Looking for dog behaviour training in Essex, dog behaviour support near me, or a dog behaviourist who can help with reactive, anxious, barking, or overwhelmed dogs? Jennie offers calm, one-to-one support that works in real life, not just in theory.
6+ years experience 27 five-star Google reviews DBS checked & canine first aid trained
“My husband and I both agree it’s the best money we have ever spent.”
If your dog is struggling with reactivity, anxiety, barking, fear, frustration, rescue dog worries, or daily stress, support should feel calm and clear. We look at the reasons behind the behaviour, not just the surface symptoms, and build a plan around your home, your routine, and the situations that feel hardest right now.
Jennie's Positive Paws is based in South Woodham Ferrers and works across Essex, including dog training in Chelmsford, Maldon, dog training in Braintree, Basildon, Wickford, the Dengie Peninsula, and nearby areas. You will leave with practical steps, written notes, and the confidence to help your dog feel safer and more settled.
"I actually enjoy spending time with him now instead of dreading what he'll be like."
"The follow up notes are excellent and I saw results from the behaviour almost immediately."
One-to-one behaviour support often makes the most sense when owners can picture it in the places that already feel hard.
Reactivity, lead work, and overwhelmed walks all feel easier to understand when support is shown calmly and in context.
Many owners search that way when life with their dog has started to feel stressful, emotional, or hard to untangle. What usually matters most is having somebody look at what the dog is communicating, what the current set-up is making harder, and what calm next steps will help most.
Jennie's support is one to one, based on positive reinforcement, and built around your real routine. That makes it especially useful when behaviour is showing up at home, on walks, or in specific situations that a generic class cannot properly reflect.
If what you really mean is "I need dog behaviour help near me and I want to understand the cost before I book," this page is designed to answer that clearly too.
£140
Assessment, plan, and 7-day support
A strong starting point when you need clarity, a calm assessment, and a plan you can begin using straight away.
Ask about this package£260
Consult, two follow-ups, and 30-day support
For most behaviour cases, this is the best balance of proper assessment, follow-up support, and enough time to keep the plan moving once everyday life kicks back in.
Book Progress Pack£360
Consult, three sessions, and 45-day support
Designed for owners who need more hands-on support with reactivity, outdoor setups, and calmer, more manageable walks.
Ask about this packageYou do not need to choose perfectly before getting in touch. Tell Jennie what is happening with your dog, where it shows up most, and what daily life feels like at the moment.
Jennie can then point you towards the most sensible starting point, whether that is a Starter Consult, Progress Pack, Reactivity Focus, or a different route altogether.
If you mainly need a proper assessment, practical first steps, and written notes, the Starter Consult can still be the right place to begin. For many owners though, the Progress Pack is the most sensible starting point because it gives you the assessment and the follow-up support that helps the plan hold together in real life.
If you already know the behaviour has been building for a while, or you want more accountability after the first session, the Progress Pack or Reactivity Focus often feel better value.
The right choice is less about picking the biggest package and more about choosing the level of follow-up that will help you actually keep going once real life kicks back in.
Behaviour work is tailored, but owners often come for help with lead reactivity, barking at visitors, separation-related worry, rescue dog settling, loose lead walking, frustration, over-arousal, handling worries, and confidence in new situations. Sessions start by understanding what is driving the behaviour, not by blaming the dog.
Most behaviour work starts with a home visit, which gives Jennie the clearest picture of your dog's routine, triggers, and body language. If behaviour is showing up strongly on walks, follow-up support can move outdoors too, and online coaching is available when planning is the best first step.
Recent UK dog behaviour statistics show how common lead walking, barking, fear, and separation-related worries are for owners. The aim is to make daily life feel calmer and more manageable, not to chase a perfect dog overnight.
We look at your dog's history, triggers, routines, body language, and the situations that are making life feel hard right now.
You get clear steps for home life, management, rewards, walk setups, and what to prioritise first so you are not trying to fix everything at once.
Continue with follow-ups, assisted lead walks, or online coaching so the plan keeps moving as your dog starts to make progress. Covers South Woodham Ferrers, Chelmsford, Maldon, Braintree, and nearby Essex areas.
Use these routes if you want to move into a more specific issue page or another support option that sits alongside behaviour work.
Use this guide first if barking, lunging, or big feelings mostly happen once you head out on a walk.
Read the guideUse this if home arrivals, the front door, or over-arousal with guests are the hardest part of daily life.
Read the guideAssisted lead walks are ideal when reactivity, pulling, or big feelings are most noticeable outside.
Open assisted walksUse this guide if you want to feel clearer about what to look for, what to ask, and how to choose support that fits your dog and your values.
Read the guide“Otis is a rescue, and things haven’t always been easy for him or for us. Since working with Jennie, the improvement we have seen in him has been incredible.”
rescue dog, reactivity and confidence
We honestly can’t thank Jennie enough for everything she has done for us. She has been absolutely amazing from the very beginning and has helped us so much with her guidance, support and expertise. Otis is a rescue, and things haven’t always been easy for him or for us. He has had his challenges, particularly with his reactivity and confidence, and at times it has felt overwhelming trying to know how best to help him. Since working with Jennie, the improvement we have seen in him has been incredible. We understand him so much better now and, more importantly, we feel much more confident in knowing how to support him. Jennie is incredibly knowledgeable, patient and kind, and she always took the time to explain not just what we should do, but why. Her advice has been invaluable and has given us practical things we can continue working on with Otis every day. Most of all, it is so clear how much Jennie genuinely cares about the dogs she works with. She took the time to understand Otis as an individual rather than simply focusing on his behaviours, and that made such a difference to us. We have seen such a positive change in Otis since our sessions with Jennie, and we are so grateful for all the support and reassurance she has given us along the way. We really couldn’t recommend her highly enough!
“Within minutes the training and advice had already made a difference.”
evening barking and rescue support
Jennie is actual magic. We have a Romanian rescue who we have trained but her barking in the evenings was getting out of control. There’s so much advice online it’s hard to know what works best. Then enters Jennie and within minutes the training and advice had already made a difference. Jennie is so friendly and lovely too. We never felt judged at all, just supported. It’s made such a difference to our lives in just a week.
“Jennie’s training has transformed how I look at the obstacles ahead between me and my pup.”
reactive rescue pup and trust building
Jennie has opened my mind to so many tools to help my rescue pup. I came to her with mainly reactive behaviour around other dogs and selective listening. She demonstrated how to get my newly rescued reactive pup to look at me and actually listen, then solidified the training on our second meet up. Jennie’s advice to put more trust in my pup has gone a long way. Since then I have taken him to meet several dogs and it went absolutely brilliantly. Her training has transformed how I look at the obstacles ahead between me and my pup.
“Jennie has already helped us understand what makes our dog react.”
reactivity and walk improvement
If you’re hesitant, I would 100% recommend Jennie. After the first home lesson with Jennie we noted a vast improvement in our behaviour, so the dog has followed suit. Jennie has already helped us understand what makes our dog react and life on our walks has drastically improved.
“The simple but effective tools and tips were showing instant results.”
separation anxiety, pulling, and impulse control
I approached Jennie asking for help with Judge my Cavapoochon who was showing high separation anxiety, pulling on the lead and general low impulse control. Jennie was able to help within minutes of meeting. She instantly understood Judge and how best to correct the behaviours. The simple but effective tools and tips she gave were showing instant results. Having someone so specialised in this field help like Jennie allowed her to instantly know how best to engage and train my dog and was worth every penny. I can’t recommend Jennie enough.
Jennie supports dogs with reactivity, barking, separation-related worry, rescue dog settling, loose lead struggles, over-arousal, frustration, fear, and confidence issues. Sessions are tailored to the dog in front of you rather than based on a generic plan.
Yes. Reactive dogs, dogs with big feelings, and dogs whose behaviour feels intense or difficult are a common reason owners get in touch. Support focuses on safety, trigger awareness, calmer setups, and helping your dog feel more able to cope.
Yes. Jennie's Positive Paws uses positive reinforcement, reward-based methods, and practical management to help dogs feel safer, learn clearly, and make better choices without intimidation or punishment.
Reward-based training helps anxious dogs because it starts with what the dog can cope with, then builds confidence through clear, manageable steps. Instead of punishing the outward behaviour, the plan looks at the trigger, the environment, the dog's body language, and what needs to change so the dog can feel safer.
That matters for welfare as well as training. Recent UK dog behaviour statistics and wider behaviour research both support calm, welfare-led approaches over intimidation or punishment-based handling, especially for fearful, reactive, or overwhelmed dogs.
Owners often use both phrases when they are looking for help. What matters most is that Jennie offers one-to-one, behaviour-focused support built around what your dog is communicating, what your dog can cope with, and what practical changes will help most in real life.
That depends on what is driving the behaviour and how much follow-up support you want. Some owners start with the Starter Consult and make strong progress, while others benefit from the Progress Pack or Reactivity Focus for more structure over time.
The Starter Consult is £140 for a 2-hour home visit, which is usually how long Jennie needs to see what is actually going on and put a plan in place. Progress Pack and Reactivity Focus build in more follow-up support on top of that. Jennie also offers £75 one-hour sessions on their own, when a first conversation suggests the fix will be straightforward, when she needs to assess before recommending a full package, or as a one-off follow-up after earlier training.
Yes. Online sessions can help with assessment, planning, and home-based issues, while assisted lead walks are a strong add-on when behaviour is most noticeable outside on walks.
Yes, most behaviour work starts at home because that gives Jennie the clearest picture of your dog's routine, triggers, setup, and how things are playing out in real life.
Yes. Rescue dogs, dogs with big feelings, and dogs with more complex backgrounds are a common reason owners get in touch. The work starts by understanding what your dog is coping with, not by blaming the dog or the owner. Read the rescue dog support page for more on how this works.
Look for someone who explains clearly, works without harsh handling, understands behaviour in context, and can show you what practical support will look like after the first session. Owners also deserve clear pricing, written follow-up, and a calm plan they can actually use in everyday life. The dedicated choosing a dog behaviourist guide goes into that in more detail.
Yes. Jennie gives you written notes and practical next steps, so you do not leave trying to remember everything from the session once real life kicks back in.
You would not be the first. Many owners come in feeling upset, overwhelmed, or judged by other people. Jennie's approach is calm, practical, and non-judgemental, with the focus on helping you understand what is going on and what to do next.
