dog behavior Archives - barkhausdogs.com

Carolina & Hugo

This is Hugo, my beloved and special boy. He's anxious and fuzzy and when we started going to Sarah and Nick, was still highly reactive. We had struggled to find the right sitters for a long time, trying new ones and realising he didn't want to go back (pulling away when getting close). Until we found Sarah and Nick - who both know well how to deal with sensitive dogs and invest the time and effort to work with each dog and their needs. Their gentle force free approach meant Hugo was delighted to go (even doing little dances and pulling to get there quicker) and always looked forward to his time with them. He also made good dog friends, which has helped to greatly improve his reactivity. They have hugely contributed to his journey to recovery from reactivity and I was always 100% confident that he was well looked after and appreciated with them. We have been very happy customers for 2,5 years and I wholeheartedly recommend them - Carolina & Hugo

Carolina

Henry & Jack

I cannot recommend Sarah enough. If you have a reactive dog like we do, it can sometimes feel like you are all alone and the average dog walker just doesn’t understand the struggles of caring for a dog with special needs. Fortunately, we got in touch with Sarah who has been walking our dog Jack for years now. Her ability to connect with Jack is remarkable. She took the time to understand his unique personality - she is incredibly patient and always in control. Sarah’s kind and caring nature, combined with her evident love of dogs, makes her stand out from the rest. She clearly has a unique ability to connect with all types of dogs on an individual level, understanding their specific needs and behaviours. Sarah’s dedication and reliability have given us peace of mind knowing that Jack is in the best hands. Whether it's rain or shine, Sarah is always there, ensuring Jack gets the exercise and care he needs. Her professionalism and genuine affection for Jack have made a world of difference for us. If you are looking for someone who will treat your dog with the same love and respect that you do, Sarah is the dog walker for you. We are truly grateful for her exceptional service and would highly recommend her to anyone in need of a trustworthy and compassionate dog walker.

Patrycja & Batat

Working with Nick over the past year has been an incredibly rewarding journey for us. His structured approach to training has allowed us to make significant strides in our goals. From the outset, Nick takes the time to identify our main challenges and collaboratively establish clear objectives. His proposed strategies for progress are not only transparent but also tailored to our specific needs, enabling me to grasp the underlying issues and effectively contribute to solutions. I also finally understood better what Batat is dealing with on a daily basis! One aspect of Nick's support that stands out is his consistent engagement between sessions. His regular check-ins provide invaluable motivation and help me stay committed to the training process. Additionally, Nick ensures that each session is followed up with a comprehensive summary, equipping me with materials to refer back to and reinforce our progress. Working with Nick has truly been a pleasure, and I've witnessed remarkable growth and improvements with my little potato, Batat. I'm sincerely grateful for Nick's guidance and support throughout this journey. Thank you, Nick, for your dedication and expertise!

Anna & Demia

If you are looking for a safe, social and super competent daycare team for your dog, Nick and Sarah are the one. My dog loves both of them (like whining when passing by loves them..). So while I'm in the office or a never ending meeting, my dog enjoys fun time with a small group of other dogs and all of sudden knows how to walk on a leash.. But most importantly, Nick and Sarah are also great people: when sick with COVID, they made sure I wouldn't move too much, taking her home or picking her up. We recently left Berlin and while everything else has been great, there is no team like these two and we miss them dearly!

Kristina & Sam

I don’t know what we would have done without Nick! We adopted an 8-month-old mixed breed dog who refused to come home after a walk. With Nick’s help, walks went from something we would dread to something we truly enjoyed in a matter of weeks! We tried watching YouTube videos, but they were too generic and sometimes the approaches they recommended had the opposite effect and things got worse. As SOON as we got help from Nick, we saw positive results with our pup. Since then, Nick has helped us deal with a range of challenging adolescent behaviour — from biting and negative attention seeking with houseguests to our dog's paralysing fear of doors. Nick has been able to help us better understand Sam’s motivations and needs, and set clear expectations for how and why certain training methods should work. He’s also very receptive to feedback and adjusting his training plan based on Sam’s response. Nick has been so thorough in how he gathers a broad range of information that creates a holistic view of our dog, then tailors a personalized training plan that's easy to follow, provides lots of resources where we want to go deeper, and ultimately gets results! Sometimes I feel like Nick is part therapist and part dog trainer — he’s so engaged, supportive and truly cares how things are going with Sam, even outside of our sessions. He’s extremely patient with us—and the dog—and we couldn’t recommend him more!

Simone & Elio

Nick has been such an incredible source of support for us. Elio, our 3.5 year old rescue dog from Romania, is quite a sensitive dog and finds living in Berlin difficult at times. From the age of 1, Elio has been going to Nick weekly for day care, where he meets some of his best friends and has the best day. Nick also gives us fantastic updates regarding how Elio is at day care. Elio is leash reactive and it got to a point where we felt so overwhelmed and helpless. We started working with Nick as a trainer to address some of Elio’s leash reactivity. Nick helped us so much with understanding more about his reactivity and learning new ways to deal with it. Nick's profound understanding of dog behaviour, coupled with his approachable kindness and genuine passion for dogs, truly sets him apart as an exceptional trainer. Without his guidance and support, we'd be at a loss. We can 1000% recommend him.

The impact of domestication on dog communication

by Nick November 10, 2026November 10, 2026No Comments

This blog post will explore how dog communication has undergone changes as a result of domestication by humans. During the process of dogs beginning to spend more time around people, and eventually being bred by humans, they also underwent several changes to their communication style and social behavior. These modifications are wide-ranging and include the …

Dog bites – Risk Factors, Behaviour & Management Strategies

by Sarah September 18, 2024October 13, 2026No Comments

Have you ever wondered what some of the most common risk factors for dog bites are? Perhaps you have a dog with a bite history and are looking at ways to prevent future bites? Maybe a friend or family member is struggling with this, or perhaps you’re just curious? In this presentation, I go over …