1-1 Training
Private training is built around your dog, your goals and the situations you deal with every day. Rather than following a fixed lesson plan, sessions focus on the skills that will make everyday life calmer, safer and more manageable for both you and your dog.
Training is shaped by what was identified during your Initial Consultation, which means the time is spent working on the things that genuinely matter to you rather than following a generic training programme.
This is not a fixed lesson plan and it is not training for the sake of appearance.
What We May Work On
- One to one training may include:
• Loose lead walking
• Recall
• Engagement and focus
• Impulse control
• Settling
• Household boundaries
• Confidence
• Neutrality around dogs or people
• Obedience around distractions
• Owner handling and communication
The exact focus will depend on your individual dog, what was identified during the Initial Consultation and what you want to achieve in everyday life.
Training Where It Actually Matters
A dog may respond perfectly in the house and completely switch off from their owner once they step outside. That is why training should not exist only in a controlled environment where there is very little competing for the dog's attention.
Sessions may take place at home, on a local walk or in a suitable public environment depending on what you are working towards. As your dog progresses, training can be introduced around appropriate real life distractions so the skills you are building become useful where you actually need them.
The goal is not obedience that disappears as soon as something interesting happens. It is to gradually develop a dog who understands what is expected even when the real world is competing for their attention.
More Than Teaching Commands
One to one training is not simply about teaching a dog to sit, lie down or walk beside you because those behaviours look good.
A reliable recall can give a dog greater freedom. A place command can make visitors and mealtimes easier to manage. Loose lead walking can turn a stressful daily walk into something both dog and owner can enjoy. Settling teaches a dog that they do not need to be involved in everything happening around them.
The skills we teach should have a purpose and make everyday life easier.
Owner Handling and Communication
Gavin may demonstrate exercises and work directly with your dog during a session, but the purpose is not to create a dog who only behaves while the trainer is holding the lead.
You will be shown what to do, why you are doing it and how your own timing, communication and handling can affect your dog's response. Where something is not working, Gavin can identify what needs adjusting and coach you through it while the situation is happening.
The aim is for you to leave each session understanding how to continue the work yourself rather than becoming dependent on having a trainer beside you.
Building Reliability Around Distractions
Teaching a behaviour is only the beginning. A dog may understand recall in the garden but struggle when another dog appears, or walk beautifully on a quiet street but lose focus completely somewhere busier.
Training therefore needs to progress gradually from easier situations into environments where there are greater distractions. The level of difficulty will be adapted to the individual dog so they are challenged without simply being placed into situations they are not ready to handle.
Reliability is built through repetition, clear communication and gradually increasing expectations as the dog develops the skills to cope.
What Happens Between Sessions Matters
Most of your dog's training will happen when Gavin is not there, which means progress depends on what is consistently practised between appointments.
You will leave each session knowing what to work on and how to practise it within normal daily life. Training does not always require setting aside hours every day because many useful behaviours can be reinforced during walks, around the home and through the routines you already have.
Consistency between sessions is what allows individual lessons to become lasting behaviour rather than something the dog only performs during training appointments.
How It Works
Every new client begins with an Initial Consultation, which gives Gavin time to understand your dog, look at the training already in place and discuss exactly what you want to improve.
Following the consultation, Gavin will recommend the most suitable training route based on your dog, your goals and any relevant safety considerations. Where One to One Training is appropriate, follow up sessions can then focus directly on the priorities identified during the assessment.
The number of sessions required will vary because dogs, owners and training goals are different. Gavin will not sell you a fixed number of appointments simply because they fit into a predetermined programme.
Pricing
Post assessment One to One Training
£75 per 60 minute session
One to One sessions are available following an Initial Consultation.