The Latest

Emma was a four-month-old yellow lab who looked like an angel and behaved like a demon. She was causing mayhem at home and my husband (not one of the world's great dog lovers) thought she should go.  Desperate days!

Then along came Neil. His wonderfully calming presence had Emma sitting quietly in her bed in the kitchen with the baby-gate open while we had a civilised conversation in the sitting room. Magic! But while I believed in Neil's magic, I doubted he could impart any of it to me … I was wrong.

Neil is the most patient but persistent teacher I have ever met. He has given me the confidence to cope with the inevitable 'incidents' owning a happy, bouncy, exuberant lab can produce by teaching techniques to practise each to we go out. Without Neil, I'm sure Emma would have been very reluctantly 'returned to sender' instead of the wonderful source of fun and pure joy that she is. Thank you so much Neil!

Pauline Brent, Eastbourne 

 I thought I had tamed my rescue husky Willow quite well, her main issue was behaviour around horses.  Whenever she sensed one she was like a crocodile in a death roll trying to get to play with them.  I called in Neil and within five minutes was completely confident in his abilities.  He left us with some rules and boundaries to help.  On his return visit we went out to deliberately find horses and he showed me how to keep her calm.  This gave me confidence and after just three weeks of meeting Neil we took her to the Bexhill Horse Show - unbelievable! 

Neil has a fabulous job and he does it with great love, determination and diplomacy.  I would not hesitate to call him and the knowledge that he is there for ongoing support is reassuring.

Carol Walton, Bexhill-on-Sea 

From our first conversation Neil began to put our minds at rest and not only advised us how to stop the barking but explained exactly why our dachshund was doing it.Neil taught us the importance of being consistent and using positive reinforcement, he told us by taking control and showing leadership our dachshund would become a confident and contented puppy . . . . he was right ! Thank you Neil ".

Alex  Allcorn, Eastbourne 

I contacted Neil for his expert advice and help with my 10 month old springer George, we had 2 visits from Neil and many things became apparent, over-feeding being one of our problems.We walked George on a long lead for 3-4 weeks calling him back playing with his "going out ball", we decided to let him off of the lead and to this day his recall etc is very good...many thanks Neil for all your help

 Sue Atkins, Redhill 

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, Brighton 

Harvey immediately responded well to Neil's calm, assertive leadership which showed us just what Harvey was capable of.  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 Frankiefrom 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

Puppy Socialisation Classes - For Puppies between 8 and 12 weeks old by Sussex Dog Trainer

CNV00001-1What is socialisation?
Socialisation involves meeting and having pleasant encounters with adults, children, dogs and other animals. Puppies also need to get used to a wide range of events, environments and situations.

Take on a puppy and you take on the responsibility for its future. A puppy's first year is very important. Puppies that are well socialised grow up to be friendly and happy with people and other animals, and make very successful pets. Dogs that are taken out regularly as puppies can take different situations in their stride and enjoy going anywhere with their owners.

The sooner the better
During the early weeks, a puppy will approach anything or anybody willingly and without mollydylangardenfear. By the time it reaches about 12 weeks of age any new encounter will be approached with caution and trepidation. Therefore, it is vital that a puppy meets a wide variety of people and situations between 3 and 12 weeks of age. Puppies usually go to new homes from the age of about 6-8 weeks. This means you should make a real effort to socialise your new puppy well during your first few months together.   If you continue to make an effort until the puppy is at least one year old, you will end up with a friendly adult dog that can be taken anywhere.

Join us
Our structured classes run for 4 weeks and are ideal for puppies between the ages of 8 and 12 weeks to meet and play with other puppies in a safe environment.  

mollycushiongardenI help owners give their puppies the very best chance of growing up as confident dogs well adjusted to living in our “human” world, as soon as they have had their first vaccination.

Classes are held early evening at the Foreman & Hanna Veterinary Practice in The Goffs in Eastbourne and are free of charge to clients of the practice.

The structure of the classes will be geared towards informed fun with format as follows:

  • Puppy introductions - on and off the lead
  • Introducing routines - bedtimes/feeding/toileting
  • Establishing rules and boundaries - good manners
  • Puppy health - the importance of vaccination
  • Worming and flea treatment
  • Handling
  • Collars and leads
  • Legal requirements - ID tags - microchipping
  • Introduction of basic commands - heel / sit / stay / down / leave
  • Rewards
  • Nutrition
  • Excercise
  • Problem solving