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It's A Dog's Life

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‘19 Certificate of Excellence, 2019

About

I’m Penny owner of It's a Dogs Life. As well as being a Dog Trainer, I am also a qualified Canine Behaviourist.

All of my consultations and training is on a 1-2-1 basis

Thank you for viewing my profile.

HOPEFULLY YOU'LL LIKE MY PROFILE AND WOULD LIKE ME TO CONTACT YOU PLEASE DO SO VIA EMAIL, MOBILE OR WEBSITE (DETAILS BELOW).

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222 hires on Bark
1 day response time

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Reviews (62)

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5/5

62 customer reviews

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verified
4 January 2020

Dog Training

Was quite disappointed with our training session.
We expected more hands on training to teach our puppy who is friendly, but excited when meeting other dogs.
Three quarters of the time was talking about nutrition which we feel quite confident in anyway.
Penny is a lovely lady but didn’t provide what we expected,
We didn’t want to purchase a new face collar as we feel confident with what we have.
We didn’t feel the session was worth doing.
Sorry Penny.
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23 December 2019

Penny was brilliant. She listened to us and assessed what we needed to do to support our puppy grow into a happy contented dog. Her knowledge of dog behaviour and dog nutrition was excellent and we gained so much knowledge. After 1 day he is already only chewing biting minimally and jumping up far less. He seems so keen to please and do exactly what we ask. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

20 December 2019

Penny was absolutely fantastic! We are first time dog owners and were very nervous about what was about to follow. Penny came and helped us massively both before our puppy arrived home and one week after she arrived. We now feel so much more confident with our little puppy and have much more knowledge on how to train her. Penny was fantastic and she is a seriously lovely, kind person. Whenever we needed help she has always answered on the same day, helping us in whatever we may need! We can't thank her and recommend her enough. Alex and Aggy x More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

20 December 2019

Penny was brilliant with giving me a lot of help with my dog's behaviour issues. She helped with other things such as which food I should be feeding them (I had no idea how bad some dog food is) & also has so many other recommendations. I've really seen a difference in Alfie since we saw Penny & I would highly recommend. Penny was very responsive and very easy to meet up with. Thank you again! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

6 December 2019

Rated highly for: Value, Quality

Reviewed on Google Maps

22 November 2019

Can not recommend Penny enough! Such a nice lady and so knowledgable! We learnt so much and throughly enjoyed our session. Also the clicker training is fantastic! Thanks penny! X More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

20 November 2019

Penny listened to our situation and helped us put in place all the things we needed in order to help our dog with his development. He is changing daily and it's great to see so many improvements. Thank you so much More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

20 November 2019

Very informative about diet and the behaviour of our mini schnauzers. With training tips and follow up training if required. It will be on going, their lead walking problems won't be resolved in a day but had a very good start from Penny. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

20 November 2019

Within minutes of Penny meeting my nearly 3 year old dog she had her eating out of her hand literally. I did have trouble keeping her attention but Penny showed me how to do this and I am gaining confidence that her generally good behaviour in doors will be reflected outside. Thank you Penny.

Reviewed on Google Maps

14 October 2019

Penny is such a wonderful dog trainer. She has been brilliant with our puppy right from the start and given us great advice and instructions. We have noticed a positive change to our puppy’s behaviour so far and always look forward to the next session!Best dog trainer I would definitely recommend Penny! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

7 October 2019

Penny was brilliant. Personable and knowledgable. Our rescue puppy Ernie responded really well during the session and Penny’s advice on nutrition, toilet training, play and commands has given us the confidence and guidance we needed! Thank you!

Reviewed on Google Maps

14 September 2019

Penny is an excellent and informative dog Trainner. She gave clear and concise instructions to our three girls and we enjoyed the time she spent with our puppy. Penny is a fountain of knowledge and gave fab demonstrations of using the clicker with our puppy Apple. We just hope we can keep this 5 star training standard up. Penny is a true dog whisperer and taught us loads. Thank you Penny you are a star. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

7 September 2019

As first time dog owners we needed some professional help and Penny was the answer! She explained how to deal with his biting, nutrition, general training as well as sleeping at night. We now feel so much more confident on how to best deal with our new family member and are slowly getting there. Thank you Penny! We loo forward to the Hylands training session in a few weeks time. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

23 August 2019

Penny was absolutely lovely to deal with and most importantly of all, amazing with our 2 unruly tear away puppies. Nothing was too much trouble for her to explain or demonstrate and she genuinely cared about us as a family, ensuring that we had all of the information we needed to carry on the training after she left. It was refreshing to find somebody like Penny who is so friendly and reliable and most importantly for me, somebody who listened to our needs and tailored the training focusing on that. A very rare occurrence I find these days in any form of service offering.I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Penny to anybody considering puppy/dog training or pets with behaviour issues. Thank you so much Penny. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

15 August 2019

Ring her now .Amazing transformation immediately & improving everyday - now our puppy is happy & content & we understand him more. Penny advised on behaviour- training (for us all!) house plan & diet & answered all our questions.She will be there for you afterwards - so reassuring. The information & training she has taught us cannot be digested reading books or online clips. She is one knowledgable star. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

8 August 2019

Penny is lovely and very knowledgeable. 2.5 hours was very useful and learnt a lot that I could put to good use immediately. Penny had our 10 weeks puppy performing commands within minutes. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

28 July 2019

Lexi, our Hungarian Vizsla was our first dog as a family and Penny made us feel really prepared, we spent an hour together before our puppy arrived and we followed her shopping list to make sure we had everything. Lexi is now 9 weeks old and Penny spent the morning with her and I’m totally blown away with what she achieved, Lexi was completely mesmerised by her voice and all her tips and training are working well! We’re excited to do more training with Penny next week... More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

24 July 2019

Wow!!!! What a transformation in our 16 week Cockerpoo, Macy. No more nipping/biting, answers and comes to her name and no more jumping up. Penny is absolutely amazing and such a lovely, sociable lady. I now call her the "doggie whisperer". Brilliant is an understatement, incredibly knowledgeable and totally clever lady! Thank you Penny Tanin! Xxxxxxx More...

24 July 2019

Penny spent quality time with us. She had Basil literally eating out of her hand and her advice has been beneficial

24 July 2019

What an eye opener Penny was when she came to see us about our dog Bailey. She was open and honest and made us see where we were going wrong. We have total faith in her methods and everything she said made perfect sense. We are booked to meet her at Hylands for an obedience/agility session to show her how Bailey has progressed using the clicker method that she showed us. If you need help with your beloved dog then don't hesitate to contact Penny. More...

24 July 2019

Penny was absolutely amazing! We called Penny after a couple of issues with our puppy and we thought we’d tried everything. Within a few hours of Penny leaving we had a much calmer and content boy. We are now on day 5 and it’s like we have a completely different dog! Everything has been so much easier, we are enjoying him like we should now and most importantly we have a very happy puppy! Thank you Penny! More...

24 July 2019

So glad we gave Penny a call. We had a new little German Shepherd 8 weeks old and knew we has to set the ground rules from the off. Penny came and shared her knowledge with my husband and I, and now little Rosie is thriving! She loves training and enjoys doing it! More...

24 July 2019

We wanted to get on top of our pup's play biting before it became a problem. Despite doing everything we'd read in training books etc. it was getting worse. We are so glad we called Penny!

Within days we saw a huge improvement and on top of the great advice re. biting, Penny spent time discussing nutrition and introducing us to clicker training. I'll never train a dog without a clicker again, results have been really impressive.

Great value for money and a brilliant trainer. Highly recommend. More...

24 July 2019

Penny came highly recommended and I can see why. In one morning she has worked wonders with both us and our rescue dog. I feel much better equipped to work with our dog, and would not hesitate to call her again as and when we need more help.

23 July 2019

Despite 2 courses of puppy classes my boy Teddie was really naughty and was becoming a problem. Penny instantly got the measure of him and took us through simple steps to help him. She carefully explained his dietary needs and how we could achieve this. When she left I had a calmer dog and after just 1 day we have noticed a difference in him. We still have a way to go but Penny is just at the end of the phone.She is straight talking and knows her stuff. Has made me rethink what I know about my dog! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

23 July 2019

Penny is helping a lot with training us ,and our two four year old whippets.Her friendly and enthusiastic ways have already made walking them calm and enjoyable rather than being pulled from tree to tree and barking at other dogs,we highly recommend her ,she knows her stuff .

Reviewed on Google Maps

6 May 2019

Thank you so much Penny! Our puppy Rosie was becoming a handful at home - chewing, biting and jumping up. In the park I didn't feel confident letting her off the lead and she wasn't getting the exercise she needed. I'm so glad Penny came to the rescue and after just a couple of hours working with us, Rosie was already better behaved. Top notch dog trainer I would definitely recommend Penny! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

27 April 2019

Not only is Penny a lovely personable lady she worked wonders with training us to get the most out of our new pup Maggie and older dog Kenny. We couldn’t be happier with the results and we feel lucky to have met Penny. Her knowledge and expertise with all things canine are amazing and we and the pups are happier and more confident to give things a go! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

28 March 2019

Fantastic results quickly with practice of skills taught

Reviewed on Google Maps

28 March 2019

It’s a Dog’s Life - highly recommend and well worth the money. Very personable service, I feel Penny really understood what support and info we required and she worked amazing with our puppy who is very shy. Penny installed confidence in us being first time puppy owners and gave us the tools to lead our dog to a well trained lifestyle. Penny’s years of experience transpires when she demonstrates with your pet and I only wish we asked her to visit sooner. Penny also follows up with useful guides/links and messages. I had a tough morning getting Milo to settle, and Penny offered great support over the phone - super grateful! Look forward to booking agility classes soon. Thanks Penny! Aaron, Natalie & Milo. Colchester, Essex. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

verified
28 February 2019

Dog Training

Had an enjoyable and informative one to one training session. Lovely lady Penny, my 5 month old puppy is now enjoying walks off the lead recalls immediately. I would highly recommend Penny 🐶🐶🐶

verified
28 February 2019

Dog Training

Really pleased with the tools I was giving to train my puppy

26 February 2019

We wanted to get on top of our pup's play biting before it became a problem. Despite doing everything we'd read in training books etc. it was getting worse. We are so glad we called Penny!Within days we saw a huge improvement and on top of the great advice re. biting, Penny spent time discussing nutrition and introducing us to clicker training. I'll never train a dog without a clicker again, results have been really impressive.Great value for money and a brilliant trainer. Highly recommend. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

26 February 2019

Penny came highly recommended and I can see why. In one morning she has worked wonders with both us and our rescue dog. I feel much better equipped to work with our dog, and would not hesitate to call her again as and when we need more help.

Reviewed on Google Maps

verified
23 February 2019

Dog Training

Excellent training from penny, couldn’t of asked for more.

27 January 2019

Penny spent quality time with us. She had Basil literally eating out of her hand and her advice has been beneficial

Reviewed on Google Maps

27 January 2019

So glad we gave Penny a call. We had a new little German Shepherd 8 weeks old and knew we has to set the ground rules from the off. Penny came and shared her knowledge with my husband and I, and now little Rosie is thriving! She loves training and enjoys doing it! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

28 November 2018

Penny was absolutely amazing! We called Penny after a couple of issues with our puppy and we thought we’d tried everything. Within a few hours of Penny leaving we had a much calmer and content boy. We are now on day 5 and it’s like we have a completely different dog! Everything has been so much easier, we are enjoying him like we should now and most importantly we have a very happy puppy! Thank you Penny! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

29 October 2018

What an eye opener Penny was when she came to see us about our dog Bailey. She was open and honest and made us see where we were going wrong. We have total faith in her methods and everything she said made perfect sense. We are booked to meet her at Hylands on 21 October to show her how Bailey has progressed using the clicker method that she showed us. If you need help with your beloved dog then don't hesitate to contact Penny. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

24 May 2018

What a great decision it was to give Penny a call! Penny is very approachable, knowledgable, patient and kind. She has made our life so much easier with our 4 month old border Terrier Ruby, our only regret is that we didn't contact her sooner.

Reviewed on Google Maps

25 April 2018

What can I say about Penny? She is so good st what she does. She is extremely knowledgeable, calm and reassuring and knows her stuff. We’d have been lost without her! Thank you Penny More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

2 March 2018

What would we do without Penny? She was incredibly helpful to us as first time dog owners with a very boisterous puppy. She showed us how to effectively use clicker training and made us a plan tailored to our puppy, covering her training and diet. Things are going very well and Penny is always on hand to check in and make sure everything is okay. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

12 February 2018

My dog suffers from separation anxiety so we called on the help of Penny after reading all of her good reviews on the internet. Penny came to visit our house for a 1-2-1 session. She talked us through a wide range of areas that can affect a dogs behaviour, such as diet, exercise, mental stimulation and how we should behave with the dog. She provided so much useful information and support to help us with our dog, not only with separation anxiety, but also how to use clicker training and general tips. We are now in the process of changing our dogs diet, short daily training sessions and working on her separation anxiety. Penny has been a great help and has been brilliant with any queries that we had following the session over email. We are now really looking forward to taking our dog to an agility session with Penny! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

4 February 2018

I was so impressed with the help that Penny gave us training our 14 week old puppy.

Penny arranged a session where we spoke through all of our concerns and she gave us some great solutions. Penny also showed us how to use clicker training and within minutes had the puppy doing ‘sit’, ‘stay’ and ‘leave’. It had only been a couple of weeks since our session and we have noticed a huge difference in our puppy’s behaviour since following Penny’s guidance.

Penny is very knowledgable and I would definitely reccomend her to anyone looking for a trainer for their puppy or dog, or to deal with any specific behavioural issues you may be having.

Thanks again Penny!
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Reviewed on Google Maps

verified
21 January 2018

Dog Training

Very nice lady explained the training we had to do

9 January 2018

After spending many hours with our puppy Oscar 'treat' training him the basic commands - we hit a brick wall when attempting recall training with him. So we never felt confident letting him off the lead - we knew he wasn't getting enough exercise just being taken out on the lead and at 9 months old this was also reflecting in his behaviour. So we decided we needed help. We asked for recommendations on a website and Penny contacted us. After discussing our needs Penny arranged to come our home to help us. She asked for all members of the household to be present for the training. Penny was very professional and sat down and asked us lots of questions to learn how we all interacted with Oscar. Even though we had only asked for help with 'recall' Penny immediately noticed Oscar had a few bad manners as well - Jumping up and nipping. Before she started the recall training she showed us how to deal with the bad manners. She also fully explained about how giving Oscar 'timeout' by removing him from the room and ignoring him was the most effective way to combat the jumping and nipping. Penny uses clicker training, as we had not used this style of training before, she spent a while getting Oscar used to the clicker - once he mastered this we all went outside to practise the recall. I was really impressed how quickly we all learnt including Oscar. I was also amazed how obedient Oscar was - he used to go deaf once we were out of the house and completely ignored any command.
After our session with Penny we decided to take Oscar out for a walk straight away to put into practise what we had learnt. It was brilliant - we took him to nearby fields let him off the lead and he was in his element, he really enjoyed running free and I felt really confident letting him run around off the lead because I was still in control of him. He came back to me every time I called him.
Now I feel confident letting Oscar off the lead it has really changed the way I feel about walking him. Walks are now so much more enjoyable for us both, Oscar really enjoys being free and its lovely to watch him with the knowledge he will come back when I ask him to.
Oscar is a completely different dog now. Before we were walking him 2 or 3 times a day for an hour or so but on the lead. Now he gets off the lead and can run free he is using up lots more energy and getting far more exercise. He is a lot calmer and the jumping up and nipping has stopped. The two hours Penny spent with us was worth every penny. If I were to have any issues in the future with him I would not hesitate to contact Penny again.
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Reviewed on Google Maps

13 November 2017

Penny was great when she came to visit us and our dog Rupert.

She shared with us a wealth of knowledge on how to address certain behavioural issues, introduced us to clicker training, gave diet advise and introduced us to the halti lead which improved our walks almost instantly.

Since our meet Penny has kept in touch and we are looking forward to attending some obedience training in the new year.

I would highly recommend Penny to anyone looking for help with their dog, we have seen great improvements in such a short space of time.

Thank you Penny!

Sally
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6 November 2017

I was having behaviour problems with my young English Bull Terrier, Doris, whose barking was annoying not just us but the neighbours as well!

She was also anxious and jumped at us and visitors, so we asked Penny to help us.

Penny asked for the whole family including the children to be there for the training session. We were very impressed with the time she took to understand how the family operated and how Doris fitted in.

We explained the problems we were having and Penny came up with clear, positive advice as to how to resolve them ourselves. We are delighted with the results and things are improving by the day.

We’ve arranged to meet Penny again in a park, so she can help us with recall.

I would highly recommend Penny’s services and thought the fee was more than worth the money.

Victoria
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Reviewed on Google Maps

16 October 2017

Penny was brilliant. She helped us train our 16 week old puppy.She is very knowledgeable and full of information.

Reviewed on Google Maps

verified
13 September 2017

Dog Training

Penny from It's A Dog's Life was extremely helpful and the fee charged was reasonable. We received some good advice and have followed this through, however we felt that not all advice was completely applicable to our dog being a giant breed and so we have adjusted ourselves. We also did not want to pay for a follow up. More...

Q&As

Oh gosh not enough room here to say, but working with dogs is a privilege in itself. It's also so rewarding when I receive positive feed back from my clients and knowing I've really made a positive difference to the owner and the dogs lives.

Really because I can choose what type work I take on. For example I much prefer to do 1-2-1 sessions than group classes

I am passionate about what I do and I like to succeed! My fees are keenly priced and I offer a free followup service.