Transformational Rescue Dog Training in Sussex

Settling in, and coming down from stress

A rescue dog has likely spent an extended period of time being stressed – often to the point of trauma. Some arrive nervous of everything; some are fine by day and cannot settle at night. They usually need some targeted strategies to help them get over this phase of their life, and settle into their new one with you.

Confidence, and learning to trust people

Rescue dogs often struggle with confidence – partly because of the stress of a shelter environment, and partly because their previous life experience may have taught them that trusting people often leads to negative outcomes. It can look like hanging back from new people, or being wary of someone in the house they haven’t decided about yet.

Independence, and being left alone

A newly-rescued dog will often become ‘hyperattached’ to you as they settle into their new life. This may initially seem nice, but it’s very important for them to learn the ability of being happily settled out of sight of you. Dogs without this skill suffer from ‘Separation-Related Behaviours’ – what most people call separation anxiety – which are awful for everyone involved.

 
 
  
 
 
 5.0 
 
  Top Rated Trainer
 
verified by Trustindex 
 
Trustindex verifies that the company has a review score above 4.5, based on reviews collected on Google over the past 12 months, qualifying it to receive the Top Rated Certificate.
 
 
 
 
 

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Nina S 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+1
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!
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Katherine M 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
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 ❤️
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Mark S 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
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.
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Theresa O 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
We rescued a 7 year old German shepherd. She was always on high alert and never rested. Jessie's is a totally different dog after working with James. She rests more, is easier to manage on walks and is easier to calm after a high bucket moment. James has given us the confidence that we can help her and keep her happy and safe.
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Sarah H 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
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!
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Anna R 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
We inherited a young dog back in August last year.
He had not had his needs met in the first year of his life.
Giving food was a problem as we have another much smaller dog.
Something upsetting happened which drove me to find a dog behaviourist and trainer.
I picked Sussex Dogs namely James.  Within the first week he solved the food issue we were so relieved that our Milo was not a vicious dog and James has gone on to explain and educate me on how dog’s tick.
We have had  six sessions with James. He comes to your home.  Works with you and explains everything.
I can not say how much this has helped us. We would totally recommend Sussex Dogs.
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Sheldon H 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
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.
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Lou O 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
We recently adopted a very timid, apprehensive and reactive pup. We knew we wanted to find a trainer who was sensitive to her needs and would teach us techniques to fully support her and bring her out of her shell.

We found Seeker was well suited to James’s methods. James taught us to support, reinforce & understand her triggers and ways to manage them . She is now totally engaged and  a completely different (and very happy) dog. We now have some solid tools to support and encourage her when her environment leads to anxiety.  As a family we now feel well equipped to deal with any moments her bucket is full or overflowing!

Its been a really rewarding experience to watch her become brave and happy pup & find confidence when meeting new people. James has played a huge part in making her life a better place.
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Daisy G 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
I came to James after my beautiful foreign rescue (Lenny) unfortunately bit someone. I realised that while I’d been trying very hard, I just didn’t have the tools.

I had a course of 6 sessions with James in which we worked on various ways to help Lenny to relax and be less reactive. He’s come on leaps and bounds just by me having more of an understanding - I’ve struggled a bit to drop everything and really dive in (I believe this stuff takes time), but James has set me up with many queue cards that I can keep returning to and keep working on.

I’ve found his knowledge invaluable and it’s taken me from a place where I was genuinely considering rehoming my boy, to now not seeing a life without him. We’ve still got a way to go, but at least I now know that I’m on the right path. James really explains everything down to the psychology as opposed to just telling you what to do, which really helps to foster trust both in our human relationship and in the bond with my dog. He’s pretty funny too - highly recommend! :)
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 John C 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
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!
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Ben K 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+0
First class - have really enjoyed training our problematic greek rescue with James, couldn't recommend him more highly. She's made huge progress and we have been taught the tools to continue her journey, with great support throughout. James is very friendly, personable and genuine.
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Emma S 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
+2
James has been a great trainer and very understanding of our needs. We are first time dog owners to the lovely Bobo, a rescue dog. She has a high 'seek, avoid' tenancy and was unable to manage her bucket.

James took time to explain everything in a clear way, teaching us the psychological reasonings behind Bobos behaviour.

We and Bobo still have a long way to go to help her manage her own bucket levels but we have a clear method to help us achieve this in the long run with drastic improvements already.

Most importantly we have learnt to interact with Bobo by 'binning the bowl', positive reinforcement and fun food based games.

A final thank you to James for also being extremely flexible and there to message with an issues between sessions.
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Ingrid V 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
James is the first real dog whisperer I have met. After having spent money on dog trainers who were unable to help my dog, I was so grateful to meet James. You can tell he loves dogs and cares about their wellbeing. James is highly professional and very compassionate about his job. He has superb knowledge of dog psychology and training techniques and has been absolutely brilliant from the start of the course. James could instantly  understand my rescue dog Logan's behaviour without me giving him my dog's background information. His assessment of Logan was very helpful and spot on! James has educated me and given me the tools to train Logan and I feel very confident and have already seen a change in Logan after the first few training sessions. James is very kind and patient and has a great sense of humour. During our sessions James explained everything in a way which was easy to understand and showed me easy-to-implement training methods. I feel the that the training plan he created for us is very effective. I am very grateful for all his help and support. James has also been very flexible when arranging the training sessions. He will go the extra mile for you and your dog and offer you very helpful practical training skills. I highly recommend James. Thank you James for everything you have done for me and Logan. I feel very positive after our training course with you.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Contact Me

⬇︎

⚠️ Important

❤️‍🩹 I only work with vaccinated dogs

(unless they are puppies awaiting their first vaccination)

🚭 I only work in non-smoking households

🙅 I don't offer 'shadowing' or work experience

❔ Questions? See the FAQs page

📍 Please note my (rough) service area for in-person training - anywhere else in the UK, I can work with you by video!

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