Lifetime Development Programme.
Welcome to Adolescence.
You’ve done the hard part. now for the other hard part.
Six to eighteen months is the stretch that catches most people off guard. The puppy phase is behind you — the sleepless nights, the biting, the accidents. You thought the hard part was done.
Then something shifted. The recall that was working started falling apart. The dog that played nicely with everyone is suddenly reactive on the lead. The boundaries you put in place feel like they’re being tested - every single day. And underneath it all, a quiet worry: did we miss something?
You didn’t. This is adolescence. It happens to almost every dog, in almost every home. And in our experience, it almost always feels worse than it is. Your dog isn’t broken. They’re not beyond help. They’re just in the middle of the most important developmental window of their life - and what happens now genuinely matters. The right guidance at this stage doesn’t just fix the immediate problems. It shapes the relationship you’ll have for the next ten or fifteen years.
Thats what we’re here for.
The Stuff That Catches People Off Guard.
Most of it has a name. and most of it has an answer.
Reactivity on the Lead
It often starts small. A lunge at another dog. A bark at a stranger that feels out of nowhere. At six months, it’s easy to brush off. By twelve, it’s harder to ignore — and by then, walks have quietly become something you dread.
Reactivity at this age is almost never aggression. It’s a young dog who hasn’t yet learned how to process the world calmly. That’s a very different problem — and a much more solvable one.
Testing boundaries
The dog that used to respond is now choosing not to. Selective hearing. Ignoring commands they knew six weeks ago. Testing every boundary you thought was settled.
This is adolescence doing exactly what adolescence does. It isn’t defiance — it’s a dog figuring out where they fit. With the right guidance, it’s one of the most straightforward things to address at this stage.
Hyperactivity & Overstimulation
The energy levels that were manageable at four months have become something else entirely. They’re louder, more impulsive, harder to bring back down. Everything excites them. Nothing seems to land.
This isn’t a character flaw. Adolescent dogs are neurologically wired for it — their impulse control is still developing. It responds quickly to the right approach, and it gets easier. Significantly easier.
“James has helped me with my Patterdale terrier since she was five months’ old (she’s four now), not only with training her but also with helping to understand her behaviour and our relationship as dog and owner. James is calm, professional, friendly and very easy to talk to. He understands dogs and people and how they interactive better than anyone I’ve ever met and provides incredibly effective practical and emotional support. Plus there’s loads of helpful tips and information on the website too. I can’t recommend James and The Dogs Way highly enough.”
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Julia & Joni
The Dog You Want is Still in There.
Let’s Go and Find Them Together.
The Lifetime Development Programme.
The Lifetime Development Programme gives you specialist support from the very beginning — and keeps it there as your puppy grows. One approach, one voice, and a specialist on call whenever you need one.
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Book in person one to one training at Underhill farm as and when you need it, just £79 per session for 90 minutes.
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Speak to us by phone or WhatsApp whenever you need to — between sessions, in the moment, or just when something doesn’t feel right.
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Enjoy full access to our digital content library. Supplement your learning with our video content and downloadable booklets - also included in your programme.
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Programme members get 33% off travel visits - so if you need support closer to home, you can enjoy them at our best rates.
Home Visit | £199 (normally £299)
Real World Session | £179 (normally £269)
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Your membership never expires after your 12 months - so you can continue to access support for the lifetime of your dog.
Prefer to start with a single Session?
Get a clear diagnosis, a full in person training session and practical guidance you can implement when you head home.
2 Hour Behaviour Intensive | £179.
Want to talk things through? Book a Free Call - let’s chat about your dog and their needs.
“We have a 1.5 year old Golden Retriever who is very rambunctious and had become quite reactive to other dogs on the lead. This had resulted in us avoiding most places on a weekend due to anxiety of how to manage him in busy places. In just one session James helped us have an in depth understanding of our dogs behaviour and also how we had likely contributed to it. Now after working with James, we feel confident to walk him past other dogs using the management techniques he has taught us…”
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Jess & Lennie
“James has made such a huge difference to our rescue hound Jack. His approach is structured, calm , professional and so re-assuring. His assessment of where Jack is at any time in his life with us has been so accurate and has helped explain just how our behaviour and interaction with our dog can make our life together so much better. We could not recommend him highly enough, a real game changer.”
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Graeme & Jack
“What an amazing session we had with James. Our dog Louie is on his way to becoming a well-rounded amazing dog. James has a natural ability to part with his expertise, guide people in the right direction with their development and we felt completely at ease from first meeting. We will definitely be back to see James in the future to move Louie in to the next phase!”
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Matthew & Louie
