The City Dog Club

The City Dog Club Games-Based Dog Training in Wandsworth. Transforming dogs of all ages 🐾🐕 The City Dog Club is your go-to resource for training and raising dogs in the city.

We use positive, reward-based methods and skill-building games to help you understand your dog better, build trust, and create a strong relationship. Whether you're starting with a new puppy or need support with your current dog, we’ll help you become confident partners—at home, on walks, and in the busy city environment. Based in London, we offer personalised 1-2-1 programmes for puppies and older dogs and classes. Want to know what our clients say - look at our google page!

13/06/2026

Dachshunds are so much more than cute dogs. Never underestimate their potential!
unds

08/06/2026

How to create a resource guarder:

Keep taking things away from your dog.

Scrappy isn’t guarding the jacket. She’s guarding the kibble that I have left in the pocket.

Resource guarding is a normal canine behaviour. Dogs guard things they consider valuable, whether that’s food, toys, beds, people or even space. People resource guard too. We lock our doors, protect our phones and put fences around our property.

When a dog learns that people approaching means valuable things disappear, guarding can become more likely.

The growl is not the problem. The growl is information. It’s your dog’s way of saying, “I’m uncomfortable with what’s on happening right now.”

Listen to the growl. Understand what your dog is trying to protect. Then work on changing how they feel about people approaching rather than simply suppressing the warning. With Scrappy because I have never tried to take anything off her but always just made what o have seen more exciting she is easy to disengage from something she finds valuable.

What’s the strangest thing your dog has ever guarded? Our first dachshund used to resource guard pink fluffy things!

05/06/2026

Picnic season is coming, which means one thing: dogs suddenly deciding that every blanket in the park has been laid out especially for them.

This month in The City Dog Club we’re teaching a special recall cue: PICNIC. The goal is simple. When your dog hears it, they leave the dropped sandwich, sausage roll or unsuspecting family picnic and come running back to you.

In this reel I’m starting the process by pairing the word with food. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing more videos of Bruno learning the cue, along with games you can play at home to build a reliable recall around distractions.

It’s all part of our June challenge inside the club.

Comment PICNIC and I’ll send you the link to join, or visit my website to become a member.

NEW PUPPY? RESCUE DOG? TEENAGE DOG? START HERE.Back to Basics is a 3-week online course for city dogs and their owners.L...
04/06/2026

NEW PUPPY? RESCUE DOG? TEENAGE DOG? START HERE.

Back to Basics is a 3-week online course for city dogs and their owners.

Learn the foundations your dog needs to focus, ignore distractions, make good choices and settle into city life.

Train live via Zoom from home, then take those skills into the real world.

Starts: 10 June
Duration: 3 weeks
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost: ÂŁ60
Maximum 8 spaces

Perfect for puppies, rescue dogs, adolescent dogs or anyone needing a refresher.

Book via the website or send me a dm for more details

04/06/2026

NEW DOG? RESCUE DOG? TEENAGE DOG? START HERE.

My Back to Basics course is designed specifically for city dogs and their owners.

Living in a city comes with unique challenges. Busy pavements, other dogs, traffic, people, cafĂŠs, pubs and endless distractions. Before we worry about advanced training, dogs need strong foundations.

Over three weeks we’ll cover the building blocks that help dogs focus, disengage from distractions, make good choices and settle into city life.

The course is delivered live via Zoom, so you can train from the comfort of your own home before taking those skills out into the real world.

Starts: 10 June
Duration: 3 weeks
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost: ÂŁ60
Maximum 8 spaces
Book via website or send me a dm for the link

Perfect for puppies, rescue dogs, adolescent dogs or anyone looking to refresh the basics.

04/06/2026

Apparently not everyone has a completely made-up family word.

In our house, “bushy bushy” means “go away”. I use it on the dogs. I use it on the family. I use it so often that I forget it’s not actually a real word.

The problem is I’ve started using it in public and judging by the looks I’m getting, people think I’m losing the plot.

Please tell me I’m not alone.

What random word or phrase does your household use that nobody else understands?

03/06/2026

I think we all have a picnic story……Picnics and dogs can be a tricky combination in the city. One minute you’re enjoying the sunshine, the next your dog has helped themselves to someone else’s sausage roll.

The secret isn’t just training. Good management matters too.

✔️ Keep your dog on a long line if recall isn’t reliable.
✔️ Avoid the busiest picnic times and locations.
✔️ Reward check-ins and disengagement from food.
✔️ Practise leaving food and coming away from distractions.
✔️ Build a recall that works when it really counts.

A dog that can disengage from temptation is worth its weight in gold in the city. The more you practise these skills away from picnics first, the more chance you have of success when the blankets, barbecues and dropped sandwiches appear.

So what’s your picnic story?????

31/05/2026

Scrappy may have returned from the countryside carrying a little more than memories.

In my defence, it was hot, the walks were shorter, and I happened to have a giant bag of butcher’s offcuts. What could possibly go wrong?

Small dogs can put on weight incredibly quickly because they simply don’t need many calories. A few extra treats for a Labrador is one thing. A few extra treats for a dachshund can make a real difference.

Keeping dachshunds slim is especially important because extra weight puts more strain on their backs and joints. It doesn’t take much for a “slightly chunky” sausage dog to become a sausage roll.

The good news? A few weeks back to normal rations, sensible exercise and plenty of enrichment should have Scrappy back to her fighting weight.

Anyone else’s dog come home from holiday looking like they’ve been on an all-inclusive package?

29/05/2026

Buttercup, my Singapore street cat, was 16. When she stopped eating, I did what most of us would do and followed the advice in front of me.

Three nights later she came home with a feeding tube, a cone, a bag full of medication and blood results that were worse than when she went in. I remember looking at her and thinking that somewhere along the way I had stopped asking what Buttercup would have wanted.

This isn’t about blaming anyone. The vets were trying to help. But it has left me wondering where the line is between giving an animal every chance and giving them a good death.

Looking back, I still wonder whether I should have trusted my gut and brought her home sooner.

I’d genuinely be interested to hear other people’s experiences. Have you ever felt there was a difference between extending life and preserving quality of life? And how did you know when it was time?

Please keep the discussion kind. I don’t think there are easy answers.

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Baskerville Road
Wandsworth Common

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+447870670481

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