Quiraing Dog School
Quiraing Intensive Residential Training Services
At Quiraing Dog School we can help you train your dog, no matter what breed, size, age or temperament!
Does your puppy or adult dog need some basic training or socialization?
Does your dog have a specific behavioural problem you need help with?
Does a busy life or full diary prevent you from training your dog?
Or do you just need someone to make a head start for you?
For dog owners who do not have the time or resources to train their own dog in their home environment we offer intensive residential training weeks. Your dog is placed in boarding with us for a minimum of one week, depending on the objectives of the training. We train your dog for you. Our individual approach makes it possible to cater for your specific requirements, needs and wishes.
After the training period you receive a private lesson to bring you up to date with what your dog has learned, and 1 follow-up lesson after approximately 2 weeks. You also receive a full report on your dog's training.
Your dog is not placed in kennels, but will stay with us in our home. Your dog will regularly be taken on walks with our own dogs or on his own. Training takes place in our home, outside in one of the many parks in our area and occasionally on the beach.
Your dog needs to be vaccinated against the most common diseases (booster vaccination). This vaccination must be less than 12 months old. We also strongly advise you to vaccinate your dog against Kennel Cough (Bordetella) as this is a particularly infectious disease that can cause your dog to get seriously ill.
When your dog comes to stay with us we advise you to supply the following items:
blanket that smells of home, favorite toy, collar and lead, vaccination card, any medication (if applicable) and if you wish any special treats. We also advise you to supply us with your dog's food to avoid your dog getting sick due to a sudden change of diet.
Booking the Intensive Training Week
If you would like to make a booking, the whole process consists of the following steps:
1. Questionnaire. You
are asked to complete a comprehensive questionnaire in advance of the
training. This allows us to focus the training directly to your and
your dog's needs.
2. Appointment. We will contact you by phone or e-mail to schedule the intensive training week. .
3. Intensive Training week. The
training week(s) takes place. Your dog will be collected from your home
and returned to your home after the intensive training week.
4. Handover session. When
your dog is returned to you a handover session will take place, where we
discuss your dog's training, achievements and exercises. The exercises
will be shown to you and your dog's comprehensive report will be
discussed. This session takes up to 1 hour.
5. Follow up. After
approximately two weeks we will contact you to see how you and your dog
are getting on. We will then make an appointment for a follow-up lesson
where we can assess your progress and give you tips, tricks and advice
if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Which dogs can come and stay with you?
Due to our individual approach almost any dog can stay with us, no matter what breed, size, age or gender (certain restrictions apply, please contact us for details). Even dogs with problem behaviour and bitches in season are welcome. Because we have two dogs and a cat of our own we can only accommodate dogs who can be around other animals and are healthy and have had the appropriate vaccinations. We will collect your dog from and return them to your home.
Because we live on the second floor we can only take dogs that are fit and old enough to walk stairs (1 year old for breeds up to 30 kg, 1,5 years old for larger breeds) or small enough to be carried.
Does my dog need to be vaccinated and microchipped to come and stay with you?
Your dog needs to be vaccinated against the most common diseases (booster vaccination). This vaccination must be less than 12 months old. We also strongly advise you to vaccinate your dog against Kennel Cough (Bordetella) as this is a particularly infectious disease that can cause your dog to get seriously ill. When we collect your dog you have to show us the valid vaccination papers or vaccination book. Please make sure you have this ready because otherwise we won't be able to take your dog!
Your dog does not need to be microchipped when he comes to stay with us, BUT we strongly recommend this! We offer a microchipping service so we can microchip dogs, cats, rabbits or ferrets at a reduced rate. See our Microchipping Page for more information on this service.
What does my dog need to bring when he comes to stay with you?
When your dog comes to stay with us we advise you to supply the following items:
Dog: blanket that smells of home, favorite toy, collar and lead, vaccination card any medication (if applicable) and if you wish any special treats. We also advise you to supply us with your dog's food to avoid your dog getting sick due to a sudden change of diet.
I notice you live in a flat on Easter Road, in the city centre. It doesn't really seem like the most ideal place to have dogs staying for training.
Easter Road may not seem the most likely place for dogs to be staying 
for
training, as it can be very busy with traffic, noise, people etc. And
yes, we do live in a flat. However, from our experience this just works
in our advantage. Your dog gets a good socialisation while staying with
us. You see that most dogs gets used to all the noise, traffic and
people within a day or two.They get desensitised.
We do our exercises outside (in the local park and on the pavements) and this works really well. Dogs who jump up to people stop jumping up because there are just so many people. Dogs who are scared of people/traffic/children learn to ignore them for the same reason. And if your dog can do beautiful heelwork on Easter Road, without getting distracted, he certainly can do it at home with you!
Why do you come and collect my dog?
We always collect pets from their home and bring them back for a simple reason. Most pets feel really sad when being left at a strange place and seeing their owner leave. Dogs can whine for a long time after you've gone. When we collect dogs we take them for a nice walk and by the time they arrive at our house they have forgotten to feel sorry for themselves, because they are so excited to see where they are going.
My dog comes from a dog home and I have no idea what he already knows. Could you come and
assess him?
On the first day we always assess what a dog can do and what he still has to learn. We can then adjust the training programme for your dog. Because our training is specifically tailored to your dogs needs, we can then work on the exercises he needs to learn. Although often we quickly repeat what he already knows to refresh his memory.
I don't have the time to practise between the handover session and the follow-up. What should I do?
Practising between sessions and afterwards is absolutely essential as otherwise the Intensive Training Week has no use at all. Dogs learn by repeating exercises over a period of time. So you are required to invest some time in the training of your dog, but this will benefit you and him for the rest of his life. It only takes two times 5 minutes a day to practise. In fact, it is better to practise 5 minutes a day then once a week for half an hour!
Do you have the time to walk him at least 4 times a day (for a minimum of app. 20 to 30 minutes per walk)? Then you will have the time to practise. If the answer is no, if you really don't have the time to practise with your dog, you should ask yourself whether having a dog is a good idea in the first place. This may sound harsh but to be a happy, healthy pet your dog needs exercise and mental stimulation by doing games, exercises and meeting other dogs. If you cannot give this to him, do not buy a dog!
My dog has aggression problems. Can you work on this in the Intensive Training Week?
Yes, we can certainly work on aggressive behaviour in an Intensive Training Week, but be aware that this is a difficult problem and can often not be solved in one week alone. We therefore always require you to book your dog in for a minimum of two weeks if your dog displays aggressive behaviour. You will also be required to work on his behaviour after the Intensive Training Weeks have passed, as solving the behaviour takes time, patience and training.
How much does it cost?
Prices can be found on our Price Information Page.
Our other services:
Behaviour Counseling
Private Training
Microchipping
For details of prices of our services please click here.
