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dog training and scentwork in kent.
Helping dogs and their humans build confidence, connection and real life skills through kind, ethical training.
🐾 Puppy Training
🐾 Life Skills Classes
🐾 Scentwork & Tracking
🐾 1-2-1 Dog Training
Help Me Choose the Right Training.
Based at Waggy Tails Fied, Old Romney, Romney Marsh, Kent.
Why Dogs Love Learning at SkellyWags.
- Purpose built Scent Shed
- Secure training field
- Meadow pathways for calm learning
- Small supportive classes
- Positive reinforcement methods
- Dogs treated as individuals
As the principal trainer at SkellyWags when I’m not teaching Scentwork, Puppy Classes, or running 1-1 dog training or other classes, you’ll probably find me geeking out over dog behaviour, writing something silly about Bert’s latest antics, or planning new ways to make training fun, rewarding and meaningful for every dog and human who joins our SkellyWags family.
I also wrote a book which will give you an insight into not only me, but the world of dog training too!
Don’t just take our word for it! Read Testimonials
Dog Training Courses
Our class dates are updated regularly for the latest dates please view our what’s on page.
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A Dog Friendly Bank Holiday on Romney Marsh, Without Overwhelming Your Dog
A Bank Holiday weekend often means making plans, getting outside and enjoying some extra time with our dogs. Here on Romney Marsh, we’re lucky to have beaches, countryside, cafes and plenty of places to explore. From Dymchurch and Greatstone to Dungeness, Hythe and the villages in between, there’s no shortage of dog friendly adventures. However,…
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What’s Happening at SkellyWAGS?
After a summer that has involved heat, cancelled sessions, rearranged appointments and more conversations about the weather than even we British would normally consider reasonable, it’s lovely to be looking ahead to a busy few weeks at SkellyWAGS. We have new courses, practical workshops, scentwork and even an opportunity for the humans to do some…
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Why Does My Dog Jump Up and What Can I Do About It?
If your dog launches themselves at visitors, scrambles at your clothes or bounces up when you walk through the door, it can feel as though they’re being rude on purpose. You might even wonder whether they’re testing you. However, most jumping isn’t “naughty” in the way we tend to mean it. It’s usually a normal…
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Life Skills Classes for Dogs in Kent
Life Skills course is a great follow on course from our puppy classes as well as a great starting point for training for the first time.
Meet Mark from SkellyWags Dog Training
Hi, I’m Mark
I’m the trainer behind SkellyWAGS Dog Training and the SkellyWAGS School of Scent here in Kent. I started SkellyWAGS in 2019 with a simple aim: to help dogs and their guardians understand one another a little better.
I describe myself as an ethical, reward based dog trainer. For me, that means looking beyond the behaviour we can see and asking what the dog might be communicating. Training should consider the whole dog their emotions, physical wellbeing, environment, previous experiences and individual personality.
My approach is built around trust, communication and choice. I don’t believe every dog should be trained in exactly the same way or expected to progress at the same speed. Whether I’m helping with a puppy, recall, loose lead walking, reactivity, everyday Life Skills or scentwork, the starting point is always the dog in front of me.
Ethical training isn’t simply about whether something works. It’s about how it works, why it works and what that experience is like for the dog. Results matter, of course, but the dog’s wellbeing must always be part of the result.
Alongside me is Bert, my Border Collie, best friend and occasional quality control manager. He has taught me an enormous amount about patience, communication and the importance of listening to dogs, even when what they’re communicating is that my lunch appears to be unnecessarily far away from them.
At SkellyWAGS, you won’t be judged, and your dog won’t be expected to be perfect. You’ll find friendly, practical support shaped around real dogs, real people and real life.
Because good training shouldn’t just change behaviour. It should strengthen the relationship you share.
Read what our clients say → HERE
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Less Can Be So Much More
This morning, before the heat arrived and turned the training field into something resembling a large green frying pan, Bert and I headed out for an early wander. We took a slow walk around the meadow, with plenty of time for sniffing. There was no rush, no distance to cover and certainly no step count…
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What Is Scentwork for Dogs? A Beginner’s Guide
Have you ever watched your dog investigate one particular blade of grass for what feels like three working days? To us, it may appear that absolutely nothing is happening. To our dogs, however, that little patch of ground can contain an entire story. Who has been there, how long ago they passed through and possibly…