News & Blog

XL Bully Puppies Can Still Go To School - October 2023

XL Bully puppies have always been welcomed at Puppy School (our classes are for puppies under 20 weeks and we focus on carefully controlled social greetings rather than puppy play so size matching is unnecessary).

XL Bully puppy training outside on grass

Important Update November 2023: The UK Government have announced that XL Bullies will be added to the list of banned types on 31st December 2023 (see here for further details). Due to this, sadly, we can only take these puppies into classes if our insurance allows. If you would like to bring your XL Bully puppy to our classes, please contact your local tutor to see if their insurance will allow for special dispensation to be given so your puppy can come to school.

 

As you may know the English Government have said they will ban the XL Bully breed from December 2023. The specifics of how this will affect XL Bully puppies and their families are still to be confirmed.

If you currently own a puppy, we recommend you talk to one of our Puppy School tutors for information on how to introduce a muzzle positively, how to socialise rapidly and effectively, and book your puppy into our reward-based classes. 

All dogs can learn to be aggressive, and all puppies of any breed brought up with kind, knowledgeable owners in a stress-free supportive environment, who use only reward-based teaching methods, can learn to be peaceful and polite. Knowledge for owners is key and Puppy School aims to provide owners with a basic training for life that is ENTIRELY positive.

 

Problems arise with any breed if outdated punishment-based methods are used or care is not taken to socialise well when young, or if they are kept in stressful conditions or those that cause physical or social deprivation. 

Problems are further exacerbated when dogs are very large and strong, where they have hidden accentuated genetic behaviour traits for guarding, fighting, a high play/work drive, or sustained arousal, or where inbreeding is rife, or where little consideration is given to avoiding inheritable diseases that can lead to irritability due to pain and discomfort. 

More often than not, it is people, not the dogs who are responsible when dogs bite, and we call for tougher and more immediate controls on members of society who use or breed dogs as weapons or for intimidation.

Mitch

Testimonials

What Clients say
about Puppy School

  • “Tammy was a great tutor, so much so that we have already booked onto SuperPup. She always had time after class if we had any questions or to discuss things not covered in class.”
    —   Melanie
  • “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
  • “Charlie was absolutely wonderful in all aspects. Friendly, kind and knowledgeable. Always available to answer any questions or concerns. Charlie is very experienced and myself and my daughter thoroughly enjoyed the classes and wish that we had more weeks together with our puppy family! Highly recommended and really enjoyable! Thank you for helping us understood our puppy and teaching us ways to grow together - invaluable”
    —   Sam
  • “Loved this course, so helpful and Claire is an amazing tutor.”
    —   Luke
  • “We attended puppy school with our American bully puppy coco, we had already had a terrible experience with another school who made us feel tidally uncomfortable and unwelcome with our puppy. Puppy school Hollywood could not have been more different, Sarah was a fantastic tutor and a real supporter of Coco, encouraging us when the muzzle made exercises that bit more tricky and thinking up modifications so Coco was never left out. We were introduced to the class and the explanation of why Coco was wearing a muzzle was done in a way that we didn’t feel in any way uncomfortable and the other puppy parents were reassured. Thank you so much for giving our very restricted puppy the opportunity to be ‘normal’, I can’t articulate what an impact it had.”
    —   Frances