Activdogs is now Steven Symonds — Dog Behaviour & Training. A name that better reflects the work I do.
Activdogs is now Steven Symonds — Dog Behaviour & Training. A name that better reflects the work I do.
Regular, practical training for spaniels and the people who live with them. We use the things spaniels naturally find rewarding — scent, searching, carrying, movement and working outdoors — while building the everyday skills that make walks easier to enjoy.
The groups stay deliberately small so we can work properly while still giving each dog useful experience around other dogs and real-world distractions.
One good session can teach an exercise. Regular sessions are where we get to practise it around dogs, scent, movement and different environments, then come back and build on what happened last time.
Spaniel Club is designed as a small ongoing training group rather than a course you complete and forget.
Use searching, scent, retrieving and movement as part of the training rather than treating every spaniel instinct as a problem.
Work around a small number of familiar dogs while keeping enough space for each dog to think, learn and succeed.
Return regularly, review what is working and add difficulty gradually rather than starting again each time.
Recall and whistle work · engagement outdoors · searching and scent games · retrieving and carrying · steadiness and waiting · settling around activity · working at distance · reconnecting around distractions · practical lead work · moving between activity and calm.
Spaniel Club is primarily for working Cocker Spaniels, English Springer Spaniels, Sprockers and other active spaniels who enjoy using their nose, searching, carrying, moving and working outdoors.
Other spaniel and gundog breeds may also be suitable. The important thing is that your dog can learn comfortably in a small group and that this style of training fits what they need.
Initially, places are offered to existing clients and dogs I already know. If we have not worked together, you are still welcome to register your interest; I may suggest a short one-to-one session first so I can make sure the group is a good fit.
If your dog is showing significant fear, aggression or repeated reactivity, Behaviour Support is the better starting point.
Each group meets once every four weeks. Book one four-session block and you train roughly monthly. If you want more regular practice, you can hold a place in both alternating groups and attend roughly every two weeks, subject to availability.
Groups are capped at four dogs and may start with three. Each session lasts 50 minutes, with a short changeover between groups.
Booking will open in four-session blocks. The available dates and remaining spaces will be shown here once the Spaniel Club appointment types are configured in Acuity.
4 × 50-minute sessions · £80
Meets every four weeks. Maximum four dogs.
4 × 50-minute sessions · £80
Alternates with Group A. Maximum four dogs.
If space is available in both groups, you can book both four-session blocks: eight sessions across the same period for £160.
