About Us

Who's behind Puppy School's puppy training classes?

We are an amazing family of around 150 UK-based, friendly and knowledgeable tutors who share animal-welfare goals as well as a love of teaching and educating. Many of us have been teaching puppy training classes since Puppy School’s inception over 20 years ago and, collectively, we have over 750 years of puppy training and behaviour experience!

About Us

Puppy School's Amazing Puppy Class Tutors

You will find a comprehensive profile for each of our wonderful tutors by searching for your local tutor using the Class Locator. This will give you their full biography, as well as details of their puppy training classes and how to contact them.
  • Tutors - no heads
  • Debs with belgian shepherd heel work

What makes our puppy training class tutors so special?

There is a wealth of dog-related experienced within Puppy School and the quality of our tutors is incredible.  Many have a certification in animal behaviour from accredited academic institutions. Some have a degree level education in animal behaviour and welfare, and others hold a Diploma or MSc in Companion Animal Behaviour and Counselling.  All have years of experience of working with dogs and puppies.

In addition, a number are full members of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and, hence, registered as Clinical Animal Behaviourists (acknowledged by the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC)).

The majority of our tutors and associate tutors are recognised as Animal Training Instructors with the ABTC, and others are working towards the qualification.  

Many are accredited by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, a benchmark of excellence in positive reward-based dog training.

Find a Class

  • Adam greeting puppy
  • Jackie and owner

Many of our tutors have thriving careers as behaviourists, as veterinary nurses, or in rescue shelters. Others work as accountants or teachers, or raise families but run puppy classes and have other dog-related interests in their free time. Quite a few of our tutors work as dog sitters, dog walkers or dog groomers. Some are volunteers involved in dog walking, home visiting or fostering. Some do puppy walking or work for the assistance dog charities. All own their own dogs, from Affenpinschers and Pugs to Labradoodles and Wirehaired Vizslas, and many are interested in scent work, obedience, agility, gun dog work, Canicross and Hoopers.

All puppy training class tutors have a common passion for puppies and a keen interest in animal welfare and behaviour. Everyone contributes regularly to the exclusive Puppy School forum where ideas and problems are discussed and solutions offered. This allows for our massive collective knowledge to be tapped into whenever necessary to help puppies and their owners.

To find out more about our wonderful puppy training class tutors, click here:

Our Tutors

Puppy Expertise

Our Puppy Training Class History

  • Gwen with Chisel and Spicy
  • Good heel work

Gwen Bailey, Founder and Director of Puppy School, pioneered the use of behaviour science to assist with the successful rehoming of unwanted dogs, and worked as Head of Animal Behaviour for a leading UK animal welfare charity for more than 12 years. Longing to do more preventative work to stem the flow of puppies flooding into rescue during adolescence, she ran puppy training classes for years in her spare time and saw for herself how early help for owners created better behaviour and stronger relationships. 

“After years of working with rescue dogs, I realised that there would always be more dogs needing new homes than there would be homes for them to go to, but worse still, many were poorly behaved, making it less likely that people would take them. The task seemed never ending. It became clear that the way forward lay in education of new owners, particularly during the early stages of puppy-hood when owners are keen to learn and puppies are very impressionable.

After realising that clients at puppy classes wanted action and practice to get things right rather than listening to advice, she put all things she wanted to tell them into a book, Perfect Puppy (becoming the most successful book on puppies of all time which is still in print nearly 30 years later), and developed the classes to be much more about precise demonstration and coaching of owners to help them perfect their training techniques.

At the time, there were few positive puppy training classes for young pups, and in 2002, Gwen began teaching other professionals in dog industry to run successful classes.  Puppy School was born and has grown into a fantastic UK network of well-trained professional trainers who help new owners give their puppies the best possible start in life.  Over 100,000 puppies have passed through our Puppy Schools across the country, and the tutors and associate tutors have grown into a strong, united and incredibly knowledgeable family.

“Well-trained, well-behaved dogs is the goal so that owners want to keep them all of their lives and even if the dog is unlucky enough to find itself in rescue one day, it will be easier to rehome."

 

Find your nearest Puppy School

Find your nearest Puppy School here and begin your journey with us!

Gwen Bailey
“Over 100,000 puppies have now passed through Puppy Schools across the country and we hope that all of them have had better lives as a result.”
—   Gwen Bailey
       Founder & Director
Find out more about our brilliant Puppy School Classes
Teg

Testimonials

What Clients say
about Puppy School

  • “Caroline is an excellent trainer. She is knowledgeable, friendly and very patient, never judgemental. Teg and I enjoyed the classes very much.”
    —   Andrew
  • “Frankie was amazing, absolutely loved going every week and so did Riley. We learnt so much in such a lovely and fun atmosphere!”
    —   Jane
  • “Excellent puppy classes we really enjoyed them and could see Oscar developing. Claire took the time to cover class that we missed due to illness which was greatly appreciated and was always patient with Oscar. Would recommend to anyone with a puppy ”
    —   Louise
  • “It was just a great course, it helped so much with our confidence in training Lucky correctly, and watching his confidence grow from being super nervous when he started, to the outgoing bundle he is now. Puppy School has been amazing!”
    —   Erica
  • “I can’t imagine a tutor better than Kelly. She was so reassuring and helpful, and skilled in getting us through the exercises. Her fondness for the dogs and enthusiasm was obvious.”
    —   Emma