Welcome to the website of Acorn Dog Training

- A Training School that is dedicated to building in-depth knowledge of the canine human relationship -

To navigate around this site, please click on the paw marks on the left hand side of the screen.

Acorn Dog Training was set up as a small training club in 1991 by Fran Griffin and has developed from there. We are located in Milton Keynes, which is a new town in the South Midlands region of the United Kingdom. For a number of years, Fran was a member of the UK Registry Of Canine Behaviourists, a professional body that recognises very high standards of practice, and was also one of the founder members of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. However, due to serious health issues she now limits herself to running a few puppy classes, and an agility class. Despite her academic qualifications in Behaviour Sciences and Cognitive Psychology, Fran's greatest teachers have been the puppies and dogs she has lived with, the many dogs she has encountered over the years, and you the owners. Fran is still able to give advice on behavioural matters to people, and trainers via the phone. To contact Fran, please call 01908 397236 E-mail For details of any puppy classes currentlywith Fran please go to the puppy page on this website.

Glynis Gammie has owned and lived with dogs for over 35 years. Eight years ago she joined the Anglian Wolf Society as a volunteer trainee handler and still spends time working with the wolves every week.

During her training Glynis found herself fascinated with canine behaviour and body language and began to study this in more depth. Subsequently, she has completed several courses in Canine Psychology, recently gaining a certificate in Advanced Canine Psychology, and is currently nearing the end of her Advanced Diploma in Canine Behaviour Management.

In order to gain insight and practical experience with dogs Glynis began working with Fran in November 2004 as a trainee instructor and now takes her own classes. To contact Glynis, please call *Glynis is unavailable to take calls until mid September. For details of her forthcoming puppy classes please click here, and adult dog courses click here

Lorna Hide is now taking over some of the puppy classes which were run by Fran. Lorna's relationship with Acorn Dog Training started in March 2007, after
rescuing a dog with an array of problems. She
attended several good citizen courses and joined the agility class, and it was
during this time she was approached by Glynis who had noticed her enthusiasm
and asked if she would like to become a training assistant. Lorna had always loved animals,
particularly dogs, and jumped at the chance to volunteer a few hours a week
and learn as much she could.

Although the hands on experience she gained over the years has proven invaluable she
realised that some formal education was also necessary to enable a wider
understanding. She is now well into studying for a Diploma in Canine Behaviour and
Psychology. To contact Lorna, please call 07968269272 or email

Tracy Smith is also taking over some of Fran's puppy classes. Tracy joined Acorn Dog Training nearly 5 years ago for training and competing her dogs in agility. She had been involved in dog training prior to joining Acorn, and due to her knowledge and understanding very quickly became an assistant trainer to Fran. Tracy has been been very active with one to one training sessions and dealing with some behaviour problems. She has attended workshops, studied training and behaviour, and is also committed to furthering her understanding of the same to a higher level. To contact Tracy please call 01908 561654, or 07931925778 or email

(picture of Tracy to follow soon)

Our class assistants are: Jess Gammie, Michelle Rust, Julie Thomas VN, Tracey P, and Catherine Armitage. We are looking for new assistants and those who wish to progress further MUST be willing to committ themselves to ongoing study with ourselves and outside institutions.

The whole ethos of Acorn Dog Training School is to inform and show owners how to teach their dogs using positive, kind, fair and effective training methods, and how to create a balanced relationship through trust and respect, rather than fear, and domination. There is no such thing as a "one size glove fits all" method to training dogs, therefore our class sizes are deliberately kept small, so that we are able to tailor our classes to meet your requirements, and your dogs own individual learning needs, based upon our assessments. We also try to make the classes as relaxed, fun and informative as we possibly can, to enable both people and dogs to learn in a calm and friendly environment.

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THINKING OF BUYING A PUPPY?- WHERE NOT TO BUY YOUR PUPPY FROM! PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK AND READ THE ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY THE KENNEL CLUB.

Please call us for some FREE advice BEFORE deciding to buy a puppy. Different breeds have different needs, so you need to research the breed first. There are also a great many pitfalls involved in selecting the right puppy. Are you in contact with reputable breeders? Would you know the signs of a puppy farm dealership if you went to one? There are also many genetic problems, which many perspective owners are unaware of. Please don't be caught out, and end up one of the many who end up broken hearted.

If you don't know where dealerships obtain their puppies from then take a look at these websites for some of the hard facts:

Puppywatch

Hope-UK

Call to end illegal puppy farms and dealerships

Adopting a rescue dog can also result in major problems and heartache. For the cost of a telephone call, we are here to help you in all aspects of selection. Be a happy dog owner. Be fully aware. Know that you are doing the right thing. Please call us today.