The Joining and Training 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.

Once we have received your booking form, you will be contacted by our Operations Manager to arrange a discovery call.  Your details will then be sent to the Regional Manager for your area who will contact you to guide you through the remainder of the process, acting as your mentor during your training as well as through the rest of your time with Puppy School.  

(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.)

We run our Puppy School tutor training courses in Autumn of each year.  Places are limited 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 guided coaching via submitted videos from your Regional Manager to help you learn the essential skills and techniques needed to run the puppy classes (approximately 4 - 10 hours depending on your initial experience level)
• 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, Claire Luscombe, and Sarah Smith)
• Correspondence course of home study comprised of practical exercises and observations (how long this takes depends, to some extent, on how experienced you are with animals - it may be quicker for those who already have a lot of handling/observation skills)

The correspondence course is a series of exercises with questions, the answers to which must be submitted by the trainee prior to them running their first Puppy School classes. The questions require the trainee 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.

We accept a variety of ways to deliver your findings during the correspondence course, from typed notes through to videos.  We promote multi-learning approaches and are very accepting of different ways of thinking, learning, and recording information.

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.