Transformational Dog Training in Mid Sussex

We had used a couple of dog trainers in the past, however never found them to be beneficial. We had a very tricky dog and decided to ask for James’ help as a last resort. James’ guidance, advice and training exceeded our expectations and we felt that we were able to understand our dog from a scientific standpoint, which in turn helped us to understand and handle his behaviour. We would highly recommend James to anybody who needs professional help with their dog!

THANK YOU JAMES!!!! Myself and my partner were desperate for help with our rescue dog rua, she had been abandoned and a stray for the first year of her life and was incredibly shut down and anxious of everything. James knowledge of dogs is phenomenal. He is incredibly kind and patient. He has trained us and Rua through the theory of dogs and through lots of fun games that have enabled us to bond and taught rua how to become more confident and learn that she is safe. We can now have enjoyable walks….where she wouldn’t even leave the house when we met james! She s learnt to play and how to cope. And most importantly he has given us the confidence to carry on her training and keep her progress ongoing. I cannot recommend james highly enough, we wouldn’t have this happy doggy without him. Thank you a million times Charlotte Jonathan and Rua ❤️

So pleased we decided to undergo structured training early on with our lovely, crazy PBGV pup. Discovered Sussex dogs in a google search and after a brief introductory video call with James it was clear that his approach was exactly what we all needed. Inviting a pup into a home with 2 kids can be a very stressful and tiring situation but the change in a few short weeks has been remarkable. James’s training is uncomplicated and extremely effective. He doesn’t train the dog, he teaches you to train the dog by understanding their psychology and what makes our canine friends tick. Hounds are notorious for their strong hunting instinct and I was nothing short of amazed when at a mere 21 weeks of age our dog returned off lead on a training walk with James. We have been given games to play to reinforce the techniques which are fun for everyone and we are really looking forward to implementing James’s recall training. I can not recommended Sussex dogs highly enough and would love to continue our training as there is so much more to learn. Thank you James!

James has been absolutely wonderful helping us understand our new rescue, Bodhi! The care and detail he brought to our dog training made us confident dog owners and Bodhi a happier dog and family member. James' amazing skill to break down complicated science into relatable day-to-day situations worked wonders. I can barely believe the change we've seen in Bodhi going from constant hypervigilance to a calmer and funny boy. I can't recommend James enough to be honest!

James has equipped us with a wealth of knowledge and techniques to help us reduce our dog's anxiety. Our weekly sessions were great, with plenty of humour, kindness, games and tasty treats (Rufus very much approved!). We're really pleased with progress made and feel confident that we can continue to build on this. The future is looking far less daunting, for both Rufus and us!

I contacted James at the beginning of the year to help me with my anxious rescue spaniel. I had tried a few different trainers and methods before, but James' training has really hit the spot. I really liked his gentle and kind approach, plus the bespoke and individual way he treats each dog and owner. He clearly has a huge amount of knowledge into canine psychology and behaviour and communicates this in simple terms so it's understandable. Over the course of a few months, with a lot of hard work and training, my dog is so much calmer and better able to cope with life. He can regulate his emotions, calm himself down and just seems so much happier and more relaxed in himself. I can't thank James enough - it's been a real game-changer! I highly recommend James and his training to anyone who would like to better understand their dog. Thank you!

James is the ultimate dog whisperer. Training our rescue has been hard work but is achieving results. James has given us the skills to make significant progress with our rescue dog Buddy. His approach is more about understanding your dog's needs and triggers and he provides clear and concise guidance. With these new found skills Buddy's temperament and confidence is growing daily. We will definitely be asking James to return later in the year to add to our skillset. Thank you James.

James from Sussex Dogs has been a humongous help, we really were at our wits end when we first spoke to him. Our rescue, Cheese was in a near constant state of high stress, displaying behaviour we didn’t understand as a result. We started with a phone consultation where James explained what was possibly causing Cheese to behave in the ways he was. Over the course of the 8 sessions spent with James, we learnt so much about what was happening in Cheese’s world, and how to help him become a comfortable, happy dog using positive reinforcement techniques and methods provided by James. As a result of these sessions we are also much more confident as dog owners, as we now have the tools and understanding that has set us up to continue his training now that these sessions have come to an end. We could not recommend him more.

Our recent dog training sessions with James for our dogs Millie and Milo were fantastic. His approach to dog training has been a different experience for us compared to trainers in the past. James is extremely knowledgeable in his field and we enjoyed his theoretical approach, which helped us to better understand our dog's behaviours and how to help them more effectively. James made us feel incredibly supported throughout the training process and offered help and assistance beyond our scheduled sessions if we ever had any questions. We would highly recommend James for his expertise, guidance and dedication to helping us and our dogs. Millie and Milo would also like to say a big thank you to you James.

I can wholeheartedly recommend James. The work he's done to help educate me on my dogs physcology is amazing. I have a dog with separation anxiety and low confidence and over the last couple of months her behaviour has transformed. I now feel empowered and confident to be able to continue training her on my own, armed with my new knowledge and skills. James really understands dogs and people, he's been a great teacher and I'm so glad I reached out for help. Honey is thrilled too and it's wonderful to see her confidence growing everyday. Thank you James! 🙏🏼

I lost count the number of times that I considered contacting James, before finally reaching out. I just wish I had done it sooner. 2 year old Malamute x GSD who had zero recall and was up hourly throughout the night. James visited us at home for an initial assessment, but as we lived far outside of his area we agreed to proceed with a course of 8x 30 minutes online video calls. I was initially sceptical how this would help us, but after spending ££££'s on previous trainers without getting any results we decided to try this different approach. The weekly sessions were designed to teach us as owners the skills and understanding of our dog. The weekly lessons were highly informative and exercises were simple to complete. We've now finished our online sessions, and it's unbelievable that such small changes have had such a dramatic impact on our dogs behaviour. I also feel this short online course has given us the skills and understanding for life. Our dog now sleeps through the night, every night! And he is completely off lead, with the most amazing recall. I know I can confidently call him away from mid playing with dogs, chasing squirrels, birds, even footballs. We've had so many compliments and shocked people regarding just how fast and reliable his recall is, I honestly couldn't have asked for more. My biggest regret is that I didn't contact James sooner. Thank you for all of your help and support James. We've certainly been enjoying some lovely walks.

We are first time dog owners and decided to bring some joy into the family by getting a border collie XPoodle puppy. We worked with James for 6 fantastic weeks, building on strategies from the week before. Vinnie (our puppy) is a smart, confident dog and we wanted to make sure we were the owners that he deserved. I believe that James delivered this, and more! The confidence in our ability as owners is priceless and watching vinnie thrive as a result is such a reward. I've recommended James to 2 friends already as his methods and understanding make so much sense. They are actionable, and measurable. Every strategy he has given us has worked and we wouldn't be where we are without him. We are so grateful to James for giving us the confidence, and in return a happy, confident and calm (most of the time 😉) puppy.

I had tried 2 or 3 other dog trainers and behaviourists for my very anxious dog. James from Sussex Dogs spoke my language from the beginning. Even before I'd paid any money or met him, James welcomed my contact via email and WhatsApp. He assessed and understood my dog and his problems immediately. He also saw his good side. After 6 weeks of training sessions, family and friends have noticed the difference. While my dog is not perfect, he is so much calmer and happier. He really enjoyed the training sessions, and I wouldn't hesitate to book more training with James. Other trainers sometimes use a blame culture with owners, but James never did. He is incredibly well educated and experienced with dogs, and this shows without it being patronising. I highly recommend Sussex Dogs.

I had a fantastic and eye opening 6 weeks with James and my cocker spaniel puppy, Ghillie. I used to have a big aversion to dog training from the experiences in my youth of going to the chaos of group dog classes and this had been a long term barrier to getting myself a puppy. I was determined to get one to one help when and I got Ghillie and couldn’t have asked for better with James. His method of training helped me to overcome my previous dog training aversions and fears and I found that I could help Ghillie grow into a calm and lovely boy with relatively little stress. Ghillie is now a loving and happy 6 month old who everyone comments is so well behaved for a puppy. I have a long way to go with him but know what I need to do thanks to James’ teachings. I have attached pictures of Ghillie being calm in situations such as in the pub and my new house to show how well he is doing and that cockers are not necessarily maniacs.

We had a wonderful experience with James, he was always attentive, flexible, and genuinely cared about not only our pup, Zelda, but our comfort and knowledge on everything we needed to know. We've come out of the experience feeling fully equipped to tackle anything that being a dog parent can throw at us in the years to come, and Zelda has come out of it as a calm, confident pup! Could not recommend James more!

We couldn't be happier how are 6 weeks with James went! Our 3 year old Lurcher Oki is a different dog, much calmer, happier and engaged with us 🙂 We absolutely loved James’ approach to teaching us how to be better trainers, breaking it down week by week in easy to do and understand tasks. Our confidence has soared and our new found knowledge on how Oki’s brain works has us well equipped for any new situations. Honestly couldn’t recommend him enough, Thank You!

The 6 weeks we have spent with James have been invaluable, and have really turned our home life around. We no longer have a reactive dog that attacks other dogs for seemingly no reason. But a very happy and calm dog that is much happier within herself. His advice and the simple changes in routine have really helped us move forward and have given us the skills to make sure we have a calm and content dog

I cannot recommend James highly enough. We have a nervous large dog that makes walking an ordeal. We were at the point where we had no hope things would change for Lolli & our family but 6 weeks of training has transformed life for us. We have learnt to read our dog better so we anticipate situations and we are prepared with tools to deal with them. I am more confident and Lolli is so much happier. James is a real-life dog whisperer!

We worked with James for 6 weeks this Autumn when we were ready to train our first whippet. While both of us are “dog-people”, it amazed both of us how much we could learn about the shared importance of mindset/regulation/neural development for the dog-human-relationship. James has lovingly overhauled our understanding of what it takes to be a good dog-parent, and we’re so glad he did! Our whippet Newt is now 8 months old and is a total joy to own. “You’ll never be able to stop a sighthound chasing chickens/running off/[insert limiting statement here]” - said the many! Newt peacefully lives with a variety (and mass) of free-range chickens, ducks, cats and horses. He’s calm and gentle with our elderly cockerel and trots alongside my horse when we ride together. He calmly and confidently turns his hand (or paw) to any adventure with any new friends! He’s now calm and regulated in public and is so well behaved in all manner of situations. He is just such a cool character! James’ help has not only helped us both to create, in the words of many, an “easy” dog, but he has also helped us to be more mindful, aware and advocating for our boy. I often struggle with anxiety, and working with James has helped me to feel confident in my abilities to care for Newt in difficult situations. With brain-based concepts and surprisingly simple to implement strategies, James’ methods are a breath of fresh air in the minefield of dog trainers! We can’t recommend James enough, and look forward to working with him again on a refining our skills as Newt gets older. Thank you James!!

James has been a brilliant trainer, he has not only helped my dog but also trained me too! We started with a clear assessment helping us plan what we needed to cover in the 6 weeks. James took time to explain everything in a clear way, teaching me the fundamentals. He built a great relationship with my dog. He has given me practical ways for me to work with my dog going forward. James was also very flexible when I had to change sessions Would highly recommend him and Sussex Dogs

Just finished our course of sessions with James and we couldn’t be happier with the results. Our 1 year old cockapoo loved our weekly sessions and enjoyed learning new ways of practicing being calm. It was really helpful finding out the way a dogs brain works and the theory behind the training and it’s given us the tools to continue training by ourselves. James always came well prepared for each session and left us tasks to work on between sessions, encouraging us to update him throughout the week if we needed any advice. Excellent all round, couldn’t recommend enough!

Working with James for 6 weeks when we got our new puppy Pablo gave us a great start to training. We learned so much from the sessions! The outcome is that we have a calm, happy pup who has settled into the family extremely well. He really changed our way of thinking about dog training through understanding dog physiology and behaviour patterns. There’s so much conflicting information available about “the best way” to train your dog online, in books and from other dog owners and it can feel really overwhelming when you’re a new dog owner. We’re pleased that we invested in an experienced expert with tried and tested techniques. We’re very grateful to James and can highly recommend his services for puppies or rescues 🐾

James is just the most fantastic trainer of dogs and people! I cannot recommend him highly enough. He has completely turned things around for us with Rumpus. We were struggling badly in developing a recall - any sort of recall let alone a reliable one… His behaviour would become out of control when things got exciting and taking him out had become really daunting and stressful. James explained in a straightforward and easy to understand way about dog psychology and behaviour so that we understood why Rumpus was behaving in that way. He created an achievable training plan for us all. We are so pleased with the results and the positive change this has had on our relationship with Rumpus and the improvement in his recall. James has given us the tools and knowledge to train our dog consistently and effectively but in a fun way. We will all really miss James (especially Rumpus) and his fantastic training sessions.. Thank you James!

Our training with James for our Collie/Springer has been transformational for us and Rio and we now feel we understand what is going on with her. Always more work to do but we feel we are travelling in the right direction thanks to James. Rio came to us from Shoreham dogs trust at the age of 7 so we are trying to teach her new ways, ask James about those neural pathways!

James at Sussex Dogs is the best dog trainer you could ever want - and a smart, friendly, thoughtful, nice person too!! Bert, our cockerpoo, is a beautiful loveable handful 🤣 and we have - over 6 lessons - made so much great progress. All the lessons are Bert-centric! It has been so incredibly helpful and we would recommend to anyone with a puppy or dog with behavioural needs. 10/10. 100%. A+

James was amazing! After an initial call we knew his approach was exactly what we needed. His holistic approach to training gave us the knowledge and confidence to recognise and understand our new pup and his boisterous behaviour. Week by week, we gained new skills and tools, and we're delighted at the progress our boy (as well as us!) has made in these short few weeks. 100% highly recommended by Cass too 🙂