Telephone: 07594 225010

About A&S and My Values

Building a connection with your dog is the start of sharing a wonderful lifelong relationship. This relationship should be based on giving your dog choices and respect, using modern science-based training and gentle guidance.

Meet Sonja & Henderson

Hello, I'm Sonja and I live on the outskirts of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. I started A&S Small Pet Services in 2013, initially providing the solo dog walking and pet visits that I still offer today. Through extensive training and qualifications I now also provide training and behaviour consultations for dogs and their owners who are looking for a kind and ethical approach to fulfilling their dogs' individual needs.

My interest in dog training and behaviour was initially sparked by my own dog, Henderson, a beautiful springer spaniel who at 5 months of age started exhibiting obscure behavioural traits brought about through his own fear and anxiety. These manifested in obsessive compulsive behaviours, an example of which is shadow chasing. Thankfully this behaviour has almost fully disappeared, however he does still have obsessive style traits.

A&S Small Pet Services Aylesbury

APDT Advanced & ISCP Canine Diploma

After meeting an amazing APDT instructor in 2014, I started my own personal journey towards wanting to be the best advocate for my own dog and to help others with theirs. The words of wisdom the instructor used, which changed my life and my viewpoint, were "Sonja if you always remember he can't help why he performs these behaviours, you will always do the very best for him".

Those words left quite an impression on me and I went on to complete and pass the APDT Foundation Dog Training course in 2016, followed by the Advanced Course in 2018. I also passed my ISCP Level 5 Canine Behaviour Diploma with a distinction in 2023. I am now able to work as both a Trainer and Canine Behaviour Practitioner to help you and your dog with positive guidance, support, training and behavioural problems.

APDT Dog Trainer Aylesbury

Professional Development

I continue to gain knowledge and new skills and awareness by regularly attending workshops and webinars, together with reading dog training and behaviour books and articles.

I am also now seeking to adopt a more holistic approach to working with your pets, and value guardians who provide enrichment, kindness and choices for their pets, whatever the species. I am proud to only use science-backed methods that are based on positive reinforcement only.

Holistic Pet Care Aylesbury

Qualifications & Experience

Customer Reviews

I am proud to provide a personal and professional service that is truly tailored to the the animals I care for. My valued customers often provide me with wonderful feedback and I am delighted to share a selection of those comments with you below...

"Sonja has been walking Milo for around a year now. Unfortunately despite lots of socialisation as a pup, Milo was bitten by one of his brothers whilst playing and after this he became anxious, reactive and frustrated around other dogs. We worked for ages on his behaviour with training techniques and although we were getting somewhere, walks and trips out as a family were still very stressful. Then along came Sonja! Sonja has worked really hard with our gorgeous boy on her walks with him and he is now a completely changed dog. Not only has this changed things for Milo but it has also enriched our life as a family as we are now able to take him out with us without the fear of stress. We have followed Sonja's advice and guidance on his separation anxiety too and that also has really really helped. I would recommend Sonja for any training needs, she has a wealth of knowledge and understanding but more importantly gets to know you and your beloved pets which is super important when trying to alter behaviours that can often be deep seated. We look forward to continuing to work with Sonja to continue to make the precious years we have with Milo as calm and stress free as possible." Kate Bowman

"Sonja has been amazing with my dog Thor. She has worked with him since he was a puppy and really helped him to manage his anxiety around people and other dogs. Thor has needed extra support due to his anxieties and Sonja has supported him to feel safe and managed his triggers out on his walks. She helps him to feel safe and allows him to make choices that support him in feeling safe. Thor adores Sonja and she has been invaluable in helping him feel more relaxed on his walks, he's gone from a dog that would always be on alert and wouldn't even go to the loo on a walk to a confident little chap that engaged with other dogs and now feels safe enough to wee on a walk. Thanks Sonja, you're a star and we appreciate all you've done and continue to do!" Kelly Ann

"We have used Sonja's services for our two cats for several years. Sonja has a lovely manner and understands their needs really well. One of our cats has ailments and Sonja is always keen to make sure she is fully aware of her health needs. We love getting messages to say all is OK and pics of the girls while we are away. Sonja also opens and closes our curtains for us, and picks up the post. Sonja is a gem!" J. Stiles

"Really happy with the services provided by A&S. I have peace of mind when I'm at work knowing that my dog will be well looked after. I receive a text message from Sonja every time she checks on my boy. Because of my work I need flexibility in terms of dates and Sonja works with me on a weekly basis to find the best possible arrangement for the following week. I couldn't ask for a better service." D. Hinojasa

"We have been utilising Sonja at A&S for almost 5 years. This was initially to look after our 2 chinchillas when we went on holiday and then we added 2 cats to the mix! Now we rely on Sonja for any and all overnight stays whether that's for a holiday, a quick visit to friends or a longer work contract elsewhere in the country. Sonja is very reliable, quick to respond to communications, looks after the animals excellently, sends us updates/texts/pics, and is always clean and tidy. In fact whenever we return we're sure our fur babies would prefer to keep having Sonja rather than have us come back! We would not hesitate to recommend A&S for all your pet support needs!" Charley B

"We have been using Sonja at A&S Small Pet Services for a number of years now and we couldn't be happier. We have a nervous rescue cat, Phoebe, and we used to hate going away as she would get very stressed but since Sonja has been looking after her she is always in great spirits when we return from our holidays. We don't have to worry as she keeps us informed on a daily basis of how Phoebe is doing, she always lets us know if she has any concerns and we do feel that having Sonja come in twice a day is certainly the best option for our cat. If we are away for more than two or three days she sends us photos of Phoebe (always looking totally relaxed and happy!) which is a lovely extra touch. Sonja has been totally reliable throughout and has never let us down. She goes out of her way to accommodate our requests for pet sitting, sometimes at short notice, which is so good of her as we know how busy she gets. All in all, we can't recommend A&S Small Pet Services highly enough." Colin and Frances Wilson

"We are new to the area and have a nervous ginger cat who has taken time to settle in his new surroundings. He is unsure and nervous of new people and we were worried about putting him in a cattery while going away. We found Sonja online and she came and paid us a visit and put our worries at ease. She came in to check on him, put down food, water and clean his tray, even putting our bins out and picking up our post. She has been brilliant, updating us on her visits and even sending pictures of TJ our cat, who came out of his shell. The cat was happy, and so are we. Great service, will be recommending her and using Sonja again!" C. Bing