The Haven Dog Centre

Really fantastic classes, trainers and experience.I took my new puppy for Life Skills 2 and had a really rewarding and enjoyable experience. All the trainers are really lovely, kind and helpful. Always happy to answer any questions and give invaluable support with everything.They also have a really reasonable shop and great products. Great to support a local business!Would recommend the classes to anyone. Not just for the classes themselves but also the support outside, before and after class time.Thank you to the whole team and I hope everything you are doing keeps growing and being even more successful, you absolutely deserve it!Thanks,Nick and Lilly

We have just completed the Puppy Lifeskills 2 Bootcamp with Rachel and Bella and it was absolutely brilliant. Rachel is very knowledgeable and has years of experience of not only training dogs, but other animals too. Two trainers and three puppies so lots of individual attention :) They have a keen eye and keep a close watch on dog interactions and intervene quickly if needed. They also watch how your dog responds during training and advise accordingly. For example, our dog responded better to toys rather than treats for recall. Every dog is different and training needs are also different, Rachel provides expert guidance on this.The training is rewards based with a positive approach, always. You are given access to online videos and advice to help refresh what you have been taught in class and this remains available for several weeks after the training has finished.They also set up a Whatsapp group for all those in the class where you can ask questions, post videos of training sessions for critique etc. This is great for support, training a puppy isn't easy!They have a shop at the training centre where you can buy anything you need for your dog's training, loads of great advice given on leads, treats, toys etc.Lastly the trainers are very friendly and welcoming and they love the dogs! Don't think you could find a better trainer in North Devon.Nigel and Lorraine and Aoife dog.

I was looking for some help with my very tiny chihuahua called Peggy who was about 7 months old, as I have never had such a small dog before, I found the Haven dog centre on line and I am so happy to say Rachel, Liam and team were so helpful, I first started with a one to one sessions with Rachel as Peggy was so nervous and scared of everything, after a few sessions, she really improved, we then went on to join in the puppy training classes where she came on leaps and bounds! I never thought she would ever get trained but I was so wrong Rachel and team proved with patience anything is possible, I can’t thank them enough.

I can’t really express how grateful we are to the Haven dog centre. Number one for taking the time with my Deaf daughter to one-to-one with her and the puppy and really give her a huge confidence boost. Number two – talk to me about our dogs and their feelings and how important training is, and number three – giving us a lifetime of support with our dogs and I really mean that they were available one late night when the puppy was doing crazy stuff and advised us how to handle it. You don’t just get puppy training and believe me that’s what I thought we were getting but you get Life Skills with your puppy and I’m 60 and I’ve had so many dogs but never had training like this yet in my 30’s had training with GDB!

Could not recommend Haven Dog Centre highly enough! Liam and Rachael were brilliant, they understood our sensitive dog Scrumpy, worked at his pace and shared their wealth of knowledge with us. The private lessons we bespoke to the problems we were facing at the time and allowed us to completely focus on the needs our dog and we made huge strides forward. Thank you!

Our puppy Layla completed her Stage 2 puppy training with Haven dog training. Rachael and Liam were amazing. We all learnt from them. Layla loved going to the class, and adored Rachael. Their technique towards the training made it fun for all. If you did have anything with the training that you needed some additional help, they were both always willing to go through it with you. Contact was very good. We will continue with Haven because we want Layla to be a well behaved dog and to enjoy her learning. We would definitely recommend Haven if you want the best. Thank you Rachael and Liam.

I started my pup at The Haven Dog Centre at 4 months. All the staff are very knowledgable, kind and the classes are really productive. They challenge you to the ability of your dog and are always giving great guidance. I loved that we had a WhatsApp group for our puppy class and we could ask questions at any point if we needed guidance and were always helped immediately. I just wanted to add that everyone at the centre goes above and beyond to help you - my husband was deployed and they helped with my baby during the lesson so I could concentrate on the pup. I will be back in January for the next class and I can’t wait! We got a goodie bag at the end of our training too which was filled with treats! 5 star*****!!!

Our puppy Eddy loves the puppy classes, they are calm, professional and engaging. Liam is very passionate and great fun, which has helped us to learn so much in the level 2 life skills. We are most impressed with Eddy’s recall. Liam, Rachel and their team are extremely knowledgable- there is normally 3 trainers in the class so you get lots of 1 to 1. We have already signed up for the next level! Highly recommend.

Rachael, Liam and the haven team have been so fantastic with our little pup during his lifeskills classes. He has really loved going and we have been given great advice, support and skills to take away with us. Would highly recommend the haven and will be going back to start more advanced pup training soon.