Adolescent Dogs Ltd Avis 182

Update December:what a sad response.

It has taken me 10 months to decide on whether to write a candid, honest review about my experience.
I am giving them 2 stars because their online academy is actually a great tool.
Now, I sent my 2 cavaliers (house trained already and with most basic commands already known) during 3 weeks. The main goal was: to help them stay calm and work well when together, and to learn how to be off-leash.
The initial contact, via videocall, with the assigned trainer, Petra, was very nice. I was surprised thou that she had so many dogs in her house that, as she shared, did not behave... How was that going to help my dogs? I trusted the process even though other cavalier owners told me their experiences had been so-so.
I asked multiple times if they had any experience with cavaliers.
Well, from the moment I dropped the puppies at Petra's, I started receiving a complaining whatsapp every.single.day. I am sure Petra meant well, but the amount of anxiety she was causing me was out of this world. Walk on my shoes. Every day, either you don't have news, or your receive a complaint because your 2 year old rescued puppy doesn't want to work with her, or your 3 year old is already sick. After a week, I receive this message: 'Percy doesn't want to work with me. There's nothing I can do'. Imagine my face. They don't give you a solution beyond "i'm leaving him at home so I can work with the other one" yet they have no problem charging you 3 weeks. 3.000 GBP for doing basically nothing with your pup. Don't they tell us over and over again that they can do wonders? but they cannot lure a 2 year-old cavalier into having some fun training? Anyway, I didn't say anything to the owner, Jenny for fear of retaliation. After all, we still had 2 weeks to go. During those weeks, in the end, the dogs learned what they already knew which was shocking and frustrating. In all fairness, I also received a few beautiful pictures of them having fun (thank goodness) and very comprehensive videos of what they were doing daily (complaints included). 6.000 GBP to teach my dogs the basics that they already knew and give me a 3-week anxiety breakdown lol.
Now on to what happened when they came back. They came back hysterical. Berti had never bitten before, and he did. multiple times. They fought with each other even though they didn't do that before. and more importantly: they were deadly sick. Berti came with all his belly hair, originally white, completely pink (?). A diarrhea so bad that not one, but 2 veterinarians were needed to stop it. it took 10 days. Percy came with the same diarrehea. In the end I contacted the owner, Jenny, and asked her about the pink hair, the sickness, etc. I explained that I was not looking to sue her or anything like that, I just needed to know what on earth happened at Petra's house so I could help the vet to heal my puppies. The answer: "we have never seen that pink hair. maybe it was from the day they went to the beach" and "the diarrhea is normal from stress". I explained that that was not stress as the blood and stool test showed an infection from stagnant water. I asked Petra and she confirmed that she allowed them to drink stagnant, dirty water. I explained again that they were very sick because of her decision. What do you think she did? she disappeared... until today. not one word. I shared this with Jenny. She apologized for the rudeness of Petras as she didn't know, but never an offering to help me with the pups, never a slight intention to repair or even show some accountability. Shameful and very disappointing. It has taken me 8 months and thousands (literally 9.043) in vet bills and the pups are finally healed. The pink hair is almost gone. I have learned something important: they may be good trainers but they have no idea about caring for certain breeds. If you have a cavalier, do not send him here :( . I am sure they can do wonders with certain dogs that are already beyond well-trained, but certainly that doesn't mean they know about basic care like stagnant water is a BIG no for any animal or human, pink hair is a fungus!! where did my puppy get that under their care? and the most important of all: accountability. Don't be a coward. Own your mistakes. And yes, offer to pay for the vet bills you trigger or at least offer a refund (partial or total), especially after sending a message in writing that says "there's nothing I can do with your dog. I'm leaving him home". The anxiety I suffered with all the negative messages I received daily, seeing my puppies so distressed, sick, hysterical and the time, resources, etc that it has taken us to reconnect and heal made this experience NOT worthy. A sincere apology would have help me. Honest feedback and a financial adjustment that shows the reality of the situation, too. But this? Now it is just bad business, sadly :(

We had over six sessions with Libby to train our cocker spaniel. On first arrival, Libby was polite, professional and immediately bonded with our puppy. Her approach is to dog training is amazing and we will continue to have sessions with her to keep our puppy training moving in the right direction.

I would recommend Libby in a heartbeat, if you’re looking for a trainer that cares and is passionate about their job then look no further.

My dog did 4 weeks of residential training with Kassie and I’m really pleased with the process he’s made. I’m now a lot more confident walking him and I’m able to do more training with him out and about. I’m no longer dreading walks or getting anxious when dogs approach because he can deal with the situation much better and I have the skills to manage him as well. He’s settled back in at home really smoothly and he’s a pleasure to be around now. It is expensive but it was completely worth it for us.

We are blown away with Toni and the care, love and hard work she has put in to helping our amazing prospective assistance dog. We have gone for the whole AD training package and after the first 4 weeks we are so pleased we have. Toni kept us up to date every step of the way during the stay, lots of messages, pictures and videos. Our pup was very much a part of her family and very very loved throughout his time there. The ongoing support and contact with Toni is fantastic, she is just a message away.
The work she put in with our pup was second to non and he has come home with a very firm understanding of his commands and is so responsive to our ongoing training with him.
I highly recommend choosing Toni and the whole Adolescent Dogs team.

The customer service and communication has been excellent between ourselves and the company. Our dogs trainer Verity has been reassuring, caring and loving to our dog.
The correspondence with her has been amazing, even the aftercare has been excellent and still ongoing.
We have been so pleased with her progress and completion of the Bronze award, we have already booked our dog for the Silver award. We cannot rate the company high enough

Sending your dog to residential training is nerve wracking. It’s likely you have no one you know personally that has sent their dog for training able to give you reassurance.

At adolescent dogs your dog will be loved and adored. You will have every minute of correspondence promised by them during and after their stay. The dog photographs I have received from their stays have been the best pictures of them ever taken!!
The training at adolescent dog is hugely holistic and they take great care to work with you and your dogs idiosyncrasies for success. In terms of value for money your money could not be, and will never be, better spent. Truly this is a hugely kind and wonderful thing to do for yourself and your dogs over the course of their lifetime. I can not recommend residential training at adolescent dogs enough.

I have sent two very different dogs to adolescent dogs. A puppy Maltipoo (Dennis) and a reactive Cavapoo (Flynn).
Dennis spent time with two wonderful trainers (Petra and Katie) they have set him up for a life filled with confidence and ability. Their puppy socialisation stay is a no brainer that two week vaccination wait can be filled with consistent fundamental training and Dennis has never nibbled or mouthed us - not once.
Dennis has done a two weeks stay and a three weeks say. He remembered and loved me just as much when he returned from each stay as when he left. Dennis also made friends for life with Katie’s and Petra’s dogs and families. He now has a home from home which is priceless. The training was spectacular. Dennis is now six months and I have people come up to me on walks asking if I am a dog trainer. Although it’s not actual magic it sure looks like it which is all the incentive you will need to carry on the training yourself which is obviously vital. This home training is made easier with access to their fantastic online academy which is a treasure trove of resource for all dog issues.

I sent Flynn to Katie to work on his anxiety and reactively with dogs that has developed after a dog attack. Even though I know and love Katie I was very worried sending Flynn’s as his reactivity was so unmanageable for me.
I realise now I was too close to Flynn’s issue’s to be able to achieve success in those situations. I was stressed, sad and absolutely shattered by it convinced it could never change. The distance of residential training allowed me to see what Flynn is capable of with specific management created. Katie has kept me, our family unit and lifestyle in mind at every step of the training to ensure success at home.

The people at adolescent dog are wonderful, kind, dog loving people and I am hugely grateful for them. Please reach out to them and let Jenny reassure you with all the answer to your questions - she is wonderful! You really won’t regret residential training or any training with adolescent dogs they are the defining of fantastic.

I was looking for somewhere for my lab to stay, but he can be reactive and it would be the first time he'd ever stayed with someone else, so I wanted to be able to go away knowing he'd not only be safe but also loved and cared for. Reactivity was my main concern but he was also terrible on the lead, jumping at people and settling anywhere outside the house!

The whole team at Adolescent Dogs have been amazing, right from initial contact. All the questions I had were answered (and I'm the sort of person that has lots!!) and they set out very clearly what was required for my boy to stay with them (ie crate trained, what I'd need to provide etc).

My boy stayed with Verity and I met up with her beforehand which really set my mind at ease about leaving him. She sent me photos (which are some of the best photos of my dog ever taken!!) and videos everyday, along with a very detailed weekly update email with what she had been working on with him and training principles used and information for me to start to learn as well.

He had a lot of beach walks & was part of the family while he stayed with Verity, and since getting him back she was been great answering messages and happy to meet up to further reinforce his training. I've also had various check in emails from the owners of Adolescent Dogs, so I would therefore highly recommend!

We were going abroad over the summer and wanted to put Cooper somewhere where he could have intensive training to just tweak various issues which we thought he needed. I’ve been following Adolescent Dogs (AD) online for numerous years and had various external trainers teaching us, but they weren’t quite teaching us exactly what I wanted, and I liked how AD carried out the training of the dogs as I felt that even though they were being trained, they really enjoyed it! I was very anxious about sending Cooper as it was for 4 ½ weeks and I was worried that he might not remember or hate us for sending him away which I wrote in various emails and received lovely responses which really put my mind at rest.

We decided to go with Kassie as she lived closest to us, and we had the added bonus as her partner Martin was also a trainer which I felt was great as Cooper would be trained by a male and a female.

Kassie (and Martin) were fantastic! Kassie updated us regularly with pictures and videos of Cooper. We also received WhatsApp messages and weekly updates on training. Kassie was quick to answer our questions…and yes, we had many questions!

As Cooper is the first dog that I have really owned, I always found training him quite daunting and did find all the information that was being sent over quite overwhelming, but Kassie was great as she answered all my questions and explained the reasoning behind everything she suggested.

When we went to pick Cooper up, we were all worried in case he wasn’t happy to see us but thankfully he was which was fantastic, especially for our children. Both Kassie and Martin were there for our initial family training, and it was great fun, they were so patient and thorough ensuring that we had all the tools to carry on their hard work at home.

The main thing that I would like to say about Kassie and Martin is that they are real doggy people - I hope you don't mind me saying -, and we knew that Cooper was loved and nurtured whilst staying with them. I would say the best thing about having them look after Cooper is that they really got to know and understand him. They are so knowledgeable and insightful about dogs and because of them, our whole relationship with Cooper has improved immensely.

Cooper is a Golden Retriever crossed with Poodle and Collie and they picked up pretty much immediately that he was physically stimulated but not mentally hence why he would pace the room at night amongst other issues. We would walk Cooper 2-3 miles and thought that was enough, they explained to us that wasn’t necessary but that he really needed mental stimulation more so as he had a clever and active mind.

Since having Cooper home our whole relationship with Cooper has totally changed, I train him every day in the park or in the garden with tug, fetch, find it and other training games that Kassie taught us and things I see on the AD website. We only use specific training toys that he doesn’t get access to so as soon as I bring the bag out of the utility room, he knows it’s our time together and he is extremely excited even before we start! The bond between us is so much stronger and instead of feeling that he is indifferent towards us, there is now a connection which is wonderful.

Thank you so much Kassie and Martin.

I came to Adolescent dogs in search of support in training my assistance dog prospect.
My border collie pup was 10 weeks old when we got started at first on the online training programme with interactive videos.

As we continued with owner trained training I started to consider other training options through Adolescent dogs and due to being a full time wheelchair user with a progressive conditions and mobility limitations this became a much needed option for us.

I can not recommend Adolescent dogs enough, their residential training stays are well worth it, they always keep in contact with plenty of photos and daily updates.
The trainers are genuine dog lovers and care for your dog as if their own, they are safe, loved and cared for in the trainers homes as part of the family while getting to train each day and learn new things.
The trainers listen intently to what you are perhaps struggling with or would like to implement, their advice, creativity and problem solving alongside you as the handler is brilliant and well welcomed when you need to get creative with problem solving especially when you have limitations in mobility, fatigue etc.

The team are always supportive and on hand to help in-between sessions/residential stays and 121s.
I have found the level of care and support to have exceeded all expectations.
You feel like one of the family, a team.

My dog has really enjoyed being part of the Adolescent dogs team and he will continue to do so no doubt.

He is so excited and happy to see them, which says everything really.

His training has been such a help and he has come on leaps and bounds, even though we are currently going through his Adolescent stage at the moment, which is a difficult period to say the least! Adolescent dogs are there to help you along and troubleshoot as you go.

Always thinking what is best for your dog and never working out of what they can handle.
The use of enrichment exercises and learning through play and gentle exposure techniques and exploration is carefully assessed and tailored each time.

I really appreciate everything the onwers,trainers and the company as a whole has done and continues to do for us.

I'm so glad I found them when I did.

Adolescent Dogs - Award Winning Dog Training has been invaluable for Pumpkin and I.
As someone who lives with C-PTSD the idea of having an Assistance Dog was non existent when we picked up Pumpkin. I was familiar with certain techniques that can be used like Deep Pressure Therapy, but found a lot of places for teaching that technique and other helpful tasks were behind charities or large paywalls. It wasn’t until I came across someone with an Adolescent Dogs vest that I looked into who they were and saw other owners had the same condition I did. At that time I was working with Pumpkin to begin training her as a Therapy Dog for personal use (with a lovely local trainer!)

The more I investigated the more I saw that this might be a good fit for us both as they utilize Games Based training, which is what we were already used to. It’s a fun style of training for both the dog and the trainer, so I looked forward to training each day, as did she.

The online academy itself is wonderful. For myself I’ve had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) so remembering things is difficult on the best of days, but the way the information is laid out is simple, clear and I can watch it back over and over again if I get stuck, or don’t quite comprehend the first time around what has been said.

The academy is much cheaper than -other- dog academies out there by larger companies and I feel the quality is better without the constant waffling on about things that aren’t related to the task, however the quality of the content is absolutely invaluable. When you have a question it is not the community answering your questions, but the trainers themselves - and they host a Live Q&A weekly by both Zoom and Facebook. (The after party on Zoom is quite fun to be apart of!) Mike says there is never a silly question, so I’ve asked all sorts of things that I’ve been curious about with dog ownership.

The best part is there is a separate section for Assistance Dog Training within the Academy. I had to get a letter from my GP stating my diagnosis and then was able to send that off before being accepted into the Assistance Program. I quite liked that, where some may find it too personal, however it means the dogs that go into the program are for people who actually would benefit from them, not just to obtain a vest to gain an ”all access pass” with fake assistance dogs or those who are actively training.

The funds that the online academy makes goes back into the Assistance Program as they occasionally offer residencies and will work with a dog from the start to gift to someone in need. It doesn’t feel like the program is a money gram, they genuinely want to help as many people as they can.

You also have access to booking your dog into their residency program where your dog goes into board and train. While that sounded terrifying to me, the quality that Adolescent Dogs offers with their trainers is second to none. Pumpkin has been in residency for 4 weeks to help me get through some of my issues with training - my CPTSD means it is incredibly difficult to go into public spaces without constantly scanning a crowd, but trying to focus on Pumpkin and keep an eye on our surroundings has made it difficult without an assistant with me. Residency has meant she has had a lot of interaction in various environments and has been working on disengagement which is a massive area we needed to address. While residency levels of success vary by the dog, we are very happy with how she has handled herself and the amount of love that has been poured into her. I know that she has been loved as much as she is while at home, so my worries quickly left as she settled in incredibly quickly.

We have learned so much in our adventure with Adolescent Dogs and the best part is it’s been such an enjoyable experience. Joining them is one of the best choices we’ve made, and knowing that they now have a partnership with PTSD UK is even better.

Training our 15week puppy has been such a pleasure using the videos proivided. Great advice and all round amazing service. 10/10 will recommend to friends and family

Cant reccomend adolescent dogs enough! They have helped me navigate puppyhood feeling supported with their wealth of knowledge and professionalism. Their training videos are super easy to understand and very informative and if you have any troubles they are happy to chat and guide you through!

Adolescent Dogs Highly Recommended

I do not know what I would have done without the help of Mike and Jenny at Adolescent Dogs.

I have a very reactive nervous Mini Schnauzer who I rehomed in 2019 I joined Adolescent Dogs in 2020 and have not looked back. The knowledge and skills I have learnt to help both my dog and myself through this time have been invaluable. I know there is still work to do but I know that should I have any questions Adolescent Dogs are there to help.

They have put together and amazing portal of training videos and courses you can work through for specific elements of training you might want to work on and there are also monthly challenges everyone can join in and work on with their dogs to.

I would always recommend Adolescent Dogs as a training academy to anyone who would need it.

I have taken part in quite a few challenges and thoroughly enjoyed them.
They were fun, I had lots of helpful feedback and even won some fantastic goodies in the competition.
If you need help with your dog or just want to have fun, I would highly recommend Adolescent dogs.

Me and my puppy started to train on the assistance dog program. This program has so far changed our lives for the better. I have autism and really struggle to leave the house and communicate in public. I am going to start university in September, which wouldn't have been without star. I would have had to wait for at least 5 years to receive a charity or privately owned assistance dog. But because of Mike and jenny brilliant idea of opening the assistance dog academy, now means I will be able to join my peers and gain the education I truly want. So thank you very much to jenny and Mike you guys are amazing.

I knew that an assistance dog would make a huge difference to my life but sadly had ruled it out due to the extremely long waiting lists for many assistance dog organisations. Then, I found Adolescent Dogs who have truly transformed my life. I’ve been able to owner train my puppy as an assistance dog with the support of Adolescent Dogs. They have an online training academy with so many videos which you can access anywhere, not only learning the foundations to train a well behaved dog (like lead walking, settling and boundaries) but the tasks needed for many disabilities, like interrupting anxiety attacks and fetching objects. You can also request specific videos and they have a weekly live Q&A where the trainers answer your questions. On top of this, my puppy had a residential stay with the most amazing trainer, Bekki. I thought I’d find it very hard being away from my puppy but I felt completely reassured by Bekki. Bekki sent me lots of updates and videos throughout the residential stay, and I couldn’t believe all that they achieved in just two weeks. After the residential stay, we’ve had 1-2-1 lessons with Bekki to help me transfer all of the training learnt on the residential stay and work on areas I struggle with on my own. With my disability, it can feel exhausting at times doing the training on my own but I don’t feel alone with the support of Bekki and Adolescent Dogs. It’s evident that Adolescent Dogs run their assistance dog programme truly to help people, rather than focusing on making profit and taking advantage, and I feel forever grateful to them!

I can’t speak more highly of Adolescent Dogs. So happy in fact, that I’m writing a review! Our 1 year old Patterdale was extremely challenging, and causing a lot of stress, particularly as I recovered from serious illness. Obi spent 3 weeks living with Verity and her family. We received daily updates, and missing him was easier, knowing how happy he was. We were so thankful that Obi came back to us as affectionate and full of personality as when he left - but sooo much better behaved and easier to manage. He’s been home about 6 weeks now, and he’s still doing great. Cannot recommend Adolescent Dogs enough.

I contacted Adolescent Dogs after a lot of internet research prior to choosing a puppy to train as an assistance dog.
From that point, everyone we have had contact with has been very helpful with prompt, friendly and effective advice.
We joined the Online Academy Assistance Dog program and since getting our pup, have used it daily with incredible training results. (I had no idea how much I must have been confusing my previous dogs!)
Our Labrador pup, Cedric has just had a 2 week training stay with Verity to help him gain confidence around people and dogs and lessen his bark response, and help him master lead walking at heel, which I was struggling with and also to polish his doorway manners and ability to settle.
Verity did fantastic work with all these and much more. She was absolutely lovely with Cedric and excellent about giving us daily updates, photos and videos of what he had been up to during the day. It was very reassuring to see how happy he was and how much he was enjoying his training.
His walking is a pleasure now and seeing him deal calmly with all the situations and distractions that Verity has introduced him to has given me much more confidence in my ability to handle him in different situations.
Both Verity and the Adolescent Dogs team have been very proactive about follow up since Cedric returned and are always willing to answer questions and give advice. I think his training stay has really accelerated his training and laid great foundations for all his future learning.

Fantastic dog home stay

Paul and Lyn stayed at our home to look after our 3 cocker spaniel dogs. They met us when we first got in contact to book the home stay to make sure they were comfortable caring for our dogs and staying in our home. They asked us to share some information about our home, the local area and the dogs. During the stay Paul arrived before we set off so we could go over everything with him. While we were on holiday they provided us with updates and photos so we were always assured the dogs were happy and having fun. When we returned home I was really impressed with how well they had looked after our home, it was so clean and tidy. Paul had even taken the time to cut the grass and even fixed our broken toilet seat 😊 The dogs were all looking for Paul and Lyn after they’d left which showed us how happy they were while we were away. Thank you so much to you both. We would 100% recommend this service and will absolutely use this in the future.

My dog, Callie, went on a 3 week stay with trainer Jane, to work on her reactivity and lead walking. I am so pleased with the results! Callie is much calmer around distractions and pulls away from them much more easily. She is also now loose lead walking at home when previously she would always pull on the lead to get ahead on walks.
During the stay Jane kept us informed of the progress (and we also received loads of pictures which we were grateful for!)
This is Callie’s second residential stay with Adolescent Dogs and I wouldn’t hesitate to book again if Callie is struggling with a behaviour that I feel I can’t help her with on my own. Because the stay is intensive training I felt confident that they could give Callie a really good start on helping her overcome a problem which then I could carry on using the handover lessons for myself.