What our clients say
Victoria
We recently just finished our 1-1 with Melissa. And she is honestly the BEST! I never thought I’d see the day Lenny could just walk past a stick and not lunge for it! His walks were becoming so unbearable due to him being so obsessed with sticks, balls or other dogs. He would become so overstimulated that 5 minutes into the walk and he couldn't control himself and he would be exhausted. Within one session Lenny was walking lovely on a lead! Even some bits we’ve struggled with indoors were sorted too. And she left us with lots of bits to practice in between sessions. We’ve got through more with Melissa in three sessions than we ever had with a previous trainer! Walking Lenny now is so much more enjoyable. For him and us. Thank you so so much!
Prince Y
Always 5 star service with Melissa, started off with 121 sessions with my reactive french bulldog and now we use her for board and train with both our dogs whenever we are away, get great peace of mind that the dogs are being well cared for and the dogs get training top up it’s a win win
charlotte m
Having been to numerous trainers Melissa is the only one who had managed to help train me! My two cavapoos' behaviour has dramatically improved - they are now a pleasure to walk, they listen, they chill out and we can even have a pub lunch without the worry of constant barking! Thank you !
Deena
We started working with Melissa around 6 months ago for a whole list of problems and both dogs have come so far in that time. She is amazing with them, the way she explains things is so clear and easy to understand. She is also, always so helpful with any problems or issues we have in-between our sessions. Bedford has boarded with Melissa twice now, which he loves, she keeps up with all his training and sends updates on how he is doing throughout his stay. She is the only person I would trust to look after him now. I would highly recommend her and can't thank her enough. X
Giulia S
My dog Bucky was really reactive due to oversocialising and being bitten by another dog. We had a few trainers before Melissa but none of them seemed to actually help us with clear instructions and a long term plan to help Bucky. Then someone recommended us Melissa and after watching her page for a while we decided to contact her. Best decision ever made!! Melissa is super knowledgeable, within 5 minutes with Bucky she was able to assess him and his reactivity and set us on the right path. It wasn’t easy as we had a lot of bad habits to undo, but Melissa kept pushing us in the right direction and was really supportive throughout and still is. Every time we had and have a doubt we can always message her and her help has been both in the sessions and between sessions has been invaluable. Fast forward a year, Bucky is now able not only to walk past a dog and not lose his mind, but he’s also living his best life going on off lead adventures, coexist with other dogs and even has dog friends he loves to play with! Couldn’t have done it without Melissa, thank you xx
Amy F & Andy G
Saying Melissa changed our lives is an understatement. When we first contacted her just under 2 years ago, we were at the point of having to seriously consider giving our rescue dog Reggie up (something which we REALLY did not want to do). His dog reactivity was out of control, his separation anxiety was unmanageable, he was constantly anxious and never settled, and he was so panicked on walks that he physically couldn't listen to us. In short, he was a nervous wreck, and we were convinced that we were making him worse. From the minute the first session started, we were able to notice positive changes in Reggie. Melissa was kind, calm and patient with not only Reggie, but with us too. Melissa made sure to always give encouragement, and constructive correction in a reassuring way when we could have handled a situation differently with Reggie. At first we were apprehensive about using tools, but Melissa was able to educate us as to why they were so important for Reggie and for us. I am so glad we listened to her advice, as using the prong collar has been a life saver. It has allowed us to communicate with Reggie so much more effectively, and he is now able to listen to us on walks and follow commands, which was unthinkable beforehand.
Reggie's separation anxiety has improved dramatically with the use of crate training and building up time away. We can now leave him for 3+ hours at a time, when in the past we couldn't leave him for 2 minutes without him going ballistic. Melissa, thank you for everything. We still have a lot of work to do with Reggie, but you have no idea how much you have changed our lives for the better. Seeing him grow in confidence every day because of the training he's had has been a real joy.
Jon H & Dex
Was the first time leaving my boy Dex with Mellisa and I couldn’t be happier! My boy absolutely loved the time with her (don’t think he wanted to come home) The training he had has now made it possible to go for normal walks as any dog should! Would && WILL highly recommend && use again! THANK YOU!!
Valine
Over lockdown, we had a few incidents of other cockapoo-like dogs reacting to our Old Tyme Bulldog, Willow. She became anxious and we initially used another behaviourist who didn’t seem to connect with our dog or understand our concerns about Willow being a powerful dog and potentially becoming a reactive dog herself. Additionally, we then moved house and this caused issues between Willow and our other female dog, as they failed to work out whose house it was, as well as the younger dog maturing to adulthood, after living together happily for 3.5 years. We had to make some hard decisions and after 6-months and a few bite-incidents between them we had no option but to separate the dogs, for fear of damaging them both and them both becoming reactive.
I found Melissa and Paws-a-minute via the Internet and liked her videos and balanced approach - she completely understood my need to make Willow feel more secure and I had confidence in her understanding of the breed. We did 3 x 2 hour sessions at home and the difference in Willow was incredible. Really simple solutions that take commitment but we trusted the process and Willow is a completely different dog. We have learnt to control her excitement levels, to prevent her crossing into being over-stimulated and as a result we have a much more secure, content and happy dog, who is not reactive. You have to trust the method but we have both grown in confidence and Willow is a much more reliable and predictable dog now and she is an absolute joy to spend time with. I honestly couldn’t recommend Melissa enough. Properly life-enriching and rewarding for me and Willow.
Shainy
Melissa first helped me about 2 years ago with lead walking with my pack. I have now recently been working with her with my aggressive dog. She was able to do a complete assessment on him and supported me with training. We have learnt ecollar training and lots of other different skills. Her knowledge is outstanding and she really takes time to talk things through and use different methods dependent on the dog. She is also fully devoted to your dog and gets the same joy as the owner when they achieve. I would recommend Melissa to everyone.
Tom O'D
I found Melissa through instagram and have had the pleasure of working with her twice, firstly with a close family friend's dog Archie who I walk/sit for regularly, and my own dog Freddie. We needed help with lead walking, recall, confidence and settling indoors. Freddie missed his socialisation period leading to him being extremely nervous, especially when on a walk where if a dog barked he would bolt and choke himself on the lead. Within 20 minutes Melissa had us walking Freddie with engagement and on a loose lead. Freddie's recall has improved massively, and we're furthering that with e collar training. She's calm, clear with instruction and always able to give advice if needed. We can't thank her enough for helping us with Freddie!
Holly B
It’s taken me a while to write a review as I’m not sure how to convey how amazing Melissa is in a few sentences. We started working with Melissa when our dog was just 12 weeks old and continue to work with her now, she’s helped with ANYTHING we’ve asked. From resource guarding to recall to neutrality around other dogs. He was recently boarded for e-collar training and I can honestly say this has been the best thing that’s happened to us! We have been loving the freedom of off-lead walks with 100% recall. Genuinely, could not recommend Melissa enough and she is the only person I fully trust to look after my dog when we need boarding. Thank you for everything!!
Valine B
We have an Old Tyme Bulldog called Willow who was struggling post-lockdown after having a couple of negative interactions with other dogs. Willow has gained confidence and security in herself and we have gained in confidence in how we are handling her all thanks to Melissa. Willow is happy, secure and exactly like her old self since we have used Melissa’s methods. Previous dog behaviouralists we have used have been timid with the breed and we saw no results. Completely trust Melissa and her methods. We have much more secure and happy dog as a result. Thank you.
Chris W
We came to Melissa after having already invested a considerable amount of time in Pixel’s training. There were still some gaps and issues that we couldn’t seem to work through, mainly engagement and neutrality. Despite not adding any new tools, the tweaks Melissa made to our handling in one session has made a massive impact on Pixel’s motivation and problem behaviours. Melissa gave us the confidence to know what Pixel was capable of and when and how to check him for his behaviour. The access to the group classes have been so useful and we can’t wait to complete our e collar training!
Laura A
I found Melissa on Instagram and reached out after struggling with our dogs behaviour around other dogs. We’d tried multiple trainers and never quite got there. Within 30 mins of meeting Melissa and Melissa meeting our dog I felt so much better equipped and hopeful. After a couple of 121 sessions we now attend her group classes which continue to help ours and our dogs confidence grow. Life changing!
Amy & James
We were recommended Melissa by a friend who had been singing her praises and decided to take the leap as we were having problems with Hectors resource guarding and on the lead walking. Melissa came in, was super friendly, non-judgmental and really quickly evaluated that Hector just needed a bit more structure to his routine as he’s a working breed and needs some downtime. We’ve also boarded Hector with Melissa whilst we went away on our honeymoon as we were quite nervous leaving him with anyone else and as expected, he had the best time and came back with so many more tools he’d learnt whilst being with Melissa. He really has come on leaps and bounds, we haven’t had any incidences of guarding in a long time and when he’s on and off the lead he’s a joy and is so easy to walk. He’ll always be a bit of a nutcase but that’s why we love him. Thanks so much Melissa, we really appreciate everything you’ve done for us and so sorry this has taken us so long to write. Amy, James and Hector xxx
Jade P
I reached out to Melissa as we were struggling to find somewhere to have Kobi during our holiday due to his resource guarding. I explained the problems we were having with Kobi and Melissa reassured us that with enough time ‘board and training’ with PawsAMinute we would see a massive improvement in his behaviour around the house, off lead and with his ‘stealing and guarding’ behaviours. 3 weeks later Kobi was a different dog. His recall is perfect, off lead walks are a dream compared to before when he would run up to every single dog and his reaction to the ‘leave’ command is incredible, eliminating any conflict or risk of resource guarding behaviours. Thank you so much Melissa your hard work and implementation of structure around the house has made Kobi a joy. He will most definitely be coming on holiday to you again!
Jen R
I contacted Melissa after struggling a lot with Barney's lead pulling and recall. Taking him out for walks was becoming an unbearable task and other trainers that I contacted for help prior to Melissa were quite condescending. We researched online for solutions that may help and tried using a slip lead but this didn't work for us. From day one, Melissa has been very friendly, kind, professional and extremely knowledgeable and has taught us all about the correct tools and techniques to get on top of the lead pulling, and Barney loves her! Additionally, Melissa has helped us greatly improve Barney's recall which we are incredibly pleased with. We are now able to enjoy going out for walks in a calm and controlled manner and Barney thoroughly enjoys the exercises to improve his recall. I would recommend Melissa to anyone who would like to train their dog - we can't wait to work with her again for e-collar training in the near future!
Katie Choi
We previously tried group training classes for our anxious reactive mini dachshund Porter with no luck. After finding Melissa on Instagram; we realised that the prior classes weren’t suitable for Porter’s needs (if your dog is reactive avoid group calm classes as they just aren’t built for your dogs needs). From day one Melissa gave us the tools to succeed in combatting Porter’s reactiveness; as most reactive dog parents find it can be either stressful, embarrassing and frustrating; with our new found tools we felt more in control in helping guide Porter through situations he finds stressful and understanding him more. He’s made leaps and bounds in his progress, it’s not a fast thing but with consistency of what we were taught and Melissa’s Social Saturday classes for top ups we feel confident we’ll get there! Highly recommended, the classes are the best investment we’ve made for Porter!
Jordan H
Cannot thank Melissa enough for the help she has given us with a very reactive dog. Now we can enjoy walks and outings without having to stress!
Carys P-S
Since we got our shollie (German Shepherd x Border Collie) puppy from 8 weeks old we’ve used Melissa, Pawsaminute training techniques on social media for basic commands like crate training, sit, wait etc. Our shollie, Maya is very intelligent and full of energy which was really fun to start with, teaching her many commands and mental stimulation games until we completed puppy and obedience training where she started to become dog reactive getting too excited with barking and lunging at other dogs. This got worse and worse with her not understanding boundaries with other dogs and not listening to us as owners. This made walking her on the lead hard and not enjoyable. She started getting frustrated adding to the existing behaviours we were struggling with. We decided to book training with Melissa as her constant impressive social media content couldn’t be ignored. We already had trust that she could help us out and we were willing to try new tools to help. We never expected how quickly we had improvements from the first session. It gave us confidence to keep striving to help Maya improve her behaviours. Within three sessions we have a fully transformed dog and couldn’t be happier. It’s made our walks and general time with her enjoyable again which is all we could ask for. This thanks to Melissa for her guidance, understanding and knowledge given to us.
Chloe Hayes
Melissa has been amazing with my rescue dog Mylo, I could not recommend her enough! Mylo spent a week with Melissa for a board and train, from this week and Melissa's insight I was able to gain a much better understanding of Mylo's behaviour, triggers and importantly how best to work with him to help him. Importantly, I have learnt which tools work best for him to allow him to cope better. Also, with clearer structure and knowledge of where his behaviour stems from, Mylo and I are doing so much better. This training will be a long term process, but with Melissa's further support through 1-2-1 sessions and answering my many questions, it now seems achievable. Thank you so much :)
Rachael
Although we had been working hard and seen three other trainers, our dogs reactivity was still a big problem. We couldn't take him out in public with out it being really stressful and trying to hide from other dogs. We have always dreamed of getting a dog who can come to work with me join us on our weekend hikes and UK holiday break, but we were hugely struggling to do the things we would normally enjoy. After seeing and reading such great things about Melissa we decided to book in I am so glad we made this decision. Melissa came and watched us on our walk and picked up instantly that our communication with Milo was not clear and gave us clear and easy way to understand the path of what we need to do. We now have such fantastic days out with our dog and not constantly stressing about how busy it will be etc. He can now off lead heel, come back when called! Melissa is calm clear and always helps between session with advice and feedbacks on video clips. Thank you again :-)
Lynn Groombridge
Amazing trainer!! We had big issues with our 17 month cockapoo who thought he was the boss of us. Melissa showed us how to get back in charge and with methods that fitted in with us rather than unrealistic life changing methods that other trainers had suggested. We are so glad we contacted her and she’s so easy going and friendly with no judgement! Walks with Woody are now a pleasure rather than him pulling us everywhere and he now listens to us in the house and stays on his place which is a game changer - especially when he stays there while we eat. Highly recommend Melissa - definitely get in touch with her as it’s money well spent!
Liz and George
As soon as we handed barney over to Melissa we knew he would be in safe hands. All his training that we've worked on with Melissa was maintained for the whole time we were away. We loved that he was in a structured home environment especially as this was the first time he had been in for boarding. We received loads of lovely updates on what barney was getting up to. He was able to use the
Becky May
We didn’t know where to start with our puppy and Melissa’s sessions and advice was invaluable. We had several sessions with Melissa to work on crate work, lead work and scent work and we now have two much more balanced dogs. We also find the social Saturdays a great help and the dogs love it! Thank you Melissa!
great facilities on site and to run around like a nutter in the big field. We know he got lots of love and care while boarding with Melissa and can't thank her enough :)
Vereshnie N
We saw Melissa training another dog on a random walk and approached her for help with our Yorkie, Olive. Melissa has been great, teaching both us and our dog how to behave when approaching other dogs on walks to help with Olive's barking. In additon to the 1-2-1 sessions, Social Saturday classes have been amazing and we have built up our confidence immensely. Melissa is very knowledgeable and so so helpful. She's great at what she does!!
Caroline
We started our sessions with Melissa as soon as we got our puppy Betty as we wanted to use the crate in a positive way and learn how to deal with her nipping of us and our daughters. Melissa was brilliant we learnt so much in that first session and we started to see better behaviour from the dog within a week! We then continued our sessions to cover lead walking. We started going to the social Saturdays which really helped to reinforce all the things we had been doing on our own. As Betty turned into an adult dog we had more one to one sessions to work on her recall. This was always going to be a challenge as she is a scent driven Beagle! We started using a long line and then over time added in e collar training. I will be honest I was a little unsure but having the sessions with Melissa on understanding the e collar was invaluable. It took ALOT of practice but we preserved and now Betty is enjoying her off lead freedom. We still go to Saturday socials as it’s so nice to be with other dogs that are all being kept under control and under Melissa’s watchful eye. Honestly I couldn’t recommend her enough
Kirsty
Not really sure where to start. Prior to my sessions with Melissa, I had had a number of trainers some of which had helped with the basics, however my pups reactivity with others dogs was not improving. It’s a pretty lonely place to be when you’re a first time dog owner and you’ve put the time, money and effort into training but despite that walks are still super stressful. I asked Melissa for some help and from day 1 there’s was no judgement just calmness and clear direction. She listened as I reeled off all of these reactivity episodes and she just got it and we set to work. After 3 sessions there was such a huge improvement and I knew what situations he could handle. It’s now been about 6 months since my sessions and we’ve just got back from a busy National Trust park with dogs all around and we’ve had the best day - a place I would have avoided in the past. When you start getting comments from people asking how you trained your dog then you know you’ve got an awesome trainer! Thanks Melissa
Céline Stonex
Melissa has helped us so much with confidence building for our nervous cavapoo. Since working with Pawsaminute, we have seen a different dog and gained a huge understanding of how our dog behaves and learnt how to advocate for our dog’s needs. The relationship with my dog is stronger than ever and through consistency and boundaries he is becoming a well balanced dog.
Laura
I contact Melissa after a failed attempt with another trainer. It’s hard to find a balanced trainer who isn’t just looking for a major reactive dog success story. Our previously failed attempt with another trainer was all down to the fact that my dog was not aggressive reactive, generally a good boy who just loved to play. Melissa was fantastic! We used up the whole time booked in working on our dog and our dog alone. Our dog was reactive (albeit not aggressive) he would bolt to every dog he saw, he would become anxious in the house whenever we moved around and just didn’t have an off switch. The change in our dog since our training is unbelievable! We couldn’t have done it without the guidance from Melissa. We can now let him off in the park and not worry about him darting off, we can move around the house without him leaving his bed. Social Saturdays are an added bonus to keep up on the training and get advice if needed.Thank you Paws a Minute and Melissa for actually wanting to train dogs whatever there “issues”!
Anna Newton
I first contacted Melissa when my lab became too strong to walk and pulled me everywhere. Ditched the harness immediately and had the best improvement using a slip collar. Then after all the lockdowns I noticed our dog was becoming reactive to strangers and hopeless in busy places, barking at everyone and totally on edge generally. Had a top-up session with Melissa at our local garden centre and have been continuing to visit there twice a week to help with environmental exposure, putting Melissa’s advice into practice, and what a difference! He is now so comfortable there and it’s transferred to pubs and cafes generally which was precisely the goal. Been to our local pub this afternoon and our dog actually lay down on the floor and went to sleep, I can’t even explain how unattainable that felt 5 months ago. So thankful to have found Melissa and have recommended her to tons of people who have all seen great results from their sessions!
Emily C
My sister contacted Melissa for help with training her new rescue pup Simba. Melissa and Gemma completely transformed Simba and he is now a calm and well trained dog. My sister sadly passed away and I asked Melissa for her help with making sure I kept his training and routine up but also if I could board Simba with her for my sisters funeral. I honestly couldn’t recommend her boarding, training and support any more. She is so patient and understanding and Simba came back from staying with Melissa a calm and happy dog (he didn’t actually want to leave!!). All in all, you can 100% trust Melissa with your pups as she truly is the best in the business. Thank you as always for everything you have done for Gemma, Simba and me. Xx
Harrison
A perfect example of a dog trainer. Knows exactly how to help in any situation. Had my 7 year old walking calmly on a lead after 5 minutes and all he’s known is running off lead in open fields. Also had him walking along side another dog without trying to fight within the hour. Worth every penny. Life changing!!
Karen K
I contacted Melissa for help with my reactive rescue, Bonnie. Her advice and guidance has been amazing. She has worked us both through the issues step by step. It's a constant ongoing process, but having the opportunity to attend Social Saturdays helps to reinforce the work, and gain a bit more self confidence in my dog handling skills at the same time. Melissa felt like part of the family from the word go... I can't praise her highly enough. Always on the end of a text for extra support when needed.
Gemma McMonnies
Our experience with Melissa has been life changing, Melissa travelled to Northern Ireland to help with Bear our French Bulldog. We live In Northern Ireland and have used 2 trainers from here previous to Melissa, both where very good and we had many positive changes but snapping, lead pulling, severe reactivity, nervousness and poor engagement was still apparent. It was so extreme walks were not enjoyable and were dreaded each day, my Husband and I were always stressed and anxious on every walk and embarrassed with Bears lead pulling and reactivity to other dogs and people. I was confident Melissa could help us make the changes needed as I follow her account on Instagram but honestly i did not expect the result to be so quick ! We had 1 session with Melissa yesterday and had our 1st walk today implementing what Melissa taught us and I'm absolutely delighted and blown away with the progress !! We had a lovely walk it really was so enjoyable which hasn't happened In months, Bear was engaged, happy and relaxed and we had a lovely time, I am so proud of him. Melissa has said she will come back to Northern Ireland to help Bear progress so in the meantime we're going to practise the technics Melissa taught us and will look forward to our walks every day. Thank you so so much Melissa you really are amazing ❤
Rachel Deller
I contacted Melissa as I need help with our French bulldog who was really reactive to people and we were also struggling with his general behaviour at home. It was coming to a point where we were scared to have people in the house and taking him out was often very stressful. From start to finish she has been amazing. She has helped us build confidence both in ourselves as well as our dog and we are now able to enjoy taking him to places and having people in our home. Melissa has taught us how to handle different situations and I would highly recommend her to any dog owner! Thanks so much
Katy W
We came across Melissa’s page on Instagram and her great success videos gave us the push we needed to get some training for our 18 month old Cockapoo. Melissa’s help and guidance has completely transformed our boy’s behaviour and has made walks enjoyable again! We were struggling with Rupert’s lead walking, recall, over excitement, squirrel obsession and slight nervousness around sudden noises on walks. Melissa immediately identified his prey drive as one of the key issues and recommended the right tools and thoroughly trained us in how to use these correctly. Through the use of the slip lead and prong collar when needed, Rupert now walks excellently on lead and has become much more neutral to squirrels and other distractions. Melissa was amazing in helping us with all other aspects of training that we needed too, as well as additional things that came up in our three sessions. She communicates instructions very clearly, explains the processes throughly and encourages you to be confident as well. We honestly couldn’t recommend Melissa enough, we are so pleased with the results and will definitely book again in future to further our training. Thank you so much for all you help and support!
Sophie S
Life changing, that’s what our experience with Melissa has been. We can’t thank you enough for what you have done for us. I originally found Melissa on TikTok at the beginning of last year but couldn’t convince the hubby to drive the 3 hours. After having a few other trainers that didn’t work, I got in touch with Melissa and her team and got booked in for the start of December. We wanted to be able to walk our 2 dogs (which are sisters) together without being pulled down the street. One of our dogs was scared of traffic and anything loud when out. Both of them would jump and lunge towards any person or dog that we walked by. They both were just a nightmare to walk, it was like sheer dread every time we took them out. They weren’t interested in us at all and their noses were permanently on the ground. After one session with Melissa everything changed. The knowledge and understanding that Melissa has is amazing. What worked for one dog didn’t necessarily work for the other, but Melissa knew exactly what to do. By the time our first session was done we had 2 dogs that would walk next to us and were engaged for the first time ever. My hubby was shocked and agreed that the long drive was 100% worth it.
We continued the work at home and being consistent like Melissa said paid off, by our second session (1week later) we saw even more improvements. Melissa showed us how to walk by other dogs and people without the girls being distracted and jumping everywhere. On our last session Melissa took us to the park, she showed us how to teach the girls duration stays with distractions next to a pond. Which was amazing considering they are beagle x springer spaniels and love to watch birds, ducks etc. Also how to start the all important recall process. Then on from there Melissa took us to the high street. This was the biggest thing for us. Having a dog that was scared of loud and busy places and traffic was very difficult. But Melissa gave us the guidance and confidence, she showed us exactly what to do to put the dogs at ease and within a very short time we were strolling up and down the high street with 2 confident dogs (and us). Melissa is outstanding with what she does, she is super friendly and fills you with confidence. Every issue we had Melissa had a solution and they worked. We now have 2 dogs that are a dream to walk and take out and are also calming down at home. Thank you so much Melissa.
Glynis R Barnett
Wow....before I start I just want to say that Melissa is just amazing!!!! I highly recommend her to anyone with doggie issues big or small, she will definitely sort them out for you. I have a Shih-Poo, Bought for me by my family during lockdown as I’m widowed and live alone. Teddy is my first dog. I’ve always been a cat person. I’ve bought books, read endless advice on the internet, All very confusing I really didn’t know where to start. Separation Anxiety and recall were a problem for me and Teddy, plus barking at the doorbell and attacking visitors. Thanks to Melissa’s calm professional approach we have addressed these issues, together with loose lead walking. I can’t believe we covered so much in just three sessions. She is a pleasure to work with and her knowledge on doggie behaviour appears to be limitless!!! It is of course still work in progress and I need to keep up reinforcing the behaviour I expect from Teddy, but with Melissa’s training for both of us, I know I will soon have a very well behaved Teddy. Thank you Melissa for all your help, patience and advice....worth every penny.... Happy New Year to you all. G x
Natalie I
My husband and I could write pages on our experience with Melissa, but the most important aspect that we take away from our sessions is how much more relaxing walking is for both us and our Romanian rescue, Agatha. Agatha is a fear based dog reactive pooch. Our walks with her were getting to the point where we were so incredibly stressed taking her out that our stress was transferring to Agatha which was wildly unfair on everyone. Our sessions with Melissa has shown Agatha to look to us instead of dealing with her fears through reactivity. We have also worked on her chase drive by channelling her energy into other activities. It has taken time and will take plenty more but results in other areas such as lead walking and crate training were immediately visible. Agatha now trots alongside us on walks instead of darting to and fro causing us to trip or wall hugging whilst in stalking mode. In honesty, the session costs were way over our original budget so we tried to hold off and see if we could work with Agatha through tonnes of research but no amount of internet research and online trainers could have achieved what we have achieved with Melissa in just a few sessions. Now we see the results we can understand why the sessions cost what they do because there is so much skill behind Melissa’s work.Melissa was recommended to us prior to our sessions and we are so grateful. We would highly recommend training with her and advise that you remain open minded to various approaches of balanced training. We look forward to joining the socialisation classes when we are able!
Chloe vS
We are so grateful for Melissa's help with our 4yr old rescue's reactivity and separation anxiety. We'd been through 3 other trainers previously with negligible progress, 1 high profile trainer even said he was too difficult for her to complete the session. But then we met Melissa and everything changed! She can read him so accurately and tailor exercises and methods to him. We are only a month into our journey but the difference is already clear. We are able to have guests round again and leave him for nearly half an hour without him kicking off. The biggest change is that for the first time we have hope that he can be a relaxed and happy guy in all situations, and we feel confident we can handle him in tackling triggers. Now we don't avoid potential triggers, we see them as training opportunities and know that each time we implement the tools we've learned, we are closer to our end goal. She is a dream to work with and provides ongoing support between and after sessions. The only thing we would change is that we wish we'd found her sooner!
Claire H
Having Melissa help train our 2 young dogs has honestly been amazing for our family & home life all round. We now feel well equipped with so much support & guidance from Melissa & within only a few weeks, changes have been made that we couldn’t even imagine we’re possible. It’s working progress & we will continue to work with Melissa but for the first time after attending lots of different classes with other people, we have so much hope we will get to where we want to be. Thank you so much Melissa!
Becca H
We honestly can’t thank Melissa enough for her help with our very excitable spaniel Frankie. We were feeling really deflated with his training as we didn’t feel like we were making much progress and walks were becoming more and more stressful for both us and Frankie. Within 3 sessions he has gone from manically pulling and sniffing everything to trotting alongside us and both he and us are enjoying our walks so much more! We’ve seen a real difference in his behaviour and reactivity in and out of the house and we’re so grateful for her encouragement and expertise. She really knows what she’s doing and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a trainer, as she’s made such a huge difference to our lives - thanks so much Melissa!
Christine Naganathan
Before we met Melissa we were getting really deflated with Bellas behaviour - she constantly wouldn’t settle at home and try nip at us to get attention. She wasn’t walking on lead properly and therefore we avoided leashed walks and did a lot of off leash walks. Melissa has helped us so much in many ways! She assessed the situation in a non judgemental manner and taught us the importance of boundaries in the house. She has helped us mentally tire out Bella with a structured walk. We loving walking Bella on the streets now. Bella didn’t know the ‘art of doing nothing ‘ but now we have learnt about the ‘bed ‘ command and we can enjoy our evening with a movie with Bella settled. Thanks Melissa for all your help and support ! We really appreciate it. Christine, Kush and Bella x
Jess C
Before meeting Melissa I was feeling really deflated with my two year old Yorkie who is very dog reactive and was a nightmare to walk. After trying two trainers and getting no results I came across Melissa and I cannot begin to explain how refreshing it was to meet Melissa! She is so friendly, understanding and always there to listen. We had three sessions booked and from the first session we could already see the changes. Melissa really helped me understand the reasons behind Fluffy’s reactivity, she showed me how to properly use a slip lead and to understand my dogs cues to prevent the reactivity resulting in pleasant walks. I have learnt so much and grown in confidence! I couldn’t recommend Melissa enough to anyone who is struggling and is looking for a trainer that will help you be the best dog owner you can be! It doesn’t stop there though… we have also started attending the social walks Melissa hosts on a Saturday to continue putting out work into play! How great is that! Thank you so much! x
obi U
We first contacted Melissa in June to help us with our Theo who was extremely nervous around dogs and guests in the house and just about everything. Before we started training with Melissa, Theo was petrified of guests in the house so much so that he would uncontrollably bark, hide and jump on the back of the sofa in an attempt to run from them. Now, he is able to calmly sit/sleep in his place and is so much more comfortable with guests in the house. To say Melissa has changed our lives would quite literally be an understatement. She was really understanding of what we were trying to achieve with Theo and has helped us beyond what we could’ve imagined. Theo is now a happier and more balanced dog who, not only can enjoy us more as owners but also we are able to enjoy him so much more as well. Melissa has completely exceeded our expectations and we are so thankful to her for how much she has helped us and Theo.
George L
We can not thank Melissa enough! After trying various local dog trainers and not seeing any results we reached out to Melissa for help. This was our first dog so we wanted to make sure we got it right. We were having issues with our spaniel pulling on the short lead walks, sprinting to the end of the long lead constantly to the point where we were almost getting pulled over, being nervous around cars and struggling to settle in the house. It was making every day walking stressful and unenjoyable for us and him and evenings hard work. Within 3 sessions Melissa had our pup walking at heel on the short lead, staying close to us on the long line and giving us the tools to help him with walking on the roads around cars and settling in the house. Melissa has also helped us with his recall which is pretty much 95% successful even in high distracting environments. We would recommend Melissa to everyone that is experiencing issues with their dogs, she has drastically changed our lives with our puppy and our relationship with him is now amazing. We can’t wait for our top up session with her in a few months 😊 George & Liz xx
Georgie C
We used to have a very vocal Dachshund with dog reactivity and separation anxiety as well as other behaviours. It was making our lives incredibly difficult as we were unable to leave him at home as he would bark the house down and we were unable to take him out with us for fear of reactions! We had three sessions with Melissa over the course of a month and there is no doubt that she has changed both our lives but also Percy’s! From the minute she came in she was friendly and positive, she discussed where we were going wrong and ways to improve his general behaviour in the house. She taught us how to correctly walk him on a lead and how to handle him around other dogs to help reduce his reactions. She gave us advice around his separation anxiety and has given us the confidence to keep working on that as we are already seeing huge improvements. From the minute she left following our first session we saw improvements in his behaviour. Melissa is amazing at what she does and you can tell she is a massive dog lover. We had seen a number of different trainers/behaviourists before Melissa but our experience with Melissa completely changed our perspective. She was so honest and helped us understand the reasons why he was behaving the way he was and gave clear and simple instructions. Melissa was so encouraging and made it so relatable to us!
Before Melissa came we were lacking confidence that we were doing the right thing however we are now enjoying walking our little sausage and feel our relationship with him is so much stronger. We still have work to do but with Melissa’s advice we are confident that we can achieve these things. We would not hesitate to recommend Melissa, she is fabulous! Thank you so much for giving us & Percy our lives back xx
Mithen Kotecha
Melissa has helped us so much with our dog Neyo! We had three sessions to help with walking (pulling and reactivity), barking at noises and general excited behaviour and biting - the change in Neyo is incredible. Melissa’s techniques really work and are adapted to your dog to help in the best way possible. Thank you so much for all your help Melissa!
Emma Bird
I’ve just finished my last of 3 sessions with Melissa and wanted to review straight away! I booked in to help with Stanley’s loose lead walking, and excitement around other dogs predominantly, but she has helped with so much more. Stanley’s ‘drop’ with his favourite toy is now worlds apart from when we started. We also started working in garden barking and have the tools to keep practising this. The most noticeable change is with Stanley’s lead walking after help to introduce the prong, he is now impeccable on the lead and a marked improvement around other dogs. I now have the tools and confidence to continue building on what we have learnt until we meet again. Owning Stanley has always been a joy but now it is near perfect!! Thanks so much. Emma and Stanley
Jess
Melissa was recommended to me by Jimmy Allen as one of the only London based trainers he would recommend. I came to Melissa for session on various things - loose lead walking, excitement, structure and how to manage my pup around our cat. Since our session pat has been different dog and I feel much more confident when training himself. He’s only 8 months and still excitable around other dogs however I recently went to Melissas pack walks on a Saturday and since then he’s changed again around dogs and isn’t so intense. I cannot recommend her enough. Thanks again Melissa for everything. Constantly get comments on how good pat is - yaaaay
Sarah W
I was looking for a dog trainer who was able to work with my dog and his health needs. Treat rewarding was not an option but this never phased Melissa, she is very knowledgeable and provided me with guidance and confidence to train my dog in a way that suited and met his needs. If you need help with your dog, Melissa is the person you need, you won’t be disappointed - her results show it. Thank you Melissa x
Anna C
When we first contacted Melissa we were really struggling to build engagement with Levi and were looking for guidance on how to build proper structure into Levi's day whilst still making sure we were fulfilling his needs. Melissa was fantastic. She was so clear about how we needed to manage him and what we needed to ask from him. She also helped us build his food drive and structure and obedience in the house. Not to mention he now walks beautifully and can handle far more challenging situations than before. She clearly has a great understanding of a dogs mindset which really helped us better understand how Levi was going to react to different situations so we are now far better equipped to anticipate and manage them.
Ella F
We booked 3 sessions with Melissa and it's made all the difference. She helped me to teach my dog reactive dog how to walk nicely on the lead and helped us be in tune to one another. She's very confident with handling dogs (mine boy is quite strong and determined) which gave me the confidence to train him also. I'd definitely recommend her to anyone who needs help and guidance where dog training is concerned.
Adam
We booked 3 sessions with Melissa to help with our 9-month old Westie, Hugo. Melissa was amazing, very patient with new learners in both the dog and the owners. We really enjoyed our sessions and learnt so much in terms of training. Melissa provided great advice about behaviour and Doggy Day Care for puppies. Her guidance really changed the way we think and our dog is much happier for it. Thanks Melissa!!! Adam, Manu and Hugo 🐾
Charlotte L
We booked 3 sessions with Melissa to help with our 11 month old toy poodle to help us be more consistent with our training. Melissa listens to what you want and expect from your dog and then works around your needs. The main things she helped us with was his lead pulling, being calm when people come into the apartment and recall. We learned A LOT more as well as those main issues. She was honestly so helpful and it’s amazing watching our pup be more confident on walks and actually listening to us! He now doesn’t bark at all now when people come into the apartment and his recall is 10x better than it’s ever been. 10/10 would recommend we are just so happy with the results :)
Jeanine & David (& Koda)
All we can say is: we absolutely loved working with Melissa. Koda is highly boundary reactive and from the moment she arrived her focus was 100% on Koda and she seemed to just get him and understand exactly what he needed. In just a single session she has made a huge difference and we cannot wait to join her social Saturday sessions! A massive thank you!
David F
I got in touch with Melissa to help with my Leavitt Bulldogs anxiety driven behaviour. Lead pulling and fixation on anything that moved were becoming increasingly difficult issues to deal with. Melissa is excellent at interpreting your descriptions of your dogs behaviour, explaining why it happens and showing you what to do about it. She initially takes control of the training, then teaches you how to do it and then provides an on-going structure/plan to maintain and improve the behavioural changes achieved during the session. Within 3 sessions my life with my dog has been completely changed for the better. I'm really impressed with Melissas approach and can happily recommend her!
Chloe I (and Percy)
We originally got in touch with Melissa to help with our rescue greyhound's bite history and resource guarding that led us to think about rehoming him. Confident in her knowledge and abilities, she helped us to implement more structure into his life, completely solved his resource guarding issues as well as helping us with his socialisation as he was very scared of traffic/bikes etc. By the end of our fourth session it felt like we had a different dog altogether and needless to say he will not be heading back to the rescue centre! I would recommend Melissa to any dog owner who needs help with their pooch, no matter how big or small the issue/dog is.
Anna and Jessie
We booked 3 1-2-1 sessions with Melissa as we were really struggling with Jessie pulling on the lead - she is a lively working spaniel that is nervous of traffic and obsessed with chasing leaves blowing in the street. By the end of the last session we had the skills and the tools to enable us to take Jessie for walks on busy roads and even in squirrel filled parks! Melissa also helped us with daily routine and hand feeding that has made all the difference in Jessie's recall and her ability to settle whilst I'm working. We recently went on holiday for a few days with Jessie and she was a pleasure to take out on walks, something I never would have said before this training - I'd recommend Melissa to anyone!
Hannah W
We came to Melissa after seeing very little progress with our experience in trying to calm down our over excited 10 month old cocker spaniel, Hank. We were struggling with lead walking, recall and manners/ boundaries in the house and car. After 3 sessions with Melissa she has helped us totally transform Hank! He’s like a different dog! He calmly walks to heel around all kinds of distractions, place work is bulletproof and will only come off his bed when my partner or I say (not anyone else)! Happily using a travel crate in the car and our recall is coming along very nicely. Would highly recommend Melissa as she had solutions for all our training issues with Hank and has really helped us to get Hank into a routine that suits us all.
Shainy
I found Melissa through Instagram and was really impressed by her posts. Contacting her was easy, communication and response was quick. She traveled for 1.5 hours to come to me and my 3 dogs. To work on our lead walking as a pack. When she arrived she was friendly and we immediately got to work. She made quick observations about my dogs and gave me clear instructions, corrections and praise. She was confident in her knowledge. Within one session I was walking my dogs to heal as a pack. Absolutely amazing and we couldn’t be more grateful to her sharing her knowledge and skills with us. It really pays off to invest in a good trainer!
Claudia
With the fear of taking on one Doberman too many in my life I booked Melissa for a mornings training as she was highly recommended to me by friends. My boy is only 6 months old and 25 kg. The issues were lead pulling and jumping up at people that could only get worse as he gets older and much bigger. After my session , walking with him was a real treat ,he didn’t pull at all , he was calm and obedient. The jumping has also stopped and joggers are 80% ignored. I urge you to have you and your dog helped by Melissa, her calm sensible approach can only be admired. It’s a 10 out of 10 from me. Thank you and I won’t hesitate to book you again if I have any issues .
Victoria W
I just wanted to personally thank Melissa for everything she has shown me! She is a very lovely girl and so friendly, she put me at ease as soon as we met on our first session. My dog used to lunge and pull on every walk, bark at passers by/bikes/ you name it anything it was honestly getting to the point where I dreaded our walks. Melissa has shown me how to control my dog properly in the correct way in order for us to both enjoy a pleasant walk, everything is just so easy when you know how. I will and continue to recommend Melissa for any help with dogs. Thankyou again
Ewa R
Melissa is fantastic trainer and has helped so much with my little pug. After 10 minutes of the first session, it was like a miracle. My dogs behaviour has drastically changed and finally I was able to enjoy walking with him. I had 3 sessions with Melissa and I would absolutely recommend her to anyone. She is professional, very knowledgeable, pleasure to work with and offers a lot of advise. Very happy that I decided to work with Melissa as it has helped my dog a lot as well as us, as the owners. Fabulous service
Lucy M
Melissa has done a great job in solving my pup’s reactivity towards the local cat and in helping me sort his selective hearing during picnic season as well as giving me lots of other helpful advice. Highly recommended!
Payal & Raj Shah
Mia our 3 year old Labrador whom we rescued 9 months ago having been tied up all her life. She had recently started being reactive to other dogs on our walks and when people came into our home. We sought advise from other trainers and nothing worked. We then got in touch with Mellisa and in 2 sessions all her issues are much better and we now have the tools to handle the situations much better. This has given us confidence to invite more people home and we no longer stress when people going home. She has learnt now to ignore other dogs on our walks and focus on us. Thank you very much Mellisa
Andy Knott
Buddy is my 11 year Staffie X. He’s probably had a hard life, rescued as a stray from the streets of London, and with all the guarding and anxiety traits from his previous life. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but within 10 minutes he was a different dog! Over three sessions we built on that, and I learned to think like my dog and to understand how to take the fear away from him. Thanks to Melisa, my dog is enjoying a new lease of life and a relaxing retirement. She’s basically saved him. Highly skilled and highly recommended!
Leanne Morgan-Collins
Melissa has recently helped us train our Norfolk terrier puppy, Edie, with her one-to-one sessions and social Saturdays. We have had the most fantastic results with loose lead walking, recall and reactivity around other dogs. Melissa is really fantastic at what she does and I would highly recommend her sessions to any dog or puppy owner- especially during this pandemic. The online and group classes just did not compare to the attention to detail and tailored one-to-one sessions. Worth every penny! Thank you. 🙂
Filomena Papa
I was so pleased with my puppy training. My puppy would be a nightmare to take for a walk but after tips and training from Melissa she is now being well behaved and I actually enjoy my walks with her. Im so happy with the training we have received, very professional and helpful. We now have a happy house where we can control our puppy rather than our puppy controlling us. Really recommended
Suzy Y
Melissa is absolutely brilliant! I was having such difficulties managing our puppy's overexcitable behaviour and I was getting quite despondent. Melissa helped with nighttime crate training, toileting, walking nicely, training to go off the lead, and 'game playing' at relaxation time. She also responds comprehensively to email queries and feedback between sessions. I can thoroughly recommend her.
Dee H
Melissa literally worked magic on our two little Chihuahuas! They had been snappy and aggressive towards all other dogs and pulling on their leashes when out for a walk. They also hadn’t mastered sitting for treats and were generally not very obedient. Melissa taught us from the outset how to take the control back and set good boundaries. They are completely different wee beasties now – they have even made friends with the new puppy next door. They also stop abruptly on command when they sometimes set off to run down the end of the garden to bark under the gate at people passing by. I have been recommending Melissa wholeheartedly to other dog owning friends! She’s a gem.
Neeta C
Lola our now 15 week old lab joined our family at 8 weeks old and its been a real roller-coaster!! Melissa had come recommended by two friends so we did not hesitate to book her for some one to one sessions to help with crate training, basic commands, lead training, and more importantly how to deal with the constant nipping. Melissa explained the importance of having a daily schedule for Lola which included nap times and short training sessions throughout the day. Within a few days Lola was happily entering her crate (with a treat of course) for all her naps and at bedtime, which gave the family some much needed rest. Melissa's training methods are fun and easy for all the family to follow and has made such a difference. We have all grown in confidence, especially when dealing with the nipping, which is work in progress. We are continuing to work with Melissa to ensure that we have a well socialised, well mannered, but more importantly, a happy puppy!!!!! We would not hesitate to recommend Melissa. She is brilliant!!!!!! Thank you so much from the Chan family.
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Rachel D
Melissa came to see us last weekend. We have a puggle called Tilly who is 4 years old. Tilly has been going to Doggy Daycare since she was a puppy so is used to being around lots of dogs and is well socialised. About 8 months ago I noticed that she had started to bark at other dogs during her walks, often quite aggressively - the bigger the dog the more intense the barking! This made me dread taking her out for a walk as I was constantly worried that the other dog would react and also, I didn't want other people thinking she was an aggressive dog, which she isn't. Melissa talked me through where I was going wrong and showed me some techniques on how I could improve Tilly's behaviour. She explained why Tilly was reacting in this way and had some extremely valuable insights into her behaviour. It was fascinating! Her advice and methods are so easy to follow and it immediately gave me the confidence to deal with these situations. It's still early days but I've already noticed a difference on our walks. I have more confidence and Tilly is starting to realise that I'm in charge of our walks - not her! I am so grateful to Melissa for her advice and support - she was excellent and I would have no hesitation recommending her if you also have an issue with your dog. Thanks Melissa.
Winnie
“My puppy and I have learnt so much after working with Paws-A-Minute! I would highly recommend to anyone in need of a little or a lot of training for their dog!” Sian
Coco
“Can honestly say my dogs behaviour changed after just 1 session with Melissa, such a professional service and she gave me so much insight into the needs of my cockapoo which I did not have a clue about. Would definitely recommend her if your having any behaviour problems with your fur babies.” Louise