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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
  • hand signal down

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)

 

  • Puppy School

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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Zef

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
  • “Great experience. I’ve been to dog training classes in the past and the instructors can be very “it’s your fault”, “you’re doing it wrong” to the owners, however, Eleanor was very patient, kind, and explained things in a helpful way rather than making you feel like you were at fault. Loved these classes. Rum loved them too!”
    —   Ryan
  • “It’s a fantastic course. The small sizes also really allow for personal tailoring if the exercise to suit my puppy. Neal made me so at ease when I struggled with something and there was never a I time I felt embarrassed to ask him to reexplain something I was struggling with.”
    —   Daniel
  • “Big compliments to Claire! The way she just understands the dogs and being able to explain that has been a game changer. Her knowledge and expertise makes her a great puppy/dog trainer. I am already recommending Claire to everyone! She loves what she does and that shows. Would recommend to everyone with a puppy :)”
    —   Emily
  • “Celia clearly has many years of puppy and dog training, handling and behaviour experience. I would definitely recommend her puppy classes to everyone as she covers quite a range of skills, in a relatively small group, which ensures that every participant is given equal time to learn and practice new skills.”
    —   Jan