COURSES, CLASSES AND ACTIVITIES

Here at Leaps and Bounds we are a team of friendly, qualified trainers who have a passion for promoting kind, fun and effective methods of training that the whole family can enjoy. We are more than happy to advise and guide you on your journey to achieving a unique, long lasting relationship with your dog through the power of positive training!

Our Dog Training School is informative, innovative, and stimulating for dogs of all ages, regardless of any previous experience. We take an enormous amount of pride in our courses and aim to offer you the most fun and enjoyable training programme on the market. We offer a variety of fun and effective courses in a variety of disciplines at our training centre at Bartlow Estates.

At our premises we have two indoor training centres and an outdoor secure traning field, so classes run all year, whatever the weather. So, you can train throughout Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. We pride ourselves on being an APDT (Association Of Pet Dog Trainers) compliant environments.

We also enjoy taking our classes out and about, whether that be a walk through the village of Linton, a trip to the local farm shop for a coffee and slice of cake, or even travelling over to Hildersham in the Summer for some water confidence sessions in the River Granta.

We offer a range of classes specific to dogs of all ages and abilities. Whether you are in the earliest stages of puppy ownership, have a rehomed dog that requires more behaviour directed sessions or simply want to have some active family fun, we are here to facilitate that for you and offer the most immersive experience possible.

We run a variety of classes including obedience, agility, gun dog and hoopers. We also offer puppy socialisation sessions and specialised training for dogs who suffer from visual, audible, or physical disabilities. All our staff are trained to handle a variety of cases, so never think that you alone in your battle. We are always here to help and support you in whatever training your dog requires.

In every aspect of our education programme, we use a modern method of reinforcement training formally known as ‘Mark and Reward’, often referred to as ‘Clicker Training’.

This is a form of reward-based training whereby the sound created by a clicker is used to reaffirm your dog’s positive behaviour. After being repeatedly associated with a treat or reward, a clicker becomes a conditioned reinforcer that really motivates your dog to do their best to impress.

The timing of the click is essential, and every click must be followed by a reward to notify correct behaviour.

Whilst many dogs drool at the sight of a sausage, others may be more orally fixated and prefer a play with a ball or ragger as reward for their behaviour rather than food.

Don’t panic!

Every dog has their own motivator – much like humans – so we encourage you to try different styles of reward to find what methods suit you the most.

When you attend a class, make sure you bring with you a big bag of smelly treats (chicken/cheese/ham/puppy treats, etc.) and your pup’s favourite toy – we’ll soon find out what works best!

Please note that we do not, under any circumstances, condone the use of aggressive or potentially harmful methods of training.