Dog and Cat Behaviourist Mathew Ward

You love your dog, but their aggression towards unfamiliar people has you on edge. Simple pleasures like a walk, a visitor at the door, or even just passing someone on the street have become sources of stress and worry.

You tense up when a stranger approaches, dreading the lunging, barking, or growling that might follow. That well-meaning person who just wants to say hello or pat your dog has no idea about the stress you're feeling inside.

This isn't just about managing difficult situations; it's about the emotional toll it takes. You've had enough of the hyper-vigilance, the embarrassment of outbursts, and the unsolicited advice. It's a burden that can leave you feeling frustrated, isolated, and even guilty.

You Might Be Experiencing:

⚠️ A Life of Avoidance You find yourself changing routes to avoid people, walking at odd hours, and politely refusing every request to "say hello." Your world, and your dog's, feels like it's shrinking.

💥 The Fear of 'What If' & Legal Risks The nagging worry is always there: "What if they bite someone?" You're acutely aware of the potential for injury and the serious legal and financial repercussions that could follow a single mistake.

🏠 A Visitor-free Zone You dread having people over, and you feel like you can never fully relax in your own home when guests are present.

🤯 Confusing Advice Overload You’ve tried everything—online forums, trainers, friends’ suggestions - but nothing provides a reliable solution. The questions keep swirling: "Am I making it worse?" "What am I missing?"

And you worry about your dog:

• 🐕 Is this aggression a sign of their own unhappiness?

• 🐕 How can they be so loving with family, but so anti-social with others?

• 🐕 What is this behaviour trying to tell you about what they need to feel safe?

It's easy to feel defeated and overwhelmed by this incredibly stressful problem. But you do not have to live like this.

There is a path forward - one that leads towards safety, understanding, and renewed confidence for you both.

Imagine a Different Reality...

Reactivity to unfamiliar people is common and complex. But it’s also treatable with the right approach.

Imagine:

🛣️ Walking down the street feeling prepared and optimistic, not stressed.

🏠 Answering your front door without your heart pounding, knowing you have a calm, effective plan.

🧍 Being able to manage encounters with strangers with confidence.

🐕‍🦺 Seeing your dog calmer, more secure, and looking to you for guidance.

This isn’t wishful thinking—it’s what I help people like you achieve.

I'm Mat Ward, a Clinical Animal Behaviourist with top-tier accreditations and extensive experience in treating dog aggression and reactivity. My approach is kind, science-backed, and results-focused. My services are insurance-approved.

Through a personalised Zoom consultation, I’ll help you:

• Discover the underlying reasons for your dog’s reactivity.

• Develop a practical, step-by-step behaviour plan tailored to your dog’s needs.

• Apply positive, proven techniques that foster lasting change.

• Reduce stress for both you and your dog so you can enjoy life together in shared spaces.

Why Dog Owners Choose Me

Anyone can call themselves a dog 'behaviourist'. Your dog deserves an expert with proven, accredited qualifications.

🕰️ Experienced: With thousands of successful pet behaviour transformations over 26 years, I have the knowledge to help you achieve lasting results.

🎓 Qualified: My Master's degree in Companion Animal Behaviour and accreditation from the most respected organisations in the field ensure you're receiving the best advice for dog aggression.

👍 Effective: My science-backed methods deliver real, lasting change for you and your dog.

❤️ Humane: I use ethical and kind techniques that prioritise your dog’s well-being.

💸 Insurance-approved: Many pet insurance policies cover my fees, making expert help more accessible.

🤝 Here to support, not to judge: I believe in creating a safe and supportive space for dog owners. You won't find any judgment here, just understanding and guidance.

Your personalised Zoom consultation is where you’ll finally get clear answers and a tailored strategy. We'll uncover the reasons behind your dog’s aggression towards strangers, and I'll provide you with a clear, step-by-step plan towards a more relaxed and sociable life together.

🧠 In-depth Zoom Consultation
A relaxed, supportive session (typically around 2 hours) where we explore the root causes of the problem, and create a tailored plan for success.

📄 Personalised Written Report
A clear summary of everything we’ve discussed, providing a clear roadmap for your dog’s behavioural improvement.

🗓️ Three Months of Ongoing Support
Email and WhatsApp check-ins, including video review, to help you troubleshoot, stay on track, and succeed.

👩‍⚕️ Vet Collaboration
I work with your vet to rule out or address medical causes and support a collaborative solution.

💸 Insurance-Approved Documentation
I’ll provide the reports and paperwork your insurer needs to support a behaviour claim.

We had a big problem with our 2 year old collie, growling, snapping and lunging at dogs and barking at people. After seeing a couple of dog trainers, and attending obedience classes, we couldn't see much improvement and didn't feel like we were on the right track to tackle the problem. Although we were tired of dealing with it and almost gave up, we decided to take our last chance and contacted Mat. He gave us a lot of advice on our dog's problem and also the confidence to work on it and stay positive. His method is kind and easy to implement and our dog's response was amazingly good. Now, we feel like we are on the right path to solve the problems that made our life so stressful.

Putting his method (show the dog what's good instead of punishing for what's bad) into practice, Astar is now walking off lead around other dogs, and although she is still wary of dogs that are too interested in her, with just one word I'm able to stop her aggressive behaviour. We can get her focus in a second. It feels like she has really started thinking before acting. She is much more relaxed; she managed to ignore a boxer and sniff a greyhound. She has almost completely stopped her mad barking. I never thought that I would be able to have my dog walking at heel, off-lead, and ignoring other dogs. I thought she was untrainable. I'm much more relaxed now, so I guess she's picking up on that as well.

We had some people visiting for a week, including a 9-year-old girl and they were the best of friends by the next morning of their arrival (it turned out it's not so hard to convince Astar that children are fun). 

Although I know that we haven't finished our training, and she will continue to get better throughout her life, and that she will never be completely ok with all dogs, I couldn't ask for a better result now.

Previously I was so unhappy with Astar and with myself for failing, but now I own a happy, confident and such an obedient dog that I really look forward to our walks every day. I couldn't be more grateful for Mat's help.

Thank you so much Mat for changing our stressful life with Astar into a happy life, full of fun and hopes for the future.

Thank You!

Ewa, Edinburgh.