Glasgow Dog Trainer And Behaviour Consultant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy8KMEOkx yo
A message to my trolls.

For all the wannabe tough guys out there, you might be ok with being cold, wet, uncomfortable or thrive in the heat but your dog might not be.
If they are cold, buy a dog jacket or sweater for them. Dry them off before you out them back in the car and put the heater on. Give them somewhere comfortable to sleep. Do for them what you can, that are not monks.
Oh, and train without pain
... #realmentrainwithoutpain
Please share if you like this video to help get the word out.
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Got to play with this wee sweetheart today

I am proud to announce that I am now an Ambassador of the Pet Professional Network.
I was chosen for this role as I have made a significant and positive difference to the lives of pet owners and pet professionals and have shown exceptional progress in both my personal and professional journey, supporting other professionals on my way.
The Pet Professional Network is an international business support organisation for force free pet professionals. They provide support in all terms of mindset, personal and professional development. They work in collaboration with modern, world class training and behavioural institutes and associations and are proud to be an affiliate of ICAN the International Companion Animal Network.

Last part. Parts one and two are on my timeline.
De-escalation after tug and chase. This is something he still finds difficult. I did a fair bit with him in this session, some tug, chase, leaving on toy for the other.
The function of the barking is for the ball. Once the ball goes away, he barks in order to get it back again. It took a long time for him to take food in this situation, so even if he can't get the ball, he can at least get something he likes. Things I look for... are
1. Will he take food? 2. Will he approach me from a few feet/metres away to get the food? 3. Will he catch the food if thrown? 4. Will he eat the food if dropped on the ground? 5. Will he chase the food if I throw it along the ground? 6. Will he search for food?
These are all indicators of how aroused he is.
You can see his response to the physical pressure when I take him by the harness to put him back in the car. Mouth closes, pulls away, circles me. I need him to get back into the car with as little coercion (zero is best) as possible.
The lure of the food into to the crate doesn't work.
I do a couple of rounds of this, to try to have him regulate his emotions and eventually I flick a piece of broken tennis ball and he jumps in. I the reinforce with food.
If you haven't seen the previous two parts, I encourage you to watch them for context.
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Night folks.

Second part, the edit around 4 minutes was just to make the post editing easier.
Some nice stuff here. He comes off the tree very easily here and goes back on to the tug. The ball is of higher value than the tug to I can use access to that to reinforce the tugging with me and various other behaviours I like.
Reviewing it, need to keep my mouth shut offerin verbal praise. I have obviously done a good job conditioning that some of my experessions mean that the ball or tug will ...be following, so it gets in the way a little here. When he is tugging well and I offer verbal praise, he comes off the tug which is not what i want.
Antecedents of playing both tug and access to the ball before he sees or grabsthe tree are things to be investigated.
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Toys with Logan
I've several videos to post from the other night. He has found it difficult to switch from one toy to the next and then to switch off at the end of play.
One strategy would be to remove play entirely from him outside and only play indoors. This may be an option for another dog but when he becomes stressed/aroused/frustrated, he will look for the nearest branch, tree or bush and will latch on to it and won't come off. This isn't enriching for him, it is extrem...ely stressful. I've had to do lots of work with him managing his arousal and de-escalating, a lot of that has been done with toys and my behaviour. Due to this, I need effective, non (or less) aversive ways to have him come off the tree (this was the very first behaviour I was asked to look at with him even before I adopted him)
A few things get in the way here. The second tug is on a line which is too long to comfortably handle, so I need to address that. The reason the tug is on a line is so that we can play but I'm not putting too much spacial pressure on him which will increase his arousal (thanks to Kay Laurence for that advice).
We started with the ball because I wanted him to know I have it, there are a few more videos to come where I am aiming to reinforce behaviours I like with access to the ball.
Food refusal around 30s, showing his aroual being high(er).
The response to the "twist" cue when he is aroused like this is an indicator of how well he will listen in that frame of mind.
This is the first tug session in many months, we've been working on more foundation stuff, so I am pretty happy with it.
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I'm delighted to be hosting my friend Laura Monaco Torelli, next May in Glasgow. Laura and I will be presenting on husbandry care primarily with a few other interesting topics thrown in.
This seminar can be paid for in installments to spread the cost over the next few months. It is a total coup that I have manged to bring Laura over to Scotland.
Trainers, owners who are wanting to learn more about co-operative grooming, medical care etc, vets and vet nurses would all find t...his three dayer priceless.
Hope to see you there.
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What?
Laura and John invite you to join them for a clinic-style seminar where principles will be put into practice. Join them for an immersion in positive reinforcement training for husbandry care.
The set up:
...Continue Reading

Please share

Second part, the edit around 4 minutes was just to make the post editing easier.
Some nice stuff here. He comes off the tree very easily here and goes back on to the tug. The ball is of higher value than the tug to I can use access to that to reinforce the tugging with me and various other behaviours I like.
Reviewing it, need to keep my mouth shut offering verbal praise. I have obviously done a good job conditioning that some of my expressions mean that the ball or tug will... be following, so it gets in the way a little here. When he is tugging well and I offer verbal praise, he comes off the tug which is not what i want.
Antecedents of playing both tug and access to the ball before he sees or grabs the tree are things to be investigated.
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This is very funny
http://po.st/OumGvT

Continuing from the video blog I did a few weeks ago where I talked about setting the dog up so that unwanted behaviours can't happen and wanted ones can, here is a short video of working with Yogi Bear last week.
Yogi can show some spirited behaviours in the presence of other dogs, which can be problematic for his human, the other dogs and their humans.
Here we do loads of work with Yogi, working him through the behaviours we want and reinforcing well and often. As he and h...is human become more proficient, we work on reducing the distance. We approach other dogs and either increase or maintain the reinforcement, always watching for the first signs of unwanted behaviour. The long line is there as a fail safe.
Some of the comments on the information video was that this is all very well in practice, but doesn't work in real life. As you can see, that statement is misinformed. The other fallacy is that these dogs need a firmer hand, we can see from this video that this too is not the case.
If you think it can;t be done, you will always look for the reason it can't be done. "It might work here but you should try it with an (insert label/breed)". It can be done.
Expand your knowledge, practice more, seek advice when you need it. Don't stop learning to be kinder in our approach to each other and our dogs.
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Some lovely words about my journey with Logan from Tiff Crechly who follows this page
"I think it’s also important to note here that in this instance John is working with Logan directly, as his permanent handler. It may be the case that John might provide different approaches and methodologies to a client than he applies himself, given that he has the expertise and no time constraints affecting his handling choices.
Furthermore, my understanding of the journey John has share...d with us about his training and relationship with Logan is not only fundamentally about getting a result. John’s ethos here is to look at training as humanely/ethically as possible and not taking any shortcuts where many people would, so that Logan is choosing to participate and adapt his behaviour.
The posts are not just about ‘result’. If they were then almost any ‘trainer’ would have ‘finished’ their work by now, John or anyone else even vaguely skilled. Or as he said the dog would have been surrendered/given up on.
The posts are about recognising and working within Logan’s sentience. I feel John is using his journey to demonstrate that this kind of relationship is possible, ideal, and trying to inspire and educate others to aspire to more and more of this type of thinking when handling and interacting with animals that have emotional intelligence and are capable of making their own choices.
I didn’t see many of the troll posts but there is no doubt in my mind that many people will not have had a look into the back story with Logan and John’s philosophies on animal handling.
Anyone can use compulsion and check chains. It’s easy. That’s why people do it. This type of relationship is, to me, what should be the benchmark of modern inter-species cooperation. We need to change our thinking and recognise intelligence and emotional capability in other species. John is using his story and social media to provide leadership in this movement.
Congratulations John. You are a pioneer."
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The only edits are to stitch the video between the two cameras.
We have gone back to basics with this, as we didn;t get off to the best start when we tried it before.
I'm teaching him that he starts the process by putting his chin on the bed. I than mark and reinforce it, or I move a little and the click and treat that.
... Logan can stop at anytime, by picking up the ball, leaving the bed or lifting his chin up, it's up to me to read these signals.
In the first session here, he is a little more engaged. He chin rests several times. In the second session here, he is starting to good around a little, but that's cool. We had done loads of training prior to this video this evening, incluind some of this work, he was saying he had enough.
Lastly, by playing a higher activity game during the break, he has something to look forward to and we also work on regulating his arousal at the same time.
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Masculinity
#realmentrainwithoutpain
I was at one of my very best friend's 50th birthday party last night. We worked together on the Police and have known each other for about 10 years. It was a wee bit of a reunion and I caught up with a few people I hadn't seen in a long time. For the last 6 years of my service, I worked in covert policing, and was privileged to be involved in some really serious, important, time critical and sometimes life threatening (for the victims) op...erations. Without being dramatic, they make TV and movies about the type of work we did (if only it was actually like that in real life, it would have been much more fun)
These men who I caught up with, when I hugged them so say hello and good bye at the end of the night, either kissed me on the cheek, side of the neck or head. Completely naturally. these are some of the toughest, smartest, hardest men I have ever had the good fortune to know. Most of them are truly badasses. I have seen many of them being violent when needed. Each one of them can and is kind and gentle when needed. How they talk about and treat their wives,their children, their friends, their pets. I would not mess with any one of them.
Some of the qualities I describe above are often seen as lass then manly. The gentle characteristics are seen as being feminine or weak of men show them. They are not. My female colleagues showed exactly the same qualities as the guys and I was honored to have worked with them too.
Be kind to each other. These are human qualities, not female ones.
Be kind.
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I'll just leave this one here.

Three sessions working with John helped me reconnect with my boy.... lost our connection due to his illness & pain. Now that’s resolved and we both know how to work in our special team again. Practicing what we learned every day ~ great strides( literally!) by Dougie who is learning to trust he’s now ok. Occasional small blunders with one monumental fail .. by me! ...but learned from it & don’t take ourselves too seriously.

Thanks again John - one very happy mum



Special thanks have go to hotdog sausages �

The advice and dedication from this awesome trainer not only touches the lives of dogs in Scotland but the world over.

From his films and to his open, willingness to help all dog owners in a manner which shows how kind he is, not only to dogs, but the the humans as well.

I can’t recommend John more.

My two JRT pups and I have just completed 3 sessions with John and it has all been to the good. I no longer (at least nearly no longer) have my right arm almost pulled out it's socket. They are coming along meeting other dogs. We had a couple of positive encounters this morning but also 2 that could have been better. John's training has given me the confidence and knowledge to walk the dogs where I know l will encounter other dogs rather than before when I used to walk them at 05:30 and late at night. He is the first dog trainer I have ever met and that's down to a recommendation from Martin, the owner of the pet shop in East Kilbride Village.

Meicah was reactive to dogs and John changed Meicah and my relationship.

Meicah was great over the past three years. Thank you John for empowering me to deal confidently with her. Her trust in me grew and I managed the environment to ensure positive encounters.

Just had my first session with John and I’m absolutely amazed at the results already.



I have a Japanese Spitz who has had trauma with a terrible dog walker. As a result, my dog now fears some people, can be aggressive if a stranger touches him and hates big male dogs, particularly huskies. I find it difficult when I’m on a walk with my dog as due to how unusual a dog he is, people always feel like they have a right to just come up and touch him, which is something he hates (I don’t blame him - we wouldn’t like it if I stranger got in our space without permission!).



John taught be a lot of techniques with Floyd on a training lead. Already 10 minutes into the session, I noticed amazing results in Floyd. It’s partly about changing my behaviour as well and showing Floyd that he can trust me to not let strangers touch him. An hour around a busy park and not one incident of fear/aggression and also no one bothered us! That NEVER happened before. John taught me how to be aware of what is around me on the walk and how to respond myself to strangers.



Thank you so much, John. I cannot wait to keep you updated on Floyd’s progress. I know it is going to be a process and will take a while but it’s totally worth it. Thank you for being so kind and understanding about the troubles Floyd is having.



To anyone thinking about behavioural or training lessons - do it. You cannot put a price on helping your dog and John clearly knows what he is doing. He’s also extremely non-judgemental and is there for you and your dog.

Just finished my 3 sessions with John today and the transformation that we have acheived with Rocky (and myself) is amazing. Rocky used to bark,growl, and lunge at every other dog. Today in his lesson - nothing. Even did some recall training which for me at the start I was thinking we would never get around to doing. Rocky is a much calmer dog on walks now and can meet dogs appropriately the majority of the time. So still a wee bit of work to do, but John has instilled in us the confidence and knowledge to manage the process ourselves. John explains things so clearly with great examples, so you can really start understanding your dog with what their motivation is behind the behaviour and how they are trying to tell you things. I have already recommended John and his team to friends and will continue to do so. Thank you so much! Walking with Rocky is now a relaxing pleasurable experience rather than the anxiety-riddled one it used to be.

John was kind enough to give me a Skype consult (I live in Dorset) regarding an issue I am having with my dog Odie who has started going for my cats when we are all relaxing for the evening. Most particularly my ginger cat, Martin, has been on the receiving end of Odie’s ‘rage’. John has given us a clear and conscience training structure to work to and we are seeing great results in just a few nights of training. Odie has even been nose targeting Martin to get treats! We just need to work on raising our criteria slowly by then introducing cats 2 and 3 gradually! I know if we stick to John’s advice we are going to see a return to peace between canine and feline in our house! I also promise to get decent video to show the technique and the progress!

I find John very, very generous with his time and appreciate his patience with stupid questions! I just wish I lived nearer Glasgow so I could do a few one-to-one sessions with Odie!



I also signed up and watched John’s Dealing With Aggression in Dogs Introduction course. I am obsessed with aggression because Odie is aggressive towards dogs as a consequence I am reasonably well studied on the subject. I still managed to get 5 A4 notebook pages of notes from the course and it gave me lots of ideas and lightbulb moments! I thoroughly recommend it. It is well worth a look if you are interested in aggression or are dealing with a dog like mine day to day. I can’t wait for the next instalment (hurry up John!)!

Lagavuillin was it?

John is fantastic and extremely knowledgable at what he does. Have learned so much from my sessions with him and my dog has made a lot of big improvements already. If you are considering working with him then it’s the best investment you could make in your dog.

John is a really good presenter, engaging, encouraging and supportive. I feel really privileged to have learned from him, certainly hope to do so again in the future!

John and I had our first session with Leia today. It was amazing! The training was more for me - and each bit of it was explained with anecdotes and stories I could relate too and remember! Leia started off barking the house down and by the end allowed John to leave without a peep! I’m looking forward to next week and putting the things I learned today into practise. There is a light at the end of this tunnel and I’m glad I decided it was the time for a professional. Thank you also to the vets for recommending such a down to earth, nice and clearly family and dog oriented guy to help. � I would recommend in a heart beat with still a long road ahead. And yes John I’ve noticed she didn’t bark when I came in - clicked and treated ��

I’ve just finished a couple of 1-2-1 sessions with John and my rescue dog Charlie. Charlie is a gorgeous boy but has recently started to become a little aggressive towards other dogs - working with John has really helped showing me techniques to minimise the aggression and give me some confidence to relax when dogs approach. I really enjoyed the relaxed way that John teaches and the examples he uses really helped me to visualise the dogs (and my behaviours), he is also very clear and patient in his instruction and never made me feel bad when I didn’t pick things up straight away. I have also attended workshops run by John which are also very informative. As a new inexperienced dog owner I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending John. I’ve loads still to learn and I will be continuing my journey with Charlie & John.

I was lucky enough to learn from John at the Animal training symposium in Perth, Australia as part of the IMDT 4 day course. He is so incredibly experienced and knowledgeable. You can tell he really is in it for the dogs!! Teaching trainers/future trainers how to help dogs and owners to live together happily.

I met with John to work on some issues with my dog and his fear of men/strangers. Firstly, he's the only man who Cooper doesn't know that has ever been allowed that close to him without freaking out and barking at him. He didn't put too much pressure or stress on Cooper and let him take things at his own pace. He also told me how to understand where Cooper's behavior is coming from and how my response and reactions to it either help or hinder his progress. He gave me some great exercises to take away and practice at home. Highly recommended and will definitely be back if I need any more help with my dog.

I contacted John as a very last resort. I actually felt that there was no hope of change and that I was going to have to accept the situation I was in. I’ve tried other dog trainers and even been referred to the vet school for behavioural medication and training and nothing has worked, however, Johns approach has changed everything for me. My dog milo has had issues with anxiety and barking ever since we got him at 9 weeks. He hated being outdoors, and when outside would show signs of anxiety even when no one was around. The entire walk he would be on high alert, never relaxed. He would bark at people, walking and jogging, bikes, prams, and above all other dogs. A dog could be on the other side of a field and if he saw it he would bark uncontrollably, going into a wee zone of his own and not responding to anything. It was so bad that we avoided going anywhere and walked him at 6am and 1130pm to avoid meeting anyone. Today at the park, after only 8 weeks of working with John, the difference in Milo was unbelievable. I can not recommend John and his approach enough. I’ve seen improvements since day one, but today, after happily sniffing out treats in the leaves and long grass, (he was never relaxed enough to do this in the past!), we were able to stand a few hundred yards from the path and four dogs all walked past us. Milo was able to deal with this, he was comfortable and relaxed, and was in control. It was a situation I could only have dreamed of before working with John. We still have work to do but with Johns guidance I feel confident that Milo will improve to the point where dogs no longer cause him any anxiety.

I contacted John after doing a loooooong research online looking for the right trainer with good skills and excellent ethics. We had our first session together where he gave us great advise about many topics like how to communicate with our pup, how to train positively, how to respect her bodily autonomy and boundaries etc. which was extremely useful. After the first session he put us in touch with another trainer (Gillian) from his team due to his busy schedule.



Gillian is just the perfect person to consult. My pup was a resource guarder and also wasn't really getting along with my 4 years old cat. Gillian didn't just gave great tips on these issues specifically but also generally how to better the communication between me and my pup using positive reinforcement so the bond between us will not be compromised in the process of training. Gillian is a lovely, energetic person who is professional and knows so much about the how to communicate with you and your dog. I would recommend her to everyone without the slightest hesitation.

Had the pleasure of being trained and instructed by John whilst he was down under in Australia and it was honestly one of the best most enriching learning environments I have ever been exposed to. I was encouraged to ask questions and push myself out my comfort zone. It wasn't just a course where you go to learn, it was the kind of experience that inspires you to do better and be better.



Honestly I'm a bit of a marshmallow and though John's appearance and stern words seemed quite confronting at first, he put every effort in to not only show me but tell me he was personally working on his interpersonal skills for softies like me. That made a HUGE difference! So thank you John, for not only teaching me so much, but also showing me that learning is an ongoing adventure for everyone.



Please come back hahaha

Had 3 sessions with my black lab and and difference in both her and myself is amazing. Next 3 sessions are with my chocolate lab.

Highly recommend John. Well worth the money. I can now enjoy my walks.

Glasgow is very lucky to have a world class, internationally respected dog trainer in John McGuigan. I’m a dog trainer in Australia, and while visiting Glasgow last week, I was privileged to be allowed to attend a couple of John’s private lessons and learn from one of the best. John uses only scientifically researched methods and never intimidates, scares or hurts dogs or their owners. He gets excellent, fast results. I only wish I had more time to study with him. ��

After getting our puppy, our resident dog became reactive to people, other dogs and the doorbell amongst other things. Noticing that the pup was showing signs of these behaviours we decided to get help to understand how to communicate more effectively with our dogs. John talked us through various techniques and provided analogies and examples to help our understanding. After a few sessions we have seen such a difference in our dogs but only because we worked on our behaviour with John's guidance. Although our sessions have come to an end we will continue to build on the work we have started with our dogs.

Three sessions working with John helped me reconnect with my boy.... lost our connection due to his illness & pain. Now that’s resolved and we both know how to work in our special team again. Practicing what we learned every day ~ great strides( literally!) by Dougie who is learning to trust he’s now ok. Occasional small blunders with one monumental fail .. by me! ...but learned from it & don’t take ourselves too seriously.

Thanks again John - one very happy mum



Special thanks have go to hotdog sausages �

The advice and dedication from this awesome trainer not only touches the lives of dogs in Scotland but the world over.

From his films and to his open, willingness to help all dog owners in a manner which shows how kind he is, not only to dogs, but the the humans as well.

I can’t recommend John more.

My two JRT pups and I have just completed 3 sessions with John and it has all been to the good. I no longer (at least nearly no longer) have my right arm almost pulled out it's socket. They are coming along meeting other dogs. We had a couple of positive encounters this morning but also 2 that could have been better. John's training has given me the confidence and knowledge to walk the dogs where I know l will encounter other dogs rather than before when I used to walk them at 05:30 and late at night. He is the first dog trainer I have ever met and that's down to a recommendation from Martin, the owner of the pet shop in East Kilbride Village.

Meicah was reactive to dogs and John changed Meicah and my relationship.

Meicah was great over the past three years. Thank you John for empowering me to deal confidently with her. Her trust in me grew and I managed the environment to ensure positive encounters.

Just had my first session with John and I’m absolutely amazed at the results already.



I have a Japanese Spitz who has had trauma with a terrible dog walker. As a result, my dog now fears some people, can be aggressive if a stranger touches him and hates big male dogs, particularly huskies. I find it difficult when I’m on a walk with my dog as due to how unusual a dog he is, people always feel like they have a right to just come up and touch him, which is something he hates (I don’t blame him - we wouldn’t like it if I stranger got in our space without permission!).



John taught be a lot of techniques with Floyd on a training lead. Already 10 minutes into the session, I noticed amazing results in Floyd. It’s partly about changing my behaviour as well and showing Floyd that he can trust me to not let strangers touch him. An hour around a busy park and not one incident of fear/aggression and also no one bothered us! That NEVER happened before. John taught me how to be aware of what is around me on the walk and how to respond myself to strangers.



Thank you so much, John. I cannot wait to keep you updated on Floyd’s progress. I know it is going to be a process and will take a while but it’s totally worth it. Thank you for being so kind and understanding about the troubles Floyd is having.



To anyone thinking about behavioural or training lessons - do it. You cannot put a price on helping your dog and John clearly knows what he is doing. He’s also extremely non-judgemental and is there for you and your dog.

Just finished my 3 sessions with John today and the transformation that we have acheived with Rocky (and myself) is amazing. Rocky used to bark,growl, and lunge at every other dog. Today in his lesson - nothing. Even did some recall training which for me at the start I was thinking we would never get around to doing. Rocky is a much calmer dog on walks now and can meet dogs appropriately the majority of the time. So still a wee bit of work to do, but John has instilled in us the confidence and knowledge to manage the process ourselves. John explains things so clearly with great examples, so you can really start understanding your dog with what their motivation is behind the behaviour and how they are trying to tell you things. I have already recommended John and his team to friends and will continue to do so. Thank you so much! Walking with Rocky is now a relaxing pleasurable experience rather than the anxiety-riddled one it used to be.

John was kind enough to give me a Skype consult (I live in Dorset) regarding an issue I am having with my dog Odie who has started going for my cats when we are all relaxing for the evening. Most particularly my ginger cat, Martin, has been on the receiving end of Odie’s ‘rage’. John has given us a clear and conscience training structure to work to and we are seeing great results in just a few nights of training. Odie has even been nose targeting Martin to get treats! We just need to work on raising our criteria slowly by then introducing cats 2 and 3 gradually! I know if we stick to John’s advice we are going to see a return to peace between canine and feline in our house! I also promise to get decent video to show the technique and the progress!

I find John very, very generous with his time and appreciate his patience with stupid questions! I just wish I lived nearer Glasgow so I could do a few one-to-one sessions with Odie!



I also signed up and watched John’s Dealing With Aggression in Dogs Introduction course. I am obsessed with aggression because Odie is aggressive towards dogs as a consequence I am reasonably well studied on the subject. I still managed to get 5 A4 notebook pages of notes from the course and it gave me lots of ideas and lightbulb moments! I thoroughly recommend it. It is well worth a look if you are interested in aggression or are dealing with a dog like mine day to day. I can’t wait for the next instalment (hurry up John!)!

Lagavuillin was it?

John is fantastic and extremely knowledgable at what he does. Have learned so much from my sessions with him and my dog has made a lot of big improvements already. If you are considering working with him then it’s the best investment you could make in your dog.

John is a really good presenter, engaging, encouraging and supportive. I feel really privileged to have learned from him, certainly hope to do so again in the future!

John and I had our first session with Leia today. It was amazing! The training was more for me - and each bit of it was explained with anecdotes and stories I could relate too and remember! Leia started off barking the house down and by the end allowed John to leave without a peep! I’m looking forward to next week and putting the things I learned today into practise. There is a light at the end of this tunnel and I’m glad I decided it was the time for a professional. Thank you also to the vets for recommending such a down to earth, nice and clearly family and dog oriented guy to help. � I would recommend in a heart beat with still a long road ahead. And yes John I’ve noticed she didn’t bark when I came in - clicked and treated ��

I’ve just finished a couple of 1-2-1 sessions with John and my rescue dog Charlie. Charlie is a gorgeous boy but has recently started to become a little aggressive towards other dogs - working with John has really helped showing me techniques to minimise the aggression and give me some confidence to relax when dogs approach. I really enjoyed the relaxed way that John teaches and the examples he uses really helped me to visualise the dogs (and my behaviours), he is also very clear and patient in his instruction and never made me feel bad when I didn’t pick things up straight away. I have also attended workshops run by John which are also very informative. As a new inexperienced dog owner I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending John. I’ve loads still to learn and I will be continuing my journey with Charlie & John.

I was lucky enough to learn from John at the Animal training symposium in Perth, Australia as part of the IMDT 4 day course. He is so incredibly experienced and knowledgeable. You can tell he really is in it for the dogs!! Teaching trainers/future trainers how to help dogs and owners to live together happily.

I met with John to work on some issues with my dog and his fear of men/strangers. Firstly, he's the only man who Cooper doesn't know that has ever been allowed that close to him without freaking out and barking at him. He didn't put too much pressure or stress on Cooper and let him take things at his own pace. He also told me how to understand where Cooper's behavior is coming from and how my response and reactions to it either help or hinder his progress. He gave me some great exercises to take away and practice at home. Highly recommended and will definitely be back if I need any more help with my dog.

I contacted John as a very last resort. I actually felt that there was no hope of change and that I was going to have to accept the situation I was in. I’ve tried other dog trainers and even been referred to the vet school for behavioural medication and training and nothing has worked, however, Johns approach has changed everything for me. My dog milo has had issues with anxiety and barking ever since we got him at 9 weeks. He hated being outdoors, and when outside would show signs of anxiety even when no one was around. The entire walk he would be on high alert, never relaxed. He would bark at people, walking and jogging, bikes, prams, and above all other dogs. A dog could be on the other side of a field and if he saw it he would bark uncontrollably, going into a wee zone of his own and not responding to anything. It was so bad that we avoided going anywhere and walked him at 6am and 1130pm to avoid meeting anyone. Today at the park, after only 8 weeks of working with John, the difference in Milo was unbelievable. I can not recommend John and his approach enough. I’ve seen improvements since day one, but today, after happily sniffing out treats in the leaves and long grass, (he was never relaxed enough to do this in the past!), we were able to stand a few hundred yards from the path and four dogs all walked past us. Milo was able to deal with this, he was comfortable and relaxed, and was in control. It was a situation I could only have dreamed of before working with John. We still have work to do but with Johns guidance I feel confident that Milo will improve to the point where dogs no longer cause him any anxiety.

I contacted John after doing a loooooong research online looking for the right trainer with good skills and excellent ethics. We had our first session together where he gave us great advise about many topics like how to communicate with our pup, how to train positively, how to respect her bodily autonomy and boundaries etc. which was extremely useful. After the first session he put us in touch with another trainer (Gillian) from his team due to his busy schedule.



Gillian is just the perfect person to consult. My pup was a resource guarder and also wasn't really getting along with my 4 years old cat. Gillian didn't just gave great tips on these issues specifically but also generally how to better the communication between me and my pup using positive reinforcement so the bond between us will not be compromised in the process of training. Gillian is a lovely, energetic person who is professional and knows so much about the how to communicate with you and your dog. I would recommend her to everyone without the slightest hesitation.

Had the pleasure of being trained and instructed by John whilst he was down under in Australia and it was honestly one of the best most enriching learning environments I have ever been exposed to. I was encouraged to ask questions and push myself out my comfort zone. It wasn't just a course where you go to learn, it was the kind of experience that inspires you to do better and be better.



Honestly I'm a bit of a marshmallow and though John's appearance and stern words seemed quite confronting at first, he put every effort in to not only show me but tell me he was personally working on his interpersonal skills for softies like me. That made a HUGE difference! So thank you John, for not only teaching me so much, but also showing me that learning is an ongoing adventure for everyone.



Please come back hahaha

Had 3 sessions with my black lab and and difference in both her and myself is amazing. Next 3 sessions are with my chocolate lab.

Highly recommend John. Well worth the money. I can now enjoy my walks.

Glasgow is very lucky to have a world class, internationally respected dog trainer in John McGuigan. I’m a dog trainer in Australia, and while visiting Glasgow last week, I was privileged to be allowed to attend a couple of John’s private lessons and learn from one of the best. John uses only scientifically researched methods and never intimidates, scares or hurts dogs or their owners. He gets excellent, fast results. I only wish I had more time to study with him. ��

After getting our puppy, our resident dog became reactive to people, other dogs and the doorbell amongst other things. Noticing that the pup was showing signs of these behaviours we decided to get help to understand how to communicate more effectively with our dogs. John talked us through various techniques and provided analogies and examples to help our understanding. After a few sessions we have seen such a difference in our dogs but only because we worked on our behaviour with John's guidance. Although our sessions have come to an end we will continue to build on the work we have started with our dogs.