Calls for clearer standards as UK dog training and behaviour work remains unregulated

Dog training and behaviour work is not a regulated profession in the UK. As Dogs Today Magazine reported in August 2026, anyone may legally describe themselves as a trainer or behaviourist regardless of whether their knowledge, practical skills or understanding of welfare have ever been independently assessed. Behaviour specialists quoted in the report argue that this gap leaves owners with no reliable way to tell credible help from confident-sounding opinion, particularly where advice is delivered through social media.

The scale of the need is considerable. The Dogs Trust National Dog Survey 2025 found that 90 per cent of owners had experienced at least one behavioural problem with their dog in the preceding year, with lead pulling, poor recall, barking, fear, reactivity and distress at being left alone among the most common. Estimates of the UK dog population vary — Dogs Trust has put it at around 13 million, while UK Pet Food's 2026 survey suggested a figure as high as 15.5 million. Behavioural difficulties remain among the leading reasons dogs are given up to rescue organisations.

Several bodies are working to make accredited practitioners easier to identify. The Animal Behaviour and Training Council has warned Parliament that poorly conducted behaviour work can cause mental suffering and worsen existing problems, and the Blue Cross has raised similar concerns about advice circulating online. The UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter brings training and behaviour membership organisations together under a shared code of conduct and ethics, with transparent complaints procedures for signatories. For anyone buying or breeding a puppy, the practical point is a simple one: check which body a trainer or behaviourist is accredited by, and what standards that accreditation actually requires, before work begins. No statutory regulation of the sector has been announced, so for now the responsibility for checking sits with owners.