Dog training and Puppy training classes are held at Ferndown, Stapehill and St Leonards and St Ives which are within easy reach of Wimborne, Bournemouth, Poole, Parkstone and Blandford areas. Small classes, max 7.

WE ARE VET RECOMMENDED!

WARNING. KENNEL COUGH IS RIFE AT THE MOMENT AND I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU IMMUNISE YOUR PUPPY/DOG AGAINST THIS NASTY DISEASE. YOU WILL NEED TO ALLOW ONE WEEK PRIOR TO MIXING YOUR PUPPY AFTER VACCINATION AS THEY MAY PASS ON KENNEL COUGH TO OTHERS (LIVE VACCINE).

Outdoor classes now available. If you attend any of our classes you can attend an outdoor class every other week pay as you go if you wish. £3.00 per puppy and £5.00 per dog. Please click outdoor dog training

If you wish to book onto a class please could you telephone to book on 01202 861340 or 07764 250554 rather than use e-mail. If there is no answer please leave your details on the answerphone service and I will call you back. Please allow 24 hours for a response as I run classes most evenings and also do home visits. There are many problems with e-mails ( company e mail systems often see external mail as spam. Some Internet Providers delete web based mail as spam too. I would hate you to think I did not get back to you when in reality it was just that my mail has been shot down in cyberspace!)

 Class Availability as at 22/11/08: 

Class Type	Start Date	Venue	Status
Puppy Class 18.00	22/09/08	Stapehill Village Hall	FULL
Puppy class 09.00	04/10/08	Ferndown Village Hall	FULL
Novice Class 10.00	04/10/08	Ferndown Village Hall	FULL
Novice Class 12.00	04/10/08	Ferndown Village Hall	FULL
Intermediate Class	04/10/08	Ferndown Village Hall	FULL
Puppy Class	14/10/08	Stapehill Village Hall	FULL
Puppy Class 18.00	16/10/08	St Leonards Village Hall	FULL
Novice Class 19.00	16/10/08	St Leonards Village Hall	FULL
Intermediate/advanced class 20.00	16/10/08	St Leonards Village Hall	FULL
Advanced Class	16/10/08	St Leonards Village Hall	FULL
NEW puppy 10.00	22/10/08	Stapehill Village Hall	FULL
Puppy 18.00	17/11/08	Stapehill Village Hall	Full
Puppy   09.00	29/11/08	Ferndown Village Hall	Full
Novice 10.00	29/11/08	Ferndown Village Hall	Full
Intermediate 11.00	29/11/08	Ferndown Village Hall	Full
Novice 12.00	29/11/08	Ferndown Village hall	Full
Puppy	05/01/09	Stapehill Village Hall	3 spaces
Puppy 18.00	08/01/08	St Leonards Village Hall	7 Spaces
Novice  19.00	08/11/08	St Leonards Village hall	3 spaces
Intermediate/Adv 20.00	08/11/08	St Leonards Village Hall	2 spaces
Advanced	08/11/08	St Leonards Village Hall	2 spaces
Puppy 09.00	25/01/08	Ferndown Vi;llage Hall	7 spaces

If you are interested in attending a day time Puppy class on Wednesday mornings at Stapehill Village hall please let me know as if there is demand I will start to run one as soon as possible.
Puppy Classes

All puppies should be under 20 weeks old at the start of the class, except for toy breeds which can start a little later.

We run five separate puppy classes a week training 33 puppies a week. However, we have currently saturated all training venues and are currently unable to put on any more. If anyone is aware of any local un-carpeted halls which will accept dogs, please do let us know! We are scrupulous with our hygeine, (can provide references) we sweep the floor three times after each class and use Trigene (veterinary disinfectant) to clean up.

Course length 6 weeks each session lasting 45 minutes Cost £45.00

Special feature: All puppy class bookings entitle client to a one to one session worth £25.00 for just £10.00 if required. This is designed to help you with problems which can't be covered in class as they only occur at home or outside.

See section Training Classes for further info.                 

Novice, Intermediate and Advanced

No age limit

Course length 6 weeks each session lasting 45 minutes

Cost £45.00

See section Training Classes for further info.

One to One
Home visit undertaken, or training at location of client's choice. £25.00 per hour. Travel above 20 miles return is charged at .35 per mile to cover costs of fuel.

Clicker Training
We can train in use of the clicker in class or one to one

Behaviour Counselling
Charged at £35.00 per hour or £75.00 for a full consultation plus 3 months ongoing support. Please see section Behaviour Counselling for further details.

Walk and Train £10.00 for 30 minutes
This service is designed for people who have problems walking their dog because they pull so badly on the lead. I have trialled this service and suggest that daily lead walks of half an hour over a two week period will bring significant improvements. However, the following should be considered:

1.        Sometimes lead pulling is just the tip of the iceberg and in fact other areas need to be addressed before lead walking can be managed effectively. This service is, therefore, designed for those dogs for which pulling on the lead is the only problem. For multiple problems one to one training or behaviour counselling is more suitable.
2.        I will need to train the owner how to continue with the training. So, for the last two or three walks I suggest that the owner is present so that I can ensure the training methods are understood. Until the owner has been trained, no-one else should walk the dog as the training will be undone if it is not applied consistently.
3.        I only use rewards based training techniques and will not walk with a check chain or partial slip chain collar. I will use a normal lead and collar or a harness. If your dog has a tendency to lunge, I may suggest the use of a Gentle Leader head collar.
Why two weeks?
Bear in mind that it may have taken years for some dogs to become such expert pullers it will take time to train them out of this behaviour. In the first few days the dog is likely to respond well to the training. However, at some time, the dog will try very hard to continue this old behaviour (technical term is extinction burst). So, even though things work well at first there will come a time at which the dog will pull for England and become very challenging. This needs to be managed with consistency. I may ask at this time that no-one else walk the dog as to give in at this stage will undo all the work I have already done! This tends to happen during the first week or shortly after which is why two weeks is the shortest training period I would suggest I undertake! Further mini extinction bursts are likely but should be less intense.
Will my dog be perfectly  trained after two weeks?
Not likely, depending on the length of time he has been pulling for. However, the pulling will be significantly reduced (approximately 80% improvement) which should enable most owners to be able to continue with my training programme. Over the next couple of months, provided you are consistent, your dog should be consistently walking on a loose lead! 

Walk and Train- dogs which are aggressive towards other dogs. £15.00 for half an hour

I am frequently contacted by people for behaviour counselling when their dog behaves aggressively towards other dogs. I am piloting this service and am prepared to train dogs to not be aggressive towards other dogs. Owners often find this difficult to do for themsleves and I have found that if I can prove through training your dog myself that your dog can behave nicely towards other dogs you will be more confident and then be able to follow through the training for yourself. I recommend daily walks for one to two weeks and the owner is welcome to be present during the training so that I can demonstrate how to resolve this problem behaviour. Aggression towards other dogs should be the only problem as if other problems exist a dog behaviour consultation is likely to be more suited and better value for money in the long run.

Dog Walking

I do dog walking in the Ferndown area if required at £6.00 for 30 minutes and can also recommend other dog walkers/pet sitters. Please see the Links page for more information.

 Please contact me or call me on 01202 861340 or 07764 250554 to arrange booking or discuss further.

Disclaimer

Paws In Hand Dog Training and Behaviour Instructors will make all reasonable endeavours to run courses in a safe and professional manner at all times and in accordance with veterinary advice (where applicable) and good practise.  Paws In Hand Dog Training and Behaviour has public liability and general insurance suitable for a dog training club.  Any physical activity can have risks, however remote.  Participation in Paws In Hand Dog training and Behaviour activities is entirely at the risk of the participant.  Neither Paws In Hand Dog Training and Behaviour, nor its individual instructors or helpers, nor the owners or landlords of our training venues, accept any responsibilities, whatsoever, for any injuries or losses sustained which are not covered by Paws In Hand Dog Training and Behaviour insurance. 

The information included in this site is intended as guidance only. It is not intended as a substitute for a professional consultation and Paws In Hand Dog Training and behaviour takes no responsibility for actions taken as a result of information provided. It is strongly advised that in the event of a problem behaviour or training problem a professional consultation be sought to ensure the most effective and safest techniques are used.  

Responsibility

Handlers and/or owners remain responsible for their dogs at all times and are advised to ensure they have adequate pet or household insurance cover for liability in the unlikely event of damage or injury caused by their dog to property or to a third party