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38 entries on 2 pages
Alistair Mackay
22/10/23 22:58:22
Oh thanks for your kind words Kirsteen... sorry I have been calling you Christine all this time.... need a new hearing aid maybe, ha.. , or get an ear trumpet possibly. ha ha. Ted was a treat... didn't I tell you.! Enjoy.
Kirsty Shields
22/10/23 22:44:37
We spent an hour with Alistair and it has transformed our lead walking and recall with Ted. We particularly appreciated that Alistair talked through our daily habits with us at length to understand our challenges. Ted has been a happier dog since. Thank you Alistair, we hope to be back for more fun soon.
Amy Sugden
19/10/23 21:28:03
Just wanted to say quick thanks for continuing the lesson today Alistair... must have both been mad to think it could possibly work but it did.. thanks to your 'estate'!.. plenty of shielded spots out of the wind and rain made it a do'er in the end. As you quite rightly said, training a dog in that weather is 10 times more difficult than it would normally be, but then again how easy it then becomes when the weather is good. Hope the next 2 lessons in the course are blessed with good days. Regards Amy & Flash
Clare Ciusin
19/10/23 09:30:38
thanks Alistair for all your tips. Already looking forward to next lesson. Morph is really stimulated with the new regime you suggested. hopefully he will be picking up or beating by the end of the season like you said. The whistle is the magic tool that you promised it would be. See you in 3 weeks. Clare.
Alan Crozier
22/09/23 11:02:08
Just want to say thanks to Alistair for a very productive lesson yesterday. Archie, my 9 month old cocker is a different dog today! Alistair gave me loads of tips but none were better than his 3 best... No 1, Be Steady, do nothing. No 2, Be Steady, do nothing and No 3, Be Steady, do nothing. Simple. The change in 1 day is unbelievable.
Archie might make a gundog yet.!
Alan Crozier
Archie might make a gundog yet.!
Alan Crozier
Nick Aitken
19/09/23 13:19:59
I heard about Alistair through a word of mouth recommendation and contacted him through his website. I explained my dog, Finn wasn't a gun dog breed but an energetic and easily distracted 9 month old Border Collie. After a chat on the phone we arranged a one hour lesson.
Alistair clearly demonstrated some techniques and strategies to hold Finns attention. We also worked on his walking to heel. By the end of the lesson I could see a marked improvement in Finns focus and I believe I now have a solid foundation to build on as I work with Finn over the coming months. Thanks Alistair!
Alistair clearly demonstrated some techniques and strategies to hold Finns attention. We also worked on his walking to heel. By the end of the lesson I could see a marked improvement in Finns focus and I believe I now have a solid foundation to build on as I work with Finn over the coming months. Thanks Alistair!
Carol Chalmers
12/05/23 20:18:26
I have a 4.5 month cross working Labrador/ working Spaniel. I have not had a large breed before and I really wanted some advice/guidance re heel training, recall and other issues. Alistair was so helpful and demonstrated using himself with Callie and then with my daughter and I. I feel he offered strategies for us to implement and repeat constantly. Alistair clearly has a wealth of experience which I feel we really benefitted from. This was a one off session but I would have no hesitation in going back to Alistair if I need more support in the future.
Thanks Alistair your input was so appreciated!
Thanks Alistair your input was so appreciated!
Alistair Mackay
10/05/23 20:07:24
Had the pleasure of instructing Carol and her daughter with Caley their 5 month Lab Spaniel cross. What a wee smasher she is and she was a treat to train. In no time she was sitting patiently and focusing on me with baited breath! Doing NOTHING... Remember Carol..... eye contact and her knowing that something good is about to happen will make for a better connection between you both. Talking to her to keep her attention certainly helped and wasn't she so motivated with my hand when walking to heel! Hope you wrote everything down when you got home... must remember to set alarm clock next time... at least half hour over time ha ha
Alistair
Alistair
Anne Edwards
30/04/23 19:00:08
Hi Alistair
Hettie and I thoroughly enjoyed our session on Friday. Lots of great hints, tips and demos! It’s only been 2 days since our lesson but Hettie is listening more to ‘her master’s voice’ and is a totally different dog to walk already. Looking forward to another session when we are back up North again!
Hettie and I thoroughly enjoyed our session on Friday. Lots of great hints, tips and demos! It’s only been 2 days since our lesson but Hettie is listening more to ‘her master’s voice’ and is a totally different dog to walk already. Looking forward to another session when we are back up North again!
Amanda Barclay
20/03/23 14:21:13
Had video call with Alistair today in advance of in-person lessons later in the year. Rosie is our 2 year old cocker and we’re having trouble with her on-lead walking and recall. The session was very valuable and informative and Alastair gave us useful tips about where we’re going wrong. We will be working hard over the next couple of months to get Rosie ready for her ‘proper’ lessons in June.
George Gray
19/02/23 13:40:35
Met Alister today whilst walking dog in Binning Wood. He gave me advice about getting Hector to walk to heel better. Basically by using any old piece of rope as slip lead. Have binned my old method and Hector is different dog! Thanks Alister for free advice ha ha. (have booked a lesson though for next week)
Sarah Kane
15/02/23 15:28:36
We visited Alistair at the weekend with our nearly 6month old (very head strong) fox red lab Ozzy! Alistair had Ozzy’s attention from about 60 seconds in to meeting him. Alistair talked us through the basics and fundamentals of gun dog training which we’ve taken away and trying our best to apply! It was a very worthwhile session, Alistair has lots of knowledge and experience which really helped with the puppy training journey!
Nicola Jardine
05/02/23 10:21:23
I am writing this review after visiting Alistair at Branxholme Gundogs. My young lab Kally is 10 months old and needed something to stimulate him to further his training. Alistair quickly pointed out that giving him titbits wasn't the way in which to do this! As soon as he saw a 'treat bag' attached to my waist he figured I would be too generous with them. He was able to substitute treats with tasks that stimulated him without expanding his stomach.
Alistair has a vast store of knowledge to impart on to novice handlers such as myself so it was a very rewarding hour for Kally and myself.
I will definitely be going back in a couple of months to soak in more of this knowledge.
Alistair has a vast store of knowledge to impart on to novice handlers such as myself so it was a very rewarding hour for Kally and myself.
I will definitely be going back in a couple of months to soak in more of this knowledge.
Pat and Jimmy
04/02/23 22:43:26
Jimmy and I had a very informative lesson with Alistair today with our 5 month old cocker
Leah. We wanted to be sure we were on the right track with her training for the coming months. Just basic stuff really but important non the less. The usuall stuff with recall and walking to heal that seems to be everyone's problem.
Alistair was quick to put us right with some of our misconceptions and gave us renewed hope that we could progress without any major hiccups.
Getting rid of our harness was certainly the best advice, with Leah now walking with no pulling whatsoever on a slip lead. Supposing we don't see any other improvement in the coming weeks, the improvement in our walking hours is worth the cost of the lesson alone !
Thank you Alistair once again.
Pat and Jimmy (and not forgetting Leah)
Leah. We wanted to be sure we were on the right track with her training for the coming months. Just basic stuff really but important non the less. The usuall stuff with recall and walking to heal that seems to be everyone's problem.
Alistair was quick to put us right with some of our misconceptions and gave us renewed hope that we could progress without any major hiccups.
Getting rid of our harness was certainly the best advice, with Leah now walking with no pulling whatsoever on a slip lead. Supposing we don't see any other improvement in the coming weeks, the improvement in our walking hours is worth the cost of the lesson alone !
Thank you Alistair once again.
Pat and Jimmy (and not forgetting Leah)
John M
28/01/23 12:51:46
My two-year-old lab, Copper, is coming along nicely, but I needed some guidance regarding the next stage, with a hope to picking up and/or competing. Alistair was excellent in our first session - he assessed Copper over the course of the lesson, increasing the difficulty of the tasks gradually, and quickly found the areas that we need to work on. Copper and I are looking forward to our next session, having spent the last couple of weeks doing our homework. I was really impressed with Alistair’s knowledge and approach - I recommend him highly.
Andy Philips
02/01/23 12:28:39
hi again Alistair
great response to our lesson with Cara so far so thanks again.. Would i still qualify for your 3 lesson offer price even though I've already paid the first lesson? Keen to look further ahead with the training in the spring. Cheers Andy
great response to our lesson with Cara so far so thanks again.. Would i still qualify for your 3 lesson offer price even though I've already paid the first lesson? Keen to look further ahead with the training in the spring. Cheers Andy
Charlie Hasham
27/12/22 18:08:18
Hi Alistair
thanks for fitting me in at the last minute. Raleigh is responding to her new tasks already. She is staying closer to me rather than disappearing over the horizon at the earliest opportunity which is normal for her breed... I now realise that I wasn't engaging enough with her and she was becoming bored with me hence her not taking any notice of me. After 1 session she is already looking back to me for instruction.... magic.! Lets hope it continues and see you on the 23rd. Charleze
thanks for fitting me in at the last minute. Raleigh is responding to her new tasks already. She is staying closer to me rather than disappearing over the horizon at the earliest opportunity which is normal for her breed... I now realise that I wasn't engaging enough with her and she was becoming bored with me hence her not taking any notice of me. After 1 session she is already looking back to me for instruction.... magic.! Lets hope it continues and see you on the 23rd. Charleze
Alistair Mackay
27/12/22 09:04:45
hi folks, getting the new website up and running... the older guestbook entries are on the. 2022 page for the time being. Have a guid new year come the weekend and all the best for 2023.
mackay@branxholme.com