Puppy Training
Build the habits you actually want from week one. Toilet training, settling, handling and early social confidence.
View service4.7 stars from 185 Google reviews
Expert Dog TrainingFor Glasgow's ToughestBehaviour Problems
Aggression, reactivity, separation anxiety, fearful dogs, recall and puppies. Handled by a behaviour team with 17+ years' experience whose work has been trusted in courtrooms, rescue shelters and family homes. Reward-based only. No prong collars, no shock collars, no slip leads.
- Home visits across Glasgow & the west
- Expert witness in dog bite cases
- Force-free, reward-based methods only
- Plain-English plan after session one
We come to you. Home visits and outdoor sessions across Glasgow and the surrounding areas. It starts with a free, no-pressure discovery call, and we reply within 48 hours, 7 days a week.
4.7★ · 185 reviews
Verified on our Google Business Profile
17+ years' experience
Courtroom, shelter and family-home work
48-hour response
We aim to reply to every enquiry
Fully insured
Public liability + care-of-custody cover
If you're living with…
You've tried the videos, the treats
and the advice. Nothing has stuck.
A dog who lunges at people or other dogs on walks
A dog who pulls on the lead or won't come back when called
A fearful dog, scared of people, children, sounds or the vet
A powerful dog who feels too strong or unpredictable
A dog who can't settle, play, or cope being left alone
A dog struggling with a new baby at home
A dog showing aggression towards visitors or other pets
A rescue dog overwhelmed by everyday life
A puppy who bites, chews, or struggles to relax
An adolescent dog who has lost focus around other dogs
A dog triggered by the neighbourhood dogs
You're not alone, and you're not a bad dog owner.
You just need the right help. That is what we are here for.
What changes when we work together
A clear plan for your dog,
written for your household.
- A behaviour assessment that explains why your dog is doing this
- A step-by-step plan you can actually run on a normal week
- Practical coaching in your home or in the streets and parks you use
- Progress you can see in the first sessions, not in six months
- Support for the whole family, so everyone handles the dog the same way
- Honest answers about what is realistic. And what isn't
What we help with
One-to-one training and behaviour work
across Glasgow and beyond.
Adolescent Dogs
The teenage months where recall vanishes and pulling starts. We rebuild attention and control without force.
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Aggression & Reactivity
Lunging, growling, barking at dogs or people. We work from vet referral or directly with you, no referral needed.
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Separation Anxiety
A staged, evidence-led plan so your dog can be left alone calmly, without the panic, howling or destruction.
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Fearful & Anxious Dogs
Noise phobias, fireworks, strangers, traffic. We build confidence at your dog's pace, never by flooding them.
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Recall Training
Reliable recall around real-world distractions. Including high prey drive and dogs that ignore you outdoors.
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Loose-Lead Walking
Walks you look forward to again. No slip leads, no check chains, no corrections. Just clear teaching.
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Obedience & Everyday Manners
Jumping up, barking, door manners, settling around visitors. The everyday things that make life easier.
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Remote 1-to-1 Training
Live video sessions with the same structure as in-person work, wherever you are in the UK or abroad.
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Seminars & Workshops
Day and evening sessions for owners, rescue teams and professionals, delivered by an international speaker.
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Online Courses & Membership
Self-paced video courses and a monthly membership with live group calls. Available nationally and worldwide.
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Expert Witness & Behavioural Reports
Independent behavioural assessments and reports for dog bite and aggression cases, with a successful track record.
View serviceSessions are booked individually or as a block of sessions, quoted around what your dog needs. We do not offer board and train or group puppy classes, every case gets direct, one-to-one attention.
Life's big transitions
We're also here for the moments
that change your dog's world.
Most behaviour problems start at a change of routine. Get support before the change rather than after it, and your dog usually adjusts without a setback.
- Adding a new puppy to your home
- Preparing your dog for a new baby
- Introducing a new dog to your household
- Moving house or emigrating with your dog
- Supporting older dogs, or dogs recovering from surgery
- Enrichment such as scentwork and search games
Expert witness services
Behavioural reports for dog bite
and aggression cases.
Solicitors, owners and welfare organisations instruct us for independent behavioural assessment and expert witness work in dog bite and aggression cases. With a successful track record. Reports are grounded in behavioural evidence, written plainly, and stand up to scrutiny.
John's behaviour work has been trusted in courtrooms as well as rescue shelters, dog sport arenas and family homes across the UK and beyond.
Need a behavioural report?
Send the case details and timescales and we'll confirm availability.
Enquire about a report07790 608841How it works
Three steps from stressful walks
to a dog you can live with.
01
Book your free discovery call
A simple, no-pressure conversation. Use the form or call us, tell us the behaviour, how long it has been happening, and your dog's age, sex and breed. We aim to reply within 48 hours.
02
Assessment and plan
A one-to-one session at your home or somewhere local to you. Or by video. We assess the behaviour, explain the cause and give you a plan to run.
03
Coaching until it sticks
Continue with single sessions or a block, with practical coaching in real-world settings until the new behaviour holds without you thinking about it.
Who you'll be working with
Two behaviour professionals,
one consistent approach.
John McGuigan
Trainer, behaviour consultant & international speaker
John has 17+ years' experience and his work has been trusted in courtrooms, rescue shelters, dog sport arenas and family homes across the UK and beyond. He leads on aggression, reactivity and expert witness casework, and speaks internationally on reward-based behaviour change. He holds the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional qualification.
Helen Hutcheson
Behaviour consultant
Helen is calm, methodical and relentlessly practical, and takes a "Whole Dog / Whole Family" approach. Because the plan has to work for the people as well as the dog. She is the engaged behaviour consultant for two large Scottish dog welfare organisations.
Honest about qualifications, straight about results
Dog training is an unregulated industry in the UK, and qualifications such as the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional programme are issued by private training providers rather than regulatory bodies. We would rather tell you that plainly than imply an accreditation we don't hold. Judge us instead on 17+ years of practice, 185 Google reviews at 4.7 stars, welfare-charity behaviour work and a successful track record in expert witness cases. We hold public liability insurance and professional care-of-custody cover for handling dogs.
Our ethos
No fear. No pain.
We don't blame, we help.
Every plan we write teaches your dog what to do, rather than simply punishing what's wrong. Behaviour built on reward lasts, because your dog chooses it. Behaviour built on fear collapses the moment the fear isn't there, and often makes aggression worse.
If you've been told your dog is dominant, stubborn or beyond help, you've had bad advice. Come to us without embarrassment. We've seen it, we understand how you got here, and we'll show you the way out.
Tools we will never use
- Prong collars
- E-collars (shock collars)
- Slip leads
- Check or choke chains
Reward-based, positive reinforcement training only. For puppies and for the most serious aggression cases alike.
What Glasgow owners say
4.7 stars from 185 reviews
on our Google profile.
“Calm, humane methods and not one aversive tool in sight. Mabel is a different dog on walks and I finally know what to do.”
“We'd already seen a vet behaviourist for Lottie's aggression and noise sensitivity. Switching to positive reinforcement gave us real progress.”
“I was taught to read Mia's warning signs long before she reacts. That single change made walks manageable again.”
“One reactive dog, one with high prey drive. And clear results within three sessions. Genuinely expert help.”
“Fundamentals, lead skills and confidence building. Barney is a happy, settled puppy and we knew exactly what to practise.”
“Ghost is deaf and came with some challenging behaviour. The plan was patient, practical and it worked.”
Train with us from anywhere
Online courses and membership,
available nationally and worldwide.
Monthly membership
£43/month
Live group calls online several times a month plus access to every pre-recorded course lesson, puppy training, adolescent dogs, aggression and reactivity, separation anxiety, recall, loose-lead walking, jumping up, barking and more. No minimum term, cancel anytime. Billed as US$57/month via the US-hosted Skool platform.
Join the membershipStandalone courses
£30, £150
Self-paced video courses you keep, for one specific problem at a time.
Prefer one-to-one? Remote video sessions are available anywhere in the world.
Areas we cover
We come to you across
Glasgow and the west of Scotland.
Home visits and outdoor sessions in the streets and parks you actually walk. We are a service-area business with no public premises, so there is nowhere for you to travel to . We bring the training to your dog's real environment, which is exactly where the behaviour needs to change.
- Dog training in Glasgow
- Dog training in Greater Glasgow
- Dog training in South Lanarkshire
- Dog training in North Lanarkshire
- Dog training in East Renfrewshire
- Dog training in Renfrewshire
- Dog training in East Dunbartonshire
- Dog training in West Dunbartonshire
- Dog training in Inverclyde
- Dog training in Falkirk
- Dog training in East Ayrshire
See every dog training service area we cover or browse our full list of dog training and behaviour services.
Common questions
Before you get in touch,
here's what owners ask us most.
Still unsure whether we're the right fit for your dog? Call 07790 608841 and ask.
Do you use prong collars, shock collars or slip leads?
Never. We do not use prong collars, e-collars (shock collars), slip leads or check chains under any circumstances. All of our work is reward-based and positive reinforcement led, no fear, no pain.
Where do sessions take place?
We are a service-area business. Sessions take place at your home or outdoors in a location local to you across Glasgow and the surrounding areas. There is no fixed training premises for clients to visit. Remote 1-to-1 sessions by video are also available.
How quickly will I hear back?
We aim to respond to all enquiries within 48 hours, though it can occasionally take slightly longer due to the volume of enquiries we receive. If your situation is urgent, please call.
Do I need a referral from my vet for an aggression case?
No. We accept veterinary referrals and take clients directly, so you can get in touch yourself. If your vet has already referred you, bring any notes or history along.
What qualifications and insurance do you hold?
John holds the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional qualification. Dog training is an unregulated industry in the UK and qualifications like this are issued by private training providers rather than regulatory bodies, so we ask you to judge us on 17+ years of experience, 185 Google reviews and courtroom-tested behavioural work. We hold public liability insurance and professional care-of-custody cover for handling dogs.
How much does 1-to-1 training cost?
Sessions can be booked individually or as a block of sessions, and we quote based on what your dog actually needs. Get in touch with a little detail about your dog and we will explain the options. Online course pricing is listed on this page.
Is the first conversation free?
Yes. We offer a free, no-pressure discovery call. You tell us what your dog is doing, we listen, and we help you plan a way forward, including whether this is training, behaviour work or a veterinary question first. There is no obligation to book a paid session afterwards.
Request a consultation
Ready to take the first step?
It all starts with a simple, no-pressure discovery call. We'll listen to your concerns and help you plan a way forward. The more detail you give us here, the more useful our first reply will be. We read every enquiry ourselves and aim to respond within 48 hours.
07790 608841info@glasgowdogtrainer.co.uk
Mon to Thu 9am to 8:30pm · Fri 9am to 6pm · Sat 9am to 5pm · Sun 9am to 5:30pm
Prefer to read more first? Meet John and Helen, our Glasgow behaviour team.