Action 4 Dogs Edinburgh & Lothians Dog Trainer

Home
United Kingdom
Penicuik
Action 4 Dogs Edinburgh & Lothians Dog Trainer

Action 4 Dogs Dog Training founded by Max Muir is based in Edinburgh and the Lothians. Maxwell covers all of Scotland by appointment. Puppy Training.

Dog Training focusing on pet gun dogs and sporting breeds. Personal 121 private Training Sessions in the following Skill sets:

Effective Dog Handling Skills & Proper Use of Equipment. Adolescent Dog Training-Coping With Your Teenager. Behaviour Training Solutions. Online Zoom Sessions, Telephone consultations & Private Discreet Service. Private lessons and home visits are designed to suit a clien

t’s needs and they can be arranged in the home or a location of your choosing. Private one to one training service also caters for puppy training, basic obedience training, and the teaching of handling skills. Training topics include:

Handling skills with the lead. Recall- Training Levels to your recall. Retriever Training. Gun Dog foundation Training. Training good manners, obedience, and greeting behaviours. Teaching dog’s to develop self control. Effective stimulation & enrichment to deal with those dogs with excess energy. Maxwell has hosted regular seminars, lectures and workshops and been guest speakers at many canine events. Maxwell is also available for you to host for presentations and workshops and virtual keynotes and presentations on a wide variety of dog related subjects. He is also open to appearing on podcasts. Visit www.action4dogs.co.uk

14/12/2025

The Sheer Fun in Observing Play in Dogs

With the exception of watching a dog hunt in all its behavioural variety, I love to watch dogs at play with each other.

I love to watch how different breeds play and how their own play styles interact.

It is truly a feast for the eyes and soothing for the soul.

One of the great enjoyments of having a pet dog!

Would you agree?

I would love to see some photograph examples or short reels of your dogs at play with other dogs, or with their home mates.

11/12/2025

Degas hunts for a mouse!

10/12/2025

Building a Dog's Confidence on Walks

I worked with this dog a while back. On my initial meeting the dog was anxious and fearful of its environment. This anxiety was related to crowds, traffic, noise, and general unpredictability that would make the dog stall in an anxious state and not want to move. If he did move it was by relentlessly pulling his way home or back to the car.

Confidence is easy to lose and slow to gain. Fears are easily generalized, and although genetics play a role and some dogs are naturally less confident or anxious than others a softly, softly approach is best where the dog learns to observe and be curious again, and walks are taken at times where the dog can cope better and learn, less busier times before building up exposure.

Not many demands are made on the dog, no great commands, only a relaxed walk where the dog can go at its own pace and take it all in.

No food treats...

The slower you take it with such dogs the quicker you get there...

Time is what is needed according to each dog.

This dog now lives a happy life in a city.

09/12/2025

Training the check-in.

An example of training the basic response.

A simple but very good behaviour to train.

The dog learns to alert to a neutral sound which is a calm way of gaining attention. The check-in can be used anywhere and you will be surprised how far a click with the mouth can reach a dog.

It is also good for keeping situations calm and giving your dog a back door out of a situation.

It can be used with hand signals and movement to communicate. It is also ideal for not disturbing game or wildlife.

I have trained the check-in with all of my dogs and it is one of the most subtle but powerful training tools you can have once it is conditioned and you widen its use out to other areas and situations.

05/12/2025

Long Line Training

Handling the Long Line Smoothly is the key to effective use of the line.

Long lines are easily available and often a go to tool in foundational recall training. The thoughts are that we give the dog more space and we can then practice recalls safely and keep the dog under control.

However, dogs can easily form negative association with a long line due to handling errors and a lack of pre planning.

Long line handling is a skill. It takes practice to develop smooth handling, learning how to feed the line out and reel it in appropriately, and how to manage it effectively to avoid entanglement into the dog’s undercarriage.

It requires concentration, focus, and an understanding of how to apply and release pressure on the line.

Common mistakes are attaching a line to the dog and giving it full range of the line where it bolts to the end causing a jerk, rough handling occurs as a result and the length of the line becomes an impediment to the dog’s movement and the handlers ability to communicate with the dog in any positive way.

Long lines can be an integral part of your training or without skill and deliberate practice be a nightmare and dangerous tool for both handler and dog.

Skilful use of the line is a breath of fresh air for you both.

Do you need help with effective long line training for your early recalls?

Get in touch and I’ll arrange to set you up for better training and handling in your recall practise.
www.action4dogs.co.uk

04/12/2025

Making use of quality time

Out with The Degas and squeezing every ounce out of these short daylight hours as we can, my boy’s favourite time is early morning or at dusk.

Into the Pentlands this evening just before dark combing the land.

Can you spot Degas amidst the trees?

03/12/2025

Play to Train

Whatever it is you want to train:

Recall

Obedience

Search work

Retrieves

Self-Control

Learn to do it with play.

The most difficult part for the human is just thinking that the dog will naturally have a lot of fun with the play as long as we go through the motions…

Don’t do that…

The dog will feed of your fun filled attitude towards playing. It will want to play with YOU no matter what you use. This means learning to open up, be a big kid, and genuinely enjoy and express your moment of playing with your dog. You can take your slipper off and have a good time, you don’t need anything really, but attitude, the rest is garnish which just helps direct the play better.

Are you fun to play with?

That is the core ingredient.

I always say, learn to play your heart out and you can train anything!

That is what is in the power of play for your dog!

02/12/2025

Dark nights and creative activity bursts for your dog!

I don’t know about you folks but just as the daylight hours are about to subside, and when there is a cooler and stronger breeze going on, my dog comes to life.

He gets engrossed in scent, in covering ground quickly and in gorging himself in an infinite number of hunting patterns throughout the landscape.

And I love to be in a wild habitat just as dusk is upon us.

It is the perfect time to dig in to your create tool box and get some excellent search work under way…

NOT for food…

But in a variety of ways to get the fig working with you, and fully enjoying it, in finding various items. I usually take a small collection of items with me and I also use what I naturally find in the environment, yes, even particular sticks and short logs with your heat and scent all over them.

I use the gradients, the fallen trees, the roots, the streams, and the long grass and big areas to make sure my dog gets busy with me.

And when I am not doing that, I stand back and watch him hunt his heart out on his own.

Quality time into a quality walk with shortening daylight hours.

Expand your motivational and creative tool box to maximise your dog’s mental and physical exercise.

Everyone, human and dog, is happy and satisfied!

Get in touch if you want to add to your toolbox and enhance your walks with your dog.

27/11/2025

Recalls and the Leap of Faith: When do I try my dog completely off lead?

You may have been practising your recalls in a relatively secure area, or widened out to other more challenging areas with the use of a long line as you build up your foundation…

The dog knows it is on a long line, it certainly knows when it is off lead, so when is the right time to test and begin to proof your recall completely free of the line?

Is it a risk?

Yes! Absolutely it is…

But, it is not a risk done randomly. It is a calculated risk based on the reliability of your training to that date and your familiarity with the ground. Calculated risks are measured risks where you have done everything in your favour and you are confident enough to test it and work with it where the dog has full range of freedom.

It is also a self-confidence issue. No one can tell YOU when the right time is, you must take that leap of faith yourself, that is your decision. And often, that is the issue because there are no guarantees where risk is involved.

Intelligent risk taking is training with the goal in mind that you have done everything you can to that point and that you have the answers you need to minimise any major fears or concerns and are willing to go a step further.

Choose your ground carefully as you do so…

No one ever got anywhere by playing safe, but you can play smart. That is the goal of your training.

Calculated risk outweighs random risk any day of the week!

If your foundation is solid the risk is as minimal as you can make it.

Only you can decide when and where to take it.

26/11/2025

A looker!

A lovely session working with this show stock spaniel. Often the body types can be quite different to working line dogs.

The general consensus is that show stock display LESS drive than working stock…

And generally that can be the case…but not always.

I’ve known quite a few show bred dogs with high drives and instincts…

The training in such cases is the same.

Does your show dog display strong hunting instincts?

Show stock or working stock…it pays to train your dog!

There is so much you can do to provide stimulation and variety in your training toolkit.

Get in touch if you need help!
www.action4dogs.co.uk

25/11/2025

Going through Gates and Doorways first

Or going on command...

It is not about being the boss, or being the Alpha...

Pure and simple it is about teaching safety, guidance, and care.

Good leadership is about guidance and direction, and support from the one in the partnership who knows better.

It is the same with teaching your dog to not bolt out of the car when you open the boot. Safety is training your dog to wait until you release them.

That is just good practise!

Address

Penicuik
EH260NB

Telephone

+447999866989

Website

http://www.action4dogs.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Action 4 Dogs Edinburgh & Lothians Dog Trainer posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Action 4 Dogs Edinburgh & Lothians Dog Trainer:

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service in Penicuik?

Our Story

Action 4 Dogs Dog Training founded by me, Max Muir. I am based in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

I am proud to be Labrador Retriever Rescue Scotland Scio Behaviour Consultant & Trainer for the past 17 years.

I cover all of Scotland and the north of England by appointment.

Personal Training Sessions Empowering You With Amazing Skills Effective Handling Skills & Use of Equipment Puppy Training & The Ultimate Start-Up Guide Adolescent Training-Coping With Your Teenager Behaviour Modification & Problem Solving Solutions Online / Telephone consultations Private & Discreet Service Mentoring-Supervision & Guidance to bring the best trainer out in you! Private lessons and home visits are designed to suit your individual needs and they can be arranged in your home or a location of your choosing. Private coaching training service also caters for puppy training, basic obedience and response training, and the teaching of handling skills. Training topics include: Recall Training Specialist Obedience Training Training Impulse Control / Steadiness, and Self Control Daily Stimulation & Enrichment Canine Handling Skills and Use of Equipment I hosts regular seminars and workshops with guest speakers which are held throughout the year. A am also available for you to host for presentations and workshops on a wide variety of dog related subjects. Give me a call or please visit my website www.action4dogs.co.uk