Pet & obedience training · Edinburgh
Dog Obedience Training in Edinburgh
Tailored 1-2-1 obedience training with Scott Blair — Crufts-winning trainer based in Edinburgh. Lead walking, recall, settling and everyday manners that hold up in the real world, not just in the living room.
Training for everyday life
Obedience that works outside the kitchen
Most owners do not want a competition dog. They want a dog who walks nicely down Leith Walk, comes back on the Meadows, settles under the table in a café and does not launch at the postman. That is what obedience training is for.
Family First Canine works one-to-one with pet dogs of every age and breed across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Sessions are built around your dog, your home and the things you actually find difficult — not a fixed syllabus that treats every dog the same.
What's covered
The skills that make daily life easier
Loose-Lead Walking
Walks you actually look forward to — no pulling, no dragging, no sore shoulders, on Edinburgh pavements and out in the parks.
Reliable Recall
A come-back-when-called you can genuinely trust, built with engagement and structure rather than hope and a pocket of treats.
Sit, Down & Stay
The everyday positions, taught so they hold up around distractions rather than only in the quiet of your kitchen.
Calm Settling
A dog who can switch off — at home, in a café, or when visitors arrive — instead of pacing, barking or demanding attention.
Door & Greeting Manners
No barging through doorways and no jumping up at guests, children or people you pass in the street.
Real-World Reliability
Training taken out of the living room and into traffic, shops, cafes and busy paths, so it works where you actually need it.
How it works
One-to-one, in the places you actually go
Every session is one-to-one and shaped around your dog. You are involved throughout — a dog who only listens to the trainer is not much use to the family who lives with them.
We start where things are calm and manageable, then take the training out into the real world of Edinburgh’s streets, parks and cafes, so it holds up in the places you actually spend your time.
Why Scott
Crufts-winning, hands-on experience
Scott Blair is the founder of Family First Canine. His dogs have earned Best Puppy in Breed at Crufts 2020 and 1st Post Graduate Dog & Reserve CC at Crufts 2022, alongside a background in IGP and personal protection work.
That depth of experience matters even for a family pet: it means your dog is being read, understood and taught by someone who has produced dogs at the very highest level — then applied to the ordinary business of living with a dog well.
Where to start
Puppies and reactive dogs
If your dog is still very young, start with puppy training in Edinburgh — socialisation, toilet training and the foundations that make everything after it easier.
If the difficulty is lunging, barking or aggression toward other dogs or people, that needs a different approach: reactive and aggressive dog training deals with the underlying emotion first, with obedience built on top of it.
Areas covered
Edinburgh and the Lothians
Obedience training sessions are available across Edinburgh and the wider Lothians, including East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian. Get in touch to check your area — we cover most of the region.
Further reading
Guides from the blog
Two of the questions that come up most often on obedience sessions are covered step by step on the blog: how to stop your dog pulling on the lead and how to teach a reliable recall.
Our dogs
Meet some of the dogs
Common questions
Obedience training FAQs
What is obedience training and does my dog need it?+
Obedience training is simply teaching your dog the everyday skills that make life together easy — walking nicely on a lead, coming back when called, settling calmly at home and around other people. Almost every dog benefits, whether they are a young pup, a rescue settling in, or an adult dog who has picked up a few habits along the way.
How old does my dog need to be?+
Any age. Puppies from around eight weeks can start with gentle foundations, and adult dogs are perfectly capable of learning new skills — it simply takes a little more consistency to replace an established habit.
Is training one-to-one or in a group class?+
One-to-one, tailored to your dog and your home. Every dog is different, and progress is quicker when the training fits your family's routine rather than a fixed class syllabus.
How long does it take to see a difference?+
That depends on the dog, the goal and how much practice happens between sessions. Most owners notice a change in the first few sessions, but lasting obedience comes from the work you keep doing at home afterwards — which is why you are involved throughout.
What areas do you cover?+
Edinburgh and the wider Lothians — including East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian. Sessions typically take place in and around your home and in real-world environments.
Ready to get started?
Get in touch with Scott to talk through your dog and how we can help. Based in Edinburgh, serving the Lothians and beyond.
Related services
Explore more of our training
Puppy Training in Edinburgh
Build good habits from the very first weeks — socialisation, toilet training, recall and calm lead walking.
Learn more →Reactive & Aggressive Dog Training
Calm, structured 1-2-1 help for lunging, barking, lead reactivity and aggression toward dogs or people.
Learn more →Separation Anxiety Dog Training
One-to-one help for dogs who cannot cope with being left alone — howling, destruction at doors and pre-departure panic.
Learn more →Resource Guarding Dog Training
One-to-one help for dogs who growl or stiffen over food, toys, beds, the sofa or people — without punishing the warning.
Learn more →Family & Personal Protection Dogs
Stable, obedient protection dogs that are safe with your family — trained across Scotland.
Learn more →Family Protection Dogs in Scotland
Train your own dog for family protection, or let Scott help you find and match a suitable, temperament-tested protection dog — across Scotland.
Learn more →Dog Training in Livingston & West Lothian
One-to-one training across Livingston, Linlithgow and the wider West Lothian area.
Learn more →Dog Training in Musselburgh & East Lothian
One-to-one training across Musselburgh, Dalkeith, Haddington and the wider East Lothian area.
Learn more →Dog Training in Dalkeith & Midlothian
One-to-one training across Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg, Penicuik, Loanhead and the wider Midlothian area.
Learn more →Dog Training in Leith, Edinburgh
One-to-one training across Leith, the Shore, Newhaven and the north of Edinburgh — built around flat living and busy streets.
Learn more →Dog Training in Portobello, Edinburgh
One-to-one training across Portobello, Joppa, Duddingston and the east of Edinburgh — from the beach and the promenade to flat living without a garden.
Learn more →Dog Training in Corstorphine, Edinburgh
One-to-one training across Corstorphine, Murrayfield, Clermiston and the west of Edinburgh — from busy St John's Road to the woods on Corstorphine Hill.
Learn more →Dog Training in Morningside, Edinburgh
One-to-one training across Morningside, Bruntsfield, Comiston and the south of Edinburgh: from recall in the Hermitage of Braid to settling calmly in a café.
Learn more →Dog Training in South Queensferry
One-to-one training across South Queensferry, Dalmeny and Kirkliston: from the narrow High Street and busy waterfront to recall on the Dalmeny shore path.
Learn more →Or head back to the Family First Canine homepage.
Get in touch
Let's get started
Ready to transform your dog and strengthen your bond? Reach out and we'll find the perfect programme for you and your family in Edinburgh or the wider Lothians.
Contact details
Ready to book?
Use the form to tell us about your dog, or click below to go straight to the booking page. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland.