Training to become a Puppy School Tutor

How Long Will It Take?
The course consists of approximately 70 hours of tuition (see below for details) and further time is needed for self-study and developing the skills/ability needed for puppy training. Although dependant on your previous experience with dogs and also on how much time and effort you can put in, it takes approximately 5 - 8 months from the time you begin the course to the time you are ready to start running classes.
Booking and Discovery Process
Although we only run one tutor training course per year, Puppy School is open to bookings from prospective tutors all year round and the first step is to complete the online booking form.
For a summary of the skills and experience that we are looking for from new tutors, please see the What makes a good puppy trainer? page. If you think you might have what we need, please complete the Booking Form.
There is space to upload an informal video too - please use to introduce yourself and your dog(s). Show us what you can do with them or just tell us a little bit about you and your pets. Don't let the video part put you off sending in a booking form, but please don't be shy, we would really love to see you interacting with a dog and it helps us get to know you before we meet.
Once we have received your booking form, it will be sent to the Regional Manager for your area. You will receive a reply and a time will be arranged for a chat to go through further details. They will then guide you through the remainder of the process, including getting you booked onto the course.
(If you would prefer to have an informal chat about your suitability prior to booking, please use the 'Get in touch with us!' form at the very bottom of this page and tell us how, and when, it is best to contact you.)
The Puppy School Tutor Training Course
We run our Puppy School tutor training courses in Autumn of each year. Places are limited (up to 10) to ensure everyone gets the individual attention they need, especially on the practical course.
The Puppy School Tutor Training Course consists of the following:
- A 2-day face-to-face introductory weekend where we cover a range of subjects such as 'how we learn skills' to 'improving your coaching technique' (with teachers Catherine Tomlinson and Gwen Bailey) (usually held in Worcestershire)
- 25 hours of live online lessons (evenings) on a vast range of subjects, including how to run the Puppy School syllabus, spread over a 3-month period (with teachers Catherine Tomlinson, Gwen Bailey and other experienced tutors with special knowledge)
- During this time, you will receive video coaching from your Regional Manager to help you learn the essential skills and techniques needed to run the puppy classes
- A 3-day practical course working hands-on with real puppies (and their owners), and practising all elements of the Puppy School course with those who teach us best, the puppies themselves! (usually held in Gloucestershire, teachers are Gwen Bailey and Claire Luscombe)
- Correspondence course of home study comprised of practical exercises and observations
The correspondence course is a series of exercises with questions, the answers to which must be submitted by the tutor prior to them running their first Puppy School classes. The questions require the tutor to carry out a number of practical training and observational activities with dogs (rescue dogs, puppies, their own dog, borrowed dogs) as well as training a new behaviour to another species – in the past, we have had tutors training pigs, chickens, cats, sheep and even alpacas!
The correspondence course is a great opportunity to further develop a range of training skills, ensuring that the tutor has first-hand experience of a range of different breeds, ages and personalities of dog prior to them running classes for themselves.
All parts of the course must be successfully completed before the 'Puppy School Puppy Class Tutor Certificate' is awarded and you are eligible to begin running Puppy School classes.
Getting Up and Running
Throughout the process of setting up and running classes, all tutors are supported by a highly experienced Regional Manager who will be available as their first point of contact for any queries or concerns. Regional Managers visit tutor classes every six months, allowing them to help tutors fine tune and improve their classes.