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 Vital Recall ingredient!The recall command, whistle, reward, treat or toy…are all useful tools in training a recall ...
05/09/2025

The Vital Recall ingredient!

The recall command, whistle, reward, treat or toy…are all useful tools in training a recall but at some point during the training they will become impotent…

The dog doesn’t come to the whistle or command…it comes to the person behind it.

That takes some depth of work on the relationship aspect of the training.

Of course, there are some recall cases where other measures need to be explored if the dog is an out and out absconder or risk to itself and others.

But generally, much can be done with solid relationship work with the human where a strong partnership and leadership is behind the tools and training that are used.

A recall issue is not only a recall issue, there are usually other areas in the relationship between human and dog that can be improved and strengthened.

‘If we don’t have the dog’s mind…we will always wrestle with the body…’

Devotion!First and foremost I encourage clients to form a deep relationship with their dogs. I’m not talking about speci...
04/09/2025

Devotion!

First and foremost I encourage clients to form a deep relationship with their dogs.

I’m not talking about specific training, structure, and rules and boundaries although those things are imporaht.

I mean everything that contributes to deep companionship…

Intimate moments…

Affection…

Play…

Taking dogs on adventures with you, trekking, camping, meeting friends etc…

Being there when your dog’s emotional needs demand it…

And simply resting, relaxing…together.

Knowing how dogs see the world is well worth investing in research which will help you to a degree determine your own dog’s feelings.

You are everything…

The ultimate reward…

The best companion…

The greatest leader…

The protector…

And the most fun being to be with…

Above all, you are the rock!

Dogs need a rock to lean on sometimes…

This post is not fancy words or fluffy stuff…

It is the foundation of the relationship you build upon.

The Bond!

And dogs will pay it back tenfold!

Biologist and animal behaviourist Marc Bekoff who wrote The Emotional Lives of Animals and many other papers on animal e...
03/09/2025

Biologist and animal behaviourist Marc Bekoff who wrote The Emotional Lives of Animals and many other papers on animal emotions, was also close working friend and colleague of Jane Goodall.

I hosted Marc in Edinburgh some moons ago for a 2 day seminar and people travelled from all over Europe to attend.

He was an all round great guy and we shared some laughs as well as very compelling conversations about the emotional lives of dogs.

I learned a lot from this gent!

A true pioneer for animal behaviour.

This picture with Marc, myself, and members of the PDTE (Pet Dog Trainers of Europe)

The Red Labrador This stunningly beautiful young boy of dark chestnut colour is perhaps one of the deepest coloured Red ...
01/09/2025

The Red Labrador

This stunningly beautiful young boy of dark chestnut colour is perhaps one of the deepest coloured Red Labradors I have seen lately.

Fox Reds have become increasingly popular in recent years and I have worked with more than a few. Although black, yellow, and liver are the generally recognised colours the Reds are identified as one of the various shades of the Yellow Lab.

This is an exuberant and excitable young chap who at 10 months of age has become well aware of his developing physical strength and in turn this causes some difficulties in walking on the lead for his owner.

I never focus on only one thing when addressing a training issue. I always advise that an owner learns to do several things well and tackles the problem from different angles.

Recalls: short, sharp, and speedy drills are great for building communication and using various tools including voice, body language, and the correct way of using a whistle (there is a right and wrong way to use one). They are also great in learning to dig deep into your motivational powers to train your dog.

Instinct training: Using a dogs natural capacity to hunt, pick up, and retrieve enormously boosts the teamwork between owner and dog. This is a great way to connect and bond.

Lead work and handling skills: Using the above factors to bring it all together into communicating and walking on lead by training focus, steadiness, calmness, and achieving oneness.

Training is a process of learning and application, of joining two brains together to work together, understanding a dog’s point of view…and allowing the time for something to work.

If you would like to achieve that level with your dog you can contact me:
www.action4dogs.co.uk

Handling Skills & Walking on LeadAnother lovely natured Labrador Retriever to work with. Young exuberant Labradors are a...
29/08/2025

Handling Skills & Walking on Lead

Another lovely natured Labrador Retriever to work with.

Young exuberant Labradors are a joy to watch grow but when they grow they become very strong with that enthusiasm they have.

Excitement and arousal may induce then to pull on lead in anticipation of the walk ahead, or when another dog comes on the scene and the prospect of meeting or play arises, or strong scent whipped up by a breeze can kick those powerful noses into action.

Training your dog to walk on lead and be at heel when required is not only one of the most important behaviours to teach and train, but it is also hugely useful in enhancing the communication and focus betwwwb owner and dog.

It takes practise, especially through those early months of development.

If it has become a habit and you dread walks and see them as a chore because of the physical stress it puts on you, don’t despair because with a little work things can be turned around.

It is never too late to train or teach so thing new…

Of course old habits die hard and are stubborn to move but with some structure to your training a level can be reached where you can enjoy walks and have commands and behaviours you can rely on.

Training is all about practise and commitment to achieve your goals, it just needs to be consistent and done little and often to change things as they are.

This 3 year old dog fits all of the descriptions above and I know with some dedicated practise lead walks will improve and be something the owner looks forward to as much as the dog does.

It is often quoted ‘It is the dog’s walk…’

I disagree, it is YOUR walk and a walk YOU should enjoy with your dog, by being connected and having trained behaviours and handling skills you can rely on.

Happy training folks!

Labrador Puppy TrainingI have the privilege of working with this lovely young boy of 16 weeks.He has a lovely temperamen...
28/08/2025

Labrador Puppy Training

I have the privilege of working with this lovely young boy of 16 weeks.

He has a lovely temperament and while some pups can be full of energy and zest, this is suite a laid back boy who is curious, takes in his surroundings, and is quite attentive to his owners.

All great qualities…although pups must be pups and he has his moments too.

Laying the foundations of early recall training and lead work. I always encourage my client to keep in mind that their dog is just a dog, and even more so that their pup is just a pup.

Training has only just started and is nowhere near the finished article. Recall, lead work, handling skills, and obedience training is something that will be instilled all the way through adolescence and into maturity.

The important thing is to lay a good foundation you can build upon both in your general training and in your relationship. Both need good structure and ongoing development.

Don’t rush, take your time, but don’t neglect to put in the practise, teach, and lay rules and boundaries from the offset.

They will stand you in good stead!

Some mischevious rogue has been in the training cupboard and helped himself…
26/08/2025

Some mischevious rogue has been in the training cupboard and helped himself…

The Beautiful Hunter I am delighted to work with this beautiful Labrador girl. She has a powerful hunting drive and is a...
26/08/2025

The Beautiful Hunter

I am delighted to work with this beautiful Labrador girl. She has a powerful hunting drive and is a quick and speedy hunter who loves to cover ground and flush out any potential game to chase.

She looks field trial type but she isn’t from working stock…

A dog does not have to be bred from working lineage to posses a strong prey drive. I have known dogs from non working lines to have a strong predatory disposition.

Dogs, pet or otherwise, are social predators. For some it is fun and for others they can display stronger hunting tendencies and carry those behaviours out in various ways.

It is important to recognise your dog’s tendency to hunt and to look at ways which channel that drive into productive activities which focus on partnership and communication, ultimately by working together.

If a dog has displayed, used, and honed those hunting behaviours without a foundation of training then some backtracking has to be done and work put in place to bring those drives under control.

That’s where we are with my clients and their dog in this case and I look forward to watching them develop into a productive working and training relationship.

Your dog may not be a working dog in the pet sense, but a hunter will always be working when you take them into a rich environment.

Pets can hunt full on just as working dog lines can.

Learn to use identify and take action early when you notice powerful drives emerge, usually appearing when I dog is 6 or 7 months of age, some can even be earlier. The sooner you notice it the better…

It’s time to upskill, lay some foundations, and get those basics solid! 

Instinctive or Smart? What Your Dog is Driven to do.Instincts can often be confused with determining how intelligent a d...
23/08/2025

Instinctive or Smart? What Your Dog is Driven to do.

Instincts can often be confused with determining how intelligent a dog is. The instincts yiur dog has and what you see them do when you let them loose in a rich habitat are genetic, not learned.

Individual dogs have different levels of drives, which is why if we want a good gun dog we pick from good genetic lines. We know the behaviour is in there.

Some dogs are strong retrievers, flushers, pointers, or hunters and others have mild forms of the behaviour.

Instinctive intelligence can be enhanced, directed, and formed into a deeper connection with the owner through specific training which brings those instincts out further in the dog.

Your dog’s emotional state and memory is regulated by the limbic system. This plays a big part in your individual dog’s ability to learn and be trained.

The connection between the dog’s autonomic nervous system, instinctual behaviour, and its emotions will reveal the dog’s drives, character, and temperament.

They all play the vital part in what your dog is, what it experiences as you bring it up, what it is capable of, and what it as a result of the above will do.

We can’t change or train genetics…they are there.

We do provide experiences that those genetics will interact with, and we train and teach to bring the best out of our dogs.

I always look when I first meet a dog at:

How it feels…

How it feels about learning and problem solving…

How it interacts with the world and how it copes with anything new…

What it does when it is left to its own…

The mixtures of genetics, instinct and experience generally answer the above questions and let you know what you have to work with.

Have a superb weekend with your dogs folks!
22/08/2025

Have a superb weekend with your dogs folks!

The Walk and Pause ExerciseIt is a simple enough exercise to do but one that I like to begin early in a puppy’s developm...
22/08/2025

The Walk and Pause Exercise

It is a simple enough exercise to do but one that I like to begin early in a puppy’s development once outdoor walks begin and it is done on the average short lead, longer lead or line, and off lead.

Rather than always reaching an area of open space and letting the dog run free straight away, I like to teach the dog to walk and pause with me prior to a release. I may do this once for a few short steps or a few times in succession. Its purpose is simply to walk with me until released to go ahead and play or explore.

My main objective with the exercise is to lengthen and vary the pause each time. It is a bit of a simulator to a walking up exercise in gun dog training…

Walk when I walk, with me, stop with me, remain paused with me…until you are signalled to release, which is usually a verbal cue with a hand signal.

It is another addition to the Steady Stay exercise in one of the previous posts.

Once the walk, stop, and pause is achievable in short measures in a few places and the dog grasps the meaning, and it learns to wait expectantly for the anticipated release to play, then social and environmental testing takes place. This usually involves moving from an open field to a woodland which holds many enticing distractions, or socially where an opportunity to play or socialise may present itself.

Early focus work is done in very small and achievable building blocks which comes in super handy for life’s road ahead.

It is just matter of getting started and creating a habit for this life skill.

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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