The Good Dog Coach Reviews 36

Investing in this was truly beneficial. Our dog transformed from being unable to roam off-leash to becoming a joyful pup with significantly more freedom, thanks to better behavior.

I am so glad I found Sarah when Bruno was a puppy. Her guidance from the very beginning shaped everything. She taught me how important calm structure and clear leadership are, and I have seen firsthand that good discipline actually creates more freedom. Because of the foundation she helped us build, Bruno can enjoy so much more of the world with confidence and safety.

Sarah does not just train dogs. She trains you to become a responsible and grounded owner. She helped me understand Bruno’s needs, his energy, and how to guide him in a way that brings out the best in him. I would always recommend getting help early instead of waiting for problems to appear. It made a huge difference for us.

Before training, Bruno struggled with over arousal, reacting to dogs and people on walks, nipping when frustrated, and he found it nearly impossible to settle or switch off. I felt overwhelmed and unsure how to help him.

Working with Sarah changed everything. She understood him instantly and her approach was calm, thoughtful, and effective. Bruno also stayed with her for training, and the progress he made during that time was remarkable.

His recall is now solid. He can be off leash without reacting to dogs or people. He knows how to relax and settle in a way that once felt impossible. One of the sweetest changes is how affectionate he has become. That shift alone has brought so much joy into our home.

Sarah supported both of us through every step. Her knowledge, her clarity, and her genuine care have transformed our daily life. I cannot recommend her highly enough. She has truly changed our lives.

Before working with Sarah, I was really struggling with my dog. He was barking at the door, reacting to visitors and strangers, scavenging on walks, and unpredictable around other dogs. Walks and day-to-day life had become quite stressful, and I wasn’t sure how to help him settle in the house.
I ’d used other trainers before but hadn’t seen any real change in my dog. Sarah’s methods are practical, effective, and designed to achieve real results — she focuses on what actually works, not just theory. She doesn't pander to the dogs or reward them endlessly, which I'd tried in the past with no success.
We started with a few ad hoc training sessions, which already made a difference, but things really changed after we did the 5-week intensive course. Sarah’s calm, positive manner and her ability to explain what was really going on for my dog helped me understand his behaviour and how to respond effectively.
By the end of the 5 weeks, the transformation was remarkable. My dog is now much calmer at home, far more predictable on walks, and walking to heel beautifully. He’s also much more relaxed when people come to the door or into the house. He’s simply a joy to live with now — and I feel our bond is so much stronger.
Sarah has been brilliant throughout — supportive, patient, and genuinely invested in helping us both succeed. I’d recommend her wholeheartedly to anyone looking for kind, effective training that really works.

Very helpful and after approximately two hours training both my dogs were walking excellent on a lead. Very informative, showing much empathy

We would really recommend Sarah. She really takes the time to meet you and your dog and tailor an approach which will work with your situation. We were struggling with an anxious but also over the top, too busy, too friendly, too naughty, too pushy lab. Our lab basically didn't listen enough to us and did her own thing, she would pull down the road, ignore us in the park and at home, generally making our life of owning a dog more stressful and not enjoyable. It was also very tricky to manage the dog's tricky behaviour and manage our 3 busy kids, when at home or in the park all at once. Sarah has helped us to regain control in a few months and really enjoy having a dog again. We have a dog now that is able to stay much calmer and relax at home and when out and about. A dog that listens to us and as a result of this is happier and less anxious. And we spend much less time managing our dog's tricky behaviour, as Sarah taught us clear leadership and boundaries to communicate to our dog, so our dog clearly understands what we expect of her and what she needs to do. We will continue to work with Sarah to keep improving our our dog's behaviour as we see so much benefit, as our family is happier we can enjoy our dog much more and we can tell our dog is happier and less stressed. Sarah doesn't insist on lots of training lessons. A few has been enough for us so far, but she does expect the client to put the work in, rightly so. And we have put the work in and so seen great changes in our dog and how we handle her. Sarah is always at the end of a what's app to give us advice even daily if we need it on what to do. We love this service. As often we just have a little question, which doesn't need an hour lesson, it just needs a text or what's app quick response so we can continue perfecting our training. Sarah has so much experience with so many different types of dogs, it really shows. Overall really enjoyed working with Sarah over the last few months and really looking forward to continuing our work with her and our gorgeous dog.

Exactly what the other reviewers say. Prior to coaching our dog jumped up at people, pulled on the lead, launched itself at other animals. Our life has been transformed in just one session. No pulling, jumping, bounding. Now sits in restaurants at our feet without any hint of bad behaviour. Such a transformation.

Sarah is so informative, so helpful, you will wonder why she doesn't have 30 million subscribers on YouTube. Her coaching has felt like a miracle.

Sara has literally changed our lives! Stan is a fearful dog to the point taking him places meant prepping for every situation! Loud bangs, cars driving over man hole covers, people in sunglasses you name it if he saw it or heard it he would freak out to the point he would pull to go home. A few times escaping harnesses and collars heading straight for main roads!

After our session with Sara and the tools and structure she gave us he is a different dog! Thunderstorms not problems, new places, scary at first but quickly settles and takes in the sights!! We now can go anywhere confidently knowing Stan will be safe and without having to prepare for the worst! He’s happy, I am happy and we can go on soo many adventures now!!! This wouldn’t be possible without Sara’s help, constant feedback and love for what she does!!!

Before working with Sarah, daily walks with my male German Shepherd were a source of constant stress. His reactivity was through the roof—barking at dogs, foxes, squirrels, anything that moved. I began to dread going outside and even questioned whether adopting him had been the right decision.

After evaluating several trainers, Sarah stood out instantly. Her calm presence, clear communication, and deep well of experience were impossible to miss—you could hear it in every word she spoke. We just clicked. Of everyone I spoke with, she was by far the most professional, experienced, and serious about her craft.

We started with an initial review session, and even from that single meeting, I saw real change. Sarah gave me practical, easy-to-follow guidance, and just like that, walks were smoother—no more dragging or pulling, I was setting the pace.

After that, she proposed two options: continue self-training with her guidance over time, or go for a more intensive boarding program at her countryside home, where my dog could train consistently and fully reset. Given my dog was already 4 years old at the time, I didn’t want to waste time—I wanted to enjoy his best years together. I chose the boarding option.

During the five weeks of training, Sarah kept me constantly updated with videos and photos. The progress was astonishing. When we reunited, we did a long training session in the park so I could learn how to reinforce everything. It felt like magic—his reactivity was gone. I was simply in awe.

Now, a few months later, I’m still amazed. He walks at heel, responds to commands off-lead in busy parks, and completely ignores distractions—even during fetch! Our walks have become the highlight of my day. I get to hit 10k steps, soak in the sun, and listen to my podcast—all while my dog stays calm and happy beside me.

The training didn’t just change my dog—it transformed both our lives. I’m beyond grateful I didn’t give up on him. Thanks to Sarah’s loving, structured training and ongoing support, I’ve fallen in love with him all over again. 🙏

Sarah is a dog whisperer, I truly believe it.

After many failed attempts to resolve my rescue dog's extreme dog reactivity, I found Sarah and invested in the intensive residential training program. Prior to this, walking Otto was always a trepidatious affair. I'd dread the times we'd come within close vicinity of any dog we didn't know, particularly of the large, black sighthound kind! The red mist would descend and my usually sweet-natured and gentle boy would lunge and bark excessively and aggressively - even breaking free at times and nipping the poor unsuspecting counterparts.

After 5 weeks of home training with Sarah, walkies have become a pastime I truly look forward to and relish. With structure and boundaries in place, Otto knows what is expected of him and how to handle situations that stress him out. More importantly, he knows I'm in control and will look after him, so he doesn't have to be on the offensive. He is still a little nervous around sighthounds, but the improvement is vast - he can control himself, even if his hackles are slightly raised while passing. But I'm confident with time and consistency, Sarah has given us all the tools we need to continue to make progress, and he will continue to gain in confidence. It's just so lovely being able to have him off lead now and being so much more relaxed (both him and me!)

Thank you so much, Sarah! xx

Sarah quite simply understood our situation and listened without judgement. She coached us as well as helped us to train our dog. She explained everything and now we have a dog living her best life.
Our dog was dog reactive - now she runs free and says hello to dogs when given the cue and otherwise she is neutral to other dogs and listening to us.
We recommend Sarah not only as a dog coach but an owner coach too

Sarah is a brilliant trainer and we are delighted with the transformation in our dog. She really has achieved what we thought would be impossible. Our dog had some really tricky issues but none of them phased Sarah and we now have a happy and obedient dog and we’ve rediscovered the pleasure of walking with him. Thank you Sarah

A very worthwhile investment. From a dog who couldn’t be off a lead anywhere to a happy hound with so much more freedom due to improved behaviour.

Sarah is a life-saver! Living with our miniature bull-terrier Sputnik had become a nightmare. He wouldn’t walk unless he wanted to, pulled at the lead, scavenged for food, had no recall. When he was at home he was boisterous - demand barking for food and attention all the time. We had gone through 4 trainers, one returned him to us after 2 sessions saying he was the most stubborn dog he ever met. Another just said he didn’t think there was anything he could do for him! We felt helpless - we were constantly let down by dog professionals and made to think our dog was untrainable.
 
We approached a couple of dog charities and they recommended Sarah to us. She was totally different to the other trainers. We loved her no nonsense approach and passion for results driven training. She took time to get to know us and Sputnik and was very honest with us - she didn’t believe in ‘one size fits all’ and would try different things to see what worked best. She told us some home truths- we needed to change as well as the work that needed to be done with Sputnik.
 
We chose intensive training, but Sarah trained us as well! She took us through her methods and was on the end of the phone to discuss Sputnik’s progress. When he came home, it was like having a different dog - the ’stubborn bully’ had gone. Sputnik was much easier to handle-he walked to heel, his recall was fantastic and at home he was more relaxed and slept more. We were amazed. Friends and neighbours really could not believe it was the same dog.
 
We are so happy to finally have a ‘normal’ dog that walks down the street to potty or we can take to the pub and be calm. The results have lasted because our behaviour around Sputnik has changed and Sarah is always at hand whenever we need it. I wish we had found Sarah sooner - she really is one in a million and we cant recommend her highly enough!

I adopted Bugsy, a three year old, deaf French Bulldog from a rescue centre.
I didn’t know much about his background, only that he was deaf, but was told this didn’t stand in his way.

After a month into his new life with me, he started exhibiting some unwanted behaviour; resource guarding, social aggression and chasing fast moving objects while on walks.

Although non of these were due to his deafness, they were behaviours that I was unfamiliar with addressing and needed professional help to ensure we were set up for success.

After hearing that Sarah was currently fostering a deaf English Bull Terrier I jumped at the opportunity to learn from a trainer who had such relevant experience…
and I am thrilled to share the incredible transformation Bugsy and I have experienced!!

Sarah's tailored approach, introducing structure, boundaries, a slip lead and using effective communication using hand signals, proved to be a game-changer for Bugsy and me. They also follow the same principles as with a hearing dog.

Through her patient guidance and clear explanations, I learned to address Bugsy's unwanted behaviors with confidence and consistency.

The progress Bugsy has made since I started working with Sarah is amazing and he has learned to be a really good boy!
His resource guarding and social aggression have significantly improved, and chasing fast moving objects on walks are a thing of the past!

The bond between Bugsy and me has deepened, making our relationship more rewarding.

Sarah's expertise, compassion, and dedication shine through in every session. Her ability to make training both effective and enjoyable has made such a difference in our lives.

I wholeheartedly recommend Sarah to anyone seeking a skilled and understanding dog trainer.

Huge thank you, Sarah, for being the Good (Great) Dog Coach that Bugsy and I needed!!

When we met The Good Dog Coach, we were in deep trouble and extremely worried about the wellbeing of our dog. Our two year old had become reactive and unpredictable - barking and trying to chase wheeled objects like bikes and skateboards.He would sometimes lunge at other dogs or jump up when he met people.He was becoming increasingly difficult to control and walks were becoming very stressful.
We had tried four other trainers, we had consulted vets, but nothing seemed to stick or be effective.We were at the end of our tether and the dog’s behaviour was causing problems in our relationship. After an incident where he chased a child in the park, we knew we had to solve the problem or something bad might happen to him.
We approached a veterinary behaviourist, who gave us a zoom consultation and didn’t meet our dog, charging a great deal of money.He said the best solution was to use anti-anxiety medication and follow the training techniques we had usedbefore.This was not the route we wanted to go down, and after much research we came across Sarah, the Good Dog Coach.
Sarah came to our house, spent time with us and our dog, wanting to understand his medical history, his home environment and the advice we had been given by other dog professionals.She listened to our challenges and was confident she could get results based on our key priorities.Sarah outlined her multi disciplinary approach, various training options and techniques that she used, including that of the e-collar.We felt listened-to and hopeful to have a path forward.
We all felt that intensive training would be the most effective way to get results.Of course we were concerned about sending him away for a period of time, how our dog might change, and the use of the e-collar. Sarah was always patient, she understood our worries, gave us time to explain and make decisions and connected us with other owners who had experienced her work.
While away, Sarah kept us updated of his progress with messages and videos and gave us plenty of advice for his handover and return home. She explained we had to make adjustments of how we interacted with him and how we allowed him to behave, but Sarah was with us every step of the way, giving us advice over the phone and closely monitoring his behaviour when he was back home. We were supported at all times .
The change in our dog’s behaviour is remarkable.He is no longer reactive, doesn’t bark or lunge at passing wheels - he spends his walks focussed on us and seems genuinely happy to be out and about.We can take him out confidently to public parks and are even able to let him off lead when we want to.The e-collar allows us to communicate with him and remind him of what is expected - it’s a really useful tool, simple to handle, and really effective.
With Sarahs support, our whole approach to handling our dog has changed and as a result he is calmer, more confident and trainable, and we are happier and have bonded as a family unit.We now understand that training is an ongoing process that we are all committed to and enjoy, and it feels like we have fallen in love with our dog again. Sarah is always happy to help whenever we have questions and I know she genuinely cares about our dog’s wellbeing. We are incredibly grateful to Sarah and are so glad we found her - she really is an amazing dog trainer and special person!

I wish I would have found Sarah (good dog coach) sooner. I found myself with a dog reactive working line Labrador who pulled like a steam train on lead, constantly over aroused to the point he would not accept food outside and no chance of a recall. Walks were a struggle and I often came home feeling completely deflated. I had already spent thousands on previous trainers and saw limited improvement in Ragnar. I truly thought my dog would always be on lead and there was no hope! Then I met Sarah! From the first moment, she understood Ragnar and I. The forms she gave me to fill in were detailed and I really felt that she cared about helping us, the training plan was completely personalised. Sarah has been there every step of the way. She is knowledgeable, approachable and she really cares. She is always there to offer advice when I need. I felt thoroughly supported. Sarah has a magnificent eye for detail, every session and training class we went to Ragnar improved. In 5 months we have achieved recall in different environments and under distraction, his arousal level has decreased, he no longer drops down at the sight of dogs and his heel on lead is amazing.

I now get complimented on how well trained he is and how calm he is. I can take him anywhere and the most important thing for me, he’s happier. Seeing him off-lead running around and so happy makes my day every day. I never thought it would happen and Sarah has made something I felt was impossible, completely possible. I cannot recommend Sarah (Good dog coach) enough.

We rescued our little Miro in August 2020 and, like many novice dog owners, treated him like our baby! Over the next couple of years Miro developed several behavioural issues that soon became unmanageable and only worsened when we welcomed our son in November 2022. As a result, we were spending a fortune on daycare and dog walkers (which we now know only perpetuated the problem!), because we simply didn’t feel like we had the time, energy or patience to look after him ourselves.

Our main challenges were reactivity towards other dogs and separation anxiety. In tandem these made life very difficult as we struggled leaving him at home but also didn’t feel confident taking him out anywhere where we might encounter other dogs. In London this was… everywhere! We had tried everything including working with internationally renowned trainers, reading every book available, “calming plug-ins”, anxiety jumpers, etc. with zero success. It got to the point where the only solution I could see was to rehome Miro.

We finally enlisted the help of Sarah following a particularly difficult encounter with another dog while on holiday in Cornwall in May 2023.

It is not an exaggeration to say that working with Sarah has changed our lives completely. From the beginning, she was so easy to work with and most importantly for us highlighted the things we could do that would really make a difference. This put the onus on us as Miro’s owners to put in the work, rather than relying on him to miraculously “get better” or “be cured”. I have learnt that all of his behavioural issues are a product of our own behaviours, which made training him feel like a much smaller mountain to climb.

Sarah has a warm and encouraging manner and is really lovely to work with. She shared practical guidance from the moment we met so we could see instantly that our investment was going to be worthwhile. We saw a difference in Miro’s behaviour after the very first session which was amazing and gave us the confidence to continue with the programme knowing we were doing the right thing for him.

We have subsequently had four 1:1 sessions with Sarah and the difference in Miro is incredible. He is far less anxious, much happier and much calmer around other dogs. We are able to leave him at home alone with no issues. After each session, Sarah has followed up with a detailed recap of the training elements as well as further guidance on “what to do when/if…”, and is super responsive if we ever need advice via WhatsApp, so we have felt fully supported throughout the process.

Thank you SO MUCH Sarah for everything you have done and continue to do for us and Miro. Your passion for dogs, their well-being and the joy of dog ownership is amazing.

From 2 GSD half brothers who were highly reactive and pulled like trains we now have dogs who, for the most part, a joy to walk. Thank you Sarah.
When Hugo came to us he was extremely nervous - seemingly scared of everything. His nervousness of people manifested itself as aggression and required him to wear a muzzle. Thanks to Sarah’s expertise and patience the muzzle is no more! Hugo walks to heel both on and off lead and his recall is developing well.
Mookie too was reactive to other dogs but is now much calmer.
For a time we could not walk the dogs together as they fought each other. Following the given strategies this hurdle has also been overcome.
Sarah has been brilliant, clear instructions, strategies and homework all delivered with good humour.
Life has certainly improved thanks to Sarah.

I cannot recommend Sarah's dog training services enough! We enrolled our Springer Spaniel Snoopy in her intensive training program, and the results have been nothing short of amazing.

Prior to working with Sarah, we were experiencing a variety of issues with Snoopy. He was overly excitable and difficult to control on walks, he had selective hearing and was incredibly greedy with any food left around. We were at our wits' end, and had almost given up hope of ever being able to fully enjoy our time with our beloved pet.

Working with Sarah was an absolute pleasure. She was patient, knowledgeable, and always willing to answer any questions we had along the way. She took the time to get to know Snoopy and his unique personality, and tailored her training techniques to suit his specific needs. We felt completely confident in her abilities as a trainer, and knew that our dog was in good hands.

And the results speak for themselves! Snoopy is now a much more well-behaved and obedient dog. He is far more controlled, he walks beautifully on or off his leash and he listens and responds without fail. We are able to enjoy our time with him in a way that we never thought possible.

Overall, we are thrilled with the outcome of our training with Sarah, and would recommend her services to anyone in need of a skilled and caring dog trainer. Thanks again, Sarah!

My dog Alfie was with several behaviours issues, especially reactivity towards other dogs and bad recall, obviously, he wasn't allowed out of leash. After an intensive training program with Sarah, Alfie is behaving exceptionally, has great recall and most important my dog got freedom, he can walk and explore, and I'm a happy and satisfied customer, thanks you Sarah for changing our life, we appreciate