Full-day in-person mentorship with Will Atherton
Step inside the Canine Centre and see how real professional dog training works.
Spend a full day observing Will Atherton work with real dogs and real owners across group classes and private consultations.
See how Will assesses behaviour, adapts his approach, coaches clients and makes decisions in real time—then finish the day with a dedicated small-group Q&A where you can ask about the cases you observed, your own work, business, content or your future in the canine industry.
9:00am–7:00pm
Full working day
Maximum four
Attendees
£695
Per person
Church Broughton
Derbyshire
See what a Professional Mentorship Day involves.
Watch Will explain how the day works, what you will observe and why seeing professional decision-making in real time can teach you things that courses and edited demonstrations cannot.
£695 per person. Limited to four attendees per mentorship day.
There is a difference between knowing the theory and applying it professionally
You can learn a great deal from a course. Some lessons only become clear when a real dog and owner are standing in front of you.
It is one thing to understand training principles in theory.
It is another to assess an unfamiliar dog, listen to an owner’s account of the problem and decide what deserves your attention first.
Real cases rarely arrive as clean demonstrations.
The owner may be overwhelmed
Several possible causes
Unexpected responses
The plan may change within minutes
Technically correct is not enough
The owner must be able to apply it
This is where many aspiring and developing trainers feel the gap. You can watch videos, complete courses and study learning theory, but still wonder:
01
What should I notice first?
03
How do I decide where to begin?
05
When should I change the plan?
07
How do I structure a professional session?
09
How do I turn knowledge into confident professional judgement?
02
Which questions should I ask the owner?
04
Why would I choose one exercise over another?
06
How do I coach the person rather than simply train the dog?
08
How do I manage several dogs and owners within a group?
The gap
You can understand the theory and still not see how a professional thinks when a real dog and owner are standing in front of you.
The most technically correct solution may be useless if the owner cannot understand or apply it.
The programme
The Professional Mentorship Programme allows you to observe those decisions while they are being made.
You will see the conversations, assessments, adjustments and coaching that happen around the training—not simply the polished result afterwards.
Professional confidence is built by learning how to think—not by memorising more techniques.
A full day inside Will’s real working environment
Observe. Question. Understand. Apply.
The Professional Mentorship Programme is a full-day, in-person experience at the Will Atherton Canine Centre in Church Broughton, Derbyshire. The day runs from 9:00am until 7:00pm and is limited to a maximum of four attendees.
Three practical group-training sessions
Observe how Will and the team run live group classes with real dogs and owners—not a rehearsed demonstration.
Three private client consultations
Watch Will take a case history, identify priorities and coach owners through bespoke training in real time.
Dedicated small-group Q&A
From 5:30pm until 7:00pm, unpack what you observed and ask about the cases, your own work, business, content or your next step.
01
Will’s communication with dogs and owners
03
How group environments are managed
02
How exercises are selected and adapted
04
How behaviour and training priorities are identified—and how owners are coached through the process
This is not a pre-recorded course or a rehearsed demonstration day. You are stepping inside a genuine working day at the Canine Centre. The dogs, owners and challenges will be real, which means every mentorship day will be slightly different.
You will not simply see what Will does. You will have the opportunity to understand why he does it.
A complete view of professional dog training across one working day.
The programme has three distinct stages, allowing you to see both group coaching and private case work before discussing the day directly with Will.
Group training sessions
See how Will manages dogs, owners and different ability levels at the same time.
During the morning, you will observe three group-training sessions. This gives you the opportunity to see how Will and the team structure a class, adapt around the dogs attending and coach owners in the room.
What you will see
- Structure a group class
- Explain exercises clearly
- Manage dogs working at different levels
- Adapt exercises around the dogs attending
- Maintain safety and appropriate spacing
- Identify when an owner needs individual support
- Coach handling, timing and communication
- Progress or simplify an exercise
- Balance the needs of the individual with the wider group
- Create useful training around real distractions
Group training requires much more than delivering the same exercise to everyone. You will see how the environment, owners and dogs are managed together.
Private client consultations
Observe the assessment, communication and decision-making behind bespoke training.
During the afternoon, you will observe three private one-to-one client sessions with Will. Depending on the appointments booked that day, these may involve puppy training, adult-dog behaviour, owner coaching or established training challenges.
What you may see Will do
- Take a case history
- Identify the owner’s main concerns
- Observe the dog before intervening
- Assess communication and handling
- Identify likely contributing factors
- Establish the first training priority
- Explain the behaviour to the owner
- Demonstrate an exercise
- Coach the owner through the process
- Adapt the approach according to the dog’s response
- Set realistic expectations for future progress
The value is not seeing a dog instantly transformed. It is watching how a professional moves from information and observation towards an appropriate plan.
Dedicated Q&A with Will
Finish the day by turning observation into understanding.
From 5:30pm until 7:00pm, the four attendees will sit down with Will for a dedicated small-group Q&A. This is your opportunity to go back through the day and ask the questions that cannot always be answered while a client session is taking place.
What you can ask about
- Why Will chose a particular approach
- What he noticed in a dog’s behaviour
- Why he did not use a different technique
- How he handled a difficult client conversation
- How he would progress the case
- Situations you are encountering in your own work
- Starting or growing a dog-training business
- Pricing and packaging services
- Content and social media
- Building authority in the industry
- Education and professional development
- Any other area relevant to your future as a canine professional
The Q&A is deliberately broad. The day is built around helping you access the areas of Will’s experience that are most useful to you.
A full professional immersion day
What to expect from 9:00am until 7:00pm.
The schedule reflects a real working day at the Canine Centre—from arrival and observation through to a dedicated Q&A with Will.
9:00am — Arrival and Introduction
Meet Will, the team and the other attendees. The day will begin with a short introduction covering how the sessions will work, expectations around observation and the importance of client confidentiality.
Morning — Three Group Classes
Observe the first three group-training sessions of the day. Exact timings and class content will depend on the Canine Centre schedule.
Midday — Break
There will be a break between the morning and afternoon sessions. Attendees should bring their own food, drinks and refreshments for the day.
Afternoon — Three Private Consultations
Observe three of Will’s private client appointments. The dogs and issues presented will vary according to the appointments booked that day.
5:30pm–7:00pm — Q&A With Will
Sit down with Will and the other attendees to discuss the cases, decisions and lessons from the day. You can also use this time to ask about your own professional development, client work, business or content.
The day at a glance
Arrival 9:00am
Three group classes
Midday break
Three private consultations
Q&A 5:30pm–7:00pm
The schedule reflects a real working day. Exact timings may shift slightly depending on the needs of the dogs and clients attending.
Real cases do not always run perfectly to schedule. Learning how a professional handles that is part of the experience.
More than observation
See the details that edited training content often leaves out.
Learn From Real Cases
Go beyond the visible symptom and begin understanding the wider factors influencing your dog’s behaviour.
Understand Professional Judgement
See how Will decides what matters, what can wait and how the plan changes according to the response of the dog and owner.
Watch Owner Coaching
Dog training professionals rarely work with dogs alone. Learn how Will explains behaviour, manages expectations and helps owners apply the training themselves.
Compare Group and Private Work
See the different skills required to run a productive group class and deliver a bespoke private consultation.
Ask Questions Directly
Use the final 90-minute Q&A to explore the parts of the day most relevant to your own development.
Explore More Than Training
Ask Will about professional practice, business development, content, personal branding or the next stage of your canine career.
Experience the Canine Centre
Spend the day inside a purpose-built training environment and see how the spaces are used across different services and client needs.
Learn Within a Small Group
With a maximum of four attendees, the experience remains focused and gives everybody the opportunity to ask meaningful questions.
Is the Professional Mentorship Programme right for you?
The programme is open to aspiring and established canine professionals. There are no formal qualification or experience requirements, but applicants should have a genuine interest in learning from real professional practice.
The Programme May Be Right for You If:
- You are considering becoming a dog trainer
- You are currently studying canine behaviour or training
- You have recently qualified and want more real-world exposure
- You already work with dogs and want to improve your practical judgement
- You want to observe professional client consultations
- You want to understand how group classes are structured
- You want to improve the way you coach owners
- You have cases of your own you would like to discuss
- You are building or developing a canine business
- You want guidance around content or professional positioning
- You learn best by seeing theory applied in practice
- You want direct access to Will’s experience and decision-making
No Entry Requirements
- A formal dog-training qualification
- An established business
- Previous professional experience
- To be a current WA Academy student
- To bring a dog
- To be working with clients already
The most important requirement is that you arrive curious, respectful and ready to learn.
Suitability note
Places are offered through an application process. This allows the team to make sure the experience is appropriate for each applicant and that everybody understands the professional and confidential nature of the day.
Application required
How to apply for a Professional Mentorship Day.
01
Submit Your Application
Complete the application form with information about your current experience, your interest in canine training or behaviour, what you hope to learn, and any particular areas you would like to discuss with Will. There are no formal entry requirements. The application simply helps the team understand your goals and confirm that the programme is suitable for you.
02
Application Review
The team will review your application. Submitting an application does not automatically secure a place. Successful applicants will be invited to book one of the available mentorship dates.
03
Book and Pay
The Professional Mentorship Programme costs £695 per person. Payment is taken in full when your place is booked. Each booking is for one attendee only. Guests, partners or additional attendees cannot accompany the applicant.
04
Receive Your Information
The mentorship takes place at the Will Atherton Canine Centre in Church Broughton, Derbyshire. The full address, arrival details, parking information and confidentiality requirements will be provided after booking.
05
Attend Your Mentorship Day
Arrive ready for a full day from 9:00am until 7:00pm. Bring your own food, drinks and refreshments. Do not bring your own dog.
Application required
Professional Mentorship Programme
£695
/ person
Full day with Will Atherton
9:00am–7:00pm
Maximum four attendees
Observe three group classes
Observe three private client consultations
90-minute small-group Q&A with Will
No formal entry requirements
Application required
Church Broughton, Derbyshire
Full address sent after booking
Bring your own refreshments
Do not bring a dog
Successful applicants will be invited to select a date and complete payment.
Learn inside the environments where the work actually happens.
The Will Atherton Canine Centre includes several purpose-built training environments designed to recreate the situations owners and dogs face in real life.
During the mentorship day, you may see sessions taking place across different areas depending on the services and appointments scheduled.
Group Training Spaces
Observe how multiple dogs and owners are managed while maintaining safety, engagement and meaningful progression.
Living-Room Environment
See how Will works on behaviours such as calmness, boundaries, visitor routines, place training and settling in a realistic home-style setting.
Coffee-Shop Environment
Observe training around public-life scenarios such as settling, neutrality, appropriate greetings and distractions.
Secure Outdoor Paddock
See practical work involving recall, engagement, lead handling, distance and outdoor distractions.
Private Countryside
When appropriate for the clients booked that day, sessions may move into the surrounding private countryside to apply skills in a more realistic environment.
The exact sessions and environments cannot be guaranteed in advance because the day follows Will’s real client schedule. That variation is part of what makes the mentorship valuable.
Access the experience behind one of the world’s largest dog-training education brands.
Will Atherton is a clinical canine behaviourist, the founder of WA Academy and one of the world’s most recognised dog-training educators.
Over the last decade, he has worked with real dogs and owners, built a global training brand and educated millions of people through online content, courses and professional programmes.
But the Professional Mentorship Programme is not about watching Will deliver another presentation. It is about seeing him work.
You will observe how he:
- Reads the dog in front of him
- Identifies the owner’s real problem
- Separates symptoms from underlying foundations
- Chooses where to begin
- Communicates complex ideas clearly
- Adjusts exercises when something is not working
- Balances what the dog needs with what the owner can realistically apply
- Manages time within a professional session
- Makes decisions that cannot be captured by a generic training script
The final Q&A allows you to explore those decisions directly and connect the lessons from the day to your own goals.
One day designed to shape how you think
Leave with new questions, clearer judgement and a deeper understanding of professional practice.
The Professional Mentorship Programme is a live, standalone learning experience.
It does not include a formal qualification, a certificate of attendance, ongoing mentorship, follow-up consultations, access to future mentorship days, or permission to represent yourself as trained, certified or endorsed by Will Atherton or WA Academy.
The value is contained within the experience itself: observing real professional work, understanding Will’s decision-making, asking questions while the cases are still fresh, and connecting what you have seen to your own development.
For some attendees, the day may help confirm that they want to pursue a career in the canine industry. For others, it may improve the way they approach current clients, group classes or business decisions. And for aspiring trainers, it can provide a clearer picture of what professional work actually involves before making a larger commitment.
Related professional education
Advanced Diploma in Canine Behaviour & Training
A comprehensive educational pathway for those who want to develop deeper knowledge, professional confidence and a structured understanding of canine behaviour and training.
Stands alone
No other programme required
The mentorship day stands alone and does not require enrolment in any other WA Academy programme.
Group training is not automatically appropriate for every behaviour case. Will and the team will advise when a dog is ready and which next step is best suited to them.
Real puppies. Real owners. Real progress.
See what happens when owners have a clear plan.
A weekly, in-person training club for owners who want to raise their puppy properly—and enjoy the process.
Calmer walks in 2 weeks
“We tried everything before this. The structure was exactly what we needed. Highly recommend to anyone struggling.”
Sleeping through night
“We tried everything before this. The structure was exactly what we needed. Highly recommend to anyone struggling.”
Can visit parks again
“We tried everything before this. The structure was exactly what we needed. Highly recommend to anyone struggling.”
Ready for weekly coaching that grows with your puppy?
£75 per month, per person · Max 10 owners · Saturdays 09:30
Questions, answered clearly.
Everything you need to know before you book.
How long is the mentorship day?
The day runs from 9:00am until 7:00pm. The final Q&A with Will takes place from 5:30pm until 7:00pm.
How much does it cost?
The Professional Mentorship Programme costs £695 per person. Payment is taken in full when an approved applicant books their place.
How many people attend?
Each mentorship day is limited to a maximum of four attendees.
Do I need previous qualifications or experience?
No. The programme is open to aspiring trainers, students and established professionals. There are no formal entry requirements.
Why do I need to apply?
The application helps the team understand your goals and confirm that the experience is suitable for you. Submitting an application does not automatically guarantee a place.
What will I observe?
The planned day includes three group-training sessions, three private client consultations and a dedicated 90-minute Q&A with Will. The exact dogs, cases and training topics will depend on the real appointments scheduled that day.
Is the training staged for the mentorship day?
No. You will observe a genuine working day at the Canine Centre. The dogs, owners and situations will be real, so the content of each mentorship day will vary.
Can I ask Will about my own cases?
Yes. The final Q&A can be used to discuss cases you are currently working on, provided you do not disclose confidential information that identifies your own clients without their permission.
Can I ask about business or content?
Yes. The Q&A can cover dog training, client work, business development, content creation, professional positioning or other areas relevant to your canine career.
Will I have a private one-to-one session with Will?
The mentorship day concludes with a 90-minute small-group Q&A shared by the maximum of four attendees. It does not include a separate private one-to-one consultation.
Can I bring my own dog?
No. Attendees should not bring their own dogs. The day is focused on observing Will’s scheduled clients and taking part in the final Q&A.
Can I bring another person?
No. Each booking is for one approved attendee only. Partners, guests and additional attendees cannot accompany you.
Are food and refreshments provided?
No. Please bring your own food, drinks and refreshments for the full day.
Where does the mentorship take place?
The programme takes place at the Will Atherton Canine Centre in Church Broughton, Derbyshire. The full address, directions, parking information and arrival details will be sent after booking.
What should I wear?
Wear comfortable, practical clothing suitable for a working dog-training environment. Some parts of the day may take place outdoors, so bring suitable footwear and clothing for the weather.
Do I receive a certificate?
No. The Professional Mentorship Programme is an observational and developmental experience. It does not include a qualification or certificate of attendance.
Do I receive ongoing support afterwards?
No ongoing mentorship or follow-up support is included. The programme is a standalone live experience.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancellations made more than seven days before the scheduled mentorship day are eligible for a refund. Cancellations made within seven days of the date fall outside the refund period.
What happens if I arrive late?
The day follows a real client schedule. If you arrive late, sessions may already be underway and the missed observation time cannot be repeated. Please allow sufficient time for travel and arrival.
What does client confidentiality involve?
You will observe private clients who have agreed to your presence. Everything discussed or observed during those consultations must remain confidential. Attendees may be required to sign a confidentiality agreement before the day begins. You must not identify clients publicly, share personal details, photograph or record sessions without express permission, discuss cases online in a way that could identify the owner or dog, or use confidential information for content or marketing. Respecting client privacy is a condition of attendance.
Can I record the sessions?
No photography, audio recording or video recording is permitted unless Will and the client have both given express permission. Assume all sessions are confidential and cannot be recorded.
See what professional dog training looks like when the cameras are not editing anything out.
Apply for the Professional Mentorship Programme and spend a full working day observing Will Atherton across group classes, private client consultations and a dedicated small-group Q&A.
See the decisions, conversations and adjustments behind the training—and use the day to strengthen your own judgement, confidence and professional direction.
£695 per person
9:00am–7:00pm
Maximum four attendees
Application required
Church Broughton, Derbyshire
Successful applicants will be invited to select an available date and complete their booking.