Reward-based one-to-one dog training in Stoke-on-Trent plus expert pet behaviour help. Get support from accredited dog trainers and Clinical Animal Behaviourists.

Our Stoke-on-Trent hub, based in Staffordshire, offers one-to-one dog training in Stoke-on-Trent alongside clinical behaviour support for dogs, cats, and parrots. Whether you’re working on recall, lead manners, and puppy basics, or facing more complex issues such as anxiety, fear, or aggression, our team will tailor a plan to your dog and your life — from the streets of Hanley to the lanes of the Staffordshire Moorlands.

We use reward-based, evidence-led methods only — no aversive tools, no shortcuts, and no one-size-fits-all programmes. Training and behaviour work ask different questions: training builds new skills, while behaviour work looks at why a dog is struggling in the first place and how to help them feel differently about whatever is worrying them. Our Stoke team is led by Megan Richardson, an independently accredited Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB), and backed by Second Nature’s wider Veterinary Behaviourist team for cases that need medical or pharmacological input.

Megan Richardson providing follow-up support to a dog and its caregiver.

Book a FREE Discovery Call

Book a free 15-minute phone call with one of our team to discuss how we can support you.

What we offer in Stoke-on-Trent: One-to-one dog training and pet behaviour help

We work in two related but distinct ways, depending on what your pet needs:

One-to-One Dog Training Personalised, reward-based training sessions in and around Stoke-on-Trent — at home, in your local park, or wherever you and your dog need help. Loose-lead walking, recall, manners around visitors, calmer behaviour on walks, settling at home.

Clinical Behaviour Consultations For dogs, cats and parrots with established behaviour problems — fear, anxiety, aggression, reactivity, compulsive behaviour, toileting issues, feather plucking. These are home-visit consultations of 1.5–3 hours, followed by a written behaviour modification plan and follow-up support. Vet referral required (your vet can complete our quick online form).

If you’re not sure which one you need, book a free 15-minute discovery call and we’ll point you the right way.

Find out more about our dog training and behaviour services

For more information about our different types of services, have a look at our services table.

Common Dog Behaviour Problems We Support With

Aggressive dog

Aggression to other household dogs

Cat toileting in garden

Chasing traffic or other animals

 

Aggression to humans

 

A Beagle reacting to a trigger whilst on lead during a walk.

Reactive to other dogs on walks

 

Aggressive dog

Separation anxiety problems

 

Cat toileting in garden

Fear & anxiety problems

 

Repetitive compulsive behaviours

Dog training

Dog Training Issues

 

How to Access Our Services

For one-to-one dog training: Book a free discovery call so we can talk through what you’re hoping to work on. We’ll then arrange your first training session at a time and place that suits you.

For clinical behaviour consultations: We work exclusively on written veterinary referral. This isn’t bureaucracy — it’s so we can rule out any medical contribution to your pet’s behaviour, work alongside your vet, and (in many cases) help you claim through your pet insurance. Here’s how it works:

1. Vet referral

Request that your vet completes our quick, online referral form here.

2. Booking

Online or by giving us a call on 0121 299 0188

3. History form

Give us some background about your pet, their environment, routines and your relationship

4. Consultation

Let’s get started on the plan to dealing with your pet’s behaviour towards people

Book a Behaviour Consultation

Get help from one of our animal behaviour experts

Areas Covered

Our dog training in Stoke-on-Trent also reaches out across Staffordshire, including Stafford, Stone, Leek, Cheadle, Uttoxeter, Burton upon Trent, Cannock, and Lichfield, with surrounding clients in southern Cheshire and northern Derbyshire. Please note that if you are more than 20 miles from our Stoke-on-Trent hub, an additional £2/mile charge applies for the return journey.

For cats and parrots specifically, we also offer virtual consultations worldwide — distance doesn’t have to be a barrier to specialist support.

If you’re closer to one of our other hubs, you may prefer to be seen by the team there:

Contact us

In emergencies please call your normal vets local to you.

Second Nature Behaviour
Sandon Road, Cresswell,
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST11 9RB
Phone: 01782 982 688
Email: stoke@secondnature.bio

Monday09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday09:00 - 17:00
Thursday09:00 - 17:00
Friday09:00 - 17:00
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed

  • Dog Training in Stoke-on-Trent – Plus Behaviour Support for Pets

Book a consult

get expert help now

Ernie, Jennie, Ian & Alfie

Dog
We’ve been delighted with the service. You’ve tailored your approach specifically to our concerns and have always been available for advice and further support. We’ve noticed a huge improvement in Ernie already and have learned through you to recognise his signs of stress and when he needs to be left alone. We still have lots

Mary Edwards

The behaviour therapy received has been really appropriate for my dog’s needs. He is now less anxious when going out for walks. The behavioural therapist really listened to my dog’s needs and came up with an easy to follow tailored action plan that would help him.

Ry Disney

Zoe has been incredible and so helpful for my cats, and has genuinely created a calmer and happier home for them and myself. One of my cats used to urinate on my bed daily, sometimes multiple times a day. Within our first session together back in September she gave some advice on things to change/adjust/accommodate,

Benjamin Nixon

I want to give a special thanks to Megan for the advice in which she gave for our dog Tilly. We’ve had problems when it came to walking her as she was being a little aggressive towards other dogs. Megan advised us to view the behaviour differently and to try and give her a treat

Emma Yates

Megan helped us enormously with our dachshund. She supplied many solutions to help her overcome her anxiety around walks. We now understand how to address these concerns and deal with situations where she meets other dogs and encounters sudden noises or events. We feel more confident and walk her more easily. Megan’s approach is thorough

Sheenagh Glover

I found Megan to be extremely knowledgeable but approachable and friendly. Giving good advice followed up with data sheets and a written report. There is a large age gap between my dogs, and I was looking for support in helping them to settle and bond. Although I’d had a multiple dog household before, this was

Ray Rudd

When our two dogs started to fight, we turned to Megan for help. Megan used her extensive knowledge of dog behaviour to help us to understand how our boys were reacting to situations. Megan provided very professional help and loads of information to help us understand and correct the issues we faced. We would highly

Tim Daly

I was quite anxious about getting a new puppy but with Megan’s advice and guidance the new addition has settled in brilliantly. Meg provided constructive, easy to follow advice and supplied me with a wealth of material to continue the process of training my dog. If you’re looking for someone with a compassionate, non-judgmental approach,

Philip Malpass

Supportive, efficient, effective, non judgemental and very professional. Highly recommended Dog behaviorist for all breeds and situations. If I could add more stars, I would. Meg is extremely well versed in dog behavior and works in an ethical way that you won’t find from other local trainers. You will learn so many new things from

Tamsin Fisher

Highly recommend! Our dog was struggling with separation anxiety. We really appreciated the time Meg took to sit down with us and talk through the positive changes we needed to make to support our pup! She was very kind and professional and the dog loved her too! Thanks Meg!

Jo Morris

I would totally recommend Meg as she’s professionally trained and very good at understanding pets and their owners and why certain behaviours can develop. She was fab at helping us with our rescue who had antisocial behaviour issues and she helped and supported us to change the way we were doing things which made a

Hillary and Eric

Black and white Whippet on a stairway

Meg bought with her a variety of activities and treats until we hit upon one that caught Eric’s interest. Clearly we were not doing things right at all, but Meg never said or made us feel at fault and was kind and encouraging throughout.

Jacqui and Belle

Dog on a 1-2-1 training session with Megan Richardson.

Meg provided a patient and knowledgeable approach. Belle’s recall has improved dramatically. We have taken her to a secure field, as recommended, and after a few attempts with the cheese she now runs back instantly.

Josh and Buster

Playful dog on a 1-2-1 training session with Megan Richardson.

Very friendly and has a clear passion for dogs. Meg gave amazing advice and training, and it was good to know what i was doing wrong without feeling judged. It has really helped with my daily walks with Buster

Aoife, Ayrron & Spooky

A dog settling on a mat during a 1-2-1 training session with Megan Richardson.

Meg was really professional and supportive! We now feel more confident with managing Spooky’s behaviour and training concerns.

Felicity, Banjo and George

Two Border Collies on a walk

We have very much appreciated your support. We know you are there at the end of the WhatsApp or email if needed. I have recommended you to a work colleague and would be happy to do so for anyone needing the support you offer.

Cooper and Jazz

Staffie with a Kong

We’re feeling much more positive about the behaviour issues working out and what to do. I just wanted to say a massive thanks for helping us.

John and Ray

White and black standard Poodles
When our two standard poodles started to fight, we explored many different avenues to try to understand why they had suddenly started being aggressive to each other. We played about with a number of theories, but it was only when we turned to Megan for help that we began to understand what was going on.

James

Border collie and Labrador

You have already helped me so much with my two doughnuts. The body language, crate training etc has been amazingly positive. I now have two happy doughnuts who are starting to understand the (very few) boundaries they have. Thank you again.

Sheenagh, Roxy & Ada

A white Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy with a pink harness.
I was looking for help in getting the girls to settle in and hopefully live together calmly as there is a large age gap. Megan spent time listening and then gave solid advice, which is backed up with data sheets and various links. She is professional but friendly and doesn’t judge. Everything is positive, and

Meet Your Local Pet Behaviourist & Dog Trainer in Stoke on Trent

Megan Richardson

Megan Richardson

Senior Behaviourist

Megan graduated from Harper Adams University with a first class BSc (Hons) degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, then grew her clinical behaviour practice with dogs and cats.  She has many years of experience and is an independently accredited Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CCAB in dogs).

Megan is an active member of various organisations, including FAB Clinicians, APBC and PACT.  Last but not least Megan is registered as a CAB and ATI with the ABTC.

Find out more about Megan here.

 

FAQ

Have a more general question?  Check out our general FAQ.

Prefer to chat things through a bit more?

Contact Us

Give us a buzz by email or phone
0121 299 0188.

How do I book an appointment?

Contact us for a no obligation chat. After you have been referred by your veterinary surgeon, you can phone us on 0121 299 0188 to discuss the details and costs, or book online here. You can access the referral form here, or your vet can make the referral online here.

How should I go about arranging a vet referral for my dog?

We will send you a referral form to give to your vet. Ask them to look at your dog and fill the form in. You should send this to us prior to the consultation, together with any clinical records that your vet may think are relevant. Alternatively, your vet may like to email, fax (0844 358 3201), or post their records directly to us. Note that they can also fill in their referral online. If you have already spoken to your vet, then this may be sufficient, but please double-check with them. Different vets have different ways of doing things. Some vets charge an extra fee for a referral.

What kind of guarantees can you offer me? What if your suggestions don't work?

We cannot guarantee a ‘cure’ or work miracles, but if between us we can diagnose what is going on, and if you are prepared to work hard, dramatic improvement is not unusual.  The treatment plan is designed to be fluid.  If what we initially suggest doesn’t seem to have much effect, then we will reassess and make some other suggestions about what to do. 

How quickly will we see results? How long will it take to solve the problem?

There is no quick fix to any kind of behaviour problem. The treatment plan advised may produce results very quickly, but often it will take time, effort and commitment from all of the family to produce the improved behaviour. Always remember that your pet’s current problems may have developed over a long period of time, so it may take a particularly long time to improve. It really varies from individual to individual. However, support from us is ongoing, as you need it. Following your consultation, further advice is available by phone and email as you progress, or face-to-face if you require it. Progress is often faster with greater follow-up behaviour support within your own environment.

Why must I seek referral from my vet? I'm sure my dog is perfectly healthy - what's the point?

A strong link between the veterinary surgeon and the animal behaviourist is essential in all cases. In order to rule out any physiological causes for the problem behaviour and in accordance with the Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians‘ Code of Conduct, we only work on veterinary referral. Behavioural symptoms are often intertwined with some medical conditions. To provide a truly holistic solution to your problem, your vet needs to be involved at all stages of the process. The behaviourist will work closely with your vet, who often provides ongoing support from their end for various elements of the behaviour plan. 

How does the vet referral process work? What do you need from them? Do I have to pay more? My vet just said to give you a call - is that enough?

We will send you a referral form to give to your vet. Ask them to look at your pet and fill the form in. You should send this to us prior to the consultation, together with any clinical records that your vet may think are relevant. Alternatively, your vet may like to email, fax (0844 358 3201), or post their records directly to us. Note that they can also fill in their referral online. If you have already spoken to your vet, then this may be sufficient, but please double-check with them. Different vets have different ways of doing things. Some vets charge an extra fee for a referral.

Are you covered by insurance?

Second Nature Behaviour and our employees are fully covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance.

How do I know if I need to book a 1-2-1 training session or behaviour consultation?

Dog behaviour problems are usually caused by an underlying negative emotion, such as fear, anxiety or frustration. On the other hand, dog training problems are usually caused by dogs not understanding what’s being requested of them, or they may not be motivated enough to perform the behaviour requested. Examples of dog behaviour problems include lunging and barking at triggers on walks, aggression towards people or other animals, appearing fearful of certain noises etc. Examples of dog training problems include pulling on the lead, not coming back when called and jumping up at people. If you’re unsure what type of service you need, get in touch.