Reviews of Doherty Dog Services

Training Reviews

Bear, Staffie X Frenchie, January 2025

‘Loved working with Laura with my dog, Bear. Laura was incredibly friendly and knowledgable. She was clear on what we were going to do and how we were going to do it and used great teaching points for both me and Bear to keep us on track. Would highly recommend Doherty Dog Services to anyone who wants to understand their dog more.’

Please note Laura was maternity leave from April 2024 until January 2025.

Kali, Small Mixed Breed, March 2024

‘Our little dog, Kali, had taken to barking aggressively at other dogs, and sometimes even small children. We asked Laura Doherty (we call her Dogerty), for help. As soon as she entered the room with Kali she was communicating with her on another, deeper level, and showing us how to understand Kali. Laura helped us to understand what was going on psychologically and emotionally for our doggie, and how we were relating to her. Her training was as much for us as for Kali. Laura is a very skilled practitioner who is motivated by a great love and understanding for dogs. And that’s the foundation of her work in my opinion – love. We can’t recommend Laura and Dan highly enough. A powerful team.’

Ziggy, Labrador, February 2024

‘ I had training with Laura over four or so sessions, helping when Ziggy was obsessively pulling, becoming a nightmare to walk and being reactive to certain dogs. The training was great, and really changed the way we approach our walks. Walking my pup is now a pleasure rather than a chore, and I feel armed with the skills to make sure any future dog I might have gets off to a great start with its training. We practice our learnings every day!’

Isaac, Cocker Spaniel, January 2024

‘First session on line with Laura to mentor me and new puppy Isaac – amazing understanding of puppies abilities in the first few 8-12 weeks and helping them have the best and most positive start in life. Looking forward to practicing and seeing Isaac’s confidence grow with the new and improved me – and of course the next session. I highly recommend Doherty Dog Service. We have a puppy and I knew that there were going to be moments I wavered and needed advice. Laura has been there for me, holding my hand and giving me valuable hints and tips for helping us help our puppy. Isaac, our puppy is really benefiting from the help and while we still have lots of puppy hurdles ahead Laura has played a big part in him become a happy and confident puppy.’

Bella, Labrador, December 2023

‘We have had such a positive and great outcome/experince from doing dog training with Laura she gives so much useful information but explains it so well the advice she gives is amazing after every session we felt like a weight had been lifted and knew what we had/are doing was right Laura is always on hand to send a WhatsApp and she will give advice on how to deal with what I have said I couldn’t recommend her enough and most importantly Bella absolutely loves her and her treats would highly recommend to anyone who is looking at dog training.’

Barney, Cockerpoo, October 2023

‘Barney has recently completed his 6 sessions with Laura and I honestly cannot praise her and DDS enough. Let’s be honest, it was me that needed training, not Barney!!

Laura explained things so well, showing games you can have with your dog both at home to begin with and also when you are on your walks and this makes training fun for your dog. Barney still ‘asks’ for these on our walks now. Laura explained the reasons behind a dog’s behaviour and how to read their cues which has not only been fascinating but also really helpful. One thing I really liked was that Laura didn’t make her own dog out to be perfect. It may seem strange, but this helped me as she wasn’t saying “this is what you need to do if you want a perfect dog like mine”. I am not suggesting other trainers are like that as I have no experience of other trainers, but Laura being so down to earth made me feel more comfortable as she wasn’t patronizing at all, just really friendly. Laura genuinely loves dogs and this really comes across. She was so helpful and was happy for me to contact her between sessions and even now when our training is over. I am now able to take Barney for long walks confident that, on the whole, he won’t bark at other dogs when he is on the lead, will have better recall and when off lead, won’t approach dogs who are on the lead and this is because I know how to manage these situations. I would thoroughly recommend Laura and DDS, I really don’t think you will regret it. I know I don’t.’

Frankie, Miniature, Daschund, September 2023

‘Working with Laura has been a brilliant experience. She has provided us with the tools to help nurture and support our rescue Frankie. Visits were educational for us all and we know now how to recognise Frankie’s behaviours and how to effectively manage them. Laura is an incredibly supportive person helped us all so very much. Thank you Laura!’

Nala, Mixed Breed Romanian Rescue, August 2023

‘Excellent and insightful dog training that enables you to to truly understand your dogs behaviour. Laura was great to work with, really flexible and helped us work through all our dogs problems. We really valued her honesty and heart. Throughly recommend!’

Goose, Nova Scotia Duck Retrieving Toller, May 2023

‘Laura was an invaluable help in training our puppy Goose. She is incredibly positive and kind and our puppy loved her from the word go. She really helped me to build up my confidence with all of the normal challenges like separation anxiety and settling in a public place. She even set up a play date for my puppy which was a lovely experience. Can’t thank her enough.’

Margeaux, Daschund, April 2023

‘Laura is amazing with our pup, nothing is ever too much trouble. She is always so helpful and informative. We have learnt so much. All of which is transferable into my own business.
If you ever want one to one training for your dog/puppy then Laura truly is your person.
Simply the best around and always so lovely.
Thank you Laura xx’

Vinnie, Shiba Inu, April 2023

‘Laura was amazing with our puppy training. She attended on time for each agreed session and tailored the session to our needs as our puppy grew. We always came away from the sessions wiser and she gave us reassurance when we were ever concerned. She encouraged us to ask questions between sessions and made thoughtful suggestions for additional reading materials, products or off leash training locations which we may find useful for continued training. Overall would definitely recommend! Thanks Laura for all your help!!’

Nancy, Rescue Mixed Breed, March 2023

‘We asked Laura for some help with training our rescue, Nancy and it has been amazing! It’s transformed how we train her and given us so many new tools to help. We love that it’s all force free and we’ve gone from barely being able to walk her to both her, and us, having so much more confidence. We can’t recommend her training enough!’

Fonzie, Miniature Labradoodle, January 2023

‘We have worked with both Dan and Laura for months now with our dog Fonzie. Laura has really helped our training an enormous amount, and Dan has taken Fonzie for group walks. Fonzie adores seeing both of them, and always returns home from her walks very happy and contented. Knowing your dog is out with someone that knows and cares for dogs so well is a really nice feeling, and both of them are great to work with – professional, communicative and reliable. To say we recommend Doherty Dog Services is a bit of an understatement – we really feel they’re a big part of why Fonzie is such a contented happy dog.’

Hux, Portugese Water Dog, October 2022

‘I contacted Laura to help with my reactive adolescent boy who struggles with traffic and meeting other dogs on lead. Having a reactive dog herself she totally understood, was patient and improved both our confidence levels hugely! In fact, she was quite inspiring to me personally and a massive support moving forward. I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to recommend Laura, she is attentive, professional and a joy to learn from. Thank you Laura!x’

Luna, Cockerpoo, April 2022

‘Our puppy Luna is a 20-month-old cockapoo with high energy! We started training with Laura last spring, hoping to receive help with numerous issues, from resource guarding to biting, jumping, problems being separated from me, and general over-excited behaviour. She was never calm. None of these were quick-fix problems, but Laura helped us to better understand Luna, to anticipate what put her over-threshold, and we’ve made so much progress since those initial training sessions. Just getting to the point where I can go upstairs and she’ll wait for me downstairs (and not go crazy jumping at the baby gate or the walls) was an incredible achievement. One of the best things Laura helped us with were decompression walks–letting Luna sniff and explore and exhaust herself mentally rather than physically. Laura is currently walking Luna twice a week and these have been such a blessing for us. Luna adores Laura and comes home happy and tired. We see more calm behaviour in the evenings, which were a nightmare previously. I heartily recommend Laura and Doherty Dog Services for insights into their dog’s behaviour and for amazing walks!’

Belle, Beagle puppy, September 2021

‘We’ve just finished our first block of training with Laura. We’re first-time dog pawrents and have taken on an awesome now-17-week old Beagle pup. Laura’s been working patiently with us to build the bond between our pup and us using positive reinforcement methods and fun games, and has been great in building our confidence. We’ve booked a second batch of classes now that our pup is out of her initial “welcome to the world” stages and is starting to learn how to behave. I wouldn’t feel as comfortable working with anyone else as I do with Laura and her team – the difference in our pup is obvious for all to see already, with some good recall already there even outside with distractions. Thanks for your time and continuous support Laura, you’re an absolute star! We’ll definitely be booking up some walk sessions too – you’re definitely not escaping us now that we’ve found you!!’

Bali, Sprocker Spaniel, June 2021

‘We had the pleasure of meeting Laura to help us with training Bali (a typical crazy sprocker) to loose lead walk as we are expecting our first little person in October & we want to be able to go for walks with the pram & to not be pulled. Laura is so lovely, bubbly, friendly & honest. She had us under no illusion that Bali would be perfectly lead walking within the time that little person will be here but that with time & dedication, there would be an improvement. It was also nice that Laura had & is going through the same as us, pregnant & now has a little person & has a sprocker. It was very reassuring & still is, that if we need any help shes at the end of the phone. Thanks Laura.’

Marlo, Schnauzer Poodle Cross, May 2021

‘We are so glad that our friend recommended Laura. My puppy loves her, there was a connection straight away, Laura is very knowledgeable, extremely friendly, accommodating and professional. Whatever issue we came across with our puppy, she had a solution for it and it worked. Laura gave us some simple tips, easy to do but very effective. Even after our sessions, if I had a question, Laura was always available by emails or WhatsApp, she gave us the best service. We now have a well behaved puppy. Thank you Laura and Doherty Dog Services.’

‘Such a friendly and experienced service. We’ve had a few training sessions with Laura, whom is incredibly kind, explains training methods clearly and also gives us the theory to understand our dogs behaviour. They have been so helpful in helping us to care and train our dog. I recommend them to all people who live near me, wanting training/support for their dogs and themselves. We’ve truly grown as dog owners! Will also add that any questions Or worries I’ve had about our pup, they have always responded with such good advice. Well trusted service. And they’re dog is so cute!’
-Obi Wan the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, May 2021

‘Laura worked with my puppy Cocker Spaniel Truffle over a few 1:1 sessions and all I can say is wow and thank goodness for Laura – my personal dog whisperer. Truffle is a lovely lively bouncy dog and being a first time dog owner I didn’t always know what I was doing. A combination of those two things meant that walk times could be stressful and I probably wasn’t enjoying my dog as much as I could. Laura worked with us on calming down, listening, following commands, and reducing anxiety levels in public spaces – and that was just me! She is such a patient and professional person. She combined technical, behavioural and dog theory training in every session – showing that her advice and suggestions come from a thorough background of experience and expertise. Because of her I know what signs to look for in my dog, I understand how to exercise, entertain and develop him and I know how to handle him when we meet other dogs, go to loud distracting places and when we are home alone and I need to wear him out with training and mental agility. Thank you Laura!’
– Truffle the Cocker Spaniel puppy, May 2021

‘I started working with Laura in Nov 2020. I have a medium sized rescue called Kaspar who is a lab/beagle/springer mix aged 1-2 years old. I’ve always struggled to keep his attention, and if he gets a scent, sees a fox or a cat its game over. Laura taught me so much about the biology and temperament of my dog. I thought I had a really happy excitable dog, when actually Kaspar was super anxious and easily reactive to chasing animals and pulling on the lead. I did about 6 sessions with Laura and there is a noticeable difference both in his calmness and happiness in the house and his responsiveness and behaviour on walks. His recall has improved, his behaviour with other dogs is better – Kaspar – a dog that has actively chased cats birds and foxes – now lives with two kittens and I honestly think the reason they have such a good relationship is all of Laura’s advice on how to handle Kaspar and make sure he’s happy and loving life.Laura’s partner Dan is so lovely, and takes Kaspar for weekly walks with other dogs. There is noticeable improvement in Kaspar’s social skills and calmness as a result of those interactions too.I’d totally recommend working with Laura for a couple of sessions. Kaspar has changed so much in such a short space of time. He shows zero destructive behaviours, and I have a much more responsive, calmer, happier dog. Thank you Laura and Dan.’
– Kaspar the mixed breed rescue, March 2021

‘We had 6 private sessions with Laura, she explained a lot about dogs behaviour and showed us lots of useful tips with our puppy. Very knowledgeable and the main reason why we decided to use Laura’s services is because she’s using positive reinforcement rather than other methods. Highly recommend her, really helped us newbies a lot :)And on top of that I can finally sweep the floor !’
-Astro the Jack Russell puppy, December 2020

‘Laura is a must for any issues you may have with your furry friend. She has given my partner and I some procedures to try and already it’s having a positive effect. Thank you Laura xx.’
-Missy the Labrador, 1-2-1 Training, October 2020

‘Dan and Laura are absolutely fab! We did 6 weeks training with our GSD pup and she has come on leaps and bounds! Athena now goes for a walks with Dan and absolouitely love! We love how much they keep in contact. After every walk we get photos and videos. And Laura is always really helpful with any questions we have regarding behaviour etc. Not only does Dan walk athena but works on her recall too wich is fab! Definitely 5/5 service!’
-Athena the German Shephard, 1-2-1 Training, October 2020

‘Laura has been working with our cockapoo Khushi for a few 1:1 sessions and she has been amazing! Since lockdown, our pooch has been more reactive and nervous when out and we are already seeing massive improvements. She’s much calmer and happier than before and can’t thank Laura enough. If you have any worries about your pooch “post lockdown” or in general, definitely give Laura a shout.’
-Khushi the Cockerpoo, 1-2-1 Training, August 2020

‘Laura is a wonderful trainer, our cockapoo Albie and I have just finished her 6 week puppy classes and found them really enjoyable and informative. She is very knowledgeable, patient and good fun and clearly loves her job. She made time to help individual dogs and owners and is so quick to answer any questions by phone/email too. We’ve signed up to her follow on class and can’t wait!’
-Albie the Cockerpoo, Puppy Class, August 2020

‘Laura was brilliant with my dog Bella. You can tell she absolutely loves dogs and puts everything into her job. She’s patient and very informative! Thank you for helping us Laura x’
-Bella the Cocker Spaniel, 1-2-1 Training, August 2020

‘Laura is fantastic at what she does and really helped me with my nervous pup Coal. We attended a 6 week puppy course and she helped so much with recall and gave me so many tips on how to help my anxious little Labrador! Thank you so much Laura xx
– Coal the Labrador, 1-2-1 Training, July 2020

‘Laura is an absolutely fantastic trainer. I worked with her for 6 weeks on my little boy’s reactivity and recall. I really looked forward to each session, and so did Norman. She uses reward based training, which I really agree with. Her sessions are fun and engaging and Norman has come along so far! I’m so proud of him, and we couldn’t have done it without Laura!’
-Norman the Boston Terrier, 1-2-1 Training, July 2020

‘Henry and I have thoroughly enjoyed our online training with Laura, I was unable to attend puppy classes during lockdown & Henry is a crazy lively & super intelligent puppy so to have the option of online training – having a trainer on hand and the chance to see others in a similar position was such a relief. Laura is so easy to talk to & gave great advice on every obstacle I came across & a variety of situations, she really cares & recognises life needs to fit your dog individually rather than just generically. I would highly recommend training with Laura, and look forward to more training with DDS in the future!’
-Henry the Cockerpoo, Online Puppy Class, June 2020

‘Laura has trained our Toy Cavapoo Bentley since he was 8 weeks old. He is now 6 months and I don’t know what we would of done without her. Laura has a way of speaking to our Bentley which we can’t, the passion for her job is second to non and both her and Dan are the loveliest people you’ll ever come across. We call Laura ‘the treat lady’ and his tail wags! Anything we’ve questioned, or needed help with (sometimes in extreme despair), she always has the answer for. She’s always at the other end of the phone for any worries or queries we have regarding to training. We also attended her first puppy party which was amazing and we enjoyed every minute, I think Bentley did too! Once again, we can’t recommend Laura enough for her services and she’s got a client for life with Bentley!’
– Bentley the Cavapoo, 1-2-1 Training, June 2020

‘I don’t know what we would have done without Laura! we attended her online puppy training classes during lockdown with our miniature dachshund Mila, the classes were educational and practical and have made us better pup parents to Mila. Laura was always available to ask (hundreds!) of questions to, whether during class or by email. It was helpful to chat to other people with puppies each week & to know all the behaviours we were struggling with were normal. We learnt about so many things including recall, leave, stay, lead walking, separation anxiety, socialisation, body language. Mila learns quickly but we couldn’t master ‘leave’ until Laura taught us a little change with our methods & then she cracked it right away!’
– Mila the miniature Daschund, Online Puppy Class May 2020

‘Doherty Dog Services is the best place to go for training! We contacted Laura during the lockdown to help train our (very crazy) 5 month old Cockapoo puppy! She has been a huge help, guiding us through new training methods including calming, walking, obedience and socialising techniques. Her online zoom sessions were excellent and always tailored to our needs. Laura was very knowledgable and had answers to all our millions of questions as first time dog owners. We would recommend her highly in person and through online zoom sessions 🙂 thank you Laura.’
– Obi the Cockerpoo, Online Puppy Class May 2020

‘Laura was really knowledgeable, encouraging and helpful as she worked with my 22 month old Sprocker, Charlie, who needed support with hyper and anxious behaviour. Laura worked with me too so I became more able to manage Charlie’s unwanted behaviour and so she helped me to help him. Laura was always friendly, affirming and kind to both me and Charlie! Very grateful and I would absolutely recommend Laura to anyone needing help with their dog. Win win!’
– Charlie the Sprocker Spaniel, March 2020

‘Laura is amazing , she has been doing some training with my girls for a few months now and my girls have lots of fun and love all the game that she has been doing. She is so caring and has got lots of knowledge on all doggy stuff.
I’m so pleased that I found Laura she has been truly amazing
Would highly recommend Doherty Dog Services.’
-Rosie & Dolly the French Bulldog’s, January 2020

‘Blaze was a bit of a handful, lovely dog just we had some bad habits developing. Laura has worked wonders with Blaze and we have a happier, calmer dog. Laura also walks blaze when we are busy with work/college, he loves it! Highly recommend her services.’
– Blaze the Cockerpoo, November 2019

‘Would highly recommend Doherty Dog Services, everything seems far less stressful when you have Laura’s advice and experience to help you through the puppy stages. My puppy absolutely loves her training and always learns quickly.
She comes to your home and the price is very reasonable, also very happy to help via text or messenger if you need more advice between training sessions.’
-Stitch the Beagle, October 2019

‘ Laura is a fantastic trainer, with so much enthusiasm, knowledge and love for what she does. I asked her advice on some behavioural issues I’m having with my 9 month old pup and she replied immediately even though it was late on a Sunday evening (sorry!!!) with some great ideas and tips. If only I lived closer, I’d have no hesitations in choosing her as our trainer to guide us through those tricky times. If you are fortunate enough to live in the area and need a helping hand with your pooch, she’s your girl!’
-Koa the rescue cross-breed, online training, September 2019

Walks Reviews

‘Dan has been walking our crazy Labrador Alfons for about 6 months now and we could not recommend Dan high enough! Alfons loves his walks, we get pictures and updates every time Dan has walked him and it takes a lot of pressure off from us as we both work. We have also used Laura for some training which was hugely beneficial, and Laura made me think of things and new ways to teach Alfons things (like loose lead walking). Thank you so much Dan and Laura for all your help!’
– Alfons the Labrador, March 2023

‘My dog loves her walks with Dan! She is very keen to head off together with a similarly minded crew for an adventure and I feel happy knowing she is getting the run she needs when I have to do other things. I highly recommend Dan, he takes very good care of my dog and she clearly thinks he’s great!’
-Sophie the Labrador, February 2023

‘Dan has been walking our puppy/ keeping him company in the day since September. Dan has been excellent, really professional and a fountain of knowledge. He’s kept us updated daily on what Igby is up to whilst we work and he’s always there to answer a few (lots) of questions. Igby loves seeing Dan everyday, we recently bumped into Dan on a Saturday walk and Igby was so excited to see him! It is so reassuring. Fab service, I totally recommend them.’
-Igby the Jackapoo, Dog Walking, October 2020

‘Dan walks my Marley every week now and she absolutely adores him. She knows when hes coming and gets so excited. She comes home full off smiles and ready for a nap. Both Laura and Dan are always very quick to answer any worries or questions I have. Very nice very knowledgeable would definitely recommend them for any doggy needs be it training, walking, socialising or more. I’m very grateful so is Marley for all her walks. Thank you’
-Marley the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Dog Walking, August 2020

‘We have been using Doherty Dog Walkers since the beginning of January and I am extremely happy with the service they provide, more importantly our two whippets are very happy with the service too! Laura popped into our home to spend an hour or so with the dogs back in December and tell us about the service they provide. It was a really good opportunity to set our minds at ease and we quickly came to the opinion that yes Laura and Dan were the right people to take care of our dogs and (sorry I’m from London), the right people to give the keys to our house to! Dan also individually came to our house and very professionally went through all our requirements, the layout of our home, where the food was kept and locks/keys. Laura was careful to understand where our dogs were in their walking levels, behaviour, eating patterns and with this was able to devise a bespoke walking plan. What I like about the service is that after getting to know Floyd and Floyd know Dan and Laura they go off on different walks, different terrains. I love the idea that each day is a new adventure for the dog. We have a tailormade service where Floyd (11 months) is walked twice a day, an hour each time, in truth I am sure each hour walk is much longer. Rita (2.5 month not had her full course of injections yet), has Laura and Dan come in and play with her, also twice a day. Part of the service is also to feed the dogs at least twice a day and take Rita out to the toilet. Laura even cleans up any accidents and we are making real progress with this. One thing to say is that Floyd is not just walked, or let off the led in a random field. Laura and Dan really work with him playing games and advancing commands. There is also quite a lot of science involved, knowledge of different breeds, their individual behaviours and age-related behaviour. I enjoy the social media updates and have been caught on numerous occasions by colleagues gazing at the photos posted- I need to work on not getting caught more! All this said, putting the science and the professionalism aside, the really reasonable pricing, Laura and Dan have a lot of fun with the dogs and I think this is the most important thing. They are really good people and I would have no hesitation in recommending them. If you are looking to put your beloved dog in someone’s charge whilst you earn the money to feed and pamper them, then Doherty Dog Walkers really should be at the top of your list if they still have a spare slot!’
-Floyd & Rita the Whippets, February 2020

‘ Lovely service and always feel confident that our dog is going to be looked after really well. Always get feedback and pictures from his walks. Training and care is really good ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘
-Meatball the Miniature Daschund, January 2020

Sitting and Pop-In’s Reviews

‘Dan and Laura have been doing check ins for our little 13 year old rescue dog Maria since December. She absolutely loves them both and we love getting pictures of her having a whale of a time with them. It’s great having peace of mind that she’s not lonely and we’ve also had great advice to help her settle in. Absolutely fantastic service and amazing people! Attached is a photo of Maria giving Dan lots of kisses with her smelly breathe, just to show how much she loves his company 😂😂’
– Maria the rescue Jack Russell, January 2020

‘Highly recommend Doherty Dog Services. Laura took great care of our Keira (English Springer) for a day and regularly updated us on their adventures together providing peace of mind with the knowledge she was having a great day. ‘
-Keira the Springer Spaniel, November 2019

‘ I would definitely recommend Doherty Dog Services. Laura sat my dog, a lively 2.5 year old spaniel, on Saturday when I had to go to an event. She came to the house and hung out with him plus took him out to the hills. He had a brilliant time with Duke and Laura sent lots of photos showing the fun they were having. As Laura specialises in enrichment games, she’s ideal to look after the busy mind of a spaniel – I know that as well as exercise he also gets some brain workouts and his training is reinforced. My dog bumped into her a couple of days later in town and was so excited to see her. I wouldn’t hesitate to book Laura again to look after my dog.’
-Jarvis the Cocker Spaniel, July 2019