Tag: Dog School

It’s great to be ‘bark’!

 Dogs Trust Dog School Edinburgh re-opens for face to face classes  

Dogs Trust Dog School Edinburgh is celebrating welcoming dogs and their owners to face to face training classes once again.   

Hundreds of families across the region have welcomed dogs into their lives over the last year and with the country experiencing national lockdowns, Dogs Trust Dog School in Edinburgh switched to teaching classes online to make sure dogs didn’t miss out on the chance to learn new life skills.  

But now lockdown has eased, the training team are excited to be meeting up with four-legged friends and their owners once more to train dogs of all ages, from puppies and adolescents to adult dogs.  

Julie Morrison, Head Coach of Dog School Edinburgh said: “We were so pleased to have been able to continue training dogs in such a difficult year and thousands of dogs have received their training classes online in recent months, but nothing beats hearing the pitter patter of paws in the training room!   

“Life is going to change in the coming weeks and months for ourselves and our dogs, which means owners may need to start putting some adjustments in place. Our classes can help owners teach their dogs the skills they need to continue living happily alongside them and to cope with the different experiences that life out of lockdown will bring.   

 “This year, Dog School is being supported by funding raised by generous players of People’s Postcode Lottery. We want to say thank you to them as their support has meant we have been able to continue providing training to owners and their canine friends, despite the extraordinary times we have all experienced.”  

Classes will be held at North Merchiston Club at Watson Cresent, Edinburgh Tabernacle at Inverleith Gardens and 71st Scout Hall at Corstorphine Road. 

Classes will follow government guidance and there will be a maximum of six people allowed in a training class, ensuring social distancing measures can be followed. To make sure demand can be met, online training classes will also continue.   

To find out more, visit  www.dogstrust.org.uk/dogschool   

Dogs Trust Dog School ‘suppawting’ owners of lockdown puppies

With the demand for puppies soaring during the coronavirus pandemic and many people bringing a new four-legged friend into their homes during or just before lockdown, Dogs Trust Dog School is offering some top tips for new puppy owners to help their young dogs adjust to new experiences.

Despite Dogs Trust Dog School face-to-face training classes pausing for five months during the pandemic, the demand for classes from new puppy owners was unprecedented – with over 5,000 enquiries about training classes during lockdown (15th March-15th August 2020).

Since 17th August, classes have started to re-open, where safe to do so, and the team already have over 1,400 new dogs booked onto classes and had over 450 enquiries per week.

Whilst many people have enjoyed the quality time with their four-legged friends, a return to ‘normal’ life may be a difficult transition for new puppies as their owners return to work and school. Which is why Dogs Trust Dog School has released some quick and handy tips to help puppies cope with life after lockdown – from being left alone, to meeting people in facemasks and settling when their owner is working from home.

Top tips include:

Being left alone

  • Young puppies may not be used to spending time on their own after so much company during lockdown.
  • Start now to teach them that being on their own is a normal and positive part of life. To do this:
    • Make sure your puppy has a comfy bed or den, where they can relax, and give them something fun to keep busy, like a long-lasting treat or puzzle toy.
    • Start to move away from them whilst they are settled: only move as far as you can without them becoming worried and trying to follow you. Go back and reward them for staying calm. If they have got worried or tried to follow, then start again but move less far away. Once the puppy is relaxed with this you can start to build up to taking more steps away, being in a different room and then leaving the house.
    • The key to success is progressing slowly – always only increase the distance and time away for which your puppy stays relaxed. Any signs of distress, and you’ve progressed too fast and need to go back a stage.
  • Teaching a puppy to be left alone positively from the start is much easier than treating established anxiety problems. So putting some time in now to get your puppy relaxed when left will save you both a lot of work and worry later in life.

Meeting and greeting other people

  • It’s really useful to train your puppy to stay calm when visitors come to the door or into your house, as well as meeting people on walks. In both cases, it is important to build up new experiences slowly, so your pup learns to be calm and relaxed. Reward them when they are quiet and relaxed.
  • Teaching your pup to go to their bed in a different part of the house when they hear the doorbell can make greeting visitors easier.
  • Ensure your puppy has their own safe space to retreat to when you have visitors, remembering that they can find excitable human noises worrying (as, no doubt, you’ll be excited to see your friends and family after a long time!).
  • Always remember to wash your hands regularly before and after interacting with your dog and ask your guests to do the same. A dog’s coat, lead, toys etc, could carry coronavirus just like any other surface.
  • Do not be afraid to ask people not to pet your puppy if he or she is worried, don’t feel comfortable or if your dog needs more space.

 Out and about with your dog

  • If your puppy hasn’t been out in the car much, if at all, in the past few months, get them used to travelling by carefully introducing them to the car and their travel harness or crate. Use lots of tasty treats to reward them.
  • Use our handy guide to teach your puppy to feel comfortable with seeing people in facemasks, particularly if you are using public transport.

Homeworking

  • If you’re working from home on a longer term basis, it’s especially important for an excitable puppy to learn to relax, lie down, and have time on their own when you’re busy on phone calls or video meetings.
  • Start training at times when your puppy is more likely to be already relaxing. You’ll know your dog is truly settled when they lie down, not asking for attention, and not easily distracted by what’s going on around them.
  • To begin with, sit quietly on a chair with your dog lay on a blanket on the floor. Drop tiny bite size treats to your dog as a reward for settling down on the blanket. Don’t say anything to your dog whilst doing this. Gradually only reward more relaxed behaviours.
  • You can then start to increase the amount of time they must be settled before you reward them.

Dog owners can access training videos, owner handbooks and more by visiting the dedicated page on the Dogs Trust website.

Dogs Trust Dog School has recently resumed classes for some of its Dog Schools, with smaller classes and other safety measures in place. To see if your local Dog School has reopened visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-school.

For schools that can’t reopen just yet, online one-to-one sessions or full online training courses are available. Please note, we’re experiencing a high volume of enquires to our Dog Schools that have re-opened so there may be a delay in booking onto a class.

With Dogs Trust predicting more dogs at risk of abandonment due to behavioural issues that have developed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Dogs Trust’s Dog School has never been so vital in helping to support owners with their dogs’ training. This year, Dog School is being supported by funding raised by generous players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Julie Morrison, Head Coach at Dog School Edinburgh, says: “Dogs will have got used to having their favourite humans by their side day in day out during lockdown. Whilst many puppies will have been happy to have their human family at home during the past few months, they may need help adjusting to life when their families go back to work and school.

“They may also need help getting used to car travel and support with feeling comfortable seeing people in facemasks. 

“Keep in mind that whilst we’re easily able to slot back in to old routines, young puppies may find this a confusing time and a more difficult transition, which is why we have lots of top tips to help them find their paws in the ‘new normal’.

“The most common reason dogs are handed into Dogs Trust is due to behaviour-related issues, so we would urge owners of puppies bought during lockdown to act now to prevent these developing.

“We would like to thank the players of People’s Postcode Lottery for their continued support, which allows us to give dog owners the information they need to understand their pooch and prevent common behavioural issues from arising.”

For more information and to see if your local Dog School has reopened visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-school.

Dogs Trust’s Dog School takes the lead!

  • Number of overall dogs attending classes increases by 12% each year
  • In 2019 562 puppies attended classes at Dog School Edinburgh
  • In January this year the team have already had 100 puppies attend classes

Dogs Trust Dog School in Edinburgh, which launched in Scotland in 2017, has gone from strength-to-strength, celebrating its most successful start to the year so far.

The team has trained 100 puppies in January alone this year, which is already a quarter of the total number of puppies they would normally see in a full year!

Year-on-year the total number of dogs trained by the Dog School Edinburgh team has increased by an average of 30% – from 346 dogs trained in 2017 to 974 dogs trained in 2019. Due to such popular demand, the team is now running 20 classes every week across Edinburgh.

Dog Trust Dog School was launched to help owners build life-long bonds with their dogs, by developing a good understanding of dog behaviour and training techniques to avoid the common pitfalls that can lead to problem behaviours.

Amongst the newest graduates are two three-month-old siblings, whose families had no idea they would be attending the same class together. When the two Golden Retrievers, Willow and Teddy, attended their first class, they instantly recognised each other. Their owners couldn’t believe how similar the dogs looked and after a brief chat they realised their pets were related.

Teddy’s owner, Lily, said: “When we heard Willow’s name being called out, we thought surely this couldn’t be Teddy’s sister?! It was such a lovely surprise to find out they were from the same family and they clearly loved being reunited with one another.

“Classes are relaxed and fun for both owner and dog; and there are opportunities to socialise your puppy with other dogs. We got to learn all about dog behaviour and how they feel in relation to the way they act. This was very beneficial as it has given us the building blocks to continue her reward-based training at home, while we look to advance her training further at Dog School’s adolescent classes later this year.”

Dog School’s growing success has been supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery through charitable funding to Dogs Trust.

Six years ago, People’s Postcode Lottery set out to support the charity in their vision to improve the dog welfare landscape in the UK and have a lasting impact for millions of dogs.

Louise, Willow’s owner, said: “Willow and Teddy are so alike, not only in appearance but also their mannerisms too. Training was great, especially for our kids because they were over the moon that Willow was taking part in classes with her sister.

“The whole experience was really beneficial for us because our coaches were very approachable, and no question ever felt silly. Having our kids there was also a great platform to help us all better understand why training is so important.

“We also learnt this will be especially true as Willow approaches adolescence; continuing training at home is vital as dogs can start to fall back on bad habits while reaching maturity.”

Julie Morrison, Head Coach at Dog School in Edinburgh, said: “Over the last couple of years, the number of dogs attending our classes has dramatically increased which is absolutely fantastic.

“We love helping to build strong bonds between pets and their owners as training is just as much about the owner as it is about instilling positive behaviours in dogs.

“It was fantastic to see Willow and Teddy socialising in class and they have come on so well! We look forward to hearing all about their progress at home.

“We are hugely grateful to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, whose funding has allowed us to invest in more specialist staff as demand for our classes continues to grow.”

If you would like to find out more about Dogs Trust Dog School in Edinburgh, please visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/dogschool or call 07388 375835 /  07920 658647.