Date of Project: November 2025 – August 2026
Type of Client: Residential dog owners
Client/Project Name: Mike, Hope & Sirius
Project Location: Coventry
Service Provided: Dream Puppy Programme followed by Maintenance Programme
Helping a Young Working Cocker Spaniel Get the Best Start
Sirius was just two months old when Mike and Hope first contacted me for puppy training in Coventry.
They had already sought some training advice elsewhere, but the approach they had been given had not felt like the right fit for Sirius or for them. In particular, they were struggling with crate training and had previously been advised to leave Sirius to cry when confined. By the time we started working together, the crate had already become something Sirius found difficult.
Mike and Hope wanted to take a different approach. Their goal wasn’t simply to teach Sirius a list of behaviours. They wanted to understand him, learn to read his body language and build the foundations for a dog who could join them in everyday life.
They wanted Sirius to be able to settle, travel, visit friends, enjoy holidays and explore the world with them, while developing the skills needed to cope with the excitement that naturally comes with being a young Working Cocker Spaniel.
The Challenges Mike, Hope & Sirius Were Facing
Like many young puppies, Sirius was finding several parts of puppy life difficult.
Crate training was one of the biggest challenges. Because he was struggling to settle and sleep in the crate, this also affected how much rest he was getting. Sleep is hugely important for puppies, and an overtired puppy can often become much more mouthy, excitable and unable to switch off.
Sirius was particularly bitey as a young puppy, so we worked on helping Mike and Hope understand why mouthing happens, how tiredness and arousal can contribute to it, and how to redirect him towards appropriate things to chew.
As he grew, other very normal puppy and adolescent behaviours appeared too, including:
- Jumping up at kitchen worktops while food was being prepared
- Chewing furniture
- Difficulty switching off
- Impulse control around exciting things
- Learning to walk calmly on lead
- Building reliable recall
- Maintaining focus outdoors
Being a Working Cocker Spaniel, Sirius was bright, active and highly motivated by the world around him. Rather than trying to suppress those characteristics, the aim was to teach him how to use them appropriately.
Building the Relationship First
A central part of the Dream Puppy Programme is helping owners build a strong relationship with their puppy.
Training becomes much easier when a dog learns that their person is worth listening to, interacting with and returning to, even when the environment is exciting.
We introduced simple foundation exercises such as hand touches, catching games and engagement exercises, alongside everyday life skills.
Mike and Hope also learnt much more about Sirius’s body language so they could recognise when he was becoming tired, overwhelmed, frustrated or over-excited and adjust what they were asking of him accordingly.
Rather than focusing solely on obedience, we looked at the whole dog.
That included sleep, nutrition, chewing, enrichment, appropriate exercise and giving Sirius suitable outlets for natural spaniel behaviour.
Supporting Sirius Through Health Challenges
Sirius also experienced recurring gastrointestinal problems during puppyhood and spent periods going backwards and forwards to the vets.
Eventually, a possible sensitivity to chicken was identified, which meant his diet and training rewards had to be carefully managed.
At one stage, turkey was one of the few foods we could reliably use for training.
This also meant adjusting some of the chews and enrichment options we might otherwise have used to help him settle.
Training plans have to work for the individual dog in front of us. Sirius’s health meant being flexible and finding alternatives while still helping him learn the skills he needed.
Lead Walking, Recall and Real-Life Training
As Sirius grew, we moved more of the training into the real world.
We worked together on training walks, teaching him how to walk closer to Mike and Hope and develop more awareness of them while exploring.
Loose lead walking can be particularly challenging for spaniels. They have been bred to move, search and use their noses, so expecting a young Working Cocker simply to ignore the environment isn’t realistic.
Instead, we worked on giving Sirius opportunities to explore while also teaching him when staying closer to his owners was valuable.
Recall was another major part of his training.
We built recall through engagement, reinforcement and lots of successful repetitions rather than waiting until Sirius disappeared after something exciting before trying to call him back.
That groundwork has paid off. Mike and Hope have since had occasions where Sirius has started to chase birds and has responded immediately to their recall.
Those moments are where all those seemingly small training repetitions really matter.
Giving a Working Cocker Appropriate Outlets
Because Sirius is a Working Cocker Spaniel, we also incorporated activities that allowed him to use the skills his breed was developed for.
His training included gundog-style exercises, scent work, hunting games, retrieves and other enrichment designed to channel his natural enthusiasm.
For dogs like Sirius, mental enrichment isn’t about exhausting them.
It is about giving their brain an appropriate job.
Using breed-specific activities helped Mike and Hope meet his needs while also strengthening Sirius’s ability to work with them and improving their relationship.
From Puppyhood Through Adolescence
Mike and Hope continued working with me after completing the Dream Puppy Programme and moved onto my Maintenance Programme.
This allowed us to keep developing Sirius’s training as his needs changed.
Puppy training doesn’t suddenly finish when puppyhood ends. Adolescence brings a whole new set of challenges as confidence grows, distractions become more interesting and previously reliable behaviours can temporarily become harder.
Sirius wasn’t always an easy teenager, but Mike and Hope approached this stage with patience and a much deeper understanding of the dog in front of them.
Rather than seeing difficult moments as Sirius being deliberately disobedient, they had the knowledge to think about what he needed and how they could help him.
Sirius’s Progress in Everyday Life
Over the months we worked together, Sirius developed into a dog Mike and Hope can genuinely enjoy taking places.
He has been on holiday with them, visited friends’ homes and experienced a range of different environments.
They have also begun noticing something owners often don’t recognise when they are living through puppyhood: just how much progress their dog has actually made.
When they see Sirius alongside other dogs, they can now appreciate how many everyday skills he has developed and how well he can behave in situations that once would have been difficult.
His recall has become stronger, his lead walking has improved, he has learnt how to settle more successfully and Mike and Hope understand how to give their spaniel appropriate outlets for his energy and instincts.
Perhaps most importantly, they have become confident advocates for Sirius.
They understand him, they have patience with him and they know how to help him when he finds something difficult.
A Huge Change in Owner Confidence
Sirius’s progress isn’t just about the behaviours he has learnt.
Mike and Hope’s confidence has grown enormously too.
From initially feeling unsure about how best to train their young puppy, they now have a much better understanding of learning, body language, enrichment and how Sirius’s breed influences his behaviour.
The relationship they have built with him is evident.
They absolutely adore Sirius, but they also understand him as an individual dog rather than expecting him to fit into a preconceived idea of what a “well-behaved” dog should look like.
And that is a huge part of successful puppy training.
Client Testimonial
Mike left the following five-star Google review after nearly ten months of working together:
“After an initial bad experience with another dog trainer, we started with Carrie who completely revolutionised how we trained our new Cocker Spaniel puppy Sirius! Her calm approach alongside her in-depth experience has been so valuable to our successes when training him. We’ve worked on a wide variety of things, from gun dog training, to building strong recall, to separation anxiety training. We cannot recommend Carrie enough for helping you get your dog on track and well-trained!” Google Review
Project Outcomes
- Training Duration: November 2025 – August 2026
- Initial Programme: Dream Puppy Programme
- Follow-Up Support: Maintenance Programme
- Key Skills: Recall, loose lead walking, focus, settling, impulse control and everyday puppy life skills
- Breed-Specific Training: Gundog foundations, scent work, hunting games and retrieves
- Owner Education: Body language, puppy development, sleep, nutrition, enrichment and adolescent behaviour
- Real-World Success: Holidays, visits to friends, reliable recall around exciting distractions and improved behaviour in everyday environments
- Owner Confidence: Significantly improved
- Client Satisfaction: Five-star Google review
Thoughtful Puppy Training in Coventry
Sirius’s story is a good example of why puppy training is about far more than teaching sit, stay and walking to heel.
Young dogs need help learning how to live in our world, but their owners also need the knowledge to understand why their puppy behaves the way they do.
For a busy, intelligent breed such as a Working Cocker Spaniel, that also means providing appropriate outlets for the behaviours they have been bred to perform rather than simply trying to stop them.
By building strong foundations during puppyhood and continuing that support through adolescence, Mike and Hope now have the skills to keep developing Sirius’s training throughout his life.
Professional Credentials and Training Standards
Carrie’s Canines and Friends provides professional dog training in Coventry and surrounding areas, with programmes designed to support both dogs and their owners.
The training approach follows modern, reward-based methods and is supported by recognised industry credentials, including:
- IABTC Accredited Instructor
- SA Pro Behaviour Consultant
- Member of the Pet Professional Guild
- Ongoing professional development and education
This case demonstrates how structured one-to-one dog training in Coventry can transform not only a dog’s behaviour but also the confidence and enjoyment of their owner.
Through the Dream Dog Programme, Murphy’s natural enthusiasm and intelligence were channelled into productive behaviours, helping him develop into a calmer, more focused companion.
Start Your Puppy’s Training Journey
If you’ve recently brought home a puppy and want support with biting, settling, recall, lead walking, sleep, enrichment or simply understanding your puppy better, my one-to-one puppy training in Coventry is designed to give you those foundations.
The Dream Puppy Programme combines practical training with an understanding of puppy development, body language and your individual dog’s needs, helping you build a relationship that supports training throughout their life.
Find out more about my 121 puppy training in Coventry or get in touch to discuss your puppy.
Call: 07710 628449
Email: info@carriescanines.co.uk