Gorgie & Dalry · Edinburgh · approx. 15 min from base

1-2-1 Dog Training & Behaviour Help in Gorgie & Dalry

Clan Dog provides 1-2-1 dog training in Gorgie and Dalry, in your flat and on your local route. Allan Ritchie MGoDT (MPDTI) works on canal towpath passing, Saughton Park recall and coping with matchday noise. In-person sessions are £190, £150 for members.

Book Your 1-2-1 Session See how in-person sessions work

Master Professional Dog Training Instructor, 40+ years' experience
Sessions at your home and on your own Gorgie & Dalry routes — approx. 15 min away
Force-free: no e-collars, no methods that hurt your dog
Rated 4.9/5 based on 39 reviews

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Why does dog training in Gorgie & Dalry need a local approach?

Gorgie and Dalry pack a lot of dogs into a small footprint of tenement flats, and the main walking route out of both is the Union Canal towpath. A towpath is the least forgiving place to have a reactive dog: water on one side, a wall or fence on the other, and cyclists coming through the middle. There is no arc to walk, no distance to buy, and no way to step off.

There is also a scheduled noise event that no other Edinburgh area deals with in the same way. On matchdays, Gorgie fills with crowds, singing and sudden roars from the stadium. Dogs living within a few streets hear it whether they go out or not. Some habituate. Some become genuinely noise-sensitive, and that sensitivity then generalises to fireworks, traffic and doors.

Where can you walk and train a dog in Gorgie & Dalry?

Below are the places Gorgie & Dalry clients walk most often, alongside the skill each one quietly tests.

Gorgie and Dalry: tight spaces and scheduled noise
Walking spot	What it throws at your dog	What we work on there
Union Canal towpath	Narrow, water on one side, fast cyclists	Passing in a corridor with no escape route
Saughton Park & Gardens	Formal gardens plus open grass, mixed dog traffic	Recall, settling, and staying out of the planting
Gorgie Road on matchday	Crowds, singing, sudden noise from the stadium	Noise tolerance and a route plan for high-crowd days
Tenement flat	Neighbours through the wall, no garden	Settling, alone-time and a garden-free toilet routine

What problems does Allan see most often in Gorgie & Dalry?

The Gorgie and Dalry caseload is heavy on lead reactivity and noise sensitivity, and the two often feed each other.

Lunging and barking on the towpath because there is nowhere to go
Startling and spinning when a bike passes close from behind
Noise sensitivity that started with matchdays and spread to other sounds
Pulling hard from the flat door to the canal, then being unmanageable for the whole walk
Neighbour complaints about barking while the owner is at work

For noise problems in particular, the work is gradual and predictable exposure at a level the dog can cope with. There is no quick version of it.

Where a problem needs more than a single session, these pages go further: reactive dog training in Edinburgh and loose-lead walking training. Allan has also written about preparing your dog for fireworks night and why your dog pulls on the lead.

How does an in-person session in Gorgie & Dalry work?

Allan drives out to Gorgie & Dalry, about 15 min away. Sessions in person are £190, dropping to £150 with membership, with travel included.

Gorgie sessions usually begin with the walk out of the flat, because for a lot of local dogs the day is already lost by the time they reach the towpath. Once the exit is calm, the passing work starts somewhere with room and moves to the canal later. A session is only useful if it survives contact with an ordinary week. That is the standard it is built to.

Whether you start on Zoom or at your front door, the first step is the same: book your consultation and describe what is happening.

Consultation formats and prices available to Gorgie & Dalry clients
Session type	Standard	Member rate
Two hours in person, at your address	£190	£150
Zoom, full two-hour session	£120	£90
Zoom, single hour	£60	£45

Nearby areas Allan also covers

If you are reading this from a neighbouring street rather than Gorgie & Dalry itself, one of the areas below probably fits. All of them are on the areas we cover page.

Dog training in Corstorphine Dog training in Bruntsfield & Marchmont Dog training in Colinton & Bonaly

Who will actually train your dog?

Sessions are led by Allan Ritchie MGoDT (MPDTI), Master Professional Dog Training Instructor, whose four decades with dogs began in the RAF and continued through the Police.

Noise work is careful, unglamorous and slow, and Allan's service background means he has done a great deal of it. There is no shortcut and he will not pretend otherwise. Good training should make you more confident, not more dependent. That is the aim of every session in Gorgie & Dalry. You can read more about Allan and how Clan Dog works.

“If I could give Allan 10 stars, 100 stars whatever the max is I would!”

Paul D — published Google review. Clan Dog is rated 4.9/5 based on 39 reviews.

Sources and further reading

Guidance referenced on this page about responsible dog ownership around Gorgie & Dalry:

Report an out of control dog — The City of Edinburgh Council
Dog and puppy training advice — Dogs Trust

Written by Allan Ritchie MGoDT (MPDTI), Master Professional Dog Training Instructor, Clan Dog. More than 40 years working with dogs, including service as an RAF dog handler and in the Police.

Reviewed by the Clan Dog Training Team — last reviewed 25 August 2026.

Dog training and behaviour guidance is educational and training-focused. Behaviour can have multiple causes, and where a medical or health issue may be involved, appropriate veterinary advice should be sought. Training results vary between dogs and depend on factors including the individual dog's behaviour, circumstances and the consistency of training.

Dog training in Gorgie & Dalry: your questions answered

My dog reacts to every dog on the canal towpath. Is that fixable?

It usually improves a lot, though how far depends on the dog. The towpath is a worst-case environment because you cannot create distance, so the early work happens somewhere you can, and the towpath comes later once the skill exists.

My dog has become frightened of noise since we moved to Gorgie. What now?

Noise sensitivity responds to structured, gradual work rather than exposure by accident. A session will look at what your dog can currently tolerate, build from there, and cover what to do on days when the area will be loud regardless.

Can you help with barking while I am at work?

Yes. That work starts with finding out what your dog actually does when alone, usually by recording it, rather than assuming. The plan then depends on whether it is boredom, distress or reaction to noise in the stair, which are three different problems.

Do you cover both Gorgie and Dalry?

Yes, as a single area about 15 minutes from base. No travel charge applies. Sessions are around two hours at your home and on your usual route.