June 2026

Friday 26 June is Bring Your Dog to Work Day in the UK.

This annual event celebrates the companionship and love that our canine friends give us, and recognises that dogs in the workplace can reduce stress, improve morale and even increase productivity.

Of course, not everyone can take their dog to work; there’s no place for furries in an operating theatre, courtroom, commercial kitchen or factory floor. But if you work in an office, shop or a practical trade, for instance, bringing your pet with you from time to time could be a wonderful idea – as long as it knows how to behave.

This is where dog training classes come in. Even if you never take your pooch to work, it needs to listen to you, follow certain instructions and behave appropriately around people. A chaotic, untrained dog is a menace, unpleasant to be around, and potentially a danger to itself and everyone else. Training also makes dogs happy – they thrive amid calm routine, need to know that their human is in charge, and like having a job to do, even if it’s searching for treats on a snuffle mat rather than rounding up sheep.

At Bridport Dog Training Society (BDTS), they know that good behaviour starts early. Their eight-week puppy course is for dogs under six months old, but most ‘students’ start at twelve weeks when they’ve had all their vaccinations. The course of 45-minute sessions covers the basics of ‘train and reward’ and teaches food manners, recall and other basic commands as well as building the pups’ confidence through socialisation and exposure to new people and dogs.

“We primarily follow the Kennel Club’s Good Citizen training scheme,” says Jane Warren, BDTS’s vice chairman. “It’s about responsible dog ownership: we’re teaching owners as well as their dogs, equipping them both to deal with situations they’ll come across together in everyday life.”

Once puppies have completed the first eight-week course, they can move on to Level 1 (Bronze). This is also suitable for older dogs such as rescues who are new to training classes. Level 2 (Silver) and Level 3 (Gold) follow in turn, all courses of eight 45-minute sessions leading to an assessment, certificate and rosette. There’s a Platinum class for those who, in Jane’s words, “don’t want to leave!” and a social class for dogs who have passed at least the Silver test or have a good level of obedience.

BDTS has nine trainers and two assistant trainers, who are all volunteers and have qualified through the Pet Dog Training Instructors (PDTI) scheme. This involves a week’s intensive residential course at Harper Adams University in Shropshire, leading to either an Assistant, Level 1 or Level 2 qualification. “Before taking that course, everyone spends a year with us, helping at classes and gaining experience,” says Jane. “This also means that new volunteers can get a good idea of what it’s all about before committing to the qualification. We all have regular refresher training, too, with Lyn Wilson, our chairman – she’s a canine behaviour specialist and trainer who’s qualified to the PDTI Advanced level.”

As well as the team of trainers and assistants, the society has a treasurer and a shop coordinator, who sells dog equipment, toys and treats at the back of the hall. St Swithun’s Church stalwart June Goodburn is the honorary president, and can usually be found at training evenings, watching the sessions with her (beautifully behaved) terrier, Pippa.

BDTS is an asset to Bridport – it’s not every small town that has such an active dog training club with so many qualified instructors. The eight-week courses are excellent value, at £60 for the puppy classes and £50 for all the other levels (plus £10 annual membership). As a responsible dog owner, can you really afford not to go?

Bridport Dog Training Society meets on Monday evenings at St Mary’s Church House Hall in South Street. The puppy class runs from 6.30 to 7.15pm, with other levels following. The next puppy course starts on 22 June.

On Sunday 2 August the society will be running the ‘temptation alley’ dog challenge (part of the Dog Village!) at Buckham Fair. And BDTS will be at the Melplash Show on Thursday 27 August offering advice on training and behaviour, a dog tombola for charity and a display in the arena.

For more details, visit bridportdogtrainingsociety.co.uk or the society’s Facebook page, or come along to the open day at the hall on Saturday 6 June between 10am and 4pm.