Puppy Advice

How to Choose a Good Puppy Training Class

If you cannot find a Puppy School tutor close to where you live, or you want to find a training class for an older dog, you will need to do some research to find the best one. The worst thing to do is call a number from the first advert you see, sign up and hope for the best!

Child training puppy

We recommend:

Firstly search for your local Animal Training Instructor (ATI) registered with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC).  All practitioners have been rigourously assessed to a high standard of practice and animal welfare so you can be assured of a good quality class experience. 

If you do not have a local ABTC registered Animal Training Instructor, you could ask the following people for details of the puppy training or dog training classes they recommend:

  • Local vets (try www.any-uk-vet.co.uk)
  • Dog warden (try your local county council for the phone number)
  • The Kennel Club (www.thekennelclub.org.uk)
  • Local rescue organisations 
  • Local groomers/boarding kennels/pet shops
  • Dog-owning friends

If you ask enough people, you will end up with a list of all the local classes as well as some idea of their quality.

Contact the trainer you think may be suitable and and ask to visit all of the classes WITHOUT YOUR DOG. It is very important to visit without your dog so that you can make an objective assessment without being distracted or being asked to join in.

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  • Relaxed Puppy
  • Giving Treats
  • Walking to heel
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Make an assessment based on the following criteria:

  • 01 /
    Positive training methods for training puppies/dogs and humans, using praise, food treats and games with toys.
  • 02 /
    Training is effective for both people and puppies/dogs so that all are learning and progressing
  • 03 /
    Calm, ordered class.
  • 04 /
    Any off-lead play is carefully managed and supervised with just a few puppies off lead for short periods of time.
  • 05 /
    People and puppies/dogs are having fun.
  • 06 /
    Puppies and adult dogs are in separate classes. Puppies under 20 weeks are kept separate from adult dogs.
  • 07 /
    Dogs within a class are all at a similar level, e.g. beginner, intermediate, advanced
  • 08 /
    Small class sizes (8 puppies/dogs maximum per trainer/assistant).
  • 09 /
    No stress and tension.
  • 10 /
    No check chains, prong collars or electric collars.
  • 11 /
    No rough treatment of, grabbing, shaking, shouting at puppies or dogs or pinning them to the floor.
  • 12 /
    No spraying with water pistols/air sprays.
  • 13 /
    No throwing of noise makers.
  • 14 /
    No humiliation or shaming of owners.
  • 15 /
    Ask yourself ‘would my puppy/dog and I look forward to coming to this class’?

(Please note: ALL Puppy School classes fit these criteria)

 

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Enrol in the class you think is most suitable, even if you have to wait for a while to get a place on a course or have to travel a distance to get to it – it will be worth it!

NB: If your dog is shy or already aggressive with people or dogs, it would be better to train him yourself at home, or arrange individual tuition with a good trainer (find a Puppy School tutor in your area– as many provide training for adult dogs as well as puppies) as well as getting advice from a Clinical Animal Behaviourist registered with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC)

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Testimonials

What Clients say
about Puppy School

  • “We are very grateful to Pen for helping us through a testing period with Zef, our boisterous 5-month-old labradoodle puppy, who was mouthy and jumpy and had difficulty settling.”
    —   Wendy
  • “I wanted to share my gratitude towards my puppy school tutor in Chichester, Louise Williamson. She has really gone above and beyond to help me giving me lots of support, advice and positive encouragement.”
    —   Emma
  • “Great class, enjoyed the group setting, good venue and friendly knowledgeable trainer. Taught puppy and owner loads, really enjoyed and would highly recommend to anyone getting a puppy!”
    —   Richard
  • “Celia was outstanding, friendly, welcoming, professional, knowledgeable and efficient. I very much looked forward to our classes. She took into account my disability and was professionally accommodating. I have 2 friends with new puppies and have already recommended. I loved the website to back up the training, with the training videos and the initial pack with the puppy manual. Fabulous! ”
    —   George
  • “Frankie was amazing, absolutely loved going every week and so did Riley. We learnt so much in such a lovely and fun atmosphere!”
    —   Jane