Dog School Essex offers training classes with a difference! We teach you and your dog the skills you both need to understand each other and have a happy life together. Using kind, fair and effective training methods, the classes are fun and interactive for humans and dogs alike!
Lessons include walking on a loose lead, coming back when called, relaxing in different places, leaving things and much more!
Monday (50 mins) |
09:30, 10:30 and 11:30 |
Castle Hall, Rayleigh, SS6 7QF |
Tuesday (50 mins) |
18:00, 19:10 and 20:20 |
Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR |
Wednesday (50 mins) |
18:00, 19:00 and 20:00 |
Dogs Trust Basildon, SS12 0FH |
Thursday (50 mins) |
12:00, 13:15, 14:30, 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00 |
Dogs Trust Basildon, SS12 0FH |
Saturday (50 mins) |
09:30, 10:30 and 11:30 |
Emerson Park Community Association Hall, RM11 2BU |
T: 07920 658672
T: 01268 535047
Please email us with your enquiry at: essexdogschool@dogstrust.org.uk
Hannah Wilkinson
Dave & Shaun
Laura, Rebecca and Amy
Hannah has been training dogs for over 10 years and loves seeing the bond between the owners and their dogs improve over the time they spend with Dog School Essex. She has spent time supporting Dogs Trust Worldwide with the Dog School project in Bosnia and knows how important teaching our dogs to cope in real life situations is…whatever these may be.
Owning two Samoyeds and having competed in both showing (both qualified for Crufts!) and sled dog & weight pull competitions, the Northern breeds will always be close to her heart… but she can never resist a cute puppy, whatever the breed!
Hannah is a Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK (MAPDT 01276) and is also a Registered Animal Training Instructor with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council. She is a member of the Kennel Club Accredited Instructors Scheme in Companion Dog Training and has recently gained a CertHE in Companion Animal Welfare and Behaviour Rehabilitation from Bristol University.
Dave has had a range of careers from a graphic designer, a prison officer and a driving instructor, all of which ran alongside his passion for dog training. He was thrilled to be a part of one of the first Dog School teams established and has been involved with the growth and development of the project. Dave has trained many different breeds in all sorts of dog sports from Agility, competition obedience to search and rescue. He has a passion for German Shepherd dogs but since working at Dogs Trust, has adopted two gundogs (Willow, a Cocker Spaniel and Moses, a Golden Retriever) who can be seen in the Dog School advert and regularly assist the team at events and seminars.
Dave is a Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK (MAPDT01300) and is also a Registered Animal Training Instructor with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council.
Shaun’s interest in dog behaviour began by listening to his wife and her friend talking constantly about it! He decided if this was all he was going to hear about it was time to get involved himself! Eight years on and several dog training courses later (including the APDT instructors course and the Lincoln University Life Skills for Puppies course) Shaun changed his career and joined the team as Coach - and has recently started as Senior Coach for Dog School Essex. He is passionate about teaching owners how to continue and build on their relationship with their dogs.
Shaun currently shares his home with three dogs, a Lab Springer cross called Quiz, Border Collie called Marley and Wilma the Eurasier who loves to demo her skills at events such as Discover Dogs and Crufts.
Shaun has recently qualified as a full member (MAPDT 01387) of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers).
Laura has always been interested in dog training and began her professional career at the Dogs Trust in Basildon where she worked with many dogs who needed expert help. Whist working in the kennels Laura realised that the reason a lot of dogs are brought into rescue is because their owners struggled with training them. Laura realised that her passion laid in teaching people about their dogs and joined the Dog School!
Laura shares her life with Teddy and Oscar who are both Maltese x Yorkshire Terriers and Ellie who is a sassy Shih Tzu and a very forgiving husband!
Rebecca has been involved in dog training for the last 4 years, assisting at various different training classes from puppy basics to agility. She enjoys training her Cocker Spaniel, Bolt and Mini Schnauzer, Ellie in her spare time. Ellie has achieved her Gold Kennel Club award and has tried out agility, scent work and is even learning to recognise colours!
Before becoming a Coach with us at Dog School, Rebecca was a Primary School teacher. Her love of dog training led her to change her career from teaching children to teaching dogs and their owners!
Amy has always been an animal person, so completed a degree in Animal Management, which she thoroughly enjoyed. She volunteered at dog training classes whilst working at Dogs Trust Basildon Rehoming Centre for 3 years, gathering lots of doggy experience helping dogs with complex training needs.
For the last 15 months, Amy has been travelling and working with race horses! Upon arrival back in the UK (and having missed working with dogs), Amy has started at Dog School Essex as their brand new Coach. She loves training and sharing her knowledge to help owners with their dogs and finds it very satisfying seeing them progress.
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Dog School Essex How many dog trainers does it take to solve a murder mystery? #TeamEssex had an awesome team building day solving a murder and eating donuts 😍 #murdermystery #dogtrainers #howmanydogtrainersdoesittake #southend #cluedupp #clueduppsouthend #detectives #caddiessouthend #teambuilding #doglovers #essex #teamessex #teambuilding #dogstrustdogschool #ff #forcefree #forcefreetrainers #rewardbasedtraining
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Dog School Essex Coach Amy's #10yearchallenge with her #kingcharlescavalier #puppy #oldboy #cutiepie #spaniel #ruby
Anybody who is involved in the care of your dog is encouraged to come along to class, including children. Please bear in mind that your coaches will be talking to the class on a group level to teach you valuable key messages about behaviour, so it is important that anybody attending is able to listen quietly (if young children are attending it could be a good idea to bring something to keep them occupied with at these times). Let your coach know if you have any special requirements or will have more than 3 people attending with your dog, so that they can prepare and make sure there is enough space. To make sure you can concentrate on training your puppy, we would ask that you leave any other pets (including other dogs) at home.
Please bring the following to each class: your dog’s bed/blanket, a selection of your dog’s favourite treats and one or two of his/her favourite toys. If your dog requires any medication or has a specialised diet, please bring these to class – it’s also important to get in touch with your coach to let them know about this before the class as well.
We will try our best to make sure you see the same coaches each week for your classes, because we think it is important for us to get to know you and your puppy. The coaches work in teams of three, so you should get to know all the team members over your course. Occasionally there may be a change in one coach because of sickness or holidays, but if this is necessary, we will try to ensure that you are introduced to your new coach the week before the change so that they are familiar with you and your dog.
We only use positive training methods supported by the most up to date research on dog behaviour. We will never use methods that intimidate or harm your dog.
We aim to teach you to understand how your dog communicates and learns in a fun, interactive environment. We will support you in developing the skills needed to help them become happy, confident, well behaved canine citizens. We will achieve this through practical training and support for both you and your dog.
When you arrive to class we ask that you keep your distance from other owners and dogs, we will guide you over to your personal ‘pod’ which will be a small area reserved for you and your dog. This will give your dogs the best chance to feel comfortable and calm at the start of class. Once everyone has settled in their own areas your coach will start the class, there will be some time set aside for practical training and discussing key messages. In puppy classes there will also be some time scheduled for socialising with other class members.
At the end of class we will again ask that you keep your distance from other owners and dogs. We will guide you out of the class one at a time, please remember to keep your distance from the other students as you are leaving the building and returning to your cars.
Yes! Please feel free to contact your coach between classes if you would like further support or have any questions. The best way of getting in touch is via email so that your coach has the time to give your response their full attention. Your coach will advise you on the best course of action. They should be able to provide you with some basic advice that you can put in place straight away and may recommend a 1-1 session if you require more in depth behavioural or training support.
Dogs Trust recognise the need for affordable behavioural and training support in the community. We believe that Dog School will help raise awareness of dog behaviour, strengthen the bond between owners and their dogs and help to address and prevent the development of unwanted or problematic behaviours. We are hopeful that this service will improve the welfare of dogs in the UK, both by providing owners with support in the home environment and by reducing the number of dogs being relinquished for behavioural reasons.
Our training classes are aimed at giving you information and skills that you can apply to your puppy’s behaviour in any situation. If you have an existing issue that would require help with please contact your local coach and describe the problems you are having. It may be possible for us to help you in a class setting, or it may be that your coach will recommend a 1-1 session with a trainer or behaviourist. We will aim to give you the advice that we believe will be of the greatest benefit to you and your dog. In some cases, the class environment may not be the most suitable for your dog, in which case we will always strive to offer an alternative plan of action!
Please try to let your coach know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend a class. You will be provided with the training guide for the week you missed so that you can catch up at home. We are not able to offer replacement classes or refunds but will help you catch up in time for the following class. If you require help in understanding or practising the guide for the week you missed get in touch with your coach for advice.