Flick is a four year old border collie. I collected her when she was seven weeks old and a week later she had growled and snapped at two dogs! I've always owned border collies and thought I had a fair understanding of their needs but it was to be a huge learning curve with Flick. At ten weeks old, I took her to dog training to socialise. She flew through the exercises effortlessly but became increasingly aggressive. The same thing happened at agility.

Flick was now two and a half yars old and the problems were: growing aggression, chasing anything, and growling at me in the house. All advice I received was unhelpful and certainly not good news for Flick. The final straw was when she attacked another dog.

Yet another search for help which ended when I phoned Mike Grantham. He listened patiently and we prioritised the problems. Mike came to the house to observe Flick and I and our re-training began. Mike spent four hours with us and Flick showed her aggression over and over again. He didn't give up and by the time he left he had addressed all the problems and I was left with clear instructions on how to continue. This was backed up by a written training programme specifically for Flick and me. Mike was also on the end of the phone for help whenever needed.

Now, a year later, Flick is a much improved dog. If I'm not vigilant we get the odd relapse and I do have to keep one step ahead of her but I now thoroughly enjoy owning her and she safely enjoys our outdoor lifestyle. She is still pushy, compulsive and stubborn but she is also very intelligent, more relaxed, happier and much easier to live with.

All thanks to Mike and his very patient dog Paddy.

Claire Morton