The Latest

That Neil knows his stuff is beyond doubt. It’s obvious right from his first meeting with your dog. But unlike many trainers, he also understands people. That and his generous back-up support make his training not just effective but excellent value for money.
-          Rob Ashton (and Molly), Brighton
 
 'We first met Neil when our very lively Springer Spaniel, Harvey; was a young puppy having been recommended by someone we knew who was finding him very helpful in training her Labrador puppy. He certainly helped to change all our lives for the better! 
Harvey immediately responded well to Neil's calm, assertive leadership which showed us just what Harvey was capable of.  We have since worked on a number of things - recall; pulling on the lead; travel sickness; discipline and nutrition and the improvement in Harvey is amazing.  Neil has always focused on coaching us to be cabable dog handlers so that we can fully enjoy Harvey's energy and exuberance and he can be a really happy dog. 
It is a fantastic thing to see someone who has truly found their vocation in life, and Neil certainly has.  We are very grateful to him for his coaching and encouragement and have already recommended him on to others we know.
 
Sue and Dave Wolff, Lewes, East Sussex.

'Hello my name is Frankie and I would like to say a huge thank you to Neil for helping my owners help me.  He was recommended to us and we had 3 visits training my owners how they can best look after me.  He was always patient with all of us and didn’t mind how often they contacted him for support and advice.  He taught my owners strategies to use and we practiced these in between visits.  I leave my food until instructed; I wait at the bottom of the steps before being invited in to the house.  I love my owners and I think they really enjoy my companionship....thank you Neil for EVERYTHING.   Lots of love and licks Frankie  from St Leonards'

'With Neil's advice and on going support and our work and patience, Hedley is now a much calmer and better behaved dog who is much happier as he knows his boundaries and what we expect.  Both my husband and I are so glad we met Neil and we can now look forward to years of owning a happy dog'

Julie & Terry , Cuckfield

'Neil was our third and final attempt to sort out our dogs issues, thank goodness his techniques work! Neil is extremely patient and also very positive and encouraging.  He sucessfully managed to train us to train our dog!  His follow up advice has also been invaluable and has kept us all going'

Nula & Martin from Brighton

'A big thank you to Neil, for helping me train my much loved Lucy and Josh when he became a demanding teenager, and now we look forward to Neil helping us train Sophie who joins our family soon.We were the ones who needed training, we could not have done any of this without Neil and his expert advice to re thing how we think and act in front of our dogs'

Rod & Angela from Staplecross

'We can not thank Neil enough as without him Basil's story would of been very different. 

Thank you Neil we couldn't of done it without you. ' 

Becky from Eastbourne

'Neil has a talent, a real talent that I have to say I have not seen before.  He is excellent with dogs but at the same time fantastic with us (the dog owner), he will tell you exactly where you are going wrong but will give you the advice on how to correct it - what more could you ask for'

Lesley Roberts,   Little Common

'Eastbourne’s answer to the dog whisperer!! '

Richard and Diane Hughes of Eastbourne 

"With Neil's help, advice, encouragement and, above all, patience, Callie is becoming a much more manageable and obedient dog. Neil has given us the confidence to control Callie in a way we once did not think would ever be possible!"          Linda & Richard Lee, St Leonards

Mr King was recommended to me and I am very grateful as I have a very strong difficult dog with behavioural problems.  I found Mr King to be very professional, caring and understanding of my dog and myself, and would highly recommend him in the future.

Lesley from Bexhill

'The techniques that Neil demonstrated to us have been very beneficial in training both us and the dog.

We have been very impressed with Neils knowledge and expertise and his professional manner'

Mrs & Mrs Sanson ,  Eastbourne 

'I was desperate for help with my two female puppies who were fighting more and more, I was advised by a number of people to part with one of them.

It only took 3 visits from Neil to solve the problem altogether and even after the first visit they started to tolerate each other again. 

Mr & Mrs Hood from Eastbourne

Gundog Training in Sussex  moll_point

I am pleased to offer gundog training for your springer or cocker spaniel, labrador or HPR.  Your training will vary depending on your breed of dog.  Labradors & Golden Retrievers were bred specifically to retrieve game over long distances and like Flat-coat retrievers are very adept at retrieving game from water. 

Spaniels were bred to quest or to hunt for game and are never happier than when flushing birds from cover.

HPRs (Hunt, Point, Retrieve) such as Weimaraners, Pointers, Vislers and Munsterlanders are all very versatile dogs with the ability to work in woodland, low ground, open pasture and water.

I offer small mixed breed classes and training will be geared towards the speciality of your breed. It is important that anyone who intends to train their dog in preparation for the field has a good understanding of what is expected from both them and their dog .

abotts_trio1Training always starts with the basics and good control at close quarter is essential before moving on to more advanced training.  I have listed below a suggested pattern that the training will follow.  How quickly you progress will always depend on factors such as how much time you can put aside in-between training sessions, your confidence as a handler and the enthusiasm of your dog.  

I also offer one 2 one training for gundog work either before starting a group course or treaksiton a one-off basis to cure specific problems that may have developed in-between shoot seasons.

If you are thinking about training your dog for gundog work or would just like some more information about whether it is right for you please ring me without obligation for further advice

  • Heelwork/sit and stay moll_retrieve
  • Sit commands (verbal, hand and whistle)
  • Getting dog eye contact
  • Body language for recall
  • Hunting using voice, body language
  • Planted retrieves to control the forward progress
  • Stop whistle
  • Retrieving (dog running in & retrieving to hand freely at this stage)
  • Steadiness to thrown dummy
  • Introduction of recall/turn whistle
  • Hunting
  • Steadiness to movement – sitting to thrown dummy whilst hunting
  • Introduction to shot heidi
  • Sitting to shot
  • Retrieving
  • Hunting/turn whistle/stop whistle
  • Sitting to shot & thrown dummy
  • Introduction to water
  • Jumping obstacles
  • Handling – back/left/right
  • Retrieving/hunting up