Sarah Matthews

Dog Behaviour & Training

Professional Puppy Classes & 1-1 dog Training in Hampshire.

Sarah Matthews is a qualified and experienced dog behaviourist and trainer based in Romsey, Hampshire and works throughout Hampshire. Sarah is a non-practising member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and a Puppy School Tutor.


In recent years Sarah has changed her focus to work predominantly with puppies but does also offer training assistance from older dogs on a 1-1 basis.


Services

Puppy Classes - Sarah is a Puppy School tutor running classes at Wellow, near Romsey (SO51) & Netley Marsh, near Totton (SO40). Sarah has been running puppy school classes for 15 years and so is a very experienced tutor. Puppy School is a professional network of well-trained tutors providing a high standard of classes. Puppy school was founded by Gwen Bailey a leading behaviourist and trainer in the UK.


Puppy School classes are a 6 week course, with each session lasting an hour and provide an excellent opportunity for training and socialisation for your puppy, using only kind and effective methods.


They are fun and children over 5 years of age are welcome to attend with their parents.


The following exercises will be covered during the 6 week course:


  • Come when called
  • ‘Sit’, ‘down’, ‘stand’
  • Walk on loose lead
  • ‘Wait’
  • ‘Gentle’
  • Socialisation with adults, children attending class, and other puppies
  • How to greet humans appropriately
  • Getting used to be handled, examined, hugged, and lifted by owners/strangers
  • Food bowl, chew and bone manners

There is a maximum of 8 puppies in each class to ensure we can provide a good training environment.


All puppies must be vaccinated and under 20 weeks of age to join the classes.


You will recieve a colour training manual to help you make the most of the course.


We do get booked up in advance so if you are interested in attending our classes please make contact early to help avoid disappointment.
Puppy School Training Manual

Junior & Adult Dog Training classes -Junior classes are for those dogs that have either completed the Puppy School course or are between 5/6months and 1 year of age.


This is a 6 week course using reward based training. It can be highly beneficial to go on to the junior class after the puppy classes to continue to train your dog.


If you have an older puppy that has attended classes elsewhere or has not been able to attend classes yet then please contact us to see if these classes would be appropriate for your dog.


Our junior classes are normally held at Netley Marsh, Nr Totton and at West Wellow, Nr Romsey please contact us for more details or to reserve a place.

1-1 Training sessions -Sarah offers one to one training for puppies and this is an excellent opportunity to get assistance in using reward based training for your pup whilst addressing your particular needs.


These sessions will be carried out in your own home and can he highly beneficial to help you to start your pups training before they are able to attend a class or if you are having any particular training problems.


As these sessions are carried out in your own home it is possible to have a puppy training session before your pup is vaccinated and able to go outside.


This can be highly beneficial to owners who need assistance prior to attending a class or those that are unable to attend a class.


One to one training help is also available for adult dogs and please contact Sarah to discuss your particular requirements.

About Sarah


Sarah has a wealth of animal experience working with a variety of species but has a particular interest in dog behaviour. She started her further education with a BTEC Higher National Diploma in Applied Biology specialising in Animal Management at Sparsholt College in Hampshire. She then went on to gain a BSc (Hons) in Animal Science from Nottingham University.

It was at this time that she developed a keen interest in canine behaviour and set her sights on gaining a formal qualification in this subject to complement her practical experience. This was achieved in 2003 when she gained the post graduate Diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling from Southampton University. She has since gone on to complete her Masters degree in this subject.

Sarah has worked closely with rescue organisations offering behavioural and training advice and this has not only increased her experience but also led to a keen interest in working with dogs and their owners.

     

Sarah feels that it is essential to offer well run puppy classes to help owners raise a well adjusted family pet.

In 2008 Sarah became a full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC). www.apbc.org.uk

To gain membership to the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors Sarah had to undergo rigorous selection to establish her qualifications and experience. As Sarah's focus changed in 2022 and she was no longer taking referrals for behaviour cases she became a non-practising member of the APBC to allow her to remain up to date while she continued to work part time in the field of dog behaviour & training.

Sarah has owned and fostered dogs of various breeds and many of which have been from rescue.



CONTACT US


We’d love to hear from you. Call us now on 01794 323908. Due to the nature of Sarah's work she is not always available to take your call but please do leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can or send us an enquiry using the form below privacy policy

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