Quiraing Dog School

Quiraing Private Training Services 

At Quiraing Dog School we can help you train your dog, no matter what breed, size, age or temperament! 

Over the last 6 years Quiraing Dog School (NL) has helped hundreds of Dutch dog owners train their dogs to become friendly, well-behaved pets. We have now opened in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

For dog owners who can use some help or advice in training their dogs we offer private lessons. Our individual approach makes it possible to to cater for your specific requirements, needs and wishes. We offer the following services:

Single lessons. You book one or more single lessons with us to work on a specific problem in your dog's training. This can be because your dog pulls on the lead, because he will not do a sit or lie down, he jumps up, etc. You will receive a factsheet about teh specific problemso you can continue the training with yourdog after the lesson. 

5 Lesson Basic Pet Dog Training. You book 5 lessons with us. Your first lesson is always 45 minutes - 1 hour (depending on breed and age). Subsequent lessons are 30 minutes. We can work at a specific exercise or on improving the general obedience of your dog. Lessons are by appointment at a time that suits you best. You will receive our comprehensive training manual which will be updated after each lesson, to detail what we have done in the lesson and how to practise this between lessons. You also receive a complimentary clicker.   

   Booking the lessons

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 lessons directly to you and your dog's needs.
2. Appointment. We will contact you by phone or e-mail to make an appointment for your first lesson.
3. Lessons. The lessons take place at dates and times that suits you best. We can do daytime, evening (summer only) or weekend appointments, but please note that due to high demand weekend places are limited. 
4. Follow up. After you have completed the number of lessons booked you can book further lessons if required at a reduced rate. Our 5 and 10 lesson packages also include free e-mail and telephone advice after you have concluded your lessons. 

Frequently Asked Questions: 

    

   Are you a dog whisperer? 

We do not like to call ourselves a dog whisperer. The word whisperer comes from Monty Roberts, the famous horse trainer, who is called the "Horse Whisperer". After the book and film with the same name came out, the word "whisperer" became a fashion word and suddenly lots of animal trainers claimed to be a, if not THE, genuine dog/cat/horse/animal whisperer. 

Whisperer refers to the training method where a minimal amount of words are used and the animal is trained through a calm, soft voice combined with the optimal use of body language. That is a method we also use and we feel it works for a lot of dogs and their owners, but not everyone. So we will always look at all the available dog friendly methods and choose the one that works best for you and your dog. 

If a trainer claims to be a dog whisperer, always ask him/her what this means and how this is implemented in the training. And always keep in mind, whether a trainer calls himself a whisperer or not, if you don't feel comfortable with the trainer or the training method, go to someone else.    

    

    My dog comes from a dog home and I have no idea what he already knows. Could you come and

    assess him? 

At the first lesson we always assess what a dog can do and what he still has to learn. We can then recommend a training programme for you and your dog. Because our training is specifically tailored to your 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 and to get you familiar with the training techniques. 

   Why are lessons only half an hour? 

A half hour Private Training Session can be compared with two 1 hour group training sessions, when it comes to exercises being taught and intensity of the lesson. Especially for puppies half an hour is more than enough, but from experience we know that most dogs will be tired after half an hour of heavy brain use! 

   Where will the lessons be? 

Lessons are given at your own house, in your garden or in a local park near your house. Lessons will almost always be outside, unless the problem we need to deal with involves being indoors. If it rains or snows the lesson will go ahead. However when it thunders and/or when there is lightning the lessons will be cancelled or stopped for safety reasons.   

   What do I need for the lessons?

There are a small number of items you will need for the lessons:

* Treats. Have enough treats ready in small bits. Frolic works best, or cheese. Make sure the bits are really small so he does not have to chew them. It is not important how much your dog gets, but that he gets something! 

* Clicker. We work with the clicker in training dogs. You will receive a complimentary clicker if you book our 5 lesson package. 

* Toy. You will need a toy you can play with together. So a tug toy, ball on a rope, ball in an old sock, etc. 

* Collar and lead. Choke chains are not permitted in our training. The same counts for halfchecks, electric collars and other pain inducing collars. The lead needs to be between 1 and 2 meters long. A flexi lead is not suitable for training unless we train the recall at a greater distance. 

Occasionally training will require additional equipment. Your trainer will inform you about this. All training equipment can be bought in our shop.   

   I don't have the time to practise between lessons. What should I do? 

Practising between lessons is absolutely essential as otherwise the lessons have 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! 

    Can you train my dog for me?  

Sometimes it may not be possible to train your dog yourself. We understand that. For instance, if due to a physical or medical reason you feel you haven't got enough control over the dog to teach him the exercises. Or you just want him to be taught quickly what he needs to know because walking him has become a huge task. Or your dog has problems you would like to be dealt with but you don't know how to do this. In those cases we can train the dog for you. 

This is usualy done in an Intensive Residential Training week, where your dog comes to stay with us and we train him, after which he will be returned to you. BUT: this does not mean you get a ready-made dog back! We can make your dog listen to the commands, but this does not automatically mean he will do them for you. So you will still be required to practise but we will give you the tools to do so. More info can be found on our Intensive Training Page.

   My dog has aggression problems. Can I work on this in the lessons?      

If your dog displays aggression to other dogs or to people, we always advice you to book a Behaviour Counselling Session. We need to establish why your dog is displaying aggressive behaviour, when and how we can work on reducing the behaviour.  After we have done the Behaviour Counselling Session, we can schedule private training sessions to teach you how to respond when your dog shows aggression and reduce the behaviour. This takes a lot of time and can not be done in one session, so be prepared to book multiple lessons.   

   How much does it cost? 

Prices can be found on our Price Information Page. 

Our other services: 

   Behaviour Counseling

   Intensive Training Week(s)

   Microchipping

 

For details of prices of our services please click here.