"Joining Puppy School provided a neat structure for developing my skills as a trainer....."

Amanda Blatch lives in lives in Reigate, Surrey and has been a Puppy School Tutor since 2016.  She runs a successful Dog Training and Dog Walking business called Happy Buddies.

"I love being a Puppy School tutor! I can honestly say the best decision I have ever made was to leave my career in Human Resources and finally follow my dream to work with dogs. It was a scary leap of faith but one I have absolutely no regrets about making! I initially started dog walking but realised that I had so much more to offer and this is when I looked into joining Puppy School. I currently run five Puppy School classes and two SuperPup classes a week plus my own Canine College class too. I run my classes during weekday evenings and at weekends and this allows me to continue with my dog walking services and to offer 121 training with clients as well. I have two wonderful dogs of my own and love spending time walking and training them. I love the way they make me laugh each day with their little quirks and personality traits and how enthusiastic they become when 'mummy's treat training pouch' comes out. 

The best thing about being a Puppy School tutor is seeing how far the puppies and owners (they are a team afterall), come within six weeks. It is so rewarding to see how my input, guidance, support and knowledge can help owners and their dogs bond, develop and learn together in such a fun and enjoyable way. I receive some lovely feedback from my clients and this is wonderful positive reinforcement for me! The support team within Puppy School is amazing. It really does feel like a family and one that is great to be a part of. Here's to many many more years of being part of the Puppy School team!"

"It is great to be able to have total control over how much to work, when you work and to be able to choose times to run your classes....."

Zoe Taylor has been with Puppy School for nearly two years and fits her business and her classes around her family commitments;

"I live in Norfolk, south of Norwich and teach Puppy School and Puppy University classes in Hethersett. I am also Regional Manager for Puppy School in Norfolk. I have been running classes since January 2015 and usually teach two classes per week on one evening. Sometimes it can be three or four classes over two evenings.

I decided to train when my children both reached high school age and I felt I had more time on my hands. Puppy School fits really well around the school day as any administration and preparation can be done during the day between running the household and looking after the children and my own dogs. It is great to have total control over how much you choose to work, when you work, and to be able to choose times to run your classes that fit around your own family’s needs.

I chose to become a Puppy School tutor because I was returning to work after being a stay at home mum for over 10 years. The support of Gwen as well as my Regional Manager and all the other tutors, gave me the confidence and network that I needed to get back to work doing something that I loved and felt passionate about.

The best, best thing about being a Puppy School tutor is being able to help people who have very little confidence in their own abilities to train their puppies even though they love them dearly. It is fantastic to be able to show people kind, gentle effective methods to train their puppies and to see how happy it makes them to succeed where sometimes they never thought they could!

Teaching puppy training classes and working with clients to train dogs at their homes can be a solitary career choice. Being part of the Puppy School network means that you will always have other dog professionals to support you, guide you, mentor you and even correct you if you go wrong. Belonging to a large body of professional people like this also means it is easy to keep informed and up to date with developments in the world of dog training."

"The feedback I get from the classes is overwhelmingly positive, and it is lovely to see happy dogs around the local area who I have helped train from a puppy."

Lauren Watts lives and works in Colchester where her Puppy School business fits really neatly alongside her role as a professional dog trainer and behaviourist;

"I work as the Puppy School tutor for Colchester in Essex. I started classes in April 2013, and now run a minimum of two and up to four Puppy School classes every week. When I started classes, I was working part time in London after completing my studies in Animal Behaviour, and through building up my knowledge and experience now work full time as a behaviourist and trainer.

Running the Puppy School classes was a fantastic decision for me, as it has given lots of training I wouldn’t otherwise have received, and has served as a great step into building a strong client base. I now run three other forms of classes, along with workshops and puppy parties at local vet practices, which stem from my Puppy School clients. The feedback I get from classes is overwhelmingly positive, and it is lovely to see happy dogs around the local area who I have helped train from a puppy.

The set up of the classes is really flexible, so it would suit people in all different situations, and I have built up wonderful friendships with other Puppy School tutors through the courses and conferences. From a behaviour point of view, Puppy School provides the best training and up to date information about puppy behaviour and the behaviour courses run by Gwen are fab!"