Read what the Vets in Berkshire and Hampshire are saying about us.............

Kris has been working with us since September 2005. In appointing Kris as our Behaviour Consultant and Puppy Class Coordinator, we chose her over and above three other well qualified candidates. We needed to trust and be comfortable with her methods, her people skills and above all, her empathy with our patients. It continues to be important that we feel confidence in referring our clients to her.  We are happy to say that Kris has shown great dedication to her work and always works for the best interests of the patient and owner.

Alwyn and Penny Evans, MRCVS - Partners Moor Cottage Veterinary Hospital

"Kris has been invaluable in providing guidance and support in running a safe and effective puppy pre-school program with us at Castle Vets. I refer my clients to her as I know that, however big or small the problem, pet owners are assured of a friendly reception and sound advice."

Gill Gadd - Registered Veterinary Nurse and Practice Administrator at Castle Vets Pet Healthcare Centre.

Kris approaches her patients with kindness and care. She teams this with her wide knowledge of animal behaviour to provide an outstanding service. In the time I have known Kris she has made every effort to keep up to date with advancements in the ever- growing field of animal behaviour. This means her advice given is the best available.

Fiona Strange - BVetMed MRCVS, Burghfield Veterinary Surgery, Berkshire

‘We recommend Kris to clients with new puppies as well as rescue dogs as a first stop to get advice on training and socialisation. We find her caring, professional and thorough approach is appreciated by all. We also refer our problem dogs to Kris, and find her thorough and practical approach is very well received. The client reports are always tailored to the individual case – with consideration of both the dog as well as the individual owners. It reflects well on our services to be able to offer referral for behaviour problems to such a competent and caring behaviourist'.

Mr Michael Morrow MRCVS - St Vincents Veterinary Surgery - Wokingham

At Sunninghill Veterinary Centre we like to ensure a pet’s general well-being is good.  This means not only diagnosing and treating illness, but making sure a pet fits in well with their human family and enjoys their daily activities. In Kris we have found the ideal pet trainer and behaviourist.  She is sympathetic and understanding of an owner’s needs, whilst having great empathy with the pets. Many of our clients have attended Kris’ training classes or had one to one behavioural assessments.  Their feed-back has been really positive – of course, however good the advice and support is, it is still up to the owner to implement it!

Johanna Headley -  BVetMed MRCVS, Sunninghill Veterinary Centre, Berkshire

Read what Berkshire and North Hampshire's pet owners are saying about us........................

"My husband and I were new to owning a dog and had a 1 year rescue Labrador who had never been trained properly to walk on a lead or come to heel. We had a couple of one to one sessions with Kris, who was really encouraging and supportive showed us techniques to help improve Stanley's obedience. We then went on to improvers class, Rally-O and now to the Kennel Club bronze award.  We found the teaching methods excellent as they are all reward based, and Stanley really enjoys the interaction with new people and dogs. All of which has helped him become a very sociable and lovely pet. Thank you Kris, Helen and Nicole and all the rest of the team at Pets in Practice for all your help".

Paula Buffham

“Pets in Practice has made such a difference in my puppies behaviour. Reilly is now a clever and obedient dog, and a joy to own. He learned very quickly  how to sit, stand, and come when called.  It has also given him the much needed socialisation with other puppies and made lots of friends.  The class is a must for any puppy owner, and not just to train the puppy but to learn how to look after your pet properly and responsibly. Kris and her team are extremely helpful, and Kris even helped me find a good home for my puppy whilst we go away for a week.  We’ve already recommended Pets in Practice to friends and will continue to do so in the future”.

Elizabeth Leng, Reading, Berkshire

"We thoroughly enjoyed taking our Boxer-cross to Pets in Practise's improvers course. He wasn't "improving" on much (he could barely "sit") but was slightly too old for the puppy class. However, we were never given the impression that this was a problem. Despite being a very easily-distracted pup he responded very well to the reward-based lessons and seemed to actively look forward to the classes every week.

They wore him out, too: all that thinking was obviously hard work! Over the six weeks he transformed from a barely-trained dog who hardly listened to us, to a delightful companion who walked to heel, stayed on command, left treats until told he could take them, and even did some tricks. We really enjoyed the classes too: Nicole and Catherine were knowledgeable, kind and inspirational. Everyone comments on what a good dog he is now. I'd recommend Pets in Practise to anyone."

Nicola and Mark Millichip (and Frankie the dog!), Reading, Berkshire

Kris, Thanks so much for all the outstanding information, advice and training you have provided for Remy. From coming to our house for a consultation when he was a puppy to the informative puppy class to having Remy board with you for training –  it has all helped make Remy a happy and well-behaved dog. Being a Brittany, he has boundless energy. You have taught our family the importance of working with Remy’s natural instincts through exercise, training and positive reward reinforcement.

You have an amazing understanding of dogs.  Your understanding along with your depth of knowledge of dog behaviour makes you an outstanding pet behaviourist. We recommend you to all our friends and everyone we see at the vet with a new puppy. Thanks again, Kris!

Suzanne Crooke, Ascot, Berkshire

"Being a first time dog owner the course was very interesting and has helped us to train our dog and understand how to praise and reward.. Doing the course has encouraged us to do other courses with pets in practice!"

Huw Headd-Williams and Bailey the Beagle, Burghfield Common, Berkshire

Billie the anxious Doberman. Billie is a four year rescue Doberman who has always been a bit nervy but this got worse when our other dog died.  She became very stressed during high winds and used to shake, sometimes vomiting and becoming very clingy.  She also became noticeably more nervous around other people, dogs, horses and cows – none of which previously had  worried her too much. After a discussion with our vet, he referred us to Kris of Pets in Practise.

Kris came to our house and observed our behaviour with Billie in the house and out on a walk.  She offered some suggestions on the walk itself so we could start practising some of the techniques she thought would help and then provided a very comprehensive report with some more detailed guidance. We started implementing all the techniques she put forward and have noticed a big improvement in Billie’s behaviour.  She seems calmer and is much more responsive to us both in the house and when out on walks - all this despite a bad  experience just after Kris’ visit when Billie was on lead and attacked and badly hurt by two off lead dogs.

We were able to discuss this with Kris as part of the original consultation and use Kris’ suggestions, particularly the ‘Watch Me’ and ‘Arc’ commands to make sure that this wasn’t a retrograde step for Billie. We felt that we got excellent advice, particularly relevant for our situation, which has helped us to help Billie gradually overcome her anxiety.  There is still a way to go but we feel confident that we are making progress all the time.

Alison Bannister, Berkshire

Kris was so friendly and approachable; when I first met her I felt like I’d known her my whole life! Our Terrier Leonard suffers from lead frustration around other dogs, which was making our walks a misery, but by the time the consult had ended Kris had helped me realise that what lay behind his behaviour was fear, and I stopped being angry with him and was able to focus on helping him. She took lots of time to get to know us and our dog, and fully understand the problem; I didn’t feel silly for asking questions, or not understanding the thinking behind things, and the personalised training programme we received was in-depth and easy to follow.

Kris left us with a few tips that we would be lost without today; such as distracting Leonard with a squeaky ball if he became distracted by another dog when out and about, and our walks are a lot more peaceful now we can all relax and enjoy being in the great outdoors. Thank you Kris and Pets in Practise!

Claire Palmer, Pete Hamill & Leonard the Terrier, Maidenhead, Berkshire

I first met Kris Glover in 2009 when I began an improvers class with my six year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Alice.  Alice and I had attended obedience when she was a puppy and also done a few years agility.  Kris was very helpful and explained her classes in a telephone conversation.  I was impressed with her approach to dogs in general and also liked the fact that she understands the needs of different breeds of dogs and takes this into consideration in her training classes. 

There is no rigidity in Kris’s classes regarding the words and signals that you use to train your dog.  If you are consistent and your dog is happy progression follows with her excellent training methods.  With the guidance of Kris, who has many qualifications and a wealth of knowledge, and her senior trainer Helen who instructed myself and Alice, I feel I have improved on Alice’s training, learnt new things and had lots of fun.

We have particularly enjoyed the new Rally ‘O’ classes. I have no hesitation whatsoever in highly recommending Pets in Practise to any dog owner,  whether they have a new puppy to train, an older dog who wants to learn new tricks and have fun or a rescue dog that needs that extra work and loving care.

Kerry Thornby and Alice, Tilehurst, Berkshire

Having just acquired a new puppy I thought that I would be a piece of cake training him myself .I realized very soon that this would not be the case.Pets in Practise provided us with a one off 1-2-1 session with Nicole that proved to be very helpful and we are now about to start an improver's course.

Iris Masters and Bob the collie pup, Woodley, Berkshire

I would fully recommend the Pets in Practice training courses as we found them very informative & of course good training for our dog. Not only is it a way to properly train the dog but he gets used to mixing with other dogs & their owners. The team are really good fun & very knowledgeable about behaviour as well as training. The overall experience was a very relaxed & enjoyable one.

Lynda Scott and Angus, Bagshot, Surrey

"I can thoroughly recommend Pets in Practise dog training. The training is first class, the classes are small so there is scope for individual attention, and best of all dogs and owners have fun. Peaches has learned so much and it is great to have a well-behaved, sociable dog I can take anywhere.

Cheryl and Peaches, Mortimer, Berkshire

Maxi is a beautiful, intelligent, two year old, black labrador.

Unfortunately he was very nervous and highly sensitive to loud noises, such as gunshots and fireworks.  He was also nervous around small children and would bark into their faces and frighten them.  In order to feel safe and secure at home Maxi spent much time hiding in the boiler room and under the beds.  In order to address Maxi's aggression towards other male dogs, we took Max to the Vets to see about having him neutered.  However, the vet recommended we saw Kristina Glover instead.  Apparently having a dog neutered does not address the nervousness and can, in fact, make the dog more aggressive.  Kristina came to our house and spent three hours getting to know Maxi and observing our handling of him and how he reacted to us.  We walked Maxi and Kristina was able to observe how Maxi behaved to commands and how he behaved towards other dogs and vice verser.  She gave us helpful pointers on what to look out for and hints on how to distract Maxi when he may be getting stressed.  She was also able to assure us that we were on the right lines in controlling him and helping him to feel "comfortable in his own skin".  As a result of her obervations Kristina gave us a plan to desensitise Maxi to stimuli which were causing the phobic behaviours.  We were advised to get an anti-anxiety medication, alter his diet a little and use a specially formulated collar to relieve anxiety.

Maxi is now like a different dog.  We are able to walk him when gunshots are going off.  Maxi can meet other dogs when out walking without undue stress.  He has stopped hiding away at home because he is not stressed anymore.  He is less stressed and feels less threatened around small children.  We have a happier dogs altogether and, as a result, we are happier dog owners.

Kristina's advice and support was invaluable.

Kate and John Burton with Maxi, Bagshot, Surrey

I am so thankful to Kris and all her advice and help that she gave us. The plan of action she made for us was very informative and effective  The aftercare was fantastic. Could email for help and advice at any time and would always get help and advice. A very professional, friendly and effective service. Thank you.

Emma and Jon Hood with Billy, Slough Berkshire

My cat was ruining my life – he woke me up every night for years, manically scratching and scratching at my bedroom door (along with howls of utter desperation) for about half an hour, every couple of hours throughout the night. Eventually I became so agitated that every time he scratched I would chase him away and down the stairs screaming at him to go away! Goodness knows what the neighbours thought! I also spent a fortune – I tried sprays, tapes and all manner of deterrents I had found on the internet, none of which worked.  During the day he was obsessive about food –every time I went into the kitchen he would follow me and beg for food, then when I put food down he wasn’t interested.  My ‘pet’ was becoming a nightmare cat!

One night my daughter came to stay and couldn’t believe what I was putting up with (she hadn’t slept either as he had spent the night scratching at both bedroom doors).  We were both shattered through lack of sleep and I was seriously thinking my only option would be giving him away, when my daughter found the Pets in Practise website.

By this point anything was worth a try but I cannot believe how it has changed mine, and my cats, life. Kris spent a couple of hours chatting and observing my cat’s behaviour, and left me with a set of guidelines and new routines. The very next day I received an email outlining the visit and reminders on our plan of action. From then on Kris kept in weekly contact, checking on how things were going. I also have a lifetime of free advice whenever I need it. Within days he had begun to change and although it took a few weeks I now have scratch –free nights and a good relationship with my now calm and contented cat.

I would thoroughly recommend Kris and wholeheartedly endorse her statement on the web - If anything is affecting your enjoyment of your cat, or your cat's enjoyment of life, don’t put up with it - contact Pets in Practise -   I did – and it changed my life!

Marilyn and Guinness Hargraves, Chineham - Basingstoke.

We are first time Cat owners, after always being around dogs, and losing ours in July 2009. Tilly was brought as a Christmas present in December 2009.The first month was brilliant and a big learning curve for us. She was a pleasure to have, to teach and to learn from.However, at the end of December, we were having troubles with Tilly, just in one area; Tilly did not use her litter tray for going for a poop in.

We first put it down to her having an upset tummy, and hoped she would go back to the way she was when we first picked her up. However, the situation remained the same, and got worse, by her using different areas of the house to do her business in. not only causing stress within the home, but it made us not enjoy the time we had with Tilly as we were always concerned where she was  “going” We tried all different tactics to get her to use her tray to go for a number 2, took tips from friends and colleagues, and tried to put these in place to help Tilly with her issue. However, things did not go to plan, and the situation remained the same.

By this time, as first time cat owners, we had convinced ourselves that we had done something to Tilly for her to be acting this way, and it was our fault she had this issue. I then contacted Kris and arranged for her to come out to our home to meet with us, and with Tilly.

Kris was very helpful from the start, listening to what we had tried and tested before, listening to our frustrations with what was happening with her etc. Kris re-assured us that this can be changed, and we started right away with our “Action plan” to help Tilly overcome this issue. We have regular contact with Kris, by email, giving daily updates, and changing the plan if things were not working.

I really do thank Kris for the advice and support she has given to us, Tilly has had a complete turn around, and she happily does her “business” in her box now!!

Sian and Tilly from Thatcham - Berkshire

Kris Glover and her team came highly recommended by a good friend and we weren't disappointed.. The puppy classes were very well organised, with a happy atmosphere and were a lot of fun. Each week we came away from the lessons uplifted, even if our pup chose not to perform or take part as he was initially very timid. He gradually gained confidence through gentle encouragement and support, and even made a few new friends. We are now looking forward to starting the Pets in Practise Improver’s course.

Kate Jarema and Morgan – Spencers Wood, Reading

Just a few words to say thank you so very much for helping with Archie, one of three rescue Labradors, who didn’t know how to behave on a lead and at 40+kilos was more than a handful.  Walking had become a battle of wills, Archie normally winning due to brute strength.  With the expert help of Pets in Practise’s Kris’ expertise and patience, Archie was reformed in less than 2 weeks.  Our daily walks are now a delight for all of us, including Archie who can now join his pals on the walks.  Not only that, he has grown up and understands what is being asked of him.  I can’t thank Kris enough for her support which has transformed my life and that of my family and all my dogs.  I can’t recommend Pets in Practise enough and should I have future dog challenges I will be ringing Pets In Practise without delay.  Thank you so much.

Jane and Archie - Hermitage, Newbury

We really can't thank Kris and the team enough for their support and guidance with our first puppy. We never realised a puppy could be such a handful but we had a 1-2-1 session with Kris and she set us off on the right foot. We have had our puppy on the puppy and improvers course and he loves it!! The help and advice you get in the classes is invaluable. Thank you.

Gary & Michelle with Enzo - Reading, Berkshire

“We have been very impressed with Kris, both in terms of her professional, friendly manner and in terms of her knowledge of cats, she even knows the querks of the different breeds. Her advice has been easy to put into practice and we now have a happy, relaxed cat again. She's also been available for follow-up advice as things have progressed and improved. Both our cats liked her, including the older one who doesn't like strangers. Thanks Kris."

Dear Kris

Thank you so much for coming to see Sefton yesterday. I just HAD to let you know, even before I get your report what a change there has been in Sefton’s behaviour. I have just taken him out for his first walk, and the first thing he saw on the opposite side of the road was another dog. I remembered THE BALL, one squeak, and I had his full attention. He didn't even give the other dog a second look.   Then we went to the field and played ball, as soon as I squeaked he dropped his big yellow ball for me to throw again.   Thank you again, for giving me my lovely boy back. Even if the Insurance don't pay up, it was worth every penny.

Sylvia King and Sefton – Spencers Wood

A quick but big THANK YOU from my terrier Jess who is barely able to totter from the car to house after her puppy class class tonight. She's loved every minute of the Improver's course and will continue to practise all the skills she has acquired from the course.

Every single one of your staff are brilliant, we'll be going to all the Burghfield classes we can manage, and if you ever get the chance to migrate towards Hook that'd be so good, especially as I couldn't find one decent class within 20 mins from my house.

Caroline and Jess White - Hook, Basingstoke

Dear Kris,

Bertie made terrific improvement in the Burghfield Puppy Class. In the last class he felt confident enough to join in all the games. He ran out to play with the other puppies, but suddenly realised where he had got to and rushed back to me! I am so pleased to see him more confident, and that is due to your classes and your assistants. I want to thank you, and Sarah especially, who spent quite a lot of time persuading him out from under my chair! He is turning out to be quite a character, surprisingly taking his lead from Mitzi (who doesn't seemed fazed by anything). He has helped her to be more forward, and she has turned out to be a very friendly quiet little girl.  But not a playmate for him.... that is my job!!

You gave me very good advice, and I thank you so much for that.

I will try and put all you taught us into practice !

With all good wishes, and love, Gail and Bertie – Whitchurch-on-Thames

Hi Kris

Thank you so much for coming out to see Buddy and Gracie. The advice and support you have given us has been simply invaluable. Buddy is still doing very well with his squeaky balls. They work like magic and he now ignores all the other dogs completely. Gracie also is so much better around strange dogs. I'm very proud of them both. THANK YOU so much.

Daphne, Buddy and Gracie Nosek - Windsor, Berkshire

Puppy Training with Helen, we just wanted to say a big thank you to Helen as we all learnt something from this and we would recommend your courses to anyone who needs puppy training. Helen was very professional in her job and showed great enthusiasm and patience too!

 I first contacted Pets In Practise in October 2010 along with 4 other companies who run puppy classes that were members of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Kris was the first of the 5 trainers to respond to my e.mail. In early November my puppy was able to come home, again I sent out e.mails asking if I could go along and watch a current puppy class. Kris was once again the first to respond and invite me along to a puppy class to watch. I attended a class in Binfield and found Nicole and Helen to be extremely approachable and the puppies in the class had a good bond with them both. Owners and pups were relaxed and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, including Nicole and Helen.

My Yorkshire Terrier, Pelucchi started his Puppy School class with Nicole and Helen at Binfield at the end of November. Tuesdays couldn’t come round quickly enough for me, I thoroughly enjoyed my evening, as did Pelucchi and we learnt so much. Nicole was always at the end of an e.mail during the week with advice for any problems or reminders on how to go about things. Once the 6-week course finished I booked Pelucchi onto the Improvers Course and again Tuesdays couldn’t come round quickly enough. Pelucchi made a firm and unlikely friendship with one of the other pups in class, a Bull Mastiff.

At the end of the Improvers Course I spoke with Nicole about Pelucchi’s fear based behaviour, which is when she passed me over to Kris. Kris came to see Pelucchi at home and helped me understand the relationship between Pelucchi and my older collie Binxie and gave me some further training tips. Within a couple of days Kris had sent me a full report on Pelucchi’s behaviour and how I was to go about training and improving his behaviour.

Pelucchi then went on to attend the Rally Obedience Level 1 course with Nicole and Sarah in Burghfield, again making some good friends and both of us thoroughly enjoying our Saturdays. He is currently working towards his Kennel Club Good Citizen Bronze Award with Nicole and Sarah at Burghfield and his friend from his Improvers Course is also attending, Pelucchi spends most of the lesson playing and enjoying himself!

Yesterday, Pelucchi went on a day trip and met a group of 7 dogs, all older and bigger than him. He was confident and playful and wasn’t phased by any of them and was part of the “pack” even on 3 legs. He spent lunchtime sat in a pub with the 7 dogs and 10 people he had never met before around a table. There were other people and dogs in the pub and lots of comings and goings. Pelucchi was content and happy to go over to everyone for cuddles. Something a few months ago I never thought would be possible for him.

Without Kris and her Pets In Practise team I don’t know where I would be with my little Pelucchi. He has come a long way and made some firm friends and so have I.

Thank You!

Zoë and Pelucchi, the wonder dog! - Maidenhead

My husband and I were given our puppy Benji just before xmas 2010 and were bewildered as to what to do for the best. We consulted Pets in Practise for some help at home and had a one to one visit from Nicole who was fab! Benji really responded to her and her methods and so when picking an improver class it had to be Pets in Practise! It was worth every last penny!

Benji is now 15mths old and lovely. He still has his puppy bounce and loves fun but we now have better control over his behaviour to minimise problems. Benji now attends an agility class weekly on the advice of Nicole and Helen. We could not have asked for more helpful people and I wouldn’t trust anyone else with something so important as moulding a puppies mind.

I recommend Pets in Practise to everyone I know and see with a new puppy or rescue dog. 

Thank you so very much. Jennifer Bolton and Benji – Bracknell.