Lifestyle Dog Training
2026-03-11T16:15:30.108Z
Working with Heston has truly changed our lives.We rescued Gordon from Labrador in April 2025. After giving him a few months to settle in, we started identifying the training issues we wanted to address. Most of them were fairly typical, but walking him was our biggest concern. Gordon never pulled on the leash—he did the exact opposite. Whenever we saw another dog or person, especially a child, he would sit down and refuse to move until he got the attention he wanted. It was cute at first, but quickly became frustrating.Heston was recommended by a friend, Leslie Redmond, who also had a fantastic experience training her pup, Ollie. We began with private sessions at home with Heston, which allowed us to address Gordon’s specific behaviours both inside and outside the house. Learning how to properly use the prong collar and how to loose-leash walk completely transformed our walks. Now walking Gordon is an enjoyable experience for both of us, and it has drastically reduced my stress when handling a larger dog.We also worked on behaviours inside the house, learning practical training tools that we rely on daily—especially when Gordon gets a little too wild or when we have visitors who are elderly, young, or more fragile.After our private sessions, we moved on to weekly group classes with Heston for eight weeks. These classes were an excellent opportunity to reinforce what we had learned and to develop new skills, particularly working with Gordon around other reactive dogs.Gordon is a big boy (90+ lbs), and thanks to Heston, I feel so much more confident as an owner. I don't stress about walks anymore! And we now have the tools to address any new issues that may come up as he continues to grow and test boundaries.Throughout the entire process, Heston was an excellent teacher—patient with both us and Gordon. He is incredibly knowledgeable and always had helpful tips and advice.I cannot say enough wonderful things about Heston and our training experience. It was truly an invaluable investment in our future with our dog. If you are considering dog training, I can confidently say that Heston would be the best choice.