Testimonials

Boomer

When we came to Cath we had all but given up hope that our lovable Yorkie, Boomer, would ever be walked during daylight hours. Thanks to Cath, Rusty, and Lola we couldn't be more pleased with what we've learned. After applying a few methods when walking Boomer, he has become less fearful about cars, people and other dogs; and the vacuum cleaner and ironing board is no longer viewed as a threat. Cath is absolutely brilliant!!!

Bella

Over the past two years Catherine Schofield has given me a lot of help with my Gordon Setter, Bella. Initially I contacted Catherine for one to one training with Bella (who was about a year and a half at the time), as I was pregnant, and Bella was jumping up and pulling on the lead. Catherine responded to my voicemail message extremely promptly and, despite her busy timetable, she fitted me in very quickly as she knew how important it was for me. I found her teaching methods extremely clear and helpful and she has a very positive and enthusiastic personality. We began our training sessions by following my normal routine with Bella in order for her to witness Bella's behavioural problems and how we reacted to them. With Catherine's help, Bella's confidence and respect increased significantly over a very short period of time and walks became a much more pleasurable experience for both of us. In the house, we learnt how to control Bella's enthusiasm when she greeted visitors. A year later we decided to attend one of Catherine's advanced training courses to improve Bella's obedience some more and to enable her to socialise with other dogs in a controlled way. These classes have a maximum of six dogs and so there were enough dogs for Bella to socialise with, but not too many to detract from Catherine's individual teaching help. The classes were thoroughly enjoyable and we were sad when the course came to an end!

I would totally recommend Catherine's classes and training methods as they are all reward based and the dogs learn incredibly quickly and happily. Catherine is a delightful person and a great listener. She is always happy to discuss any questions I may have over the telephone or via email at no additional cost. I cannot commend her warmly enough.

Jake

I had been told that Cath Schofield at Wuff Dog Training was the person to see to train my dog Jake to walk on lead. As a last resort I booked a lesson with her. On Tuesday 10/03/09 I met Cath at 1600 hrs. She was very easy to get on with and explained the process to get Jake to walk on lead. I have tried on and off over 3 years to do this and so have other people. By 16.20 hrs on Tuesday Jake walked on lead without any pulling. He was a natural. Last night my wife Christine and myself went for a nice walk with Jake on the lead. Its true miracles do happen. Thanks Cath

I have a five year old yellow Labrador bitch that developed behavioural problems when she was two years old. She was attacked by a dog and after that she became extremely aggressive to other dogs. I had consulted various dog behaviourists but without success and then I found Wuff Dog Training on the internet and decided to give it one last chance.
Cath has been marvellous and so patient with both my dog and me. We have been to classes and thanks to Cath’s careful handling of the situation we were able to attend these without any disasters and my dog was able to interact with other dogs.
With continual guidance and advice from Cath I am now able to take my dogs for walks and avoid confrontations that upset her. She will play happily with Cath’s two lovely dogs and with reward through food her recall has improved considerably.
I cannot thank Cath enough for her continued support. She is always available on the end of the phone and has been a complete life-saver to my dog and I. Without her perseverance I fear that I would have given up long ago and I do not like to think where my dog would be now. Cath has taught me to love and cherish my dog and cope with all situations.
I would recommend anyone to contact Cath for advice on how to train a puppy/dog and can guarantee that they would not be disappointed. Dogs are her life and she understands the reasons for and behind all sorts of behavioural problems.

Phone Advice - Pre Puppy Course

I cannot recommend the pre-puppy course by phone enough. We want to be responsible pup owners, but didn’t know where to start. Cath took me through the first few days of owning a puppy, through to toilet training, diet and feeding, exercise, what to buy, introducing children and many other aspects of getting a new puppy. I now feel ready to bring our new pup home, armed with the perfect information!

Lewis

Lewis is our 17 month old black labrador retriever. We brought him home when he was 9 weeks old. There was one thing I was sure about when I got a dog and that was it had to be well behaved. Lewis was my first dog so I decided to find someone to help me train him right from day one. That's where Cath came in. I found Cath from the internet and she came out to give me some early training at home.

As Cath lives too far for me to attend her classes, I decided to enrole in puppy classes nearer to home. Lewis was doing great and we attended classes for about a year. He was so well trained, apart from one problem - he wasn't very good with other dogs. If I ever let him off the lead he would run off to another dog and try and mount them. He would never come back to me and it was so hard to get him away from the other dog. Other dogs and owners were becoming agitated. The problem got so bad that I was getting shoulder injuries from all the pulling and I was letting him off the lead less and less. Infact, I was dreading taking him for walks.

So I decided to call Cath to see if she could help. Cath came down and turned the whole thing around. After a few sessions with Cath and her dogs Lewis is now a completely different dog. We go for walks off lead, he plays with other dogs and now comes back with no fuss! Iam no longer stressed out and he is happier too. Bravo cath!

Louie

Louie was a very excitable puppy. He was generally well behaved in the house and garden but as soon as it was time to go for a walk he was completely different. When he saw another person or another dog he got even more excited and would completely ignore us. Because of this I was very weary of letting Louie off his lead when out walking. I decided to try dog training classes and came across the beginner's course on Cath's website. The course worked wonders and we now have the confidence to let Louie off his lead and his recall gets better and better each time we go out. He is a completely different dog now and just loves that extra bit of freedom to play without his lead on. Thank you Cath!

Dolly

When I got Dolly, my bedlington terrier, it had been 15 years since I had had a puppy in the house. I booked Cath's Home Puppy Training course, which was money well spent! I was amazed at the way Dolly responded to her clicker training methods. After she finished the home course we joined Cath’s class in Colchester where Dolly met other puppies. Cath will be the first to agree that Dolly was not the easiest puppy to train due to her enthusiasm and excitability, but the good ideas Cath had and her gentle manner with dogs helped Dolly develop into the lovely dog that she is today. I would thoroughly recommend her courses to all puppy owners.

Archie

Archie , a black Labrador , came to us when he was 10 weeks old. Once he had settled in at home we decided to embark on some training ! Wuff Dog Training was recommended by our local vets . We opted for the Home Puppy Course as Archie had developed a habit of eating chewing gum off the pavements and trying to chase lorries while walking in our village. We decided a specific one-to-one approach was definitely required ! Cath was fantastic and with lots of positive encouragement and patience for both Archie and myself we soon resolved the problems. Cath's wealth of knowledge and common sense approach to training were reassuring and brought quick but sustainable results. We now have a confident dog who is a delight to take out and we are regularly praised for his behaviour.

Mr Darcy

We got Darcy, our first ever dog, as an eight-week-old pup. After extensive research, lots of book reading and Internet searching we felt well prepared for are new arrival. My God how wrong we were! He had us wrapped around his little paw from week one and we were struggling to cope. Everything seemed to be an issue, toilet training, play biting, jumping up, trouser tugging, sleeping arrangements, everything!

Then we found Wuff Dog Training through an Internet search and Cath came to the rescue! Cath taught us to be calm and explained the importance of being consistent. We learnt the benefits of reward based training and she recommended changing his food, which we did. She gave us tremendous confidence at a time we really needed it, and the foundation to build on over the next few months. We had three extremely beneficial home sessions and also attended the puppy obedience class, which was great for Darcy's socialisation with other dogs.

Quite simply, we wouldn't have got this far if it hadn't have been for Cath in those first few weeks. Thank you Cath.

Scrap

I am writing to say thank you for the wonderful dog training sessions and I thought that you would like to know that we now let Scrap off his lead when it is possible. I don't think we could have got him like this without your help. I can still remember when he wouldn't even accept a treat let alone do any thing that was asked of him. We are very grateful for your help and would like to say thank you for all your hard efforts.

Jed

Jed joined Cath's puppy class when he was 15 weeks old. Being a Border Collie he was very lively but keen to learn. He loved every minute of the classes and still tries to drag me into the doorway of the hall where the classes were held. He enjoyed working for food rewards and responded well to the clicker. This method of training seemed to make him concentrate better. Jed soon learned to sit, lie down, wait and leave interesting items. We worked hard on the exercises at home too and by the time he joined the class for older puppies he could be left in a sit stay while I left the room and while other puppies did recall exercises past him. With the help of a Halti he walks well on lead too. Since finishing classes Jed has reached adolescence and has tried challenging me over most of the excercises taught but with a solid foundation in training he is well socialised, well behaved and I can let him off lead knowing he will stay close to me, come when called and greet other dogs nicely before moving on with me. When he is a year old I plan to start agility with him. Cath always explained things very clearly and made the classes fun for dogs and owners. She had expectations of the dogs while not making us feel embarrassed when things went wrong and shared experiences of her own dogs in a way that showed even they are well trained but not perfect. I have recommended Cath's classes to all the puppy owners I have met on walks.

Ellie

We got Ellie when she was 9 weeks old. We tried taking her to a few puppy classes but she was too distracted by the other puppies. I found out about Cath simply by searching on the internet and after reading other testimonials decided to enlist her help. We went for the home puppy course and it was worth every penny!!! Ellie was extremely lively and she had occasions when we just could not calm her down - Cath recommended changing her food and it worked wonders. Within a few days she was so much calmer which made training much easier. Cath went through all the basic training like sit, down etc. and made it fun for all of us. Ellie loves her home so much that we used to have problems with her recall once she knew we were heading back, Cath gave us some methods to distract her and she has really improved.

When I was a child my parents had a dog that was lovely natured at home but aggressive towards other dogs when walked, due to this I was very nervous of letting Ellie play with other dogs and found it hard to judge what was play and what wasn't. Cath has really helped to improve my confidence and it's great being able to relax while Ellie runs around having fun with her doggie friends.

Doug

We've had Doug since he was 14 weeks old. At this point he was nervous but very eager to please, quite anxious about being left alone and not yet well-socialised. Although we'd read a lot about puppies and training, we'd never actually trained a puppy ourselves before. So, lacking practical experience and the confidence this brings (and being reluctant to teach our puppy the wrong things) we sought help from Cath through Wuff's home puppy course.

Wuff's home puppy course was perfect for us and for Doug. The sessions helped us to gain confidence quickly in teaching Doug and inspired us to practise with him regularly to reinforce the many new skills we and he were learning. Doug responded eagerly and loved learning with the clicker: he learned so fast!

In fact, we all learned from Cath's kind, positive and very practical approach. Doug also enjoyed Wuff's puppy obedience training classes. The experience of training alongside real-life distractions with a small group of other dogs was very useful. Because we found Wuff's approach to training very effective, we still put into practice on a daily basis the skills we learned from Cath.

Thanks to learning the essential basics with Wuff, we feel much more confident in continuing training with Doug. He's a happy, generally well-behaved, well socialised young dog who is a pleasure to own and popular with his canine pals!

Ned

We wanted to get our new puppy well trained as quickly and efficiently as possible. Ned is a ten month old orange roan cocker spaniel. We picked him up when he was twelve weeks old so we had already lost some valuable training time. We decided to go for Cath's one to one sessions and they proved to be a sound investment. They were an enjoyable experience for us and Cath trained us to train Ned. We have been able to extend that learning to cope with the odd situations that developed as he matured e.g. Ned suddenly developed a passion for following other dogs on their walks rather than continuing on his own with us, we applied our learning from Cath and the problem has been solved. We have a happy, delightful, well trained and fully socialised dog. We have also asked Cath to dog-sit from time to time and have been very pleased indeed with the arrangement. Ned has had a lovely time with her and we've had no worries.

Catch

Before we went to Wuff Dog Training I had some concerns about my Jack Russell puppy Catch. I didn't know whether I needed one to one lessons or the six weekly session. What occured to me was that Cath could observe Catch and advise me. During the first six sessions I learn't so much and by the next six sessions I became a great deal more confident with him. Cath gave me the opportunity to voice any concerns that I had and advised me. What I did notice was that Catch really enjoyed going to the training classes. Thanks for your guidance, Cath.

Frankie

Frankie arrived in our lives when he was a six week old bundle of fluff and energy, weighing less than a bag of sugar. We were keen to do everything we could to help him become the kind of dog we could take anywhere with us. With Cath's help we now have a nine month old puppy who is incredibly sociable and adores other people and other dogs.
Cath came and saw us for three one to one sessions in our first few weeks of having Frankie and she gave us really useful and practical advice on all of the usual puppy behaviours such as biting, toilet training and helping him to be happy when left alone.
We have also taken part in three terms of puppy training which is brilliant in helping to socialise puppies and keep owners on top of the training! Cath advises the use of clicker training, and the results are really impressive and quick. Recall is one of the main lessons to be learnt and the training helped us to be confident in letting Frankie off his lead on walks. There is nothing more enjoyable than seeing him run and run but then turn and come back to us when we call his name.

Tay

We have had Tay since she was 9 weeks old. Although we trained her we never managed to get her to come when called and this was becoming a big problem whenever she spotted a rabbit or squirrel. As we live in the countryside taking a dog out on a lead is not ideal, so we admitted defeat and found Wuff Dog Training via Google. As we had a specific problem we decided on one to one training sessions.
The training really has been successful and Tay is now much more obedient. She still chases rabbits but if we cannot get her to sit and wait we are now able to give the sit and stay command from a distance and she does stop and wait for us to catch up with her. Tay is also good at the leave command. We now have a lot more confidence and understand how to communicate with Tay and set her up to succeed.
Cath's method of training is relaxed and fun and she is flexible with her times. We have learnt a lot and walks are now more fun as we use this time to carry out some training.

Frank

This is Frank we have had him since he was 8 weeks old. Having never had a puppy before a friend recommended Cath's Home Puppy Course as an essential way of getting off on a good footing with him. Cath came to our house for a couple of sessions and taught us the clicker

method of training. What she achieved with him even in the first lesson was amazing. It has not just been Frank who has had the training but all of us as well - we have really enjoyed it. She will always listen to your puppy concerns and offer a way of dealing with them. She is clear in her instruction and always gives the reason behind learning a new command. I have learnt so much and have applied all Cath's techniques 100% (not knowing any better myself) and consequently the whole family is benefiting from the results. We played hard in-between the sessions to practice what we had learnt and Frank has lapped it up. We have now progressed to Cath's weekly class. I attend with the children in tow so we are all applying the same commands. I am in no doubt that Cath's training has really added to the pleasure we are having in owning Frank

Timba and Crysta

I approached Wuff Dog Training as I had two dogs that had not had any socialising with other dogs and also were over excited in the house with visitors. Timba (black labrador) and Crysta (rottweiller) were both gorgeous friendly dogs but lacked a certain level of obedience. If they did not want to listen they wouldn't and this was made worse by having two dogs with the same attitude!

Cath came to our house for a few one-2-one sessions with both the dogs working on basic commands and recall through clicker training. The difference after even the first session was amazing (though please note that you need to be consistent and work with your dogs every day).

We then met Cath in Cambridge for some 'doggy' socialising. We have had one session to date but I am already letting Timba off the lead to play with the other dogs and Crysta is much happier around other dogs too.

I highly recommend Cath and Wuff Training. It not only gives you and your dogs confidence and structure but Cath makes the training fun too. It is a great form of bonding with your dogs. We now have calmer dogs and a calmer household!

Holly

Holly is just 4 but only came to me in July last year. I knew that she had been well cared for in her previous home but being unable to breed and not being keen on being shown meant that she didn't have as much attention as Cavaliers enjoy! However, I was confident that over the summer I could settle her in nicely. She loved walks and rides in the car and did get used to being indoors and gradually began to enjoy dinners but it was clear early that she was still extremely anxious. Seeing other dogs, people coming to the house, people coming too close all terrified her. She got herself into a complete frenzy of barking, growling and pulling on the lead. By the end of the school holiday I knew that I had come to the end of what I knew how to do. A friend at work recommended 'clicker training' so I read some of the books and then set out to find someone who could teach this technique.

I started with Cath in October. The first few lessons weren't good. Holly was terrified of everyone; dogs, owners and trainers. However, I was reassured that Holly was just frightened and not aggressive. To start with I paid very little attention to the class. Holly and I circled round and round while the other owners went through the exercises. It took several weeks but Holly did calm down, she began to take an interest in the rewards on offer and did join in with the exercises. The first 'down' was a real breakthrough!

We've now been to 3 courses. Holly has made huge progress and is reasonably ok at most of the basic exercises. The classes have transformed Holly from being afraid into being a far more confident dog. Off lead she will now run off and greet other dogs, she will come in from the garden when called, jumps up if treats are on offer and is visibly much happier. Yes, there is still a long way to go.

It isn't just Holly who has been learning. I have chosen to follow Cath's advice and it has worked. The suggestion to try a Walkezee harness has reduced the pulling, the home visit taught me how to help Holly cope with visitors and the lessons continue to offer support.

I found Cath by chance. I enjoy our lessons. Holly is now eager to participate and work for her treats. We will never win an obedience class but Holly is far more settled and content. That to me is more important. If you are reading this and thinking 'could this be the type of training I need for my dog?' I would say YES!

Rocky

When I got my 11 month old puppy (Rocky) he was very nervous around adults and other dogs due to lack of socialisation. After several years he became less fearful of adults but his fear of dogs turned into agression. His behaviour was erratic and he would often bite their necks and launch himself at them.

I contacted Cath, who was very helpful and explained how to help him overcome his fear. We had one intensive session where I felt she really got to the root of the problem and showed me how to behave towards Rocky when we approached another dog on a walk. After this she sent a full written report and behaviour programme. She also offered to meet once a week for a walk, allowing Rocky to socialise with her dog. This was an excellent opportunity for him.

Now a year on he's really improved and both Cath and I are very pleased with his progress. He can even play with 4 or 5 other excitable dogs without biting them!

I was very honoured to have been taught by Cath. She's very understanding, patient, friendly and has a great way with dogs. I thought Rocky would be fearful of her but he went straight up and sniffed her pocket for treats. This was something he never used to do with strangers.

Tinker

Tinker was a very anxious dog around other dogs and people and could sometimes be snappy. This made us all very nervous and defensive. Reasons were identified for this and now with your gentle approach we are less anxious. He is now relaxed and happy with other dogs 99% of the time and is improving greatly with people. Recently Tinker has even started agility classes and although he gets overexcited he really loves them. Your follow up letters after each session were very helpful. I would definitely recommend you to anyone with a difficult dog. Thanks once again.

Benson

We have had a complete success with our dog Benson since working with Cath. Benson is a 5 year old rescue dog who developed some very worrying behaviours. He was aggressive to other dogs, lept at men in the street, was very stressed when people came and left the house and had completely ruined our floor by urinating almost every night.

After just a few sessions with Cath, the change has been miraculous and all of the above behaviours have disappeared! Cath showed us some very simple, reward based techniques to use with Benson and the result has been amazing. He is now a relaxed and much happier dog.

I spent 6 months avoiding other dogs and keeping Benson on the lead. By the final session Benson was off the lead and he was able to calmly interact with several dogs at once. He joined in with a bit of rough-and-tumble play and didn't bat an eyelid when Cath's two lovely dogs jumped all over him! He now ignores people in the street and has stopped urinating in the house during the night.

We have had some dubious advice in the past, but Cath's approach is kind, rewarding and most importantly very effective. I simply cannot recommend her highly enough.

Hazel

Hazel is a two year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I needed particular help when out walking. Hazel completely ignored me; she was far more interested in everything around her than listening to me. Our recalls were awful to the point that I didn't let her off her extendable lead.

I had 3 one to one lessons with Cath and Hazel is now fantastic off lead; she comes back to me every time I call her even if there are distractions.

All round I now have a fantastic little dog that I know is happy and contented with her life and I am much happier for her. This wouldn't have been possible without the expert help Cath gave me over the three hours she worked with us. I would definitely recommend Cath to anyone that wanted help with their dog.

Finigan

My 10 week old cocker spaniel had a very nasty biting habit which was a great concern to me around children. With lots of advice and positive training from Cath, Finigan and I are now doing well after only two days of using Cath's methods. Thanks.

Scrappy

Scrappy was depressed, anxious and very dependant on me to a point that no one could sit near me without him trying to stop them. Catherine introduced me and Scrap to clicker training, which he loves and some general rules about how I must behave around him and what I can and cant allow him to do. He is now no longer allowed to guard me and his life is more structured. He is happy and no longer anxious. He is calmer and generally a better dog.

Yazzi

My wife and I recently purchased a wonderful German Shepherd bitch (Yazzi), and we experienced particular problems with her approach to other dogs. We had fortnightly training sessions with Cath and there was improvement between each session. Various problems were highlighted and remedies/solutions were always forthcoming. The result was a vast improvement in Yazzi's behaviour and approach to other dogs with which we feel comfortable. We would not hesitate to recommend Cath as we feel her methods have been invaluable in bringing a vast improvement to our dog.

Alfie

Our dog Alfie is a cocker spaniel and his main problem was his reluctance to come back when called. With lots of encouragement from Cath (and chicken titbits) he is now much better at recall and we are more relaxed with him, more confident and enjoying our walks with him so much more.