Action 4 Dogs Edinburgh & Lothians Dog Trainer

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

The attraction of water is a great and enjoyable thing to a retriever. Yesterday I took The Degas to the river Tay which...
22/06/2025

The attraction of water is a great and enjoyable thing to a retriever.

Yesterday I took The Degas to the river Tay which runs through the grounds of Scone Palace. It is one of the most beautiful rivers in Scotland but also one of the most formidable with very strong currents.

On this marvellous stretch Degas makes his presence felt with the local ducks and wildlife. Afterwards a few dummy retrieves highlighted his day.

A good session for exposure to quite a different environment.

Early lead work for the Munsterlander puppy!How quick they grow and not only in size…Puppy development is a very rapid s...
21/06/2025

Early lead work for the Munsterlander puppy!

How quick they grow and not only in size…

Puppy development is a very rapid stage and although at first it is quite passive and more of a slow motion development, it accelerates quickly once those outdoor walks and exposures to your world take place.

Their brains soak in so much information from 12 weeks plus and habits begin to form.

This is the time to really focus on building that bond, working with the surfacing of those early instincts, and training desirable habits you want to see in your dog.

It’s an exciting time but also a time to be busy and deliberate!

Diary of a Labrador hunt…The Degas from his vantage position on the rock launches himself at the trout jump!It’s a dog’s...
19/06/2025

Diary of a Labrador hunt…

The Degas from his vantage position on the rock launches himself at the trout jump!

It’s a dog’s life!

16/06/2025

Shout out to my client Anne Ferguson who started
Her business Torr Farm Dog Daycare in Rhu, Helensburgh.

She is absolutely dedicated and has worked extremely hard with her team to set up this brilliant facility for dogs.

It has been a pleasure working with her team through the set up process.

I 100% recommend!

Diary of a Labrador HuntAnd shot of the morning…The Degas flushes a duck from the river Esk!
16/06/2025

Diary of a Labrador Hunt

And shot of the morning…

The Degas flushes a duck from the river Esk!

Diary of a Labrador hunt…Up the Cedar Tree and into the heights of safety in the forest goes the squirrel…Undaunted is t...
14/06/2025

Diary of a Labrador hunt…

Up the Cedar Tree and into the heights of safety in the forest goes the squirrel…

Undaunted is the hunter who gives up after a few strenuous leaps to gain some advantage…to no avail.

I’ll be back…says The Degas!

The Spirited VizslaI do find them fascinating among the gun dogs. Highly spirited, very athletic, quick and sharp, and m...
13/06/2025

The Spirited Vizsla

I do find them fascinating among the gun dogs. Highly spirited, very athletic, quick and sharp, and many with very strong prey drives.

The Vizsla thrives with owners who recognise the prey drive, hunting instincts, and sets up early foundations of training that give outlets for that but also instil good leadership.

Many of them can be jittery or nervous particularly during the transition to adolescent phase when all those hormonal changes take place. Good leadership and handling during that time helps build the dog’s confidence in the handler.

If you can teach them to retrieve it is a great bonus in complimenting early recall work, equally with search work and hunting of any kind.

Their play style with other dogs is usually one of very quick interactions, bursts of speed, and often a little physical contact such as shoulder bumping.

They are great dogs with an insatiable appetite for life. Creative and adventurous owners can enjoy the Hungarian hunting dog to the full.

Communication and connection are essential, even for dogs that live a pet life. If you have no desire to ever work or compete with your dog, a solid gun dog foundation in training will nevertheless stand you in good stead in the long term.

I’ve come a very long way with Tally…A very special dog that first came to me with no hope. No trust, and no real life t...
12/06/2025

I’ve come a very long way with Tally…

A very special dog that first came to me with no hope. No trust, and no real life to speak of.

Bonding took time but it has been worth every step of that way and she shows that to me unreservedly.

Labrador Retriever Retriever Rescue Scotland Scio were her lifeline and the companionship we got and have on each other has given her happiness, and now she lives her life stress free as it can be, content, and satisfied with days.

That makes what I do deeply meaningful and worth it.

Teaching Your Dog to StayMost mistakes in training a Stay are:• The human uses the command multiple times and in a tense...
12/06/2025

Teaching Your Dog to Stay

Most mistakes in training a Stay are:

• The human uses the command multiple times and in a tense way

• Body language from the human is tense and not relaxed.

• Too much distance is used way too soon.

• Hand signals usually point at the dog and are paired with a tense voice.

• The assumption is made that the dog knows how to Stay regardless of place, distance, or situation.

Firstly, learn to relax your body. Don’t use jerking arms signals with a strong voice as if you anticipate the dog breaking a Stay.

Relax your face and smile a little. Step away a short step or two and make sure your hand signal is clear and relaxed.

We speak about duration, distance, and distraction in training which is important, but…we need to learn to relax and understand we are teaching and that the dog doesn’t know until it has been taught step by step.

A dog will surely break a tense and rigid confrontational Stay teaching it with no clear learning curves.

Start slow, relaxed, use your body to turn at different angles, always return to your dog, keep it entirely calm and praise your dog sincerely for a job well done.

The slower and more relaxed you are the quicker you will get there and the more relaxing effect you will have on your dog.

Moments that matter…‘We’ve come a long way you an me…’
10/06/2025

Moments that matter…

‘We’ve come a long way you an me…’

Fascination, a Step Beyond CuriousDogs are fascinating creatures, I think we all agree on that.Dogs are also creatures t...
10/06/2025

Fascination, a Step Beyond Curious

Dogs are fascinating creatures, I think we all agree on that.

Dogs are also creatures that are naturally fascinated themselves...

Through each developmental stage of their life we do well to provide them with regular experiences that peak that fascination. This keeps their brains alive and their spirits up and goes deep in the bonding process.

There are many and varied ways to fascinate your dog. Think of getting out of normal routine…

Even though dogs might be in later years they are still extremely receptive to new places, new dogs, and new activities.

Anything that is new is fascinating. Through their early developmental stages of puppyhood, adolescence, and into their twilight years they are creatures that are driven by fascination. That's what makes them dogs.

As domestic pets they benefit in many ways to provide that for them. Even for elder dogs there can be highly enjoyable low key activities sparking their fascination. Fascination is enrichment!

Mostly it’s taking what you know and what activities you give your dog and expanding on them, creating variety in them, and doing them in new places and environments.

I remember doing a little gorge walking with my dog up near Aviemore to find my wallet I had placed on a ledge. He loved it as we headed up through wet moss, through streams, and into rocks to find it. The activity gives the feeling of being truly alive.

Finding someone by giving them a running start in a totally strange and new environment really fires up the dog’s brain…a new human trailing altogether.

Creating a series of hunts in very rich habitat gets a dog into a focused frenzy…

Whatever it does with you it finds value in if you really use your creativity and have a deep want to satisfy and enjoy seeing your dog happy and working for you.

We often struggle when our dog’s senses, curiosity, and fascination are directed elsewhere as it has never found that level with us…

It’s never too late but it does require a want and shift in your thinking to make things better and closer between you.

But…we need to be fascinated by our dogs to create that world for them!

A lovely session with the young Missy on ‘STOP!’ training.It’s a really useful behaviour to train not only for retriever...
09/06/2025

A lovely session with the young Missy on ‘STOP!’ training.

It’s a really useful behaviour to train not only for retrievers and gun dog training exercises but as a general tool for everyday ownership and dog walking

Stopping on command and waiting until you approach and release the dog can be just as beneficial as a recall.

It can also be taught in fun ways to spice up the learning process.

Missy is almost a year and half old and is coming along beautifully.

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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