There are many companies out there that offer dog training, but few which take the kind of bespoke, in-depth approach made famous by Four Paws Training. Guided by the recognition that every dog – and owner – is different, the company matches them all to one of its carefully vetted trainers, whose experience and dedication is certain to result in lasting changes in a dog’s behaviour. Paul Ives, the man at the helm, was on hand to share his thoughts as we profile this needle-moving dog training business.
Owning a dog is an amazing thing. To welcome these adorable creatures into the home is to make a friend for life, with the loyalty, enthusiasm, and boundless joy that dogs embody on a daily basis making them valued members of any family or household. Of course, as with any member of the family, it is important to recognise that there are downs as well as ups, and that dog ownership is about much more than just cuddles and photoshoots. Dogs need boundaries and support like children do, and this is where Four Paws Training comes in.
Based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, but serving clients from across the UK, the aim of this company is to ensure that dogs and their owners have the best possible lives together. It does this through the provision of bespoke, high-quality training programmes available for all breeds and spanning every training need. Led by Director Paul Ives, who has been here since day one, the company boasts an expansive network of trainers from across the UK, with each trainer possessing their own speciality area to ensure the best outcomes are achieved.
Before diving into the specifics of Four Paws Training’s services, it pays to go back to the very beginning – January 2023 – to appreciate just how far the business has come in less than three years. Initially, it was just Paul and one trainer, with only London and the immediate surrounding areas being covered. However, as a result of strong testimonials and word-of-mouth recommendations, the company quickly expanded. Today, the entirety of the UK is covered by nine expert trainers, each more knowledgeable and dedicated than the last.
“We have a team of trainers who all specialise in different areas of dog behaviour. This enables us to match trainers to dogs and make sure they have the best they can get. We then support our trainers with personal development and extra qualifications.”
Across this network, the emphasis is simply on guidance for dogs and owners, with the company helping them to overcome some of the most common behaviour problems our four-legged friends face, resulting in a happy, well-integrated pet. Some of the most frequent concerns it handles are socialisation difficulties (fear or reactivity), issues with toilet training, managing aggression, easing separation anxiety, and establishing more general routines.
More than the behaviours it tackles, what sets Four Paws Training apart in the realm of residential dog training the results it gets, as well as exactly how it gets them. All of this premium training is dog-centric, having been designed to nurture happy and healthy dogs who learn obedience via positive and effective methods. As for how exactly this is achieved, the expert, local dog trainer that a customer is assigned will have the dog at their home, delivering a true home-from-home experience that is free of any stressful kennels.
Going through the process in a bit more detail, it all begins by a dog owner in need of a helping hand filling out the booking form on the company website, which can be found here. All they need to provide are a few simple details about themselves and their dog’s behaviour. From here, a member of the team will be in touch to discuss their concerns, asking further questions to come up with a plan and help assign the right trainer for their dog. This reflects the fully bespoke nature of the training, which is tailored to every dog’s personality.
Training then officially begins with a level of convenience that is indicative of the company as a whole, this with a complimentary pick-up service that sees the trainer visit the home of the owner and meet the dog, before taking them back to their house for the training to begin. Once a dog is in the hands of one of these competent trainers, they will be treated to a holistic training approach that results in improved behaviour and a stronger bond with their owner. These training sessions then usually last between two and four weeks at a time.
Over the course of their dog’s training, owners can expect to receive video ‘pupdates’ on a daily basis via a private family WhatsApp group, allowing them to see the progress their pup is making first-hand. This helps to build a sense of trust between the owner and the trainer, something Four Paws Training recognises is crucial for success. After all, dogs are more than just pets, and parting with them for a few weeks can be a really difficult thing to do.
However, as the owners will see in these videos, every trainer representing Four Paws Training does their job with compassion, leveraging only the most positive and ethical methods (usually reward-based training) to achieve the intended results. By offering effective outcomes without harsh fear/intimidation, these dedicated trainers show their talent and nurture their affinity for animals – two further distinguishing factors of this team.
Once the training is complete, the trainer will take the dog back to their owner, providing them with a detailed handover session that goes through the successful techniques and explains how the owner and the rest of their household (if applicable) can make the transition smooth and ensure these positive behaviours continue. Things do not end there, as Four Paws Training prides itself on providing ongoing guidance once training is completed, with its trainers being just a message away to help keep things moving on the right track.
Having described the process – which is largely the same across all of its provisions – it is now time to take a deep dive into the specifics of the dog training programmes delivered by Four Paws Training. Whilst it is true that they are all bespoke and tailored around each dog, the programmes offered consist of three main categories: Puppy School, Advanced Board & Train, and Rehabilitation. In this way, the team here cover all bases of dog training.
Beginning with the Puppy School, this two-week programme is centred around basic obedience and can be partaken in by dogs under a year old. Designed to instil essential behaviours in every dog as they grow and develop, this comprehensive training programme covers potty and crate training, socialising with other dogs and humans, manners when greeting, managing puppy biting, walking to heal on a lead, basic recall, and commands such as sit and stay. This is just the beginning, with much more covered in these two weeks.
Any dog that is six months old or above can be signed up for the customised, three-week Advanced Board & Train programme that Four Paws Training offers. Designed for those canines who already possess the fundamentals taught in Puppy School, this next-level option has been meticulously created to take the skills of a dog above and beyond. Examples of the things taught in these sessions are recall with distractions and walking to heel off a lead.
One of the key things of note about this particular programme is its flexibility, meaning that it is able to be customised to accommodate dogs with mild anxiety issues. The result is a bespoke, stress-free learning experience for the pups, and the remarkable transformations that occur as a result of them is a testament to the skill inherent throughout this business.
Last but not least, Four Paws Training delivers a four-week Rehabilitation programme for aggression and anxiety in dogs. Targeting these behaviours by getting to the root of the issue, this provision – perhaps more than any other – fosters fantastic relationships between dogs and owners. Over the course of what can only be described as a ‘transformative journey’, these exemplary dog trainers tackle human and dog aggression alike, creating a holistic solution that can be employed alongside close collaboration withs owner themselves.
“We strive to give the best possible training services to all of our clients, enabling them to build lifelong bonds with their dogs.”
The quality of these three programmes is reflected in the success stories boasted across all of them, with dogs of many breeds and with a number of different issues coming out the other side truly transformed. One example is Campo, a two-year-old labrador-greyhound cross who suffered with anxiety before he attended Four Paws Training’s four-week Rehabilitation programme less than years ago. Today, he is like a different dog, with no anxious tendencies to speak of. His owners had this to say in an abridged five-star review of the company:
“We cannot recommend Four Paws Training enough. We sent our two-year old rescue dog, Campo, who was reactive to nearly everything – people, cars, and other dogs. He went to Steve and Tristan who both worked so hard in the four weeks they had him on those issues. We got daily videos of him which reassured us that he was happy with them and also means we can look back at them for tips on how to continue the training now we have him home.” They added: “A five-star review is not enough for this company and everyone in it.”
Another dog who overcame his anxiety with Four Paws Training – this time with its three-week Advanced Board & Train programme – is Titch, an XL Bully. Although not the type of breed that would usually be associated with anxiety, Titch was only six months old when she visited one of the company’s star trainers, who took her under their wing and taught her how to not only overcome her anxiety, but also to improve her skills more generally.
Recounting Titch’s experience with the training, Wayne, her owner, wrote: “We are absolutely delighted with the service we received from Steve and the team. Titch was very fearful and anxious of the world around her. Steve and his team have worked miracles. We received daily updates on her progress and tips for us to follow on her return. I walked Titch today following her training and the improvement was amazing.”
Clearly, as these testimonials highlight, the programmes delivered by the award-winning trainers behind Four Paws Training have a tremendous, lasting impact on dogs, driving positive behaviours and ensuring they overcome any of the issues they face with their temperaments. On the back of this, it is our pleasure to recognise this leading residential dog trainer as the Most Positive Dog Training & Behavioural Services 2025 – UK, only adding to the acclaim it has received over the past few years of its quality training programmes.
More information on any of the provisions mentioned above can be found by following the website link below, which goes directly to the Four Paws Training website.
Contact Details
Contact: Paul Ives
Company: Four Paws Training
Web Address: https://www.fourpawstraining.uk/
