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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Message us on WhatsApp whenever you need to — between sessions, in the moment, or just when something doesn't feel right. And when something needs a proper conversation, book a catch-up call. Most members check in every month or so.
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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 | £149(normally £219)
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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 | £149.
Finally I’m able to understand more about my puppy Rick, and how best to manage him. I’ve done online courses which only made me feel worse and inadequate, then YouTube videos which only confused me more with all the conflicting messages. James took it right back to basics and worked with me explained both the psychology of the breed and me the human. I was doing everything I’d learned and it was the opposite to what was best for Rick and me, just after one lesson the very next day I took him to fountains Abby and practiced what I’d learn! Wow 🤩 what an immediate difference. This has saved my relationship with my puppy and now look forward to the a better life with him. Thank you doesn’t cover it James 🙏
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!
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.
James has helped us massively with our puppy, George. He got the measure of all of us within the first few minutes of our first session & he’s all about training the human as much as the dog! He is calm & focused on giving both you & your dog the best results all round. He doesn’t just tell you what to do, or why things are happening, he explains everything, which really gives you something to work on at home. I can’t recommend James & The Dog’s Way enough!
Otis is a very lively border terrier puppy. We’ve had our first session with James where he gave us some tools and techniques to deal with Otis in a calm and helpful way. We’ve a way to go but James really helped our confidence in dealing with a very excitable puppy. James is professional, calm and measured and non-judgmental. We really enjoyed our time with him.
There are a ton of dog trainers in the North-East but it really takes a genuine dog lover and passionate individual with the right expertise to truly help and understand each individual dog. James has been amazing with our Cane Corso adolescent boy. The thinking and the psychology behind each structure and boundary all makes sense. Couldn’t recommend a better trainer!
"I cannot recommend James enough for anyone dealing with behavioural challenges. Our 16-week-old English Springer Spaniel was struggling with intermittent jumping up and biting. After trying everything the internet had to offer and feeling lost about which way to turn, we realised we needed a different approach. We found James at The Dog’s Way and booked an emergency visit. From the very first session, James provided a calm, structured, and professional approach. He quickly assessed the root of our puppy's behaviour within minutes and then showed us exactly how to bring him down from his reactivity to a calm and placid place. James explained clear, practical training methods and gave us the tools we could use every day, along with the confidence and knowledge to continue our puppy's journey. A truly outstanding trainer for behavioural issues — we are so grateful for his guidance." Steve W.
James has supported us every step of the way in our journey. From choosing our little puppy to guiding us on how to raise a calm, happy dog. We have learnt so much from James and continue to do so. We are hugely grateful for his support and would not hesitate to recommend him and "The Dog's Way" to anyone looking for support.
Just back from an excellent session with James to get help and advice on puppy training. Information was explained extremely clearly and he backed this up with clearly a great knowledge of dog behaviour and research. The dogs warmed to him as did we. 100% recommend if you are having problems / just need a bit of guidance. Thank you James 😀 Edit one year on: We went back for a second time for help with some issues with over-excitability in our cocker. James helped me to change my attitude and this has resulted in excellent improvement - I am more confident and Angus is more responsive and respectful. The result is a lovely bond developing. We are still a work in progress but the results are so good! A further 5* review. Thank you James.
James is one of those people who you truly cannot say enough good things about. Since our very first interaction with James he's been amazing. We've been struggling with our 1 year old cockapoo, he's a fabulous dog but is very over excited all the time. Whilst we're still having some issues as he's still only young we're in a much better place with him now all thanks to James' support and guidance. James is unquestionably the kindest, most generous, caring and compassionate person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. He is always there to answer questions and concerns and gives information in a cohesive and relatable manor. I cannot recommend James and The Dogs Way enough.
Took our 5 month old Hungarian Vizsla for a 1-1 session to focus on how to get her to calm down. So many people have told me it’s just the breed, it’s just the age etc but 90 minutes with James analysing her behaviour and teaching us what to do and what not to do to promote calmness and she’s like a new dog. 24 hours on and I couldn’t be happier and neither could one pup. We know how to get her to truly relax and it’s been a total game changer! Can’t wait to keep putting this training into practise and enjoy spending time with our pup!
110% recommend James. We’re new puppy owners and James spent a good two hours with us today focusing on walking outside, lead training and aggression/biting. Within 5 minutes of James entering the room, our puppy was like a different dog. Completely obedient and the biting stopped really quickly. James was lovely and we had a fantastic time and laugh with him. He was extremely calm and gentle towards our dog which was a concern as we knew a few dog trainers who take the harsher approach. If you have a puppy or have any dog issues, don’t even think twice about booking James. This evening was the best evening we had, extremely controlled and relaxed after 3 weeks of teething and biting.
As a retired vet, I felt I should know how to deal with my puppy who was constantly snapping, biting and chewing me but I couldn't resolve it. James was extremely helpful and gave me some valuable information and advice. I can recommend him to anyone who wants a well behaved dog.
Really brilliant session with James helping us with our 5 month old Labrador puppy, Barney. His calm manner and clear explanations mean it’s easy to put things into practice. Lead walking is now a pleasure for all of us. James has been with us from the start when we had some early issues following getting a puppy during lockdown. His advice saved our sanity! We will definitely return for more training as we move through the challenging teenage phase! Highly recommend and Barney is also a fan. Thank you James.
