About Trick Training

Trick training is challenging, rewarding, and best of all, great fun for both you and your dog.

I provide weekly classes on a Sunday and Monday, taking place at the address below. Please see the section called Classes for more details:

The Goward Hall,

Cade Street,

Old Heathfield,

East Sussex, TN21 9BS.

I also offer one-to-one sessions at your own home, my property or a suitable venue that can be hired. Please contact me to ask questions about any type of training.

I teach people how to teach their dogs to do tricks. I can sometimes train your dog individually in order to help with progress.

If you wish to book 1:1 training, I can help you work towards your goal. It might be simple obedience, general training or tricks.

It's important to appreciate that my trick training classes are not designed to have a beginning, middle and end. Therefore you can start at any time. Each member works with their own dog, under my guidance. Members of the class are not practicing the same trick, so there is an element of independence which is quite different to most other types of dog training classes.

In addition to the above, I host weekly Zoom sessions and we have members from across the UK and around the world!

I am fully insured and licensed.

Reward Marking and Clicker Training

I follow a reward-based training method. You can use a reward word such as 'yes' or 'good', or use a clicker (pictured left) for the same purpose. This reward marker is used at the exact moment your dog has performed correctly. There are three rules for using a clicker or reward marker:

Make the sound to mark any behaviour you wish to encourage
Do it instantly while the correct behaviour is happening
Follow each click or reward marking word with a treat

Tricks and Behaviours

A dog joining a Beginner and Intermediate course should ideally have basic obedience skills including sit; down; stay/wait. However, even young puppies are welcome to attend. During the lessons, skills will include:

Basic obedience including walk on lead, recall, leave.
Targets such as touching things with paw, nose, mouth, chin.
Clicker introduction
Fun games
Easy tricks including putting paws up on an object; hoop jump; catch; fetch; peekaboo; crawl; balance beam
Scent games
Agility such as simple jumps, tunnel, dog walk

The Advanced course will cover skills that include:

Advanced tricks including skateboard; wipe paws; play piano; back up; bow; press a button; tidy away the toys
Chaining of behaviours (combining different behaviours into one trick)
Adding distance, duration and distraction to already existing tricks/behaviours
Shaping complex behaviours
Coordination exercises
Scentwork

Contact me for more information and to book a place.

Trick Videos (scroll down for some 'How to Teach' videos)

How to Teach: video examples below

Teaching a dog to blow bubbles under water

Teaching how to push the Treibball

Teaching the 'mouth target' or 'take it'.

Teaching how to press a bell or buzzzer - the 'ground paw target'.

Teaching the 'hand target' (touch hand)