Testimonials

Hi Damian,

You may remember that some time ago I sent you the details of a retired gun, called Chevy. She is 7 and a half and a yellow lab. We went to Lincolnshire to see her where she belonged to a game keeper who needed to reduce his number of dogs.
She has been with us for 7 weeks now and has settled in well. I take her out for about an hour in the morning.( sometimes more) walking and doing some retrieves and training. In the afternoon we go out for another hour or so, often with the old dog belonging to my friend who died. (Her husband isn’t much of a dog walker).

I took your advice and looked for a 6 or 7 year old dog and it’s worked out really well.

Thank you for everything.
Best regards,
Chris

Chris and Tali the Labrador

Hi Damian,

Just a quick note to thanks for all your help with the training for Sam, and me and Michelle!

We will keep up the work on his recall and general obedience after his operation and see how we get on, but will be back if we need help!

Thanks again,

James and Michelle with Sam the Labrador

Oh my goodness I’ve just done some training like we did yesterday individually and they have been great!! I’ve wrapped lead round Maisie and she’s been fine glued to my side!! Currently just sat next to me while typing! Not on the lead! And Pippa even sat and waited while I swept the chicken poo away!

Karen with Massie and Pippa the Labradors

Hi Damian

Just thought I would drop you a quick line to say thank you for all the time and advice that you have provided us with so far.

Whilst we are still at an early stage with Stella, there has been a noticeable change in her already.

Before we started training with you, we were unable to walk her on lead as she pulled like a train. We really do feel like we are making progress and your no nonsense approach (to us and the dog) clearly works!

We have spent time with other trainers, both in person and virtually and failed at every stage.

We have implemented your methods and values and we are seeing the rewards already. At no point did we feel that we would be where we are now with Stella, and after such a short space of time.

Thank you for all your help so far.

Nadine and Stella the Springer Spaniel

I have trained with Damian for a long time now, and wouldn’t use anyone else.

I have a Fox Red Lab (4 Years Old) and now a Springer (5 Months Old), and both have come on leaps and bounds using Damian’s services. The one-to-one lessons and the ad-hoc advice given (many times out of hours) throughout has been so valuable in now having two dogs that I trust around my family and out in public, with many comments given on their behaviour.

Also, both dogs are being trained for the shoot, with the Lab already been / being used in shoots with great success. I have no doubt, that with the training and advice Damian provides, the young Springer will follow in the same way.

I have recommended Damian to many friends and colleagues that also use his services, and will continue to do so as he is second-to-none and have had great success with my two, and will continue to do his one-to-one lessons for the foreseeable with my two and any future additions to the pack.

Many Thanks,

John and Cooper the Labrador

After having previously had an online only dog trainer, which frankly was useless, I was at my wits end with our Jack Russell, Monty. He has separation anxiety and it was starting to impact on my life to the extent I was taking him with me everywhere just to stop his constant barking and destroying things. Then I found Damian. From the start there was no messing around so if you expect him to go softly with you, forget it. He takes no prisoners. But within 6 weeks we’ve seen so much progress it’s untrue. Monty walks to heel 90% of the time, is less reactive with other dogs and the crate training, whilst hell at first, well, has given me a life back. Yes we have a way to go but if it weren’t for Damian’s training, I seriously think we would have rehomed our boy. We’re carrying on with more lessons and can’t wait to see what the coming weeks and months bring. I can’t thank you enough, Damian. Honestly this man seriously is the dogs you know whats!!

Jackie and Monty the Jack Russell

 

Hi Damian,

Just wanted to say thank you for your time on Saturday. I am so pleased with the outcome and after just one hour and the techniques you taught me has already massively helped with Coco on the lead. He is no longer pulling my arm off and listening to what I am asking him to do. He still needs a little more training but from what you have taught me, I wasn’t expecting him to be already much calmer on the lead.

I would highly recommend you to friends and family and the hour was very well spent.

Thanks again

Sean and Coco the Springer Spaniel

I had originally taken my Labrador puppy, Jessie, to a treat based puppy class. Although in the classes she generally behaved well, it was soon noticeable that she only listened to me if there was a food based reward involved and I had little control over her, both in the home and when out walking.

This was when I contacted Damian. Having advised me on what lead to use and the correct way to use it, I was able to have more control when walking her and the pulling decreased. Over time this has improved more and more and made our walks together a real pleasure.

During training sessions with Damian, Jessie and I have worked on ‘sit – wait’ and ‘recall’. At the beginning, Jessie would run off as soon as her lead came off, however with corrections and clear boundaries, Damian has helped us to build our bond and she now responds to me when off leash in the field. We have worked on distractions when Damian has involved his own dogs and I have been really pleased with Jessie’s progress. Instilling the same clear boundaries in the home has improved Jessie’s behaviour in that respect too.

We have come a long way in our training, although we still have lots of work to do. Damian has given us a great foundation to work on, including building my own confidence! I am very pleased that we have had Damian’s no nonsense and humorous input into our training, it has benefitted Jessie, myself and the rest of the family.

Rebecca and Jessie the Labrador

I contacted Damian in July 2020 having been given poor advice with Neville’s training. Neville was 8 months at this point and had no recall unless we had treats and he pulled on the lead – he was almost fully grown at this point and about 26kg, so it was like holding onto a moving train!

Before training with Damian, Neville’s obedience was based around treats of different values. When faced with not having a treat, Neville would jump up and often leave us head in hands on walks, stressed and not knowing how to change it.

From our first session with Damian, Neville was a different dog with a mutual respect starting to build for us all. Neville is very clever, from a line of working dogs and the Tessleymoor methods really appealed to his nature and he loved it.

After a year of training, Neville is a pleasure to walk and has great steadiness and recall – with no treats. We are enjoying lots of outside walks with no stress or worry and Neville is able to use his agility and cleverness with games to keep him mentally challenged.

Damian’s approach is very logical and practical but you need to be prepared to put the work in outside lessons. If you are really looking to put the effort in for your dog and yourself, then Damian is the trainer for you – the results and testimonies speak volumes!

Tracey and Neville the Labrador

I contacted Damian after a conversation with a friend. We had a gundog trainer already but we were just not achieving what I needed with my dog in a day to day situation. My dog and I had a hate/hate relationship with lead walking and he definitely ruled the roost at home.
Following a phone call and an initial lesson, I realised we had a lot of work to do with my 18 month old ESS.

Going to a trainer is not a quick fix. They don’t train the dog they train you. If you don’t put the work in you won’t see results. We work hard and train daily. Results are slow but after 3 months I have a different dog. We have a long way to go, we have bad days and good days but we keep on going. I would highly recommend Tessleymoor Gundogs but be prepared to put the work in.

Carlie with Copper the English Springer Spaniel

I contacted Damian in August 2020, desperate for help with my badly behaved 10 month old Cocker Spaniel. Life with Cosmo was a complete nightmare. He was controlling, domineering and aggressive. His behaviour had already resulted in an eye injury which required major surgery. Damian was a breath of fresh air, reassuring me that it all could be solved with hard work and the correct training. A virtual lesson followed which resulted in a 26 bullet point list of guidance until our first practical lesson three weeks later.

Over the next several months I found the training hard and challenging with many ups and downs. At times we slipped back into old habits with disastrous consequences.

With Damian’s patience , humour and understanding I now have a very different dog to the one I had when I first contacted him in 2020. With his guidance and support I now have a dog who can still be stubborn and challenging but will certainly be a great companion for hopefully years to come.

Thank you Damian for teaching me the Tessleymoor Way.

Sara with Cosmo the Cocker Spaniel

I contacted Damian three weeks ago with regards to our Doberman, Walter.He is 14 months old and weighs 100lbs, a rather big and hefty dog to be let loose around the family home and with that being allowed things started to change. He became domineering, mouthy, attention seeking and started to call the shots – he had lost all respect for us – queue Damian.

Having used another trainer previously, we were not happy with the results, so decided to up the anti. After reiterating everything to Damian, changes were implemented not just for Walter but as a family too and to cut along story short – WOW I have a different dog. No more nose poking, mouthing and jumping, no more attention seeking, barking and ruling the roost, he is so much more better behaved and all this within a week. Routine and structure has played a key part.

We still have a way to go but the changes in Walter are unbelievable and I cannot recommend Damian enough.

Thank you for all your help so far Damian, you have set us on the tight path and we are definitely heading in the right direction.

Tracy with Walter the Doberman

I contacted Damian back in February after I had already seen two other dog behaviourists. I was at the end of my tether with my cocker spaniel who had a whole range of seemingly unfixable issues, namely separation anxiety, attention seeking, pulling on the lead, barking and howling excessively in the house. The most challenging and stressful issue however was his unwillingness to sleep at night, he would pace around unsettled, cry and whine. This was really stressful for me and I had experienced a long period of poor sleep which was making me feel unwell. Having seen two other trainers that had in fact made the problems worse I was contemplating having to rehome my beloved dog.

After the first conversation with Damian I had hope back again that my spaniel’s issues not only could be improved but could be fixed completely. Damian was so confident that we could correct things and make life better again. His approach was different to what I had tried before but very quickly I saw huge changes in my dog; within a week his attention seeking behaviour had pretty much gone, I could leave him alone for periods without separation distress and we both began sleeping again- nothing short of a miracle! Damian’s advice was pragmatic and easy to apply and he provided telephone support through the change process to make sure I stayed on track. Two months later and I have a completely different dog. To think that I was so close to having to rehome him and now he is really easy to manage is amazing and astounding to me, especially after such negative experiences previously with other trainers. I can’t recommend Damian enough, whatever issue you are experiencing with your dog, he will help you to gain the confidence to overcome it.

Katie with Finn the Cocker Spaniel

Before we’d even chosen Ren as a puppy we’d committed ourselves to proper training as we wanted an obedient, calm dog with nice manners. We found Damian locally and signed up for some 1:1 training.Damian’s firm, no nonsense approach has been a really good learning method and I like that he is able to immediately spot and correct an issue when you’re on the wrong track.

We know it’s all about practice practice practice, but we’re delighted with Ren’s progress and although she’s still young believe we have the makings of a little cracker.

Debra with Ren the Fox Red Labrador

Well it’s been 6 months since we first got in touch with Damian. As I wrote on my previous testimonial we felt like we had bitten off more than we could chew – a Springer Spaniel is no easy task

The main thing we have learnt with the training is you have to be patient and you have to accept short term pain for long term gain. We had to put in place boundaries with Ralph that went against our initial instinct and it challenged our thoughts of what felt ‘right’ and even a bit ‘mean’

He was crated on his own in the porch in an evening when we were all in the lounge as a family, the other dog sat in front of the fire. But, he was learning in that time there were rules and boundaries and he was realising the house didn’t revolve around him. He was able to learn how to settle himself and learn a routine.

Moving forward, it’s been a tough road, only because we have had to learn how to be tough!!

The result is Ralph is now the dog we always wanted him to be. We have learnt from Damian training has a number of stages. For everyone it’s about building a bond and good recall. After that it’s about what your needs are. For us, it’s a dog we can walk safely with good recall  and a dog that can go into an environment where there is food and be no bother whatsoever.

We like to walk and go for coffee, a bacon butty, and post lockdown a pint and a meal. With this training Ralph fits into this way of life without any stress and has become an absolute sweetheart, a great addition to our family.

Sophie with Ralph the Springer Spaniel

I first contacted Damian in November 2019 as my one year old springer, Jerry, had become almost impossible to walk on a lead due to his excessive pulling.  We had reached the point where we dreaded taking Jerry out.  Following a lengthy initial telephone consultation, we had several face to face sessions with Damian.  There was some improvement, and we discussed a residential period for Jerry to speed up the process and to ‘reset’ him.  Jerry spent a month with Damian and what a great decision that was!  Jerry returned to us a much calmer, focused dog, and we now love walking him.  His recall has improved, as has our anxiety when we take him out.  I cannot recommend Damian enough to anyone who is thinking about buying a puppy, taking on a rescue dog, or who just feels that they need help with the dog they have.  Damian is great company, very down to earth and is a straight-talker, telling it how it is.  If you want help and are willing to follow his advice, then you will succeed, and you will have fun along the way.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I wish we had consulted Damian before buying a springer.  I have learned two invaluable lessons from Damian; the importance of starting training as soon as possible, and that training the owner is as important as training the dog.

Vanessa and Keith with Jerry the Springer Spaniel

We purchased our Springer Spaniel puppy Coco last year as a family dog and Damian was recommended to us by a neighbour, who was aware of Damian’s high skill set and training knowledge.
We signed up to 10 x puppy lessons on a 1:1 basis and all the family attended. Its a great family activity were we work together toward a common goal.

From the beginning Damian was generous with a range of advice covering feeding, travelling, coat care, stimulation games and general dog wellbeing, all in addition to the actual dog training. Sessions are enjoyable and funny with a level of competition between us to see who Coco responded to the best.
We are now at a stage were coco doesn’t pull on the lead and understands the commands to sit, wait, recall and retrieve. We are very proud of Coco and would never have achieved this standard of training without Damian’s training.

I would definitely recommend any puppy owner to contact Damian and discuss how he can support your puppy’s development.

Steve and Coco the Springer Spaniel

Hi Damian

You put us in touch with a family in Leigh early in 2013 regarding a young Yellow Labrador that required rehoming. We took Cassie on and you may recall that we later brought her to you for some tips on handling. Whilst we never totally won the battle of wits with her in respect of recall, her lead handling did improve and walking her has been a pleasure.

Sadly, Cassie developed a mast cell tumour last year and despite surgery which we thought had been successful we lost her early this year. I’ve often thought of the training tips you gave us which helped make our time with Cassie a pleasure and wanted to thank you for helping us have the opportunity to have her in our lives for the last eight years.

Keep up the good work and who knows perhaps we will be in touch when the time comes for us to welcome a new family member.

Jim with Cassie the Labrdor

Hi mate, had a great day out with Amber today, had some really long difficult retrieves, stopping and taking direction, she didn’t put a foot wrong and delivered everything pretty much straight to hand. Had loads of positive comments about her and was finding birds a lot of other dogs were struggling on.

Rob with Amber the Labrador

Hello! Just wanted to let you know that I had a great day with Vinnie today. The shoot was a 100 bird max and again he worked so hard. There was even improvement from Saturday! It was great as there was no one picking up so we got to sweep up which was great. He also retrieved a pricked pheasant which was fighting back quite a bit! Thanks so much for everything you’ve done to help, who’d of thought that the dog we brought you 2 years ago would have been able to be so good!

Grace with Vinnie the Cocker Spaniel

I discovered Damian whilst searching desperately online for help with my dog. I had taken in a 19 month old male Irish Setter (Dylan) the week before lockdown and whilst he was fantastic in the house (calm, gentle, quiet) I was seriously out of my depth on our walks. Dylan clearly had no respect for me and pretty much ignored me as soon as we left the house! He’d pull on his lead, ignore my recall off the lead and had enormous fun running the length and breadth of the park, chasing birds, playing with other dogs and only coming back when he was done – when the swifts arrived my life was officially hell. Enter Damian. He was fantastic. He explained where I was going wrong (yep – in just about every possible way!) and basically retrained me to retrain Dylan. It felt really tough at first just lead walking such an energetic dog – who then started trying to reassert himself in the house – but Damian was fantastic and led me through every step of the way. Short term pain for long term gain!! Straight away I had a dog who no longer pulled and four months later I let him off the lead yesterday at the park for the first time since training and he was amazing – stayed near me, responded well and I was told “what a well behaved dog” by another dog walker! It felt awesome!! I knew Damian was good judging by his testimonials on his website and here I am adding my own today. Add a genuinely nice guy with a wicked sense of humour (who can talk the hind leg off a donkey!) and you have an extremely effect yet fun answer to your dog training needs!! Thank you Damian – I can’t believe you have got me so far in such a short space of time and I’m looking forward to continuing my training and having lots of fun with Dylan off his lead!!!

Samantha with Dylan the Irish Red Setter

We got our new pup back in June and it wasn’t long before we realised we were out of our depth managing him.  We already had a spaniel who is 8, but she didn’t come into the family until she was 12 months old so we didn’t have this puppy stage with her, plus she had done training to be a working dog.

A decision that was supposed to bring pleasure into the family was just becoming stressful

He wouldn’t listen to us, was biting a lot and walking him on the lead was causing a lot of blisters due to how much he was pulling

We thought we were making good decisions and putting boundaries in place, he was crated, he wasn’t allowed upstairs and he wasn’t allowed on the furniture.  However it wasn’t working.

I found Damian through a google search and we agreed the package that consisted of 2 virtual lessons and 2 practical.

We soon realised that there wasn’t enough structure and routine in Ralph’s day.  Plus he is a springer, from working stock and a boy, all factors we had to take into consideration.

We made immediate changes including where his crate was.  He was moved to a much quieter part of the house.  We also had a set routine that fitted into our lives as opposed to letting him having so much control.  He was only allowed in his crate area and the kitchen at this point.  He did protest but we soon saw the benefits of these decisions.

The practical lessons taught us how to walk him on the lead and some sit and wait work.

This training and the guidance from Damian has absolutely changed our lives with Ralph.  He is listening, he is relaxed when out of his create as he has learnt how to be settled, he is so much better on the lead and making progress with off lead training. We are finally able to enjoy having him and through this progress we decided to try him in the lounge for a short time in the evening.  I thought he might push his luck and try and get on the furniture or chew at the curtains like he did before but within 30 seconds he was just lying down in front of the fire and was as good as gold.  And he didn’t protest when he was taken back to his crate.

Because of all this progress we will continue working with Damian as we want a dog that we can take anywhere and be confident he will behave as he has learnt to listen to us and knows that what we say goes.  We are now working on retrieval and teaching him how to behave/listen when other people and dogs are around.

If anyone is having any issues with a dog would highly recommend Damian and his methods.

Sophie with Ralph the Springer Spaniel

Otto, our 4-year old GWP, was becoming increasingly challenging and aggressive in the house and had nipped an adult on a bike and chased a child on a bike. Otto spent six weeks with Damian at Tessleymoor Gundogs. Damian persevered with his training / rehabilitation even though Otto attacked him after about two weeks. At this point, we were going to put him down as his behaviour seemed to be escalating. However, with Damian’s help Otto is now a pleasure to walk on the lead and is much less reactive in the house, in part due to a new regime put in place by Damian in advance of his return home. He is also on a new diet, which has helped him lose weight and get all the nutrition he needs without the extra carbs.

Richard with Otto the German Wirehired Pointer

Good morning Damian,

Just to say that it’s been wonderful having Lulu home again. We have continued to focus on her training and we are really very pleased with her progress. She is an absolute delight and so receptive to instruction. We are just very pleased that we followed your guidance from the outset and she is certainly proof that consistency really does work.

So thank you for your help. Clearly we were in a difficult position in having to cut her training short due to our early return home, but we have done our best to remain consistent in her training.

Siobhan and Andrew with Lulu the Labrador Puppy

Hi Damian,

Just wanted to say a massive thank you for helping us train our Miniature Schnauzer Jazz, we can’t believe what we have achieved within 5 weeks. With your help and training experience we now have a lovely little dog that now walks by our side, sits and stays and will stay until the recall command is given, we know we have more work to do but with the tools and guidance you have provided us with, we feel confident to continue her training and will keep in touch with her progress.

We would have no hesitation in recommending you to others who need help with training their dog, thank you again.

Andy and Paula with Jazz the Miniature Schnauzer

Thanks Damian
I really enjoyed our session. You have brought some clarity. We clearly have work to do. And now we know what to do, things can only get better.
Look forward to catching up again on Monday.

Lara and John with Cora the Hungarian Vizsla

We got in contact with Damian as a last resort for our rescue springer spaniel Buddy. Buddy was completely ruling our life, from desperately craving our attention inside the house to completely ignoring anything we asked him to do outside. Walks were a complete and utter nightmare, he would pull so much on the lead that he would choke himself and often left me on the brink of tears out of frustration! His recall was non existent and we’ve spent many a time sprinting round parks for hours trying to find him. We tried multiple dog trainers and nothing seemed to work as their methods were based on food and treats and this was just futile with Buddy because he would always be far too aroused and worked up to accept food, plus as soon as the food disappeared we had no chance!

Enter Damian…
We had our first lessons during the Covid-19 lockdown so we were one of the first to try out Damian’s new virtual lessons and what a success we’ve had! The virtual lessons were great as they allowed us to sit and talk everything through with Damian and figure out where we were going wrong. Damian told us that it all starts inside the house and he was absolutely right. We created boundaries and structure for Buddy in the house and from day 1 started to notice the difference in his willingness to listen to us. Fast forward to our face to face lessons and Damian did the unthinkable… got our pull you like a train spaniel to walk to heel! All within 10 minutes. We went right back to basics and introduced the whistle and buddy has just gone from strength to strength. We have family and friends stop us to tell us how they can’t believe the difference in Buddy after only a few months of working with Damian. Today we introduced the dummy retrieves and watching buddy work so well made me feel quite emotional! I just didn’t think it would be possible to make any changes with him because we felt so stuck. We still have a way to go and Buddy still enjoys the occasional gallivant around the field when he is feeling mischievous but those times are becoming less and less.

We can’t thank Damian enough, I only wish we’d found him sooner! If you want a dog trainer to tip toe round you softly softly then Damian is not your man. He is straight talking and never lets me or my partner get away with anything! But this is exactly what you need if you want to be successful in training your dog. Plus he’s got a great sense of humour and always makes us feel at ease. We can’t recommend him enough and I can’t wait to see what progress we make in the future.

Jess & Jamie with Buddy the (Rescue) Springer Spaniel

I got in contact with Damian, after quickly discovering I was struggling to train my head strong German Wirehaired Pointer,  no one in my local area seemed to be keen to help me train my HPR. I found Damian on Instagram, I was really impressed, I decided to contact him for virtual lessons, after our first lesson with him I couldn’t believe the difference in his behaviour around us and in the house. I look forward to training Dodger now and can’t wait to get him trained up for the field. I really can’t recommend Damian enough.

David & Kirsti with Buster the German Wirehaired Pointer

Thank you so much for today. It was a huge help and I’m really looking forward to putting everything into place. I feel like I’ve come away from this training where everything you said makes sense, whereas with other people’s past training it didn’t.

Jess with Milo the Shih-Poo

I’m so proud of how much Rolo has improved since his training with Damian. Had you told me a year ago that I would be able to walk him without him pulling, that he would sit patiently at the open back door for me to give him permission to go into the garden or that he would wait at his crate ready to go to bed (as opposed to breaking into the bedrooms to sleep on the bed with us), I’d have laughed!

He still has his excitable moments and still has much he needs to learn but I’m so happy with his progress so far.

Katy with Rolo the Rottweiler X Akita

I can’t speak highly enough of Damian at Tessleymoor Gundogs. My son goes every two weeks with his dog, Buddy and they learn so much in a short period of time.

On top of this, Owen has a few struggles in life and after a tough couple of weeks, Owen turned up today and was not in a great frame of mind. After a chat with Damian and an hour session, Owen went home smiling and feeling positive about everything.

On a personal note, I just want you to know how much of a positive impact you are having on his life without even knowing it. Your level of care and professionalism with Owen and Buddy is outstanding. As a parent, it’s great sitting back and watching so a big thanks, Damian.

Owen with Buddy the Springer Spaniel

I have two dogs, Luna a 3 year old hyperactive Husky and Ghost a 3 year old German Sheppard with aggression issues, both are rescues. I’ve seen multiple dog trainers, whom have mostly stated that Ghost should be put to sleep, and what did I expect from a Husky in regards to Luna. Needless to say I had lost all confidence in myself and begun to despair that I would ever be able to enjoy my dogs like normal people.

Then I met Damian, a no nonsense, straight talking, no frills attached, a little bit crazy dog trainer. From the beginning Damian has been straight down the line with myself. He understood nearly straight away, that among other issues, my confidence had been shot. Damian in frank has been a bit of a god send, and within three lessons both my dogs and myself have been transformed. I’ve managed to sit in cafes, calmly enjoying myself with my two best friends; I have started enjoying my walks not dreading them and I haven’t been pulled on a lead since my first lesson. I’m very much looking forward to working with him in the future and can’t wait to see how far we can take my guys.

Amy with Ghost/Luna the German Shepherd/Husky

After reading a pile of books and trawling the internet on how to train our 1 year old cocker spaniel, Milo to be a gundog, we were making little progress. We had made the mistake of over fussing and “playing” with our defiant cocker!  Milo pulled like a chariot and would ignore our commands, we relied on treats to gain any sort of task! At this point, last October, we began researching for gundog trainers and came across Damian at Tessleymoor Gundogs.

By the end of our first session, Damian had managed to get Milo to walk to heel and enforced the sit whistle! Instant success! We were very encouraged and felt motivated to cement these basics and build a better bond with our rather headstrong Milo. Over the next few sessions we built up to recall, hold the dummy and sit and wait. Training your dog is easy by following Damian’s instructions, training ourselves as owners to maintain consistency is the difficult part! Damian does let you get away with anything, which is exactly what you need if you want to succeed when training your gundog!

We decided we would send Milo for residential training with Damian for a 3 weeks before Christmas. We got regular updates and pictures of our boy, plus instructions of what we needed to focus on when he returned. We noticed a massive difference in Milo when he came back and from there we have built on this, whilst still ensuring the basics are perfect. Milo now is focused, engaged and willing to please. He will walk to heel with ease, sit and wait, hunt, stop whistle, quarter etc. Currently we are working on his delivery of the dummy with Damian. We are thrilled with the huge progress made in the last few months with Damian’s help; we are looking forward building on this, and finally getting Milo out in the field!

Katie and Dave with Milo the Cocker Spaniel

We went to Damian due to some behaviour issues with our 1 year old cocker spaniel, following a recommendation from a friend.

We have had 1 lesson and a phone consultation with Damian and we are already feeling more confident with correcting his behaviour.

Damian is always at the end of the phone for tips, guidance and to answer any questions which is fantastic and supportive!

We would definitely recommend TM Gundogs and we are looking forward to our next lessons!

Mark with Ralph the Cocker Spaniel

It’s been clear since our first session that Damian is a highly skilled dog trainer.

He was recommended to me by a friend who had been impressed by his approach. At our first session Damian was honest and direct about changes I needed to make with our young cockapoo, Boo. We’ve worked hard and followed Damian’s clear and concise guidance.

We are only part way through our training journey, but after just a few sessions we feel more confident in controlling, commanding and recalling him, and can enjoy him much so more than we did when we’re taking him out on a walk, meeting other dogs or having people call come to the house.

I sometimes have to work hard to get praise from Damian, but his sense of humour really helps when I feel anxious. He laughs at his own bad jokes,which makes me laugh too. We are both really happy that he was recommended to us, and I’d be happy to recommend him to anyone else wanting help to train their beloved pet.

Shirley and Paul with Boo the Cockapoo

We did well today mate, I’m so chuffed. He worked his socks off. It was like he’d done it before. I only gave him one retrieve on each drive but that was enough for him today. Thanks for all you help mate, really appreciate it.

Luke with Ted the Labrador

Cooper is a 16-month old Fox Red Labrador. He is a very energetic dog that loved to push his boundaries and me to the absolute limit. Throughout his training in the last 12 months we have had to address many issues, including general disobedience, dominance, unsteadiness and recall. The main aim being that he can both work in the field and also be a well behaved family dog.

The training exercises and the homework set by Damian enabled us to work on these issues and after 12 months’ hard work, by Cooper, Damian and myself, Cooper’s first shoot day was upon us.

During the week before the shoot, Cooper was in residence with Damian due to me being away with work. This although unplanned, gave me another bit of confidence that Cooper was going to do well, but was still nervous that he could show me up

Throughout the day and various drives, Cooper was great. He sat steady, retrieved and took directions well and all birds were delivered to hand. The sense of both relief and joy that he wasn’t showing me up was unbelievable! Even better the comments from others of how well behaved he was and how well he was doing for a young dog.

Seeing the hard work and training paying off was a real high, and seeing Cooper loving what he was doing was also great. Both of us can’t wait for the next one!o

John With Cooper the Fox Red Labrador

I first contacted Damian well over a year ago now regarding my Fox Red Labrador, Amber.

Having been given poor advice in the past regarding her training, I was at my the end of my tether. To start with Amber had virtually no recall, would barely retrieve and quite frankly did whatever she wanted. Before meeting Damian I had tried a plethora of training methods from books, YouTube and other trainers. With these failing, I regularly found myself stood in some field in all sorts of weather with my head in my hands.

Within around a month of meeting Damian she improved ten fold when retrieving and was even delivering to hand very quickly and has progressed in leaps and bounds over the last year and a half.

This brings me to now where I have gone on my first shoot day, where the months of hard work came to fruition. I took her on a small 50-60 bird a day shoot where she was sat on a peg behind a gun and took Damian’s advice of easing her in with only a few simple retrieves throughout the day.

All together she picked 4 birds, the best retrieve by far being a cock pheasant retrieve with another bird falling around her. She remained steady and brought the bird back to hand without a second glance at the other falling bird which in the past would have meant she would swap retrieves. She behaved impeccably for the whole day which has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, with not only myself enjoying the day, Amber thoroughly loved every second of it.

Anyone who is in the same boat as I was a year and a half ago, it does get better and with Damian’s guidance as well it makes it incredibly rewarding and extremely enjoyable, as it should be. I cannot thank Damian enough for helping myself and Amber achieve what was once thought as impossible.

Rob with Amber the Fox Red Labrador

Yogui my five year old Labrador was brilliant around people but unfortunately not around other dogs and walking him was not the enjoyable experience it should have been.

He had been to fun and agility classes, various dog training classes both group classes and 1-2-1 training and social Saturday walking group but as he got older was becoming more anxious and aggressive with other dogs that got close to him.

Damian was recommended by my sister, a past customer and I only wish I had found him sooner.

Within five minutes of meeting Damien I new I had made the right decision and if anyone could sort us out he could

After only three sessions I have a very calm dog who is a pleasure to walk with.

Damian is so passionate about his work, knowledgable, makes training fun and puts you at ease.

I can highly recommend Damian for training you and your dog as he is just amazing.

Shirley and Yougi the Labrador

I bought Drake to work him and needed some vital guidance so that he is steady and reliable. Damian was recommended by a good friend who had used him in the past. I cannot express how much help and guidance Damian has given me, which has helped Drake improve massively. He’s still a young puppy with a lot to learn but I’m happy with his progress and I cannot recommend Damian enough.

Paul with Drake the Labrador

After seeking help from another trainer and also taking Luna to both an agility class and a fly ball group I finally found Damian. We had a long chat and to be honest I had hoped that Damian would agree to take Luna on residential training and return her to me fully trained as I really was at the end of my tether with her. I just didn’t know what to do or how to go about getting her to do what I wanted her to do. Needless to say that Damian wouldn’t take Luna on residential (how many others would have just taken my money and run) as he felt that the problem wasn’t just Luna, it was me and how right he was! I’d taken her to classes etc to try and bond with her and Damian pointed out that she wasn’t bonding with me but the other dogs, it’s funny how you don’t always see the obvious until it’s pointed out to you!

At our first meeting Damian put me at ease straight away and within minutes he had what had previously been a dog that pulled on the lead (and yes I was one of those people who tried every type of collar and harness going thinking it was helping) walking to heel on a rope lead. I must have looked like a cartoon character as my jaw hung open as I watched as he showed off his talents with my now well behaved dog! I came away from that first meeting liking my dog again and knowing that we could be helped as to be honest Damian was my last chance, if it didn’t work with him then we would have to look at re-homing her as she was literally wearing me down.

Almost five months down the line and each time I come away having learnt something new either about myself or my dog and I have only Damian to thank for that, I just wish I’d meet him when we first got her.

Damian’s approach is logical, practical and it bloody well works. He is very positive and exceptionally honest (but highly entertaining with it) so if you are after someone who is just happy to take your money and agree with you then he’s not for you. I truly cannot praise Damian’s training and guidance enough, he really has changed my dog and me for the better, long may it continue.

Lisa with Luna the Labrador/Pointer

I bought Dexter as a family dog. My children wanted a pet to walk and play with but the novelty soon wore off. Dexter ruled the roost both in the home and when out in public so I decided to take him training. I tried recommended trainers from the vets but Dexter’s behaviour did not improve. Damian was recommended by a friend and I just wish I had started training with him a lot earlier.

When I first came to training I had a dog that was aggressive, he had no respect and ran away.

Damian has managed to train myself and Dexter to work as a team and has built a bond, Dexter will now walk to heel, stop/wait and retrieve using the methods that have been taught at training. We have still bad habits that need to be worked on and we have good and bad days but with hard work and guidance I am hoping that this can be accomplished.

Dexter is now part of the family and is a friend and not just a dog. This has only happened with guidance and support in training and I would certainly recommend Damian to others.

Caroline with Dexter the Labrador

I genuinely feel that without Damian’s help I would be walking my Sprocker on a extendable lead.

Back n May 2018 I got my Sprocker Spaniel Louis, after having sessions with another trainer I could not get Louis under control, he would run off constantly, growl at me when I wanted to take something off him, jump all over the house furniture, he just had total lack of respect for me.

After putting up with these problems for 4 months my time with Louis was becoming a chore, I would hate going for walks, the thought of coming home and spending the evening with him jumping all over the house furniture uncontrollably would get me on a downer before I had even returned home from work.

After doing some research I found Damian, and what a saving grace it was. I had my first lesson and I instantly knew that my dog wasn’t going to rule my life. I have spent 5 months training with Damian and it has completely changed my relationship with my dog. I can now walk Louis with or without a lead with confidence that he is going to stay with me / come back on the first blow of my whistle. He also now knows his place in my home not even thinking about jumping on furniture. I can’t thank Damian enough. He really has made my bond with my dog something I couldn’t have imagined 6 months ago.

I can’t recommend his services enough.

Thank you Damian!

Matthew with Louis the Sprocker

Our German Wire Haired Pointer Kobi is very prey driven and just coming up for two years old and during this time we have tried a couple of trainers who were neither use nor ornament and also tried the social media, You Tube route. Which ended up the blind leading the blind.

So we were more than happy to have found Damian, he seems to know more about what a dog’s thinking than it does itself. We’ve gone from having a very head strong dog, pulling us down the road on our first visit and running off when he could to a dog that’s well on the way to being able to be used in the field inside three months.

Damian had him walking to heel within minutes on our first lesson and now watching him hunt and retrieve through reeds and water last week made all the previous hard work worth while. Whether we ever actually take him hunting or not we’re certainly going to have a happier hound with more relaxed and confident owners.

Thanks

Brian & Andrew

Brian and Andrew with Kobi the German Wirehaired Pointer

Wow, what a journey it has been so far! We got Kenji when he was 8 weeks old,, he showed usual puppy behaviour running around, trying to eat anything he could get his mouth on the usual stuff.

It was only when Kenji was about 3 to 4 months old that the problems started. The first time Kenji ever bit me (Vicky) was over food. A friend had left his pizza on the side as I was doing the dishes, as I turned around I saw Kenji up on the side eating it. I tried to get him down but he didn’t listen. My friend tried to get him down and he went ballistic trying to bite him. I went to grab his lead and bam he had bit my leg and from that point on it went down hill.

I had searched Google many a times for dog trainers in our area I actually spoke to Damian and I spoke to another guy and at that point the choice I made was uneducated and also down to finances. We didn’t go with Damian to begin with but I wish we had as I do believe that would have saved me from being bitten again.

We went with a guy who came to the house and he didn’t show us a lot. He used food as rewards and distraction methods and so we used that as we had been taught to and boy did that make things worse.

I had enough after being bitten the second time so my partner had called Damian and had begun training with him on the weekends. He did 2 lessons without me and I could notice a difference with him and Kenji but not with me.

I decided I needed to go along to the training and this was the best decision I have ever made. I lived in fear of my dog, I was petrified to even tell him to sit down in fear he would bite me again. My first lesson with Damian was truly an eye opener, we did some heel work and Kenji made everyone know that he was dominant over me and actually tried to maul me. Damian and my partner took back control of Kenji and we knew where we needed to start.

Fast forward 3 lessons with me being present and Kenji is a completely different dog. He doesn’t try to bite he doesn’t show aggression towards me and he is starting to listen. I never thought I would ever get to this point and it wasn’t easy we trained every night every day with no break and we still continue to do this.

I have to say Damian really has saved our family, he has been so understanding, he even had our mother in law involved in the training which is always great fun. I have learnt so much about my dog but also about how to behave around other dogs and I’m learning more about myself as I go on. My confidence in myself is slowly growing all thanks to the help from Damian.

I am so happy we have Damian working with us and I wish we had found him sooner thank you so much and we will see you the next lesson !!

Vicky with Kenji the American Akita

Damian’s support and advice has been invaluable to us, as our 4 month old Flat Coated Retriever, Bonnie ate a sock and had to have an operation to have it removed. She took a long time to recover from the operation and was extremely sensitive to all foods and medications. It was a very worrying time for all the family, especially as Bonnie is a companion dog for our daughter who has special needs.
Damian advised to change to Bob and Lush natural food for dogs and the change in Bonnie was evident. She is now a healthy 8 month old puppy and undergoing 1-2-1 training sessions with Damian. Bonnie’s progress was remarkable during the first session as she could walk to heel with all family members. Furthermore, the children loved the training as you all learn so much in a fun way. We look forward to working with Damian again and we highly recommend him to other dog owners.
Thank you Damian
From Gaynor, Pete, Coel, Carys and Bonnie

Gaynor, Pete, Coel and Carys with Bonnie the Flatcoated Retriever

Damian
I would like to give you my sincere thanks for all the time and effort you have put into Salen. As you know I have already had Callie the Dam to her into you for residential training previously and also numerous one to one lessons following a disastrous start to her training from another gundog trainer. Therefore there was no hesitation in sending her to yourself. This was a completely different set of circumstances as my work commitments forced the residential training this time round. I was determined to train Salen myself with one to one lessons only but this set of circumstances contrived to be the best possible outcome I could ever had imagined.

Salen has come back with a confidence and eagerness to please that has amazed me. Salen went out and was shot over last weekend for the 1st time with her mother Callie. Callie flushed a partridge which was duly shot and Salen immediately dropped to the sound of the gun. A quick back command and she did the perfect text book retrieve. To say I had a lump in my throat was an understatement. She shows maturity and awareness way beyond her 10 months of age and I now have the perfect Mother and Daughter team.

Her willingness to please is a pleasure and although I know there is still lots of work to do with both her and me she is fast becoming a dog that is going to exceed my wildest expectations. I am really looking forward to the next 12 months with plenty of one to one lessons with yourself to polish and refine her into the perfect working Springer Spaniel that I know she can be. I could not recommend you highly enough and indeed I do all the time.

Many thanks once again.
Rob

Rob and Salen the Springer Spaniel

I feel Damian is teaching  me how to unlock my dogs potential. 6 months ago I got a rescue collie who is now 19 month’s old. He had already had two owners and been given to the rescue centre as he was too lively for his owners older dogs. I was having problems getting him to walk nicely on his lead, and I had no recall at all with him. I was frustrated as I knew he had great potential but I could not get him to listen to me. Damian showed me how to work with him and I am now at a point where I love taking him for walks, and the joy on his face when he is practicing retrieval or playing off his lead is fantastic to see.

Carolyn and Zeus the Rescue Collie

I’m so grateful for Damian’s help with my strong willed defiant Vizsla boy Vinny.

After trying and failing group gun dog training elsewhere. I didn’t think it was possible to get my Vinny under control. He would pull on the lead and his nose did most of the walking and guiding us on our walks.

I never thought after just a few sessions Vinny would be focused enough to retrieve and recall with another dog nearby. Working on the basics and taking the time to master them, has put us on the right track for success. There’s still lots of work to be done, but the bond we didn’t have before is developing wonderfully and I’m more than pleased with the results so far.

Thank you Damian!

Verena and Vinny the Hungarian Vizsla

Hi Damian

How impressed am I?
My slow to sit dog is now a rocket. I can’t believe how quickly that has worked and I have been training gundogs for a long time now. I have never been shown such a fun method of teaching a dog the stop whistle.
I will send you a video when my husband is home next week.

Many thanks
Wendy.

Wendy and Gries the Longhaired German Pointer

I first contacted Damian after getting my 18 month old rescue Springer Spaniel Charlie.

To begin with Charlie really was a wild child, and I would describe him as a loose cannon. He had known no boundaries, had spent a lot of time left on his own, and had also been mistreated.

I contacted Damian and we a had a long chat on the phone while I listed many of Charlie’s faults, Damian then organised an assessment visit for myself and Charlie.

I met Damian at his his training ground and initially he watched me with Charlie and witnessed Charlie doing his usual ‘pull like a train’ when walking on the lead. Damian asked me if he could take him for a minute, and within 12 steps at the most he had Charlie walking to heal on the lead it’s no pulling whatsoever!! To say I was amazed was an understatement, I never thought it would be possible!!
After his initial assessment Damian gave me a few tips and pointers and said it was completely up to me whether or not I continue with further lessons… after what I’d witnessed and also achieved that day I told Damian that I would like to continue training with him.
Another lesson was booked and homework was given.

I have now had three lessons with Damian and Charlie is coming on in leaps and bounds, from that wild child I got two months ago Charlie is now calmer and I feel there is a real bond starting to form between us. We have now progressed to sit, wait, and recall off the lead… again something I never thought would happen!!

Lessons with Damian are always structured but also fun and enjoyable. I always leave feeling happy and proud of what me and Charlie have achieved and look forward to our next lesson. I can’t recommend this guy highly enough, he is amazing at what he does and you can se he has a real passion for it too!!

Fantastic guy!!

Liam and Charlie the Springer Spaniel

I honestly cannot thank Damian enough for his help in training my 12 month old Labrador bitch.
She had become a nightmare after me being given some poor unstructured advice and after a while finding myself combing the internet for a solution, none of which helped
and only made matters worse.

Damian has been key in allowing myself to start enjoying training again which I had not experienced since her small puppy days.

Even after a couple of sessions the dog that I thought would never ever be steady is now steady to thrown dummies something that seemed a dream only a month or two ago.

In the past I had found it hard to find any positives in her training but his approach of looking for positives even when things have gone a bit wrong has helped me massively.

I cannot recommend Damian highly enough and I look forward to progressing with my dogs training with his help.

Rob and Amber the Labrador

Thank you so much Damian, for all your help with Jake. I cant believe how I have gone from having a dog that was resource guarding everthing and attacking all family members, to a dog who is well behaved, obedient and retrieving dummies and giving them to me in my hand, when previously he would of attacked me if he had anything in his mouth. All this was done without treat training which I had done with previous trainers which only made his aggression worse. I wish I had found you sooner.

Thank you again from Joanne and Jake the Sprocker 😁

Joanne and Jake the Sprocker

Hi Damian

Brian took Sasha for a walk through Kirkham today and couldn’t believe how well behaved she was, he now has the little dog he wanted, he was so pleased, she now watches for the next command, a big thank you from both of us.

We took our little springer Sasha to Damian for residential training to sort out typical adolescent problems, she came back a changed dog ( Labrador) only kidding, it’s just over a week since she’s returned, her attention span is greatly improved as is her recall and walking to heel, we can’t believe the difference and will be following up with further training, she seemed very settled with Damian and enjoyed her time with him a very big thank you from all of us
Beverley & Brian

Beverley/Brian and Sasha the Springer Spaniel

This testimonial is written in sincere gratitude of thanks to Damian and his knowledge to help me find the perfect dog to meet my needs.

I first met Damian 3/4 years ago when I was having trouble with a very headstrong Sprocker Spaniel he gave me brilliant advice and in the end sadly had to pass on the dog as a family pet. This excellent service from Damian saved me a lot of heartache and further trouble, where the dog was not suited to my needs.

I have kept in constant contact with Damian ever since and just recently took him up on his grave knowledge of working dog’s and their training to help me find a perfect dog that would suit my needs.

I firstly spoke to Damian about helping me find a part/full trained Springer Spaniel, but with great judgment and trust in Damian’s knowledge he saved me a lot of hassle as this could of caused another bad experience. Instead Damian spoke with great positivity and a certainty as he had just purchased a pup and knew there was still one pup still available. I needed time to think about this as it wasn’t my first thought. I have to say Damian’s judgement is second to none when it comes matching pups to owners characteristics. I cannot thankyou enough for helping assist me in finding the perfect pup.

I most definatey without a shadow of doubt would recommend Damian Barson as a gundog trainer to anyone and if your in need of advice about gundog training or advice over anything about dogs Damian is your man.

Many thanks again and I look forward to the next chapter of training with you!!

Tim and Snipe the Springer Spaniel Puppy

Before using Damian, I used another gundog trainer that was recommended though social media. After two months of lessons, I had seen no improvement in my Springer Spaniel, Harry. Each lesson he put me down, saying my dog was no good and I needed to sell him, I didn’t want to do this.

I searched for another gundog trainer and I came across Damian. I have now been training with him for four months and I have seen massive improvements in my dog and also myself. Damian has given us both a lot of confidence, he shows me where I am going wrong and how to correct it. Damian has also been able to work with me having a disability, you couldn’t ask for a more understanding dog trainer.

I wish I had found him sooner.

Sam and Harry the Springer Spaniel

After admittedly struggling with two self-willed Springers pulling us all over the park and with virtually no recall, we were recommended to try Damian at Tessleymoor Gundogs.  We were a little apprehensive at first but Damian understood perfectly and immediately pinpointed the problems (with us and the dogs!) and started us on the right path.

Now 3 sessions in and the dogs are already showing what they can do with the right handling and positive reinforcement.  The dogs enjoy the training, patience and perseverance is being rewarded and looking forward to being able to do so much more with them.

Andrew and Jazz/Beth the Springer Spaniels

We took our 12 week old working cocker spaniel to Damian as we wanted a well behaved dog. We were advised from our vet that lessons are great idea for our dogs health and to keep them stimulated.

Damian was very approachable and always at the end of the phone. His classes where fun and always engaging for Jenson. Each lesson Jenson showed great improvement.

Unfortunately due to distance we could not carry on with Damian but would recommend it to anyone who can. Jenson was gutted!

Ollie/Emily and Jenson the Cocker Spaniel

Hi Damian,

We just wanted to say thank you for the lesson with Riley yesterday. It was so lovely to see how he can behave and we are looking forward to learning how to encourage that behaviour all the time.

We would very much like to book more sessions with you if you would be willing.

Louise and Riley the Irish Red Setter

Hi Damian

Thank you so much for todays training with Jack and I.

I’m like most people who have a dog, I have done the same thing year in year out and never really
fully understood how to get the best from the partnership with my dog, until now.

I have already noticed a marked improvement with Jack and also with myself when walking with
Jack. My confidence level has gone up and my stress levels have come down. So again, thank.

It was a shock to watch just how well Jack interacted with you, if thats the right word to use and with his instruction, but it was also very inspiring because i could see Jacks potential.

For anyone thinking of gundog training or dog training in general i cannot recomend enough how beneficial it would be for you to speak to Damian.

Andrew and Jack the Springer Spaniel

Hi Damian,

Just wanted to say many thanks for the valuable training advice you gave us yesterday, we enjoyed it and found it very useful. I have already seen an improvement in my behaviour which Wilf appreciates. I have started enjoying our walks/training session again, which is great and even at this early stage other people have commented on the difference. I would definitely like to continue our training with you so if you could let me know when you free in a few weeks, that would be great. Apologies for arriving late, I can’t find any trace of the email you sent but hopefully it was just a one off glitch.

Thanks again,

Ann and Wilf the Cocker Spaniel

Hi Damian.

Hope you had a good break at Easter. We’re missing our fortnightly visits up to Lancashire. What started as a serious business getting our 3 year old chocolate lab Ruby trained not to pull on the lead and recall so she was safe became good fun.

Wanted to say thanks for giving us the skill and encouragement to keep going. Its a real joy now to walk her on lead and we feel more confident about keeping her engaged with us rather than just doing her own thing. A lovely bond has developed between us as a result.

Thanks again you certainly tuned into us three and got us on track to learn together and enjoy. That cheeky defiant girl you first met is a delight to be out with and we’ve had so many lovely comments from other dog walkers. It’s been well worth it.

Andrea and Nigel with Ruby the Labrador

After only a few minutes watching Damian with Isla it was obvious he knows what he is doing.  Damian achieved more in one hours lesson than 2 months of the previous puppy training I had attended, all i kept thinking was why hadn’t we been recommended him sooner.

Be prepared for an honest appraisal and quality banter – there’s no beating around the bush to please the client, he had us figured straight away, Isla rules the roost!

We will definitely be braving crossing the border back to Lancashire for many more lessons, it’s not going to be a quick fix and nor does Damian claim it will be, but I’m certain with hard work and guidance form Damian there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Andy with Isla the Hungarian Vizsla

A big big recommendation for anyone thinking of going to someone for dog training help.  From the moment I met Damian with Elmo (my 4 year old springer) he knew within seconds that the dog was in charge of me and not the other way round!  A few little tweaks and tips from Damian and I was walking Elmo and not being pulled left right and centre.

Another main issue was that Elmo barked at every single dog he walked past.  Damian experimented this with two of his own dogs and showed me that if you remain calm and do not panic and tighten up on the lead then you can solve this problem with relative ease.

It is still very much a work in progress but during that 50 minute one to one I have learnt more valuable information than ever before.  Thanks again mate and see you in a few weeks.

Jonathan with Elmo the Springer Spaniel

I love my two golden retrievers, but lately, it had become impossible to walk them. Both would pull on leads when walking and it really was becoming a chore taking them out. We started to dread it and my wife was unable to walk them. They’d also started escaping our garden by jumping over the walls and chasing livestock, which was very concerning. (For us and the sheep involved).

We’d been to a number of trainers, some would try dominance approaches, which we really didn’t like and then others would be completely food focused. Which meant giving our dogs hundreds of treats, rendering it useless unless we had food in our hands as, without it, they just completely ignored us.

We were getting to the point of despair and thought there must be someone out there who can help us not only train our dogs but also help us understand what motivates them so we both have a great relationship.
There was, and his name is Damian. We found Damian through instagram and after reading his website and testimonials my wife and I could not get in touch faster. Damian managed to book us in at short notice for our first lesson and we were counting down the hours.

First lesson – we met Damian and had a great chat about the dogs and their behaviours. Before we’d even got down to training he had a firm but constructive conversation about not having one of our dogs on the back seat, as this was very unsafe. That was our first lesson learnt and we changed it straight away. They both now go in the back boot (4×4, we don’t lock them in an actual boot 🙂 ).

Next part of the lesson – focusing on walking without being dragged around. The first part of this lesson, Damian introduced us to a slip lead, he put it on our boy Oscar and what followed was myself and my wife stood with our mouths open wide, laughing in disbelief as we couldn’t believe that in about 5 minutes, he had oscar walking on a loose lead without pulling and without a single treat being given. AMAZING.

Then we said, “right, that’s fantastic, but wait till you meet Millie”. At this point, Damian approached our car and opened up the boot. Millie dived out the car, like she does, ready to drag us round as normal.
Before getting her on a lead, Damian was having none of it. He calmly put Millie back in the car and made her sit and wait, whilst he put Oscar back in. On a normal day, my wife and I can be seen playing the role of a goalkeeper diving around to catch them both as they jump out the car. Somehow, Damian had them both sat in the boot, waiting patiently until he decided it was time to for them to jump out. FANTASTIC.
I get Millie out and Damian gets to witness the golden fluffy beast that is Millie as she persisted in drag me around on her lead and practically choking herself. At this point, Damian stepped in.

He put the slip lead on, which Millie was not happy about and she was determined not to conform. Within about 3 minutes, she was walking to heal by his side, staring at him attentively. WE COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! This is the dog that no one can walk, no trainer had ever succeeded to make her walk to heal. My wife and I were staring at each other laughing and saying “Is this guy the dog whisperer?”. (I’m so glad we didn’t take him up on his bet, which would have resulted in me losing my car after successfully training Mille).

What Damian achieved in that one lesson has been life changing for us. We’re going to continue to work with him, as one day I really want them to work in the sporting field. This was once a distant goal, but now I can’t wait to keep going back as we both know that by working with Damian, we can pretty much teach them anything.

We couldn’t recommend Damian more. Don’t bother wasting your money or time on anyone else. I wish we’d met him months ago.

Thanks Damian for your work and help so far. We can’t wait to come back.

Mark with Millie/Oscar the Golden Retrievers

We approached Damian, as Jarvis our 12 month old Cocker having hit puberty had lost all sense of lead control and recall. It had got to the stage where walking him had become very stressful and we could no longer let him off the lead for fear of losing him. We were conscious that Jarvis wasn’t experiencing the quality of life that we had hoped for him and therefore something needed to be done. Having spent a considerable amount of money on puppy classes and 1-2-1 sessions with ‘generic’ dog trainers using treat/reward based methods, we were getting nowhere and decided that we should seek the advice of a specialist trainer, i.e. someone who really knows and understands a gundog.

We found Damian through an internet search and were immediately impressed with the testimonials on his website, his obvious knowledge & experience in gundog training. I can honestly say that we have not been disappointed and that any expectations we had in advance of us meeting Damian have been greatly exceeded.

Before we even started tackling Jarvis’s issues, we had a long chat about how things are done around the house and realised that in falling for those soft Spaniel eyes, we had allowed Jarvis to rule the roost. Whilst Jarvis is a much loved member of our family, contrary to what he may think, he is not the top dog and with a few small changes the correct order of the house has been restored! Importantly to us, despite these changes, Jarvis remains the same happy dog he has always been.

At our first session Damian advised us to ditch all the leads we had been using and to switch to a simple slip lead. He showed us that with the right use, this lead is humane and very effective. Within seconds, Jarvis changed from a dog that would drag us down streets and across fields to one who walked calmly by our side on a slack lead still with a tail wagging merrily. We could have cried with relief! Damian has also introduced us to whistle training; teaching us various commands to get Jarvis to sit, turn and recall. We practice these every day along with work on lead control and are overjoyed that Jarvis is responding so well.

As our 11 year old son said to Damian (without any prompting from us) we have achieved more in 1 session with Damian than we have ever done with all the treat/reward based training we have attempted previously! Our friends have all commented on how Jarvis has changed even after 1 session, from a dog that was very excitable and somewhat out of control to one who is very calm and responsive to commands. Life in our house has become so much more relaxed, we are no longer stressed, Jarvis is behaving himself on his walks and appears still as happy as he ever was.
We still have much to achieve but with Damian’s on going help (and for the first time ever) we are confident that we will succeed and that Jarvis will have an enhanced quality of life. As a family, we all look forward to our sessions, especially our son whom Damian includes in the training as much as us. If you are reading this testimonial and are in need of help with your dog, we cannot recommend Damian highly enough and only wish we had found him sooner.

Jane and Marcus with Jarvis the Cocker Spaniel

I contacted Damian in December last year after reading the excellent reviews on what he had managed to achieve training wise with owners and their dogs.

I have two Italian Spinones, Darcy eight and Nell 18 months. Darcy can be relied on to keep an eye on me during our walks and always likes to be fairly close and doesn’t wander off. Nell on the other hand is totally different and never keeps her eye on me. Nell wants to do what she is bred to do, that is quartering and flushing paying no heed to a whistle or my mad calls for her to come to me. Hence my call to Damian, things could not go on as they were. Not only was it embarrassing but dangerous to have a dog that did not understand recall.

Ideally training should have started with her much earlier at six months but circumstances didn’t allow for this. Appointment booked for initial 1-2-1 assessment, after a three hour drive, yes three hours (I was determined to sort this out) Nell and I had our first meeting with Damian. I was told to forget whatever had happened in the past and to work with positively going forward. Nell is a beautiful girl, very clever and bright and I didn’t want  years of frustrating walks but a dog that listened and understood what I was asking of her.

First visit, walking to heel, sit and wait command – not too bad from Nell’s point of view but I was doing everything wrong and overcomplicating my instructions and not relaxing whilst training – I acted like a sergeant major. Not much fun for Nell. Basically I wasn’t getting engagement from Nell, obviously birds and scents are much more interesting than I.

Damian has shown me ways to get Nell to engage and this has meant training has been successful. Recall work was going well but then I had a few blips with Nell running off, it’s disheartening but small step each day and consistency make me feel that I am getting somewhere with her. The training sessions were once a month but we have increased these (just for a short while) to every two weeks. At the last session the three of us were walking round the field with Nell off the lead, walking to heel, something I would never have believed possible. I have been working on this exercise since our session and it’s going really well. A way to go yet but we are definitely getting there. It’s about training the owner as well as the dog.

Margaret with Nell the Italian Spinone

Hi Damian
A quick email to say a HUGE thank you for your work with my girl Xena whilst in your care at residential. And agreeing to continue with us on the forthcoming training sessions.

As you know Xena was proving to be too much of a handful for me and your description of “baptism of fire” only mildly described how I felt, you saw for yourself how stressed I was with her and how pushy, and dominant she was (2 females like this within the one household was always going to be a challenge).

I have to be honest and say that prior to her attending your residential I was having doubts as to whether or not I had made the right choice, not only for me but for Xena as I only want the best for her, and for her to realise her full potential, something I now know without your help I would never achieve.

I am so happy that I didn’t just give up and came to you for the proper advise, it was a difficult decision to put her into what we classed as “borstal” for a month especially as you banned all contact J but you have worked wonders with her, you have achieved in a month what I most likely wouldn’t have in a year. Xena has come home a changed girl and all for the better, you promised to teach her manners, and you most certainly have. I know she is still young and will try to push boundaries (last night in the park with so many distractions proved that) however before you taking her under your wing, going out with her was always a chore and very rarely a pleasure but after picking her up on Monday that is soooo not the case, our morning walks are awesome I get in twice the distance in half the time as I’m not continually having to fight with her to stop her pulling and I can’t wait to leave the office to take her out on her evening stroll.

With your continued training and advice (for us both) I see a bright future ahead. From the bottom of my heart I thank you…

And a message for anyone considering residential with you….. DO IT!!!! DO IT NOW…… you cannot imagine the joy ahead that it will bring.

Big licks from Xena x

Jean with Xena the German Shorthaired Pointer

Hello Damian,
Just a quick update on Finlay’s progress. He is really coming on after the sessions with you and then continuing the training you suggested. Still plenty to do but it was all about me upping my game really. Since I started consistently expecting more from Finlay , he has started really focussing one me, as you said he would. Thanks for the help!
Best wishes,

Jill with Finlay the Cocker Spaniel

I have to say that even with just the one session we spent working with “Good Girl” (Coco) on Tuesday I’ve had my view of dogs changed. I’m now well aware that I’ve spent 12 years falling for Spaniel eyes and basically allowing them to rule the roost.
Much appreciate your help

Mark with Coco the Cocker Spaniel

This is written as a genuine thank you to Damian for everything he has done for myself & Wurly and to anyone reading this wondering if they should try this type of training, do it now, don’t wait, you won’t regret choosing Damian as your trainer.

We have had Wurly since he was a puppy & attended training sessions as soon as we could. Unfortunately, the quality of that training was not specific to a springers needs & whilst Wurly was well behaved in the house as he got bigger he started to pull on the lead & his recall was non-existent.

I tried 2 trainers (including a gun dog expert). Again, this had no effect & Wurly started to run off from the house & would regularly take a half an hour run around the field & return to me when I was practically hysterical with worry! He once left home for over three hours & was found chasing livestock.

The final straw was when we went on holiday & Wurly got free from his lead & decided to chase some sheep, got one in the loch & was holding it under when we eventually caught up with him.

At this point we had to agree as a family that we were unable to keep Wurly. It was no fun for us & most importantly we weren’t doing the best for our boy. I decided to try one last attempt & had a look on the internet. I was drawn to Damian as his testimonials were very positive & there was a clear message that Damian is passionate about his work which wasn’t always my experience of other trainers.

At the first lesson, Damian had Wurly walking to heel almost immediately and it was very clear that despite my efforts I was the one in need of training. Damian is a great guy, very direct with comments & humour and very helpful with his advice & follow up. The thing that I felt immediately was that Damian not only knows his stuff but he is clearly passionate about dogs being trained to do what dogs are meant to do. Damian has a way of communicating with the dogs that shows he understands what they need & can get the best from them.

I started to make progress with Wurly but due to some personal issues the training lapsed & I found myself back at the beginning. At this point I decided to invest in Wurly & booked him in for a four week residential. The change in our boy has been unbelievable. We have had to make some small changes at home as a family but the improvement is visible to anyone.

Wurly now walks on his lead & doesn’t chase the children on a family walk. I can now let him off the lead which I still can’t believe is possible after our earlier mishaps! The first time he was off the lead at training was quite emotional. Wurly was hunting around the bushes, working with Damian & the other dogs, returning on the whistle & it was obvious that he was happy which in turn makes the family happy.

We are still in training and I will continue to go to sessions to with Damian. I can now let Wurly off the lead & he hunts and plays with us rather than against us. He stills likes the rabbits but he no longer heads for the fields and returns hours later.

My advice would be not to wait until you have an issue with your dog before calling Damian but go for sessions as soon as you can. The lessons are an investment & will result in a happier dog.

I am looking forward to the next chapter of gun dog training and seeing what else my crazy spaniel & I can do with Damian’s help.

Debbie with Wurly the Springer Spaniel

I am writing this letter as a personal reference for Damian Barson. My husband and I first came across Damian whilst we were looking for a trainer for our 11 month old English Springer Spaniel. It was important to us that we found a trainer that was reputable and one that was knowledgable in this field and one that our dog actually liked.
My husband and I first had our boy in one to one training when he was as young as nine weeks old (not with Damian Barson, I wish Damian had been our first and only trainer), we thought at the time the trainer chosen was the right one. The trainer claimed he had trained and worked with Springers and seemed to know what he was talking about so we booked in for twelve hours of training. Weeks later we noticed how our dog was very timid around him and was not progressing in training like I would have expected him to and lots of other things did not add up either. We decided to cancel any other further lessons we had booked in and never returned.

We first contacted Damian Barson after doing some research as we did not want the same thing to happen again as it had with the previous trainer. An appointment was made where our dog could be assessed but also to give us an introduction to what Damian does and what he was about. After watching Damian work our dog and observing how our dog reacted to Damian we decided to book him in for one months residential training. I had a good feeling about my dog Bert’s training this time. I felt confident that my dog was in safe hands and would be well looked after and was being trained by someone who did actually know what they were talking about. Damian also gave us a tour of where our dog would be sleeping and where he would have his training and this also filled me with confidence. During the four weeks Damian would ring and keep us in touch with Bert’s progress and I found this very reassuring. Week four was collection day and we were so excited that we were getting our boy back, we could not wait to see him and see what he had learnt.

I can only describe Damian as being a “Dog Whisperer”. My husband and I could not believe our eyes and looked at one another saying “is this really our dog?”. We were blown away at the amounts our dog had learnt but also by the sheer skill and understanding of dogs Damian has.

I most definatey without a shadow of doubt would recommend Damian Barson as a dog trainer to anyone. My husband and I are so pleased and it was the best money we have spent in a long time. We can see exactly where the money we spent has gone and that is in the high quality of the training our Bert has had. We still return for training sessions with our dog, but they are for us now!! We are all very happy with the level of professionalism shown and given at all times and are well on our way to having the best trained Springer this side of Watford Gap!!!

Many thanks for everything, we cannot thank you enough.

Jan/Phil with Bert the Springer Spaniel

I brought my two adorable but mental cocker spaniels to see Damian today.
He started by telling me I was getting them out of the crate wrong, we worked out that they don’t listen to me (at all), and that I don’t enjoy walking my dogs because they pull like mad.
Within literally a minute he had each dog walking at heel and looking for instruction. With a bit of practice I could do it too!
I’ve brought home two different dogs and a different dog owning mentality.
Looking forward to getting a good recall!
Thanks Damian.

Janet with Forrest/Parker the Cocker Spaniels

Just to let you know we are delighted at the progress with Indie!! She really is coming on and after only four sessions we realise we have done the right thing. Even though Indie is our 5th Dog talking to you alone after her arrival and planning a proper routine has helped not letting her get into bad habits from the start. From the first lesson on the lead it is obvious you totally understand how to get the most out of Indie. Yesterday’s lesson was a delight to see with Indie making a fantastic retrieve from a very good distance to hand with Caoimhe your dog for a distraction.

I think it shows the benefit of planning your dog’s training as soon as you know you are expecting a Puppy to arrive.

You instruction gives the incentive to put the effort into Indie to carry on seeing results!!!

Bob with Indie the Wirehaired Hungarian Vizsla

Thank you for this mornings lesson it was great, probably the best yet. I was thrilled with Madhbh’s performance. I never thought I’d get this far, and without our continual help and belief I wouldn’t have. Again thank you so much for making my dreams become reality.

Diane with Madhbh the Flatcoat Retriever

Alfie (the Springer) got to meet Damian today. I booked Alfie (& me) in with Damian for an assessment to ascertain future potential. I soon realised that Alfie is doing just fine and it is I who needs a 4 week residential! The hour was great fun. Lots of learning with humour thrown in. Seeing Damian’s dogs in action too was inspirational. To see Alfie respond to you the moment we were on the road doing the heel work was fantastic. It really did make me have a tear to see how positively he responded to you.

I can’t wait to get Alfie booked in for his 4 week residential having seen the positive impact in only an hour.

Tanya with Alfie the Springer Spaniel

I take my cocker to Damian and at first we both thought we have a challenge on our hands but Damian doesn’t give up if he see’s potential he’ll work at it and make sure my dog becomes a cracking dog and he has! He’s a nice guy and so easy to get along with!

Reece with Vince the Cocker Spaniel

After taking my cocker to Damian this morning he got Sam out the car and had him walking nice and sitting all the time we were talking that was just somthing I though I would never see. He was well behaved and Damian never once used his name I was convinced he had swopped dogs lol. In a total of under 15 mins he had my dog doing things I would take forever to get him to do. Thank you Damian see you in 4 wks.

Eileen with Sam the Cocker Spaniel

Dear Damian,

Well it’s been two weeks now since Andy went to collect Arthur. Right from the very first moment he just fitted right in and became one of the family, it has been completely amazing. None of us realised just how much we missed having a dog around. Thanks to you, Arthur is an amazingly well trained little dog, as well as an intelligent, soft, cuddly, nutty, mud magnet, he fits in just perfect! A massive thank you, to you Damian, for matching us with this gorgeous, little spaniel. He has the most fantastic personality. At home he potters about quite happily, doesn’t bark, loves a cuddle and a groom. At the field, on the other hand, he makes lots of noise, and flies about at great speeds the whole time. He’s made play mates out of our two sons and doesn’t seem too bothered by the other animals, although he will be just a blurr to them.

It’s all too good to be true and we are very grateful. We could not have picked a better match for us.

Many, many thanks from the Tramaseurs and Arthur the Springer Spaniel. XX

Great session yesterday. I still haven’t stopped smiling. Thank for all your support and encouragement wouldn’t have got there without you.

Diane with Madhbh the Flatcoat Retriever

We first took our springer spaniel to Damian due to him pulling on the lead and attended a course of classes. Damian provided us with instruction, practical demonstration and support whenever we needed it, not just in the classes but also over the phone at any time. His advice is clear and concise and he isn’t afraid to tell you how it is, even if it isn’t what you want to hear at the time. On reflection it’s what you need to hear. He allows you to see the potential that your dog has and makes you feel comfortable and at ease with his professional manner and sense of humour in what can be a stressful environment! Despite improvements in our dog our situation changed and due to the arrival of our little boy and a very jealous dog we had to consider the option to re home, again Damian was there to give us support and advice through what has been a truly emotional and up heaving situation. Damian took the time to help us find a new loving home for our spaniel and he couldn’t of found a more perfect place. It is obvious that Damian cares about the dogs he over sees.

I would highly recommend Damian to any dog owner and would like to thank him for everything he’s done for us over the past year!

Danielle with Arthur the Springer Spaniel

My contact with Damian started back in August 2015 when having seen his Facebook page I rang him to pick his brain on choosing a puppy, he subsequently put me in touch with Lou who had a litter of fox red labs for sale of which Damian one of the litter too.

Bryn was my first dog let alone my first working dog and I had a lot to learn, Damian’s advice before our first lesson was invaluable with the right start to Bryn’s training & life being key.
Weekly lessons started in October through to December and Bryn was making good progress, in December I started a new job and the lessons stopped until February and those 8 weeks were when the good work stopped and due to my lack of knowledge and change of circumstances life with Bryn became a challenge. He started to do what he wanted, and any attempts to curb and discipline his behaviour made things worse, I eventually managed to make time for a lesson in February which can only be described as a hideous experience, Bryn showed no interest in Damian or myself and just wanted to do what he wanted and wouldn’t listen to any of the basic commands we learnt so well from October to December.

On the journey home I was annoyed, upset, disheartened and frustrated so considered my options. I could try and carry on with Bryn’s training with the help of Damian and hope I could gain enough knowledge to make Bryn the dog he can and deserves to be, or I bite the bullet and send him away to Damian’s for residential training to instil the basic commands back into Bryn and to help his progression.
I spoke to Damian at length about my plans and we agreed it was a good idea, it would be easy to think he would be keen for residential stays as after all he runs a business but he has always been honest about what is best for the dog and the owner so I trusted his judgement.

I dropped Bryn off at the arranged time and said good bye for what was going to be a long 5 weeks apart (not that he cared)
Damian kept me up to date with phone calls, tweets, Facebook posts as and when he could which were always much appreciated.

I picked Bryn up on Easter Monday and didn’t quite know what to expect, would he be totally different would he be a bit better than before?? I could tell things had gone well when Bryn completely ignore my presence and was totally focused on Damian, at first I was gutted but then he had been sent there to gain respect and focus and that is exactly what he had.
Damian took time to explain what he had done and what we needed to do going forward. Bryn and myself were sent home with some very specific instructions, no more no less.

Bryn has been back just short of a week and he is a pleasure to have around and train again, we both have fun training and I am building a bond that will hopefully be as strong as the one he clearly had with Damian when I collected him last week. I’m sure we will have more ups and downs on our training journey but I know from Damian that under the right instruction Bryn is fully capable being a great dog and I owe it to him to make sure he reaches his full potential and with the guidance of Damian we will get there.

Scott with Bryn the Labrador

I was struggling to cope with my puppy as I hadn’t realised just how much exercise and training was needed for her in comparison to other dogs I’ve had. I was at a low ebb with her and discussed options, including rehoming, with Damian who provided me with advice and support for me whilst I reached my decision. I’ve since had a further lesson with Damian and have more booked in. He has provided me with tips and what to work on with her. Instead of crying I was smiling at our last lesson and look forward to progressing further with my puppy.

Many Thanks
Dawn

Dawn with Lola the Cocker Spaniel.

Hi Damian.
Just a short mail to express my thanks for the training given to Callie and just as importantly myself.(The latter of which I fully intend to continue with). Callie although only 18 months old has after her 8 weeks or so of residential training come home with a maturity that has far exceeded my expectations. She has fantastic focus and is a joy to walk with as she never leaves my heel. She is now retrieving to hand with a confidence that I never thought she would have. She still has a way to go but from the timid little girl that we dropped off but she now has a confidence and is all too eager to please. I am really looking forward to the next shooting season and look forward to having a confident and enthusiastic companion that I cannot wait to work with. I am looking forward to many more 1-1 training sessions with yourself to polish Callie and get her to reach her full potential.

You will be highly recommended by myself to anyone that enquires and indeed I already have.

Many Thanks
Rob

Rob with Callie the Springer Spaniel.

We were recommended to Damian by another one of his customers, we had issues with both of our dogs lunging and barking on the leads at other dogs and taking us for a walk instead of us taking them, within one session Damian had them healing and walking past his dog with no barking or lunging and taking his advice I’ve found it so much easier to walk them and walking past other dogs is so nice without the barking and pulling, we have been to so many dog trainers and nothing we got told worked we were ready to give up.
Would definitely recommend Damian to anyone.

Hannah with Ella/Bob the German Shorthaired Pointers.

Just a quick message, can’t speak highly enough of this chap and his training. Top Bloke!????
Damian, Just a message to thank you for all your help in the last 2 weeks and support in finding Charlie a new home.

Massive emotional upheaval for myself but having spoke to Charlie’s new owners a couple of times since letting him leave I have definitely made the right decision for him in allowing him to continue his training and become a proper working dog, and a new friend for life with ex game keeper! Absolutely buzzing last time I spoke to him.

When I got Charlie I had no idea about gundog training, I have enjoyed the journey and learning on the job myself and hope to go back to it again one day and get back involved. In the meantime I’m looking forward to seeing Charlie in full light on a shoot next year!
Thanks Damian, top man.

Leon with Charlie the Sprocker.

Just a quick email to say thanks Damian for the lesson in how to train my springer spanial leni. Can’t believe that in only one hour I learnt more than in two years of dog ownership. You made it so simple and friendly. Leni seem to enjoy it. Everything made sense and I can now apply your instruction . I can honesty say I would recommend you to evey dog owner I meet . thanks again . Alan

Alan with Leni the Springer Spaniel.

As a novice to gun dog training at first I found it a challenge personally, but with the guidance from Damian for both myself and with Charlie, I immediately starting seeing results that have then in turn spurred me on further, after just two lessons and some ‘homework’ I’m getting a real sense of satisfaction from the training and can’t wait to take Charlie on to the next stage. The joint session was a very pleasant surprise and both dogs did great, I was a bit apprehensive thinking that Charlie might not behave for an audience, but the session was both fun and constructive and I think we have all taken a lot form it.

Leon with Charlie the Cocker Spaniel