The Doggone Good Clicker Company is on a mission to examine animal training in various parts of the world.  Does climate or terrain matter?  What are the training trends in different areas? Are they unique to that area?  Any training tips unique to a particular area?  Fascinating stuff for all of us animal lovers!

Our first stop on our journey around the globe takes us to Scotland!  To be more precise, the West Coast of Scotland, just outside Glasgow.  Even though the weather is often damp and cool, that goes easily unnoticed because of the beautiful countryside that envelops Glasgow.  

A few facts about Glasgow:

  • July is the warmest month with an average high temperature of  66 degrees F
  • January is the coolest month with an average high temperature of 43 degrees F
  • Average annual amount of rainy days in Glasgow is 201 per year, according to weather-and-climate.com
  • That is roughly rain 55% of the time!

Sandra Cowe of A-Grade Dog Training is an experienced and highly regarded trainer in the area of Glasgow, so we thought who better to help us on this journey into dog training in Scotland!  The wet weather does present some challenges in Glasgow for their team, “especially in the cold of winter.”  However, as experienced professional trainers, they know how to adapt their training.  The key is acclimation.  Start with short sessions outside in wet, cool weather and gradually increase so the pets have time to adjust.  Wonder if any of their furry clients wear raincoats?

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According to Sandra, “training trends we have observed include an increase in the understanding and importance of using positive training methods, and we often use clickers as part of our training.”  They take this one step further by providing each client with a branded clicker (ours of course, thank you Sandra)!  This is a wonderful way to give your clients the tools to help make them successful at home.

Another trend in which Sandra and her team “actively advocate and encourage is the use of the environment as our classroom, for example with recall training where this is done outdoors where real-life distractions are faced (people, dogs, deer, rabbits, sounds, smells etc).”  This is key because training your dog exclusively in the quiet comfort of your own home is not enough.  Dogs need to be comfortable in more chaotic settings too and be able to thrive in any environment.

When asked about any training tips, Sandra’s advice is “be patient and make training fun for both human and dog!”  Yes!  So important to keep in mind when your pet is being a bit stubborn.  Just take a break, play fetch, or make your training sessions a bit shorter, so dog or human don’t get frustrated.

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The mantra at A-Grade Dog Training is “If you don’t train it, then don’t expect it!”  What great guidance from an A-Grade trainer, Sandra Cowe, MGoDT, MPPG!

Following is some general information on class offerings with Sandra and her team: 

  • Precious Puppy Best Start in Life
  • Teenage Tearaways Adolescents
  • All Grown Up Adult Dog Training
  • Come Back Fido Intensive Recall
  • Trick & Treat Trick Training
  • Behavioral Consultations 

If you live near Glasgow and are looking for an amazing team of professional dog trainers, please contact A-Grade Dog Training at www.a-gradedogtraining.co.uk. 

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