Willathertoncaninecentre Bewertungen 9

Bought the £170 course. Gave up after 4weeks.
The structure is not good. It assumes you’re buying it before you got the dog. And to be honest it’s very repetitive a tells you about what’s coming, but rarely gets to it. Think he loves the sound of his own voice to.
Gave up after 4 weeks.

They since decided to shut the Facebook help group, and go to another platform. But using ANOTHER app is pretty pointless and won’t get the engagement and discussion between owners. Sure there a finacial / control reason, but they’re hiding it.

Have a 1yo well trained young dog, without much help from will.

The training methods taught in this course flat out do not work for most dogs. It's made specifically for working line breeds but it doesn't tell you that in the beginning. It's also incredibly misleading to use one dog in the course who took well to training, most owners I've talked to who have taken the course complain that they don't have any examples on how to work with a more challenging dog. There is also a significant lack of support for the course because the most publicly available peer support option was shut down in favor of restricting the free flow of information about the course.

Will is well-intentioned, I believe that, but his teachings do not reflect evidence-based canine psychology or development. My experience with his puppy course was genuinely traumatic, and I feel a responsibility to share it so others with new puppies steer clear and choose science-aligned, compassionate guidance.

I found Will through social media and trusted him because his claim of holding a master’s degree in canine behavior or psychology. After reaching my dream of getting a puppy after 20 years, I chose his expensive course specifically for evidence-based guidance and followed it closely.

The course itself was wordy, lengthy (mainly camera talk/lecture) and for me, anxiety-inducing, with little practical demonstration with puppies, beyond his own unusually placid, mellow puppy, Reggie. I felt pressured and afraid of missing critical developmental windows when mine wasn't as calm as Reggie, the only comparison.

My most SERIOUS concern is his guidance for 8-week-old puppies. After later extensive study (which the failing course propelled me into) in canine development , learning theory, attachment theory, and veterinary behavioral science, I learned that many of his methods are developmentally inappropriate and misaligned with evidence.

One example that still haunts me: the course instructs owners to bang on the crate and say “SH” when an 8-week-old puppy cry inside of it.

This crying is a completely natural and involuntary distress response (like a baby crying) after separation from the mother and litter and alone, in a new environment. Suppressing it through intimidation/noise is harmful to an immature, forming nervous system that needs safety.

On my puppy’s first night home, I followed this advice despite my instincts screaming otherwise. When it didn’t work, I escalated, as instructed in the course "to increase level". My puppy became more terrified and cried all night. I sat beside the crate crying, too. It remains one of the most painful nights of my life, and I still carry deep regret for causing harm when my puppy was simply afraid and needed to feel safe.

The next day, after frantic research in evidence based canine development,I learned this is not how you crate train an 8-week-old puppy. I followed what I newly learned and immediately shifted to warmth, safety, proximity, and connection—and the 2nd night, my puppy slept peacefully. So did I.

That contrast was devastating.

What should have been a gentle, soft introduction into his new home / first night away from all that he's known, became a traumatic nightmare because I trusted someone who presented as an expert in canine psychology but demonstrated a lack of understanding of early canine development.

I’m sharing this to protect other puppies and their owners.
I learned late that his methods are not suited to undeveloped canine nervous systems. Treating an 8-week-old puppy this way is comparable to shaking a crying human infant—deeply inappropriate and ineffective.

I can’t erase that first week, nor those memories, but I hope sharing this prevents someone else from living it.

If you’re thinking of booking a full-day assessment with WAC — think again.

I rescued a dog who struggles around other dogs. Determined to do everything I can to help him and me, I booked a full-day assessment. WAC has a very slick and convenient social media presence, and I fell for it.

From my own observations, my dog has leash reactivity. My goal was to find out the root cause of that reactivity and get a clear plan for moving forward. I was sure my dog would be assessed by Will — but no. Instead, he was assessed by someone with just over one year of dog training experience.

On the day, I was told not to feed my dog and to bring his breakfast along. I arrived, spoke with the trainer about the issues, and was then asked to leave the premises. The “assessment” took place in what looked like a warehouse. I was told to come back in four hours.

The handover was a joke. The trainer expressed sympathy and said my dog was lucky to have me because most people would have given up on him. They put a new collar and lead on him (which I had to pay for, at a high price) and showed me a loose-leash walking exercise. I was given a folder of generic information and sent home.

Long story short — I paid £700 to be shown how to do loose-leash walking. You can find plenty of free videos online that teach this.

Do your research and compare WAC’s offer with other places before making a decision. Most places offer an assessment for under £100.

Purchased the Perfect Puppy online course, expecting not very much and I have to say I am absolutely blown away with how perfect my puppy is. Puppy is 14 weeks and I am 4 weeks into course.

I took him to a shopping centre yesterday and a coffee shop. This was his first outing on a lead. Everyone said how well behaved he was and how calm. Went to the car wash today and he was non reactive, just watched the car being washed.

I had no idea how important puppy rest and down time are. Puppy biting and jumping up are now non existent, because of Will's advice.

There is a lot to watch in the videos, and a lot of information to take in at first, but if you just keep rewatching and writing down notes, and do as Will says the results are amazing.

Cannot recommend this course enough.

Big thank you to Will Atherton.

Just brought home our new puppy
Hubby slept down stairs with him for eight nights
I watched Will’s U-tube video on crate training, what a transformation, within ten mins Angus was calm, quiet and relaxed
One week later he walks into his crate as the television is switched off
He so good in the crate in the car too
Cannot praise Wills methods enough

The perfect puppy course is absolutely amazing! We have followed and stuck with everything throughout the course! Our puppy has been with us 3 months and she is doing so well. She is so well behaved due to this course! Can’t recommend enough! It’s also so helpful that he takes the time to explain the why and how the dog essentially thinks and the different behaviours! Absolute life saver of a course and so much cheaper than novice ran puppy classes. LOVE LOVE LOVEEE!

I cant recommend the perfect puppy course enough, Its the difference between being a bit unsure and hoping your doing everything correctly and knowing exactly what to do every step of the way, His methods definitely work very well as my 12 week old GSD is currently thriving and very well behaved, 10/10.

After watching many of Will's You Tube videos and attending his free webinar on leash pulling, I decided to invest in his 'no more pulling masterclass' and I am so glad I did. This course is so informative. Not only are you really inspired by the theory behind the techniques, but the practical examples he includes make you feel like he is there one to one working with you. He talks you through his techniques with an owner and their dog and never touches the lead, so you get all of the advice you need as if he was there with you. I contacted them for some advice after the course and they were very quick to respond. This course is excellent value for money, especially if you are too far away or cannot afford to attend the clinic in person. I have seen drastic improvements in my dog's confidence and behaviour on the lead in a short space of time and I cannot thank Will and his team enough for the tips and the obvious love they have for seeing dogs and their owners make progress. I am looking forward to continuing with the training tips I have learnt as my Dog - Charlie loves the games and has lots of fun whilst he is learning : )