Dog training classes

It's mostly you we're training.

Six people, six dogs, one hall, and a plan you can keep up at home. Nobody here will guarantee your dog anything — what we teach is what to do when it goes wrong, which is the part that decides whether any of the rest sticks.

What we use, and what we don't Prices

What's running

Puppy foundation — 6 weeks · from 12 weeks, second vaccination done
Everyday manners — 6 weeks · any dog over six months
Recall, properly — 4 weeks · outdoors, in a fenced field
Reactive-dog course — 6 weeks · very small groups, after a vet check
One-to-one — By the hour, at your house or at the hall
Drop-in practice — Wednesdays · free once you've finished a course

Six dogs a class and never more. If one is full we'd far rather you waited a fortnight than sat in a crowded hall with a dog who can't cope with it.

What happens when your dog gets it wrong

It is the only question worth asking a trainer, and the answer tells you far more than a certificate does. Here is ours.

Nothing happens to the dog — We make the next attempt easier rather than making that one worse
We change the picture — More distance, less distraction, a smaller ask — then build it back up
We never use pain or fear — No slip leads, no prong collars, no electric collars, no shouting, no pinning
We don't blame you either — Every dog does it. Yours isn't being stubborn, and neither are you
If it keeps going wrong — That's information. Usually the step was too big; occasionally it's a vet question

Ask any trainer that same question before you book, and ask whether you can watch a class first. If either answer comes out awkward, you have your answer.

When it's a vet, not a trainer

Anything sudden

A dog that changes overnight — snapping, hiding, house-soiling, refusing the stairs — is a vet visit before it is a training problem. Pain very often looks like behaviour.

Aggression

We don't take an aggression case without a vet check first, and for some of them the right person is a qualified behaviourist working with your vet rather than us. We'll say so, and give you names.

There's no licence for this

Anybody can call themselves a dog trainer, this one included. Ask what qualifications they hold, what they do when a dog gets it wrong, and whether you can watch a class. Then judge for yourself.

Who these classes aren't for

A dog frightened of other dogs — A group hall is the worst possible place to start. Ask about one-to-one instead
A puppy before its second vaccination — Come and watch without them, and start the week after
Anyone wanting a guarantee — We can't give one and nor can anybody else. A dog is not a machine
A dog in pain — Vet first, always. Training on top of pain teaches a dog that we don't listen
Somebody who can't practise — Ten minutes a day at home beats an hour a week here. If this month is chaos, start next month

We would rather turn a booking away than take money for a class that can't work. Tell us which of those is you and we'll tell you what would.

What the courses cost

Puppy foundation

$145 6 weeks

Six puppies, never more
Handling, settling and the early recall
A written plan each week
Somewhere to ask the daft questions

Book the puppy course

Everyday manners

$145 6 weeks

Any dog over six months
Lead walking, waiting, coming back
Real distractions, added slowly
Free Wednesday practice afterwards, forever

Book manners

One-to-one

$65 an hour

At your house or at the hall
For anything a group class can't hold
Reactive and nervous dogs, after a vet check
A written plan you keep

Ask about one-to-one

Miss a week and you make it up on the next course for nothing. Finish a course and the Wednesday drop-in is free for as long as you want it — the dogs it sticks with are the ones that keep turning up.

★★★★★

“They told me on the phone that a group class was wrong for her and to book one-to-one instead. That conversation cost them the course fee.”

Iris B.

Reactive collie

★★★★★

“Six weeks, and the dog is exactly the same dog. I'm different, which turns out to have been the entire point.”

Marcus L.

Everyday manners

Book a place

Tell us about the dog. If a group class is the wrong answer we'll say so, and say what would be right instead.

Book a place

If your answers suggest a group class is wrong for you, we'll say so — including sending you to somebody else who suits you better.

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