We are incredibly thankful for Athan’s support with our anxious and reactive rescue dog. He has helped our anxious and reactive dog become much calmer and supported our autistic kids develop the skills to interact safely with her. We never imagined she could be near other dogs, but with Athan’s support we have not only had her interacting with other dogs, but have been able to dog-sit for family members. Athan's expertise and genuine care made it all possible. Highly recommend him to anyone in need of a skilled and compassionate dog trainer. Thanks, Athan! 

I'm so grateful for Athan’s support to train my assistance dog, Coco. Living with invisible disabilities, often makes accessing services difficult, however Athan worked with me, understanding and accommodating my needs – Having Coco has opened up new possibilities, helping me access places and events that have been previously unmanageable.  Coco is an invaluable companion, empowering me to lead a more independent life. I highly recommend him to anyone seeking assistance dog training tailored to their unique needs.

Athan's support and assistance proved invaluable during the fundamental early stages of training my assistance dog. While there is strong evidence that ADs are of great benefit to Autistic adults like myself, the consistency and frequency required for training to the high standards of public access testing can be challenging. After an initial meeting with Athan to plan an approach that was both appropriate and sustainable for me, Athan provided very valuable support during my sessions with the senior trainer. This not only assisted me during the session, but also allowed the opportunity to debrief and plot out a strategy to implement new techniques with someone who was highly knowledgeable of canine behaviour and also understood my needs as a disabled person. Athan helped me to structure training exercises that I could implement independently and identify opportunities to reinforce this incidentally whenever I was with my dog. We would also meet regularly for exercises that I found more demanding, such as crowded spaces and public transport.

Athan proved to be very attuned to the needs of both my dog and myself and was adept at identifying strategies that were effective for us as an AD/handler team. He was able to adapt sessions to suit my needs, schedule, and lifestyle, while employing force-free techniques to foster a strong bond between AD and handler. His training qualifications, natural aptitude, and experiential expertise make him very easy to work with and his suitability for such a role was evidenced by great results throughout the training process.