
Dog Training Professional
Hi, my name is Holly. I am a Professional Dog Trainer and Behaviourist, accredited by the Victoria Stilwell Academy and the IMDTB. I also hold several other certifications with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers.
Why You Should Hire Me.
Working with people and training dogs is something that I am passionate about. I can help you understand your dog’s behaviour, however challenging that may be.
I am a force free, positive Dog Trainer and encourage the use of reward-based training methods and fun interactive techniques. This way of training allows you to build a strong bond with your dog because it builds trust and confidence. Additionally, this will prevent many unwanted behaviours.
Want To Know More?
If you’re looking for dog training or behavioural assessments in and around Manchester and Salford then please read on. You will discover more about me, my ethics, and my training techniques.

My Services

Adult Dog Training
Do you need help with general training?
Want your dog to walk nicely on the lead?
Or strengthen their recall so that you can allow them to play and exercise safely?
My sessions will be completely tailored to you and your dog.
Positive training methods involve using a gentle, perceptive approach that can strengthen the bond between you and your dog.

1-2-1 Puppy Training
I offer one-to-one sessions where I will work with you and your puppy to give them the best start in life.
This puppy course will help prevent future behavioural problems such as separation anxiety and reactivity from occurring. The sessions will include:
- Basic manners and behaviours
- Loose lead walking
- Recall
- Socialisation
- Confidence building
- Toilet training
- And much more!

Behaviour Training
I have extensive experience working with dogs with behavioural issues.
Common behavioural problems include:
- Dog-to-dog reactivity
- Dog-to-human reactivity
- Excessive barking
- Destructive behaviour
- Separation anxiety
My dog training uses the latest science-based approach. By training and teaching positively dogs can live a happy and fulfilled life that is free from pain and fear.
Pricing
Training Consultation
Training Plan & Consultation Report
Follow-up Training Sessions
3 x Training Sessions
Dog & Puppy Sitting
The report and training plan will be tailored to your dog. If a referral to the vet is required this is included in the price.
WhatsApp or email support included in working hours for up to 6 weeks.
If you want to know more about what happens after you book then take a look at this page. It describes the process from start to finish.
Reviews

Holly helped us with our 18 months old labradoodle Colin. He needed some work with his recall and lead walking to make sure all his walks were fun and safe for everyone.
She made us feel comfortable from the start, and we definitely finished our sessions feeling like both Colin and ourselves benefitted from the experience.
She never tried to change Colins personality, appreciating him for the larger than life character that he is, but helping to give owners the tools they need to support their pups. This was something she made clear from the start and it was a no brainer that she was the perfect fit to help us!
We can’t recommend Holly highly enough, she clearly has a wealth of knowledge and a passion for helping dogs and owners to get the best out of each other.

We were having lots of problems with our ten-month-old Staffie who was over excited on walks and was jumping up and nipping us because he didn’t know what else to do. We were at a point where I wouldn’t walk him on my own and was anxious about going out with him. After just one session with Holly the nipping stopped completely, she taught us how to channel his excitement into fun. We now have enjoyable walks with Reggie, and he is so much happier and calmer even when at home.
After two sessions with her his recall is great and he is off lead most of the time. She’s so positive at every turn and never once criticised or discouraged us, Reggie loves her and her magic bag!
She genuinely cares about your dog, and this makes the training sessions really enjoyable! I would recommend her to anyone.

Holly has been absolutely amazing with my 8 month old Labrador Barney. His recall was none existent until Holly came along and worked her magic! Taking Barney on his walks used to be a horrible experience but now it’s both mine and Barney’s favourite thing to do! Holly also helped me gain my confidence while out with Barney as I was just as nervous as him. She is a fantastic dog trainer and person. She is passionate about the job she does and was dedicated to cracking the crazy mind of Barney. 10/10 thank you Holly!

Our first pet dog is a German Shepherd (I know it’s a big commitment!) He joined the family as a puppy – and luckily so did Holly! She has been with us since day one and helped us understand how to get the best from Kofi and how to help him become the confident, kind hearted and patient adolescent young dog that he is. It’s surprising how many dogs are reactive to a German Shepherd, even a cheery puppy like Kofi. But he is very patient with the barking and biting tiny dogs and enjoys a wrestle with the grown up big dogs and comes back to us when we call him; and is very obedient, especially for a teenager. Holly is still coming regularly and helping us dog newbies through the changing dog behaviours as Kofi grows up and she and her dog Trevor are part of our family now!

Max is an extremely anxious rescue GSD who is very reactive to other humans and dogs, It got to the point where he was refusing to walk at all as he was too scared to go outside. I had worked with another trainer with little success so decided to try Holly. I could see straight away she truly understood Max, and he warmed to her almost immediately. Although we had a ‘difficult’ first walk, she could see straight away how to help Max and gave us both some excellent techniques to help Max cope with the stresses he encountered. I couldn’t believe the transformation; within a week he was running to the door as soon as I got the lead out as he was now excited to go out of the house. He is also much quicker to settle when new people enter the house, something else Max struggled with. She is so dedicated to her work, whenever we have any challenges I know she is just at the end of the phone to offer advice. She really cares about the dogs and their owners and I couldn’t recommend her anymore highly.

Having Holly as our puppy trainer has been an absolute godsend. Her passion for helping us with our Huntaway, Huey, really shone through from the moment we met her. Holly had fully researched our puppy as Huntaways were not a breed she had dealt with much before. She has helped us understand his natural instincts and how to fulfil his needs. Holly is always happy to give us help and advice when needed and has helped us grow in confidence with handling our puppy’s excitable ways. We couldn’t have got through the last few months without Holly and it’s not only us that love her, but so does our Huntaway Huey!
Thanks so much Holly for everything ❤️

Holly has been a great help with our working cocker spaniel Louie. We are Louie’s 4th owners. He was a very big lead puller, had a lot of excitement based reactivity and had poor recall. Holly has been on hand to show and teach us how to handle Louie. His lead pulling has reduced and his recall has improved massively. We’ve been taught techniques to help with Louie’s reactivity around other dogs. He has so much fun in his lessons and is always excited to see Holly. He has calmed down so much in the house and is a lot more relaxed. Holly has helped with any queries or questions we had. Thank you Holly!

We contacted Holly after a few walks ending in tears due to a very excitable and playful golden retriever puppy, Mostyn, jumping up at the lead at the end of every walk and lunging towards every human/dog/moving object he saw. With just one quick suggestion of how to prevent the lead biting before he got too excited, Holly had solved that problem in our initial consultation – we couldn’t believe it! Holly took us to big open spaces with some other dogs and gave us the confidence to let Mostyn off lead after some recall games which were fun for both us and Mostyn. She has given us the tools to manage his reactivity and still checks in now after our sessions have ended. We can’t thank you enough, Holly!

Holly has given Shadow & I our confidence back when we’re walking & meeting other dogs.
He’s quite a shy, anxious dog & has had bad experiences with other dogs in his past that have made him fearful. In turn I would also be anxious & we appeared to be in a downward spiral. Holly has been nothing but patient with him (us) to get him where he is now. We can enjoy our walks again safe in the knowledge that we know how to react in various situations to remove any anxiety or fear.
He absolutely adores Holly & gets very excited to play whenever he sees her. I get a lot of comfort knowing that he’s so happy!
She is super knowledgeable & a lovely person, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her.

Holly was absolutely amazing! Neither of us ever had a dog growing up, so making sure we were doing the right things for our Murphy was so important to us!
Holly never made us feel stupid (even when we definitely asked stupid questions), and taught us as owners more than we ever could of imagined.
Holly set us up to have the most perfect, loving and smart puppy dog – we couldn’t have been without her!
EXCELLENT Based on 111 reviews Sam Plant2025-03-03Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Holly is super knowledgeable, friendly and clearly loves working with dogs and their people. We learned so much (and helped confirm/debunk some of our own theories) about our pup Woody in just one session, and he absolutely loved Holly. So much so that he sat by the door for a good 5 mins after she left hoping she’d come back to play some more! Holly explained Woody’s behaviours in simple terms, taught him new commands and gave us clear instructions on how to help him develop into a neutral but, most importantly, fulfilled dog. Highly recommended! Brian Dickinson2025-03-03Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. From first contact with Holly we both knew how good she was, we contacted Holly when we were both really low we felt we were in a corner and just didn’t know where to turn, our 7 month old Rottie had entered his adolescent period and was getting just a bit too confident so after a late night chat with Holly to which we didn’t have to explain all the issues she knew what we were going through so we immediately set plans in place and after a 90 minute session the following week and some homework our Kobi is once again back on track We had another session yesterday and we we weee once again blown away by her knowledge, patience and just her general manner, before the final session Kobi was terrified of road noise, we’ve just come back from a lovely walk which took in roads junctions pavements so we are absolutely over the moon If your after a dog trainer or someone to train and guide you then look no further Holly is your choice Highly recommended and thanks Holly x Henry C-Davies2025-03-01Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Fantastic one to one training! I cannot recommend Holly enough, we’ve had two sessions with her and our miniature schnauzer Winston, seeing Holly when he’s been 4 and 6 months old. Holly’s expertise and guidance has helped Winston become more confident around other dogs and better manage his frustration reactivity snd anxieties. Holly offers excellent advice to put into practice in our own time and is available any time for messaging advice too. Would recommend her to anyone with a dog who needs some extra support to build confidence with supportive and fun training activities tailored to you and your dog. Kirstie H2025-02-18Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Holly is incredible - 5 stars is not enough! Our puppy Kiwi had the BEST time during our session. We learned lots more about Kiwi and were amazed at what she picked up with Holly. She left the session a more happy and confident pup! Holly’s enthusiasm and passion for working with dogs shone through - she really ‘sees’ each dog, gets to know them and their family, and tailors her sessions accordingly. We cannot recommend her enough. If you’re looking for a knowledgable, positive, force free trainer who will boost your dogs (and your own) confidence, and provide practical tailored training and support - Holly is the one! Beth Kelly2025-02-15Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Holly is an amazing dog trainer - she is kind, knowledgeable and clearly loves dogs and what she does! Our cocker spaniel Ruby had a wonderful training session with Holly. We covered gundog training exercises, recall, lead walking, engagement and reactivity when seeing other dogs. Ruby has a great time and really enjoyed the session, we have come away with so much knowledge and amazing tips from Holly! Great prices for the level of care and passion and the overall quality of the session. Holly made us feel like part of the family, she is so welcoming and friendly and answered all of our questions without judgement. 100% recommend Hollys services! Thank you 🤩 Thomas Spence2025-01-26Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I can't recommend Holly's Happy Hounds in Swinton enough! Holly has been an absolute game-changer for us and our boxer, Marge. When Marge was a puppy, she struggled with separation anxiety, and Holly provided us with the support and guidance we needed to help her through it. More recently, we've faced challenges with Marge's reactivity and fear, and Holly has once again been amazing in working with us to address these issues. Her approach is kind, patient, and effective, and we’ve seen such positive changes in Marge’s behavior. We’re so grateful for all Holly has done to help us build a stronger bond with our dog. If you're looking for expert dog trainer, look no further! maurice mitchell2025-01-04Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Holly has done wonders for my little man Ralph, honestly couldn’t have asked for a better person to develop him at such a young age. After just two sessions Ralph has great recall, is always engaged with me, walks perfectly on lead and doesn’t engage with other dogs or people without me allowing him to. Couldn’t recommend Holly enough holly dawson2024-12-13Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I think Holly is genuinely one of the nicest people I have ever met. She immediately noticed our rescue needed some help from the vet before her training could start. Our boxer Willow is very reactive and scared when outside of the house. Willow is now on medication and we are taking little steps until we can start training fully with Holly which we are so excited for but in the meantime I know Holly is just a message away if we need her. The advice given so far has been so helpful. Since getting tips and tricks from Holly we feel we have already created a better bond with our Willow. She’s definitely on the right track now and spends her time building her confidence with her uncle Dexter and on a private field as recommended by Holly. It’s clear to see Holly is a very caring dog lover and also very knowledgeable. Dan D2024-12-01Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Holly is incredibly knowledgeable, and it's clear she not only loves dogs but also knows exactly how to guide us humans in training them effectively. She provided easy-to-implement changes to our dogs' routines and gave us practical advice on responding to misbehavior. We can already see how these adjustments will have a positive impact. Highly recommend her expertise! Kimberley Shaw2024-11-29Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I can’t do anything but praise this woman we took our 7 month old cocker spaniel toby to visit holly as he was very anxious and showing signs of aggression towards other walkers and sometimes other dog's we went into this with no experience with puppy’s before and she taught us ways to avoid these situations we realise it wasn’t going to be sorted overnight but he’s is definitely a lot easier to handle when going for walks and when we have visitors coming round, he is becoming a much more loving dog and not a crocodile So thank you again holly Dog whisperer 🐶❤️