As a South West London dog trainer, I can help you with many training goals, such as stopping bad behaviour like jumping, pulling, or biting during playtime, and teaching your dog to walk calmly in busy environments. SW Dog Training can also improve your dog's socialisation skills and reduce their fear and reactivity to sounds, people, and other dogs. Let's work together to achieve your furry friend's training goals.

How can I help you?

How to set commands that really work?

Come, this way, let’s go, stay, leave it, heel, sit, drop it, down. They will be used in various situations and sequences helping you and your dog to have fulfilling communication.

Dog commands on their own are merely empty words without the proper application and understanding of when and how to use them. While knowing the commands is essential, it's equally important to understand how to apply them effectively in different situations. This is where will work together to set you and your dog up for success.

SW Dog Training can also help you communicate more effectively with your furry friend by teaching you various methods that involve body language, positive reinforcement, hand signals, and vocal tones.

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What will my training process look like for your dog?

Is your furry friend in need of some training? No worries! SW Dog Training can help. For dogs with no basic commands or manners, setting them up takes around 20-to-30 hours of work, but every dog is different and some may take more or less time. Don't worry, we can take it one step at a time.

I also offer one-on-one consultancy sessions to determine if SW Dog Training is a good fit for you and your furry friend. I can give you tips and my insights on the spot. All consultancy and training sessions are held in a convenient local green space such as Wandsworth Common, Tooting Common, Clapham Common, Battersea park, Garratt Green.

If you want the training to be effective, it is important that together we provide your dog with the right amount of physical exercise and mental engagement. The timeframe is provisional and serves as a guide to help you understand the commitment and resources needed. Don't hesitate to reach out and let's get started on your dog's training journey!

Get started via getting in touch to book your consultation with me and your furry friend via phone, email, or contact form.

  • • Our first session is 1.5h long and includes a brief consultation if required

    • We recommended 3-to-5 classes of at least 1h each in the first week for best results

    • We recommended at least 3 training sessions per week for basic obedience training over a 4 week period

    • Progress updates and advice are given after each session to help work towards goals or address new behaviours

    • We do both dog only and dog with their owner sessions. The first session its always a dog and the owner to get to know each other and supply your dog with comfort and reassurance. Dog owners are welcome and encouraged to participate in any sessions during the process. For fearful and anxious dogs owners participation is a must till we build a bond and they feel happy and relaxed with us.

  • • We provide videos documenting your dog's most important achievements and behaviours in each session, helping you decide what to focus on next

    • We can also recommend additional online video tutorials and reading resources that compliment our dog training and behavioural approach

    • Advice on relevant equipment. We only use fabric martingale dog collar, slip lead, training lead where needed. Kind and friendly approach.

  • • Candid information about your dog's history and relationship is crucial for effective training and behaviour modification. Your dog's past experiences affect their current behaviour, so your trainer needs to understand their history to design a customised training program.

    • These important details help identify triggers, set realistic goals, and improve communication between you and your dog. By being candid, you can ensure your dog receives the most effective training possible.

Learn more about our training approach

Every dog just like a human has its own character, history and personality which requires a customised approach

Brody, an 11-month-old puppy, had no basic behavioural skills outside of his home environment, was overexcited, and pulled on his lead. Working around his owner's demanding time commitments, we held five one-hour sessions per week for two months, plus a few sessions on Brody's handling. We focused on physical and mental activity, socialisation, lead work, and recall, and Brody improved. After this period, Brody was able to be walked by all household members off-lead, showing high levels of engagement and obedience. It's been an amazing journey with Brody, and I'm confident he will continue to thrive!

Olive loved playing with any ball she found in the park, making off-lead walks challenging. During our first meeting, Olive stayed 30m away from her owner, ignoring their commands. After twenty hours of personalised training, we used Olive's love of ball games as a reward and established a pattern for retrieving and playing with the ball, which became her recall clicker. We discovered that Olive's hearing had declined since she was a puppy, but she responded well to training that focused on new ways of communicating with her. We spent multiple sessions working one-on-one with Olive, and one session with Olive's owner to show her new ways of communication to maintain her changed behaviour.

Ernie, a playful fox terrier, struggled with coming back to his owner when he was busy playing with other dogs. Ernie loves running and playing, which would stress out his owner. Ernie was not food-driven, and his owner chasing him was his biggest fun. With a few workshops and modifications to the owner's behaviuor, Ernie's recall and loose lead walking improved and became consistent, while he still had fun with other dogs but his owner new exactly how to maintain the connection and get his attention back. Ernie was keen to work and learn, and finding the right rewards, adding boundaries, and using balls and sounds helped solve his problem.

Watson and Lockie, two mighty adolescent labrador retrievers, were a pair bought from the same litter. They were the household’s very first furry family members and were not an easy bunch to handle. We started training each dog separately to restore some balanced, well mannered behaviour. With no basic commands or functioning sociable behaviours present, this was the best place to start. We then increased physical and mental exercise according to each pup’s needs. Our first goal was to be able to walk Watson and Lockie safely on the lead. We then focussed on unlocking their amazing labrador retriever ability to work with their handler and enjoy themselves while respecting clear boundaries. The whole process took six months. At the end, both pups were happy and able to run safely off-lead together as a pair in the local park, demonstrating all basic obedience skills and manners. The training programme involved two-to-five hours of sessions every week with each dog and then later on training them as a pair to be gentle and sociable in a park, street and home. Watson and Lockie’s amazing and dedicated owners also played a huge role in investing their time and consistent attention to bring out the best of their canine companions.

Other commonly asked questions

  • We can guide you on how to remain calm in situations where your dog isn't behaving as you'd like them to and provide advice on managing challenging situations. Furthermore, we can help you identify the best reward system for your dog, as not all dogs respond to treats, contrary to one of the biggest misconceptions about dog training. As well as rewarding your dog, it is important to learn how to set up the right boundaries which will make a huge difference in day-to-day living with your pet.

  • • Correctly using lead and collar, as well as training lead

    • Understanding how the rewards and positive reinforcement works in practice

    • Getting your dog's attention and focus so you can ask for commands and behaviours

    • Learning how to use your voice and body language effectively as it is crucial tool to communicate with your dog

    • Understanding your dog's body language, essential needs and when and how to change strategies you use

    • By mastering the basics, you can lay a strong foundation for future training goals