DogBasics Dog Training

The lessons are held in Offley (Hitchin), Hertfordshire, UK

child with Basset Fauve de Bretagne dog in vet collar

We offer a range of different classes and individual lessons at DogBasics.

Start your puppy off in a puppy course, then move on to the Basic Obedience Course or the type of individual lessons that suit you (lead focus training, agility, clicker training, search, etc). You can read more about the individual lessons on the courses page.

We also offer a First Aid class for our clients.

Learn about dog training / behaviour BEFORE you get your puppy!

Be pro-active and start your lessons before you've even collected your puppy, or while your puppy is not yet fully vaccinated. You can take the First Aid and Dog Language lessons before you even get your puppy OR before your puppy is fully vaccinated. The information you get in these lessons will help you create a solid and trusting relationship with your puppy, as you are preparing him to meet the world. Please read our article about puppies.

DogBasics Puppy Classes

Our socialisation sessions and puppy training classes are held in our secure garden, in Great Offley, Hertfordshire. A large part of the training lesson is spend with the puppies off lead. You can ask as many puppy or dog related questions as you want, during the lesson and socials. You can find out more on the Puppy Classes page. Please also read our article about puppies.

Basic Obedience

In the Basic Obedience course we'll practice sit, down, stay, walking on lead without pulling, recall, clicker training basics and focus exercises. We'll spend a few of the lessons out on walks, practicing the exercises in environments where you'll need to have control of your dog. You can read more about the Basic Obedience Course and how to sign up on the Basic Obedience page. Please also read our basic training article.

Intermediate and Advanced Obedience Course

At the moment we won't be offering Intermediate or Advanced Obedience courses, but we can highly recommend Pam Haynes at The Dog School, who does.

Individual Dog Training Lessons

If you can't commit to a specific time every week for 6 weeks, or you are looking for specialised lessons, such as agility, you might prefer to sign up for individual lessons. To pick individual lessons, go to the DogBasics Training Schedule. There you can choose between lessons like agility, clicker training, LeadFocus, Search & Retrieve.

For these individual lessons, you can pay on the day or buy a book of lessons for a discounted price. The price for each individual lesson is £5. If you buy a book of 4 lessons, the price will be £16.

DogBasics Private Training / Behaviour Consultations

We currently do not offer private training or behaviour consultations. For this type of work we recommend you turn to one of the 2 dog trainers/behaviourists mentioned below - Pam Haynes and Melanie Daniels. If they are unavailable, try the organisations listed below.

DogBasics behaviour advice

Unfortunately we can't offer free behaviour advice any more, due to lack of time. We strongly advice that you find a local dog trainer/behaviourist who can asses your dog and give you a plan to work to. We recommend the dog trainers / behaviourists below. Until you have found yourself a professional dog trainer/behaviourist, you can try our articles as a reference point or go to the book page to find a book that will help you understand your dogs problem.

Recommended dog trainers/behaviourists

Pam Haynes - The Dog School

Dog Trainer/Behaviourist covering the Herts, Beds and surrounding areas. Pam works with dog behaviour problems and any training issues you might have. She will do home visits in Herts, Beds and surrounding areas. Pam comes highly recommended by DogBasics!
Read all about Pam and her classes on her web site - The Dog School
Phone: 01438 820 908 Mobile: 07711 653 718

Melanie Daniels V.N. DIP. CABT

Dog/Cat behaviour counsellor in Beds/Bucks/Herts. Mel worked as a vet nurse for over 10 years and in rescue for several years. Mel will make home visits in the Beds/Bucks/Herts area. Mel comes highly recommended by DogBasics!
Phone: 01234 750 789 E-mail: Melanie Daniels

Alison Milner - Milnersmutts.co.uk

Alison offers puppy classes and Basic Obedience, dog sitting and dog walking in Ware and surrounding areas. Alison has been trained up by Pam Haynes (see above) in 2008. Alison comes highly recommended by DogBasics!
Read all about Alison and her services on her web site - Milnersmutts.co.uk
Phone: 01920 465695

Dog trainer/behaviourist organisations

Although the clubs below in general have good trainers associated with them, we have heard a few horror stories about instructors from one of the organisations below and we STRONGLY advice you to visit the classes beforehand and ask the trainer exhaustive questions about their methods before joining. You should also COMPLAIN to the association or club that they are members off, should they use other methods than they initially said.

*TOP CHOICE! Wag More - Effective, Stress free, Empathic and Understanding training for you and your dog!
Phone: 01386 430 189 URL: http://www.wagmorebarkless.co.uk

UKRCB - The UK Registry of Canine Behaviourists
Phone: 020 7243 0359 URL: http://www.dogbehaviourists.com

Coape - Centre of applied Pet Ethology
Phone: 01747 871258 URL: http://www.coape.f9.co.uk

APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Phone: 01428 707234 URL: http://www.apdtuk.f9.co.uk

APBC - The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors
Phone: 01386 751151 URL: http://www.apbc.org.uk

Books from Amazon.co.uk

We recommend Amazon.co.uk because they continue to give top quality service at the lowest prices. We've ordered books from them on a weekday evening and amazingly received the books the following day!