Real-World Dog Training That Actually Works
Stop dreading walks. Stop managing behaviour.
Start living the life you imagined with your dog.
With 20+ years of real-world experience, we don’t do fluff — we fix the problem properly.
Over 200 5 star reviews
Guaranteed change, real world training & real 1-1 support
Real Training footage for you to watch to feel reassured!
Trusted by owners who have felt completely lost, stuck and like there was no hope.
Is this you...?
-Walks feel stressful.
-Embarrassing.
-Unpredictable.
-You’re planning routes, avoiding situations, going out early, late, or not at all — just hoping nothing goes wrong.
-Your dog reacts, lunges, pulls, explodes, and every walk feels like a gamble.
-You’re constantly on edge. Frustrated. Drained. Anxious
And deep down you’re thinking…
“Why isn’t anything working?”
The Truth
It’s not that you haven’t tried hard enough — it’s that you’ve been given the wrong approach.
Most training focuses on commands, distractions, and fixing things in the moment… but none of that fixes the real problem.
Because underneath it all, your dog still thinks they need to handle the situation themselves.
And until that changes — nothing sticks.
We don’t just train dogs.
We change how your dog sees you.
From reactive → calm
From chaos → clarity
From guessing → structure
This is real behaviour change — in real life.
"The Best Descion We Made"
The best decision we ever made! Our Dalmatian Zola started to become increasingly nervous and subsequently reactive to dogs and strangers as she went through adolescence. We'd spent lots of time with training and socialising but walks had gotten to a point of becoming difficult and no longer enjoyable for her and us.With the amazing help of Matt and the team at Sit Happens, we (surprisingly quickly) were able to have Zola walking side by side and play off lead with the wonderful Neil and Sully, and more importantly, got her to be able to remain neutral when passing others or being in busier areas so that we could start to work on building her confidence.The passion and knowledge that the team have are second to none and they are so incredibly supportive. We did a train and stay where on the third day Matt came to our home to work in the house and on our local walks which was invaluable.
They really feel like an extended family and community and words can't describe the thanks we have for helping us to be able to reset.Now the hard work really begins putting into practice everything we've learnt, but we're excited for the journey ahead and already looking forward to going back to join in on classes and pack walks!
If anyone is debating whether or not to contact Sit Happens, all I can say is go for it! I wish we'd done it sooner and cannot recommend them enough.
"Matt rescued us 12months ago "
Matt rescued us 12months ago - with a simple text back to me saying “ This is what I do !…..”
Never…never has a truer word been said.
Basil our 9 month old Catahoula Leopard Dog was in desperate need of a “No” command …… Matt has changed our life - he trained us along with Basil …….Basil now has excellent manners when greeting people , when passing other dogs, when sitting and when called back into heel
Matts ability to identify and diagnose behavioural traits is amazing. He then follows with clear and concise instructions which lead to immediate improvements. He spend as much time training us as he does Basil, but he does it with empathy and understanding which is so engaging.
We have listened, practiced and practiced some more. Basil has been transformed and so have we! Just as importantly, this has been a journey with all the usual ups and downs. But we can honestly say we have thoroughly enjoyed the journey (which will continue) and that is down to Matts awesome training and the brilliant support provided by Emily.
We would whole heartedly recommend Sit Happens, and will continue to work with them on Basils Journey
Meet Matt
I’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years… and I’ve seen the same pattern over and over again.
Owners trying everything. Following all the advice. Doing their absolute best…
And still feeling like nothing is working. That’s not because they don’t care.
- It’s because they’ve never been shown how to apply training properly in real life.
I’ve been in that position too — not because I didn’t care, but because I was being shown methods that didn’t hold up outside of a perfect environment. That’s when things changed.
I stopped focusing on just stopping behaviours… and started focusing on why they were happening in the first place. And that shift changed everything — not just for the dogs I work with, but for the owners holding the lead.
After 20 years working hands-on with people and their dogs, you start to see it all. You learn what actually works, what doesn’t, and more importantly — how to adapt in the moment, when things feel unpredictable, overwhelming, or out of control. Because no two dogs are the same. No two owners are the same. And no two situations are ever the same.
That’s exactly why I come to you — your home, your walks, your real life — and tailor everything around you. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s real coaching, adapted in real time, to get results that actually last.
Now, instead of guessing, overthinking, or relying on things going perfectly:
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You have a clear system
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You understand what’s actually going on
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And you know exactly what to do
Most of the people I work with have already tried other trainers.
I’m very rarely the first.
But I will be the last
And the best part?
This isn’t theory… this is happening every single day, in real homes, on real walks, with owners just like you.
Ways we can help you achieve your dream.
Still slightly speechless with how my reactive dogs are now completely calmer after 3 days of Matt’s training. Not only does his passion for dogs blow me away but the patience he has, he’s friendly and tells it as it should be ‘Straight’! I could write pages on this review with how happy I am, but after numerous trainers I knew HE was the one I had to have to help me!What I’m now confident with is that by the time he left us, the knowledge & confidence I had was second to none! I simply cannot thank him enough as I really had lost all hope of giving my dogs the life they deserve!I knew I had to change to allow my dogs to have more confidence in me.Now after a few weeks I am happily walking my dogs still tweaking my errors which I know are getter better and taking my dogs into public places like cafes which I could only dream of once 😁instead of walking them where there are no dogs or people.Matt, Em and his wonderful team are the PERFECT Trainers for any dog owners out there who feel they can no longer cope or deal with their dogs, a simple message or call I can assure you will just give you that glimmer of hope and by the time you have finished your training, you will be walking your dogs with a smile!Thank you for everything guys you will always hold a special place in my heart and my girls ❤️Finally I cannot finish my review without mentioning that giant adorable boy who Matt brought with him “Sully” who stole my ❤️ If you need to know who he is go check out “Sit Happens Dog Training!Not enough stars to give you for this review ❤️
Sharon & 'The Girls'
South Wales
“Train & Stay” program, which offered us the chance to stay on-site & overnight at their training facility with our 2 Pomeranian puppies.
However, during a thoughtful 30-minute initial consultation with Matt, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they’d come to our home for a 3-day training. These options & this flexibility sets Sit Happens apart from the tens of other trainers I had contacted around the UK.
From my initial outreach and now well after training has concluded, our experience is overwhelmingly positive & the impact has been lasting. It’s evident the entire Sit Happens team is very knowledgeable and experienced.
And I’m not exaggerating when I say that I saw a positive change in my dogs’ behavior within the first hour of Matt’s training.
Matt imparted simple but effective tools to manage my 13 month male’s reactivity and resource guarding, and my 7 month female’s hyperactivity (among other negative behaviors that I hadn’t even realized we were encouraging.)
Among the other great results we’ve seen, both my Pomeranian exhibit less anxiousness & hyperactivity leading all of us to have more positive & pleasant experiences whether we’re out on a walk — or playing at home.
I truly cannot recommend the Sit Happens team highly enough. We are SO pleased with the outcomes. And our pups are too!
Laure, Lord Pork Chop & Saucey
London
We wish that we had found Sit Happens when we adopted Maverick in May 2019. Fortunately, we found Matt and the team and have been working with them since March 2022. Maverick is one of a kind. He had many issues, all stemming from fear which he then displayed in reactivity to people and dogs, amongst many other unacceptable behaviours. When we met Matt, I was unable to walk to Maverick because of his behaviour and my lack of confidence, so this fell to my husband. The road has been long and we are still not where we want to be, but the improvement in Maverick has been amazing. My confidence has increased when handling him and I feel like I can deal with any situation. All it took was finding the right trainer, someone who wasn’t scared of a difficult German Shepherd, practice and repetition and finding the right tools to enable us to get control of Maverick and for him to realise that we can handle the situations. He does not need to take control and deal with everything. My husband and I now walk Maverick using different tools as Maverick listens more to my husband than he does to me. We have had intense sessions, one to one’s, joined the reactivity masterclass and Maverick was also able to take advantage of the residential training that was previously offered. This has all built up to us being able to attend the Summer BBQ event with 19 other dogs and their handlers and to say that Maverick’s behaviour made us proud is an understatement. That is something that, previously, I would not have thought possibly and I certainly would not have had the confidence to attend. I am now so confident in handling Maverick that I am able to walk him around our local County Park and deal with people, dogs and cyclists with ease. Sit Happens has changed ours and Maverick’s life for the better and I know that Matt and the team are at the end of the phone if we require any further guidance or need a top-up session. I am forever grateful to Sit Happens and I would recommend them to everyone who is struggling with their dog or feels that they need a bit of guidance.
Fiona & Mav
Stoke-on-Trent
You don’t need more advice.
You need a system that works.
One that shows you exactly what to do — and supports you while you do it.
You can keep guessing…
Or you can follow a proven path that’s already working for owners just like you.
Ready To Change Things?
Reach out today and let’s see what’s possible for you and your dog.
Matt will get back to you with in 48 hours to chat with directly on your best next step and to answer any questions