Puppy Preschool

$200+tax

You're not just raising a puppy, you are raising the dog you want to have in the future

No need to wait for a new start date.  Classes runs continuously and you can join as soon as you get your puppy.  

Monday evenings 6-7pm.  Changing Nov.31 to Saturday mornings 9-10am

A puppy's most impressionable time is between birth and 16 weeks of age. That is when they need to be exposed to as many sights, sounds, smells and stimuli as possible! But we're told to avoid dog parks, pet stores and high traffic areas until they are fully vaccinated, typically at 16 weeks, meaning we miss the critical imprinting period.  
Studies show that dogs are more at risk of being euthanized because of behaviour problems linked to lack of socialization than they are of contracting a deadly disease before being fully vaccinated.  While each option has its pros and cons, we strongly believe that providing a safe environment for puppy socialization is the best solution.

To ensure the safety of the puppies in the group, all participants must be up to date on their vaccines (8-12-16 weeks).  

Class is open to puppies 9 weeks - 5 months.  Puppy Preschool is full of socialization, fun activities, sensory games, relationship building exercises, confidence building, house training tips, and a little bit of basic obedience.

Here is some great info about puppy socialization from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviour.

**DO YOU WANT PUPPY PRESCHOOL FOR FREE?**
Sign up for Puppy Preschool, Puppy Week and Behaviour Basics all together to get your Puppy Preschool FREE!

Puppy Week

$500+tax

Setting your puppy up for success

Ideally for puppies 4-6 months but beneficial for any puppy at any age,  Puppy Week offers 7 days of full immersion training.  The opportunity to learn from a well-balanced pack is a sure step in the right direction to having a well-socialized dog.

The primary focus of Puppy Week is healthy dog to dog socialization sprinkled with daily outings, Adventure Hikes, basic obedience training and manners.

Your puppy will live in our home with The Crate Escape Canine Behaviourist and a balanced pack  of adult dogs who can help your puppy learn appropriate social interactions.

SAVE YOUR SPOT!  Spaces are limited to 1 puppy at a time.
We love puppies and puppy play can be one of the cutest things in the world, but adult dogs don't play the same as puppies so it's important that they learn what is acceptable among adult dogs to help them develop healthy mature social behaviours.
 

Behaviour Basics

$310+tax

Behaviour is how your dog chooses to act when they aren't in command.

Chances are if you are reading this right now, it's either because you have a new dog and you want to get started with the right foot forward or you already have a dog and you're feeling frustrated, discouraged or even defeated by their behaviour.

Either way, we are so happy that you are here because we have some really important information to share with you.

All behaviour is an attempt to communicate!

Dogs are highly intelligent and their communication amongst each other is sophisticated and complex.  Then we bring them into our world and we tend to focus on the basic "Sit, Down, Stay".

Here is why our entry level course doesn't include Sit's but is about behaviour:
Obedience is a form of control when we don't know how to communicate.

Obedience gives us the control to manage behaviour but it doesn't help the dog to change their thoughts, actions and behaviours (unless they've been punished into fear and we don't believe that's the best approach to helping a dog).  

Think about it! If your dog had great behaviour, was polite and followed you instead of taking off on you, would you need to be giving them obedience commands all the time?

Behaviour and Obedience do not go hand in hand. They are different.
 

Obedience is a life skill, and a very important one.   Just as people need to learn to read, write and do basic math, learning to sit, stay and come are essential life skills for dogs.

Use swimming as an example.

Swimming is a life skill.   Competitive swimming is a sport or a hobby.
Regardless, it doesn't determine who you are as a person.

Basic obedience is a lifeskill for dogs.  Advanced or competition dog obedience should also be a sport or a hobby, not an advantage or position of power that you have over your dog.
Obedience teaches your dog to listen to you (a good thing) but doesn't teach you how to listen to them in return.  Communication should be a two-way street.

If you fell you need obedience because your dog is that out of control, it means they are trying to tell you something!
 

All behaviour is an attempt to communicate (both humans and dogs!) If your dog has problematic behaviour, it means they are trying to communicate with you!

So instead of squashing the behaviour, punishing it, yelling at them....we learn listen to them. What is that behaviour trying to tell us?

Sometimes just listening to them and understanding them is all it takes to eliminate problem behaviours. Sometimes the dog doesn't even need to be "trained".   Sometimes they just need to be heard.

Well how do you know what dogs are saying!?

Behaviour Basics was created to help guide you through the language and culture of dog, so that you can better understand your dog, what they are trying to communicate and how you can more effectively communicate with them.
 

All naughty dogs NEED this.  All good dogs DESERVE this.

Behaviour Basics is a series of 5 mini-seminars, each 2-3hrs long.  

Topics include: 
-Leadership & Lifestyle: A look at how your everyday life, routines and relationship dynamics are affecting your dogs behaviour.
-Behaviour & The Brain: A look at canine language, how dogs learn and process information and how it affects your dog's ability to problem solve without conflict.
-Leash Connection: A leash walk involves both human and dog.  Before addressing the dog's bad leash habits, we address our own and learn better techniques.  Being a better leash handler will change how your dog behaves on leash. (Bring your dog to this class)
-Way to Play: A look at what play really means to a dog, the purpose and elements of play, different play styles and how to facilitate and encourage appropriate play.
-Canine Sociality: A look at dog culture and dogs conversations with both people and other dogs.

Our classes are conducted in a classroom setting without dogs and are live-streamed via Zoom for distance learning and Covid precautions. 
**Leash Connection is an outdoor class with dogs.

​

A new program begins every month.  Classes run Tuesday evenings from 6-9pm and the Leash Connections class is on a Saturday afternoon. 

October schedule:
Tuesday, October 6th, 6-9pm

Tuesday, October 13th, 6-9pm

Saturday, October 17th, 9am-noon

Tuesday, October 20th, 6-9pm

Tuesday, October 27th, 6-9pm

November schedule:

Tuesday, November 3rd, 6-9pm

Tuesday, November 10th, 6-9pm

Saturday, November 14th, 1-4pm

Tuesday, November 17th, 6-9pm

Tuesday, November 24th, 6-9pm
 

December schedule (Complete before Christmas!): 

Tuesday, December 1st, 6-9pm

Tuesday, December 7th, 6-9pm

Saturday, December 12th, 1-4pm

Tuesday, December 15th, 6-9pm

Tuesday, December 22nd, 6-9pm

A digital version of this program will be available in the very near future!
Please click here to get your name on our waitlist!

Complete Canine

Contact for pricing

Take your learning to the next level

Complete Canine is a natural progression from Behaviour Basics, our entry level program that gives you a solid foundation to understanding your dog and canine behaviour.

In Complete Canine, you and your dog receive 6 hours of 1-on-1 help from our Canine Behaviourist.

The program is broken down into 4 sessions:
1x Dinner & Dogs - a 3hr in-home behaviour analysis and instruction.  We ask that you provide dinner and we have a casual evening (or afternoon) in your home, as normal of a day as possible, so that we can see how you and your dog live together and how it's affecting behaviour.
1X Obedience -  a 1hr private session dedicated to learning or fine tuning obedience skills.  These are not behaviours, these are tasks and instructions for your dog.
2x Out & Abouts - two 1hr private sessions.  There is no set curriculum for these private sessions. Instead, we take a look at where you need help with your dogs behaviour and tailor your sessions to your needs.  It could be a walk downtown, a trip to the pet store, an in-home session with guests knocking on the door, or whatever suits your individual needs.

When you upgrade to Complete Canine, you receive everything listed in both Behaviour Basics and Complete Canine. 
Plus you get a 6 month membership to our exclusive services such as our Adventure Hikes, In-Home Boarding, free Packwalks & Socials and more. 
Membership also includes a 15% discount at Pet Planet Vernon and a discounted rate to our private dog park, The Dog Den.

Rover Rehab

Contact for pricing

Not just for aggressive dogs, rehabilitation is for any dog struggling to overcome problem behaviours.  From anxiety to aggression and everything in between, our rehabilitation program will take everything learnt through Complete Canine and will further integrate it into real life.
 

This program includes:

• Behaviour Basics
  Complete Canine

PLUS

• 3 additional 1hr private training sessions

• E-collar training (optional)

• 2 Week Board & Train

• 1 Year Membership to Group Classes, Socials and Packwalks