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Grieg Stevenson: sent by email

Hi Mick,
Just a quick e-mail to say a big thank you for your help and advice. I
thought I would write a little something so other people can benefit from
your methods too!

I first met Mick and his very well trained Cocker, Jock, for an appraisal
session and I instantly knew I had chosen the right man to train Cooper, my
black 2 year old rescued Labrador. Mick made me (and Cooper) feel at ease
and reassured me that we could solve the problems I was having. Mick also
advised on the correct lead, collar and other equipment that I should use
and can also supply these if necessary.

I have had Cooper for around 6 months now and managed to instill the basics
myself, sit, stay, house training and so on but had serious problems with
recall, lead work and general leadership issues. After *ONE* training
session there was a massive difference in Cooper's behavior. He was no
longer pulling as badly on the lead, his recall was drastically improved and
most importantly he was looking at me for instruction rather than thinking
he was in charge. I was amazed to say the least! All this was achieved by
using very simple and easy to understand methods. My second session was more
about me. Mick has taught me what I should be looking out for in Cooper's
actions. Basically tuning me into the way a dog thinks and works. Believe
me, it is not just a dog that needs to be trained, it is the owner as well.
Cooper is far from the finished article yet but I now feel I have the skills
and knowledge to get the correct results. I always had high expectations for
Cooper and could see potential in him, Mick has helped us bring out that
potential.

I never had any intentions of Cooper becoming a working dog, he was simply a
pet to me. However since meeting with Mick I intend to continue meeting with
him to train Cooper in more complex areas with a view to eventually working
him on the beating line.

I would highly recommend Mick for any training issues, whether you intend on
having you dog work or not. Don't make the mistake I made and waste money on
large group sessions, they simply do not get close to the kind of detail
that Mick can help you with via one to one sessions. Remain positive and be
keen to learn and you will reap the rewards!

I look forward to many more sessions with Mick and I am sure Cooper does
too!

Best regards and see you soon,

Greig & Cooper

PS. I will send you a picture soon showing Cooper and I in action with our
newly learned skills!

Cooper, the rescued black labrador. A credit to his owner.

Jimmie Hay of Edinburgh emailed

"I had real problems with Patch, our 18 month old Golden Retriever, when I
took him to visit Mick. Patch did exactly what he wanted to when he wanted
to. He wouldn't walk to heel, never mind come back when off the lead. This
led to a very stressful experience in walking him and after a couple
traumatic experiences he didn't get off the lead!

After just one lesson Patch was walking to heel - and has been great ever
since. With the very simple but effective methods you managed to give me the
tools and knowledge to keep Patch in check and make sure he no longer thinks
he's the boss. The techniques you taught us have worked: he's different dog
around the house, much more relaxed and biddable, as well as evening coming
back when he's off the lead!

I would highly recommend Mick. I made the mistake of wasting time and money
on group sessions when Patch was a puppy. Don't make the same mistake - they
simply do not get close to the kind of detail that Mick can help you with
via one to one sessions. I wish I had taken Patch to see Mick when he was a
puppy and saved everyone a lot of time!

Cheers,

Jimmie"

John Brown from near Glasgow with Breac a lively Springer pup

"Thanks a lot again for your help. It was the best £30 I have spent in a long time & even Adele is impressed she is even getting up early in the mornings to walk Breac. I am just in the door tonight was up on the moss walking Breac for an hour & a half I think we both enjoyed it. I had him on & off the lead & kept confusing him with my two blasts on the whistle. He comes back now on a long whistle & will look out for commands on a single whistle. Have been taking on your advice on feeding him. Thanks."

A section from an email from Amy Rafferty

"Ultimately however, we have both noticed a huge difference in him and this may be because he isn’t allowed on the sofa or the bed any more. We make sure we go outside first and we eat before he does. As a result he is generally a lot calmer – all of which is thanks to you!

I really appreciate the time you took with us, and you’re very helpful advice. I will come back to you if we don’t sort out the "other" issue, but in the meantime I’m feeling a lot better about Ludo!

Thank you so much for all of your help,

Kindest regards

Amy"

From Bob and Val from way up in the North of Scotland.

"Living in a very isolated location our two young spaniels had become very kennel shy, also they received very little basic training (we were in the middle of a house build and very short of time) - a lead was never necessary and they hunted as much as they wanted. They obviously had a lot of natural ability but would have been impossible for working in the field, which was our intention.

Mick has done a wonderful job in getting them socialised and under control and in a very short period of time too! Helle came back to us three days before the start of this season (2008/9), after six weeks with Mick and was working in the field almost immediately. We dropped Georgie off with Mick for six weeks when we collected Helle, she too has been working on every opportunity since her return. They are now working as a team and are a joy to watch, we are very proud of them and they are getting better each time they are worked.

Before meeting Mick, we were a little apprehensive at leaving one of our 'babies' with a stranger, however on our arrival, Mick was very proffesional and spent time with us explaining how he handles the dogs, showing us where they'd be kennelled and discussing their training needs, showing us the main training areas and making us feel confident with the situation. We were kept informed of progress at all times.

Go to Mick with confidence, we will most definitley be using his services in the future!

All the best,

Bob & Val"

Above: Helle