Case Study: Pippin’s Transformation – A Rescue Pup’s Journey to Confidence and Obedience in Peckham, South London.
Client: Guy and Sarah from Peckham, South London Dog: Pippin, a 6-month-old crossbreed (part Yorkshire Terrier, rehomed from Belarus)
Background
Guy and Sarah adopted Pippin, a timid 6-month-old puppy who had spent his early life in foster care. His mother had been given up for rescue in Belarus along with her litter. The stress of transportation and rehoming, combined with Pippin’s limited socialisation, made him extremely anxious and unsure in his new environment.
When they reached out to me, their main objectives were to help Pippin settle into his new home, improve his confidence, work on toilet training, and establish the basics of obedience – especially lead skills and recall. They wanted to ensure that Pippin had the best possible start and that they were equipped to support his ongoing development.
First Impressions
When I first met Pippin, it was clear that he was very timid and scared. Although he had been with Guy and Sarah for about a week, he spent most of his time hiding under the sofa. Pippin was nervous around new people, and our expectation was that he had little previous exposure to other dogs or the outside world, which meant that we had to take things slowly and focus on building his confidence.
Training Approach
We knew that Pippin had been through a stressful experience, with high levels of the stress hormone cortisol caused by the rehoming process affecting his behaviour. Our primary focus was to reduce his stress levels, introduce him to his new environment (including outside spaces) gradually, and give him time to adjust to his new environment through a desensitization process. We focussed on activities that would promote the production of positive hormones dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin to counteract the negative effects of cortisol, and beginning a gentle desensitisation process to familiarise him with other dogs and the outside world.
Obedience training would follow once he was more relaxed and better able to focus.
Due to Pippin’s unease around visitors, we conducted the second and third training sessions via Zoom. This allowed me to remotely coach Guy and Sarah through some obedience exercises without making Pippin uncomfortable. By this stage, Pippin had already built a good rapport with his owners and was much more confident interacting with them.
Progress and Breakthroughs
Early on, Pippin struggled with anxiety around other dogs, but after a few weeks, I was delighted to see videos of him having his first positive interactions. His confidence grew steadily, and he soon began playing happily with other dogs – a huge milestone considering his limited early socialisation.
Pippin’s toilet training progressed quickly, and within a few weeks, he was clean in the house. We also introduced obedience basics, such as “touch,” “sit/stay,” “down,” recall, and walking on the lead. One standout moment was when we transformed his walking behaviour in just one session by teaching him to volunteer eye contact while walking, which naturally kept him at heel. Guy and Sarah were so proud of their young pup!
Training the Owners
It wasn’t just about training Pippin – it was important to empower Guy and Sarah to understand their dog better and continue his training confidently. We discussed how Pippin’s neurochemical changes were affecting his behaviour and how to engage him in activities that would promote his well-being.
I also introduced them to clicker training, which they quickly embraced. By the end of our five sessions, they had become skilled clicker trainers, using the method effectively to reinforce Pippin’s learning.
Results
By the end of the five sessions, Pippin had made great progress:
· He was fully toilet trained.
· He had built up the confidence to meet and play with other dogs.
· His obedience training was well underway, with basic commands like “sit,” “stay,” “down,” and recall established in low-distraction environments.
· He could walk nicely on the lead, staying at heel with voluntary eye contact.
Guy and Sarah were thrilled with the progress. Pippin had become more confident in his new home, and they felt reassured knowing they had laid the foundations for his future development. That’s not to say that there was not further work to do – challenges around separation anxiety and his unease about visitors to the home remained work in progress.
Client Feedback
“Sean was a brilliant help with our rescue pup, Pippin. He helped us understand our (recently arrived and terrified!) dog better and establish fundamental techniques to build a strong bond and the foundations of obedience training. Sean always provides thoughtful advice and practical solutions for every challenge we encountered – and his calm demeanour helped us relax and enjoy the process of training and living with our new arrival. We booked Sean for an initial 5 sessions but plan to book more as our dog grows and develops.”
Reflection
One of the most rewarding moments in Pippin’s journey was seeing videos of him confidently interacting with other dogs for the first time. Given his lack of previous socialisation, this was a huge achievement and a testament to the gentle desensitisation process we followed.
Another highlight was seeing how quickly Pippin and his owners picked up the technique for walking nicely on the lead. Within 30 minutes, we transformed him from a dog that pulled and wandered to one that stayed calmly at heel.
Conclusion
Pippin’s transformation from a timid, anxious rescue puppy to a confident and obedient dog is a perfect example of how patience, positive reinforcement, and a tailored approach can make all the difference. By empowering Guy and Sarah with the tools and understanding to continue Pippin’s training, I set them on the path to enjoying life with a happy, well-adjusted dog.
