JP Dog Training

01/09/2026

Sometimes the fastest way to what you want is to stop trying to get it. 🎾🐇🦆🚶

Sometimes leave it means then you can go.

Sometimes leave it means you’ll have to come back.

The skill is learning to disengage from something you really want and listen for what comes next.

Not “you can’t have it.”
Just “not yet.”

A good recall is built on this skill.

31/08/2026

👋 If you’re new here — welcome!

We’ve had over 50 new people join the page this month, so I thought it was probably a good time to introduce myself and what we actually do!

I’m James, and I run JP Dog Training here in Moray. I’m usually the one behind the camera, so you’ll probably recognise these two before you recognise me!

I’ve been training dogs for around 10 years now and started JP Dog Training six years ago. Since then, I’ve worked with hundreds of dogs and their people — from brand-new puppies finding their feet, through the teenage chaos and everyday training, right through to reactivity and more complex behaviour.

A lot of that work happens at our secure training paddock just outside Elgin, where we can work without the pressures of the outside world. I also offer home visits across Moray when seeing what’s happening in the dog’s own environment is more useful.

You’ll also find Puppy School, 1-1 training, guided walks, Hoopers and plenty of opportunities to get out and actually enjoy doing things with your dog.

And then there’s Train with Tilly — our video library and Facebook community with nearly 1,000 members, where you can see the skills, ideas and training we actually teach and practise with our own dogs. It’s a great place to find something new to try or follow along with what we’re working on.

A little bit about me professionally — I hold an Advanced Canine Behaviour Diploma with the British College of Canine Studies, I’m a member of the UK Dog Behaviour & Training Charter and the International Institute for Canine Ethics (IICE), and I’m also a qualified Hoopers instructor. I am always continuing to develop my skills and have a *very special announcement* in a few weeks - so, watch this space! 👀

My approach is practical, kind and evidence-led. I’m much more interested in helping people understand *why* their dog is doing something and finding something that works for the dog and the person in front of me than simply teaching a list of commands.

But this page isn’t just an advert for dog training.

It’s where we share the wins, the messy bits we all go through, ideas to try at home, videos of my own dogs, things that make us think and occasionally whatever nonsense we’ve got ourselves into that week.

There’s a lovely little community of dog people here already, and you’re very welcome to be part of it.

So whether you’ve just brought home your first puppy, you’re navigating life with a teenage hooligan, or you’ve been a dog person for 30 years — come join in the fun!

And if you’re new, say hello below and tell us who your dog is 🐾 📷

I’ll pop the website in the comments if you’d like to have a nosey at everything we do.

30/08/2026

Don’t forget to come visit me at my little playground at Harbro Country Stores today. I’ve got stuff to play on, Q&A and even a goodie bag for you! I am here until 2pm!

29/08/2026

🎓 Puppy School graduates! 🐾

A slightly different graduation today as we took Puppy School out into the big, wide world — plenty of space, plenty to explore and lots of opportunities to put everything they’ve learned into practice.

A huge congratulations to this brilliant little bunch and their humans! It’s been lovely watching them grow in confidence over the last four weeks. 🥇

And then… we do it all over again!

Our next Puppy School kicks off next week — if you’ve got a little one you’d like to join us with, get in touch! 🐶

25/08/2026

Give the walk some competition!
Clients will know I bang on about this all the time

The forest is great. The beach is great. The big empty field is great. It’s why I moved back to Scotland!

But there’s a whole world out there!

Today Ammy and I headed into town. We wandered around the shops, met people, watched the comings and goings and even had a nosey around the underground car park.

There wasn’t really a plan. We weren’t trying to clock up miles or squeeze in loads of training. We just went somewhere different and explored it together.

And it was an absolute delight to bump into a few JP clients and their dogs doing exactly the same thing down the high street! Clearly all my nagging is paying off!

The walk is brilliant. It just doesn’t always have to look like a walk.

Now I want to see yours!

Add your “not-a-walk” walk photos below 👇

The weirder the location the better. There may even be a prize for the most unusual…

24/08/2026

Really excited to be invited by Harbro!
Come and visit me this Sunday. I’ll have some fun equipment for your dogs to explore and a great photo opportunity!

🐾 JP DOG TRAINING IS COMING TO HARBRO ELGIN THIS SUNDAY! 🐾

We’re delighted to welcome James from JP Dog Training to Harbro Elgin for a special drop-in session from 10am–2pm! 🐶

Pop along with your four-legged friend and see JP’s training methods and techniques in action, with the chance to pick up some useful tips and advice along the way.

📍 Harbro Elgin
🗓️ Sunday 30th August
⏰ 10am–2pm

We’d love to see you and your four-legged friends there. ❤️🐾

21/08/2026

Busy day. Happy dogs. Job done. 🐾

A little bit of training, a little bit of sport, plenty of play, lots of thinking… and six very different dogs all having their own kind of fun at their 1-1s!

From big personalities to little legs, speedy learners to thoughtful observers — there’s never really such a thing as an ordinary day doing this job!

Happy Friday everyone!

20/08/2026

A big day for little Alfi 🐾

When I first started working with Alfi, I had to keep my distance. Quick movements worried him, unfamiliar people were intimidating, and the wider world could very easily become overwhelming.

Alfi was rescued by his wonderful family around a year ago, and his behaviour suggested he may have missed out on some important early socialisation.

Slowly but surely, we’ve watched his world get bigger.

One of our big goals was helping Alfi feel comfortable with his owners’ wider family. Not only has he achieved that, he’s fallen completely in love with them — and apparently now has a better social life than I do! 😂

We’ve become firm friends too, and more and more of the world is becoming something Alfi can process and explore rather than fear.

Today felt like another huge milestone.

We ditched the Yellow “NERVOUS” lead and headed out on the long line, giving Alfi plenty of freedom to sniff, explore and make choices at his own pace.

He didn’t put a foot wrong.

That might look like a fairly ordinary dog walk — but for Alfi, it’s anything but.

And the best thing about a successful experience like today? We get to do it again.

Every good adventure gives us another experience to build upon, a little more confidence and a little more momentum towards making Alfi’s world bigger.

There’s still a way to go, but today we’re celebrating just how far this resilient little man has already come.

Well done, Alfi. Super proud of you! 🐾

18/08/2026

🌲 More freedom, more adventures!

As Amyrlin gets older, we’re gradually giving her more freedom as she earns it — and today that meant plenty of woodland exploring and putting her recall to work!

Then home to round off the day with a little training, sport and play.

A busy 11-month-old Labrador getting everything she needs… without realising quite how hard she’s working!

Come spend the day with Ammy!

16/08/2026

Some lovely pics from Lesson 2 of Puppy School today!

This week we covered focus and engagement in our learning section, before having some fun on the Big Small Challenges course and finishing with a “very competitive” game of Musical Place 😂

The world is big, new and exciting when you’re a puppy — and sometimes it can be a little scary too!

The point of Puppy School isn’t to create perfect obedience in four weeks. It’s about introducing puppies to the wider world, building confidence and, most importantly, giving their owners the tools to help them succeed throughout the week.

Because the real learning doesn’t just happen in our paddock — it happens in parks, streets, cafés, homes and all those big exciting spaces beyond it.

Another brilliant week from this little bunch!