We also had a problem with him with recall, Justine again shown us how to cure this we now don't have the problem.
I could not recommend Justine enough, we are going to have some revisits to sort out other little problems we have, absolutely brilliant dog trainer.
Jennifer Pearson
Justine understands dogs and provides an excellent dog training and dog walking service. Her interest and care for all animals shines through in her work and any dog owner would benefit from her expertise and support.
Anna O’Hare
My name is Daniel and my French bull dog is called Theo. I bought Theo for my Mum he’s a lovely dog and we are delighted to have him in our family. My Mum was recommended to VIP dog training, we though being responsible dog owners we needed a bit of help with Theo at the time he was 6 months old, he was quite boisterous in the house jumping up on visitors and digging in the garden. Theo started another behaviour being reactive and aggressive with others dogs when we walked him, he would try bite other dogs if he didn’t like them. My mum was taking him to the park to meet other dog walkers that she knew and let him play but Theo started to get very reactive and it got out of control with one of the other dogs. Justine told us to stop that interaction it was over threshold for him he needed some one on one training and to calm him down. Justine has done some separate training with Theo first, then my mum has had some one on one training sessions with Justine. We thought about castration for Theo to calm him down but it was something we didn’t want to do, Justine recommend not to castrate and I strand we needed to work on his behaviour first then see where we are. We have kept up with the training for Theo and have been very dedicated, he’s doing amazing his recall is really good he’s not reactive with dogs my Mum and I are lot more relaxed taking him out. Justine has been a great mentor for both my mum and I. The sessions alone are greasy but it is also very important to keep up train at home. We highly recommend Justine to anyone with an issue with their dog.
Daniel Hammond
This is an update on Rodney's door training , it has been a big success. Justine showed us how to use commands and a tasty reward only when the doorbell rings he will still charge to the source of the noise he will wait on command and stop acting like a crazy fur ball. Now the community nurses & deliveries from the chemist are met by a much happier and contented dog and more relaxed humans. Rodney says a big thank you woof to Justine for her patients and care towards him. Traffic noise drove Rodney mad, lunging and barking at lorries & Buses etc, walking every day by noisy traffic and keeping him relaxed on his lead has done wonders and only the most noisiest motorbike or scaffold laden wagons upsets him it makes his walks more enjoyable. We will update his other great progress at a later date. Justine's training works but you have to keep it up in between her visits. So anybody out there who does have problems with their dogs I would highly recommend Justine's to train them, you can find her under VIP dogs which you can find on Facebook. Remember though you must keep her training up in between visits otherwise it is pointless to waste her time and energy. She is a brilliant Trainer. Everybody says Rodney is so chilled now they don't recognize him, so that makes him happy and us.
Devil to Angel (well Nearly) Rodney wasn't going to let anyone enter his home without a show of aggression, teeth on show, growling and pulling on the lead until he was dragged away this was one of his many faults. The poor window cleaner, if he attempted to come round the back of the house was met with the same behaviour. He is a 3 year old Shih Tzu, came from Manchester dog rescue centre and was a bit of a handful to say the least. We called Justine who came to the house via the front door and saw him at his most horrible ! The change in him after his first training lesson was wonderful. If you need a good dog trainer then Justine is the one we would recommend. Rodney is now a changed dog he is more laid back little dog so a huge thank you Justine for coming to our rescue.
Joanne Greaves
I had a problem with my family (especially my 3 year old granddaughter) coming into the house, my 17 month old very excitable Rottweiler was a nightmare not realising his size and strength just wanting to say hello but knocking her over and not leaving her alone as he wanted to play, Justine after 10 mins had him calm and at a point even ignoring my granddaughter, showing us what to do and practice to get the same result ourselves.
We also had a problem with him with recall, Justine again shown us how to cure this we now don't have the problem.
I could not recommend Justine enough, we are going to have some revisits to sort out other little problems we have, absolutely brilliant dog trainer.
David Mclennan
Justine is amazing! We were really struggling with our new pup but Justine is giving us the tools to help make him into an amazing little dog. I cannot recommend Justine highly enough.
Justine has been a huge help to me.Although I’ve owned dogs for 30years with no problems, the latest addition to the family defeated me. Justine has shown me ways to calm and control a very high energy retriever. Loads of tools, tips and commands to help him settle and learn impulse control. I have learned so much from Justine. The most useful part of the process has been the texts from Justine between appointments to see how we are getting along which allow me to ask questions if I am not sure what to do. This provides the reassurance you need to help you keep going. Thanks Justine.
Jill Fairfield
