Do you live in Toronto, Ontario?
Do you need someone to groom your dog? Here are 15 dog groomers you should take a look at.
If on other hand, you’ve just got a puppy and want to give him or her some obedience training, below you’ll find 15 top dog trainers in Toronto.
1. When Hounds Fly Dog Training
When Hounds Fly has been in operation since 2010, and over 7000 dogs have taken part in their training programs. Founder Andre Yeu was the first trainer in the Greater Toronto Area to become certified by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, and to graduate from the Karen Pryor Academy of Animal Training. Now When Hounds Fly has two locations, one at 1108 Dundas Street West, Lower Level, and at 1036 Pape Avenue, 2nd Floor, in Toronto, Ontario. They have a team of trainers and instructors who are either certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed, or Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partners, or in some instances, both! They utilize clicker training and force free methods that are safe for you and your canine companion.
Puppy socialization classes are 5 weeks long and your pup can begin at 8 weeks of age and should be completed by 17 weeks of age for large breeds, and 21 weeks of age for small breed dogs. The cost of puppy classes is $187.50. If you have an adolescent dog that is 4 months of age or older, an adult or rescue dog that has never taken classes, and never shown aggression to other dogs or people, the Foundation Skills class is for you. Set in a small group these 7 classes cost $262.50. For dog with fear or aggression issues, in home private lessons are available. Two lessons, one session at 90 minutes, and another at 60 minutes range in price from $240 to $260 depending on the instructor.
2. The Centre for Canine Education
Located in unit 10D, 388 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto, Ontario The Center for Canine Education offers a wide range of training services including puppy socialization classes, dog training, leash reactive dog training, separation anxiety classes, webinars, online coaching, and private one on one training. Founder Caryn Lilies is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer, Family Paws Parent Educator, and Fear Free Certified Professional. Their team of certified professional dog trainers at the centre use positive reinforcement techniques, and classes are family friendly, with children 6 years of age and over able to participate in classes with their furry family members.
For puppy socialization classes, extra small and small breeds can join from 8-16 weeks, medium and large breeds should join from 8-12 weeks of age, and all pups should have had at least their first set of Distemper and Parvo shots, present a negative fecal result, or proof of deworming from a vet, and been illness free in your home for at least 7 days. Dog training programs consist of 6 classes over 12 weeks and you can attend classes available in any order to suit your schedule. Call them at 647-893-5580, or check out their location, directions, and contact info at https://www.thecentreforcanineeducation.com/about.
3. KatyK9
Founder Katie Reid is a certified dog trainer who has completed Animal Behavior and Welfare at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Animal Behavior at the University of Melbourne, and is currently enrolled in courses to supplement her extensive knowledge and skills. She is also certified in DOGSAFE Canine First Aid, licensed, bonded and insured. KatysK9 uses positive reinforcement and ensures clear communication and consistency to promote understanding and respect. Training programs focus on leash training, basic, advanced, and off leash training, behavioral modification, socialization, trick training, and puppy training. Consultation and assessments are priced at $60/hour, private training at $85/hour and group training at $70/hour. Contact information is available at http://www.katyk9.ca/contact. Call for more details and to book as assessment.
4. Zen Dog Services
Zen Dog Services has been providing pet care since 2013, with its fixed location opening in 2017 at 584 Church Street, Toronto, Ontario. They have a variety of training options. One on one training designed to give owners the tools to successfully deal with issues are $100 for a $60-minute session, and puppy socialization classes provide exposure to safe play and basic behaviors such as sit, down, stay, come, hand targeting, and leash handling, 4 sessions are $199.95, CityZens Foundation Module is for adult dogs, 6 months of age or older, to learn foundational obedience skills and deal with issues such as separation anxiety, and negative reactiveness, 6 sessions are $299.95. Zen Dog also provides dog daycare, boarding, grooming and a pet boutique. Call them at 416-855-6636 for more information.
5. Raising Rover
Raising Rover has been serving the Toronto area for 15 years. Their head trainer Caroline Applebee is a certified trainer, and offers group classes in puppy socialization, advanced life skills, nose games, and clicker tricks, as well as private in-home training sessions. The group puppy skills class is $300, and your puppy must have had at least one set of shots, with large breed puppies starting prior to 14 weeks of age, and small breed puppies starting prior to 16 weeks of age. Advanced life skills classes are also $300, and dogs must be up to date on vaccinations and have attended a marker based puppy class, or have 3 private lessons using marker based training. Individual lessons start at $175 per session, a puppy prep session is $150, the puppy primer consists of two, 1 hour sessions for $300, and the puppy head start program includes five, 1 hour sessions, for $750. A tune up private training program consists of three, 1 hour sessions, for $450, to address concerns and issues, and develop personalized behavioral modification plans which can address separation anxiety, reactive behavior, leash aggression, and other issues. This program is available in a 5-hour package for $800, or a 10 hour package for $1500.
6. Deena Speaks Dog
Deena Cooper has been training dogs since 1996 using positive reinforcement techniques. She introduced Canada’s first First Aid Kit for Pets in 1998, and has made media appearances as an expert in her field. She is an Evaluator of the CKC Good Neighbor Program, authorized mentor Trainer for Animal Behavior College, certified member of the Canadian Professional Pet Dog Trainers, Association of Pet Dog Trainers, International Association of Canine Professionals and the Canadian Kennel Club. She offers a variety of courses for you and your playful pup including Puppy Conditioning, a 5 week session which costs $175, the Canine Good Neighbor Program, which is an 8 week program at a cost of $260, and incudes 12 tests and a certification issued by the Canadian Kennel Club, an Outdoor Tune Up which focuses on outdoor safety and behaviors, this 3 week session costs $135, Rally O a new sport which combines agility and obedience for $160, trick training, a 4 week, $150 program, an 8 week agility course for $252, and one-on-one behavior modification training sessions. She is located in the Yonge Street, Toronto area, and classes take place at Hold My Paws, 1365 Yonge Street. Contact information can be found at https://www.deenaspeaksdog.com/contact.php.
7. Follow the Leader
Jon Fowles and Daneille Hodges are certified dog trainers who have been working together providing dog training services since 2010. They have three Toronto Locations, Forest Hill at 949 Clair Avenue West, Roncesvalles at 263 Roncesvalles Avenue, and Leaside at 125 Brentcliffe Road. They teach group classes for puppies. “Puppy Pupils” is a foundational program where your puppy will learn the basics including sit, down, stand, polite leash walking, come, stay, and leave it. This 6-week course is $210. Their “Doggie Basics” course for mature dogs that have not previously taken training, focuses on the basics, and is 5 weeks long for $175. “Next Steps” is their intermediate course and allows canines and their owners to apply the skills they learned in “Puppy Pupils” and “Doggie Basics”. They also offer several Rally Obedience courses that are 7 weeks long at a cost of $276.85. Contact information can be found at http://www.followtheleaderinc.com/contact and you can register on line for classes at http://www.followtheleaderinc.com/registration.
8. Gemini K9 Obedience Inc.
Gemini K9 Obedience is located in the Toronto area at 643 McCowan Road, Scarborough, Ontario. Owner and trainer Christopher Rolow opened Gemini in 1996 and is a Professional Animal Behavior Associates member with experience in clicker/bridge training, operant conditioning, positive reinforcement, and target training. He attended Olympus Dog Training Academy where he studied Behavior Modification Training, Security/Law Enforcement, Personal Protection Dog Training, Schutzhund, Aggression Control, Agility, and Trick Training. He also attended Wellington County School for Dogs and Security where he gained experience with Full-suit Bite Training, Tracking and Scent Discrimination, Obedience and Protection. Gemini offers a private lesson, puppy pre-school program, for 3-4 month old canines where basic obedience command and manners are taught in a fun, but controlled environment.
The Puppy Intermediate class for 4-5 month olds provides more interaction with other dogs and distractions, and focuses on building confidence in a variety of situations, obedience commands, and resolving any issues that may be concerning you. Basic Obedience is for furry friends that are 6 months of age and older. In this class, your pooch will learn to respond to commands and you will learn to correct unwanted behavior and replace it with desirable behaviors. Private classes to address behavioral issues are available. Advanced Obedience training can be taught privately, or in a group setting and focuses on obedience while distractions are present, and team building between you and your dog. Other specialized trainings sessions available are trick training, competitive obedience, behavioral counselling, protection training, tracking and scent discrimination, and Schutzhund, a German program that combines and promotes working dog behaviors such as obedience, tracking, and behavior.
Check out their dog training programs.
9. Healthy Houndz Dog Services
Healthy Houndz offers in home training and board and training services at their 258 Haddington Avenue, Toronto, Ontario location. Trainer Karen Cohen is a professional dog trainer with Pet First Aid and CPR certifications and is fully insured and bonded. In home training services are available to teach obedience and new dog skills, general behavior, address aggression and fear issues, barking, separation anxiety, basic obedience and recall skills. Private coaching in your home involves you and your canine companion. A one hour session is $120 and begins with a 30-minute phone consultation to determine your needs, followed by a custom training program to address your concerns. Training materials are provided.
Busy at work during the day? Arrange for day training in your home while you are unavailable. A 30-minute home consultation is followed by a customized training program delivered by a trainer in your home while you are at work, ideal for busy pet parents. A minimum of 5 sessions is required at $120 per session. Going away? Arrange for their board and train service which usually takes place in 2-week time periods Your dog and receives care and training in a home environment, with a customized program to teach obedience, and address behaviors as required. The cost is $145 per day with a minimum 10 days stay. Register on line at https://0331healthyhoundz.petsoftware.net/clientportal/register or contact them at https://healthyhoundz.com/get-in-touch/
10. Captain K9
Specializing in canine raw food diets and dog training, Captain K9 provides behavioral training, security and defense training, obedience training and introductory training classes. The Captain K9 Puppy class addresses potty and crate training, home management, clicker and obedience training skills, socialization and desensitization. Training is provided in English and Chinese languages. Your puppy must be between 8 and 16 weeks to participate, and class is held once a week at their facility. The cost for 5 sessions is $199. Captain K9’s basic obedience class is for dogs 5 months of age and older, and focuses on building communication between you and your dog. You will learn the difference between handling and training, as well as leash communication and control, clicker conditioning, appropriate rewarding, and basic obedience commands. The cost for 7 sessions is $499. Advanced obedience training, behavioral training, competitive training, and protection training is also available. They are located at 2115 Midland Avenue, Unit 9, Toronto, Ontario. Contact information can be found at https://captaink9.ca/pages/contact-us.
11. Progressive K9
Progressive K9 works with dogs, predominantly in one-on one sessions, and uses their own dogs to provide distractions or when required to assist with aggression training. They use field tested techniques and operant conditioning methods customized to your dog’s unique training needs. Services provided include, obedience training, behavior modification, protection training, board and train programs, scent detection and discrimination, and the challenging Protection Sport Association training. Contact them by checking out their website at https://www.progressivek9gta.com. They are located at 23 Malley Road, Scarborough in the greater Toronto, Ontario area.
12. Calm and Balanced Canine Inc.
Calm and Balanced Canine Inc. focuses on natural leadership and communication to develop the relationship between you and your dog so you can “lead with confidence not dominance”. Their belief is that changing how you interact with your dog is the key to impacting your dog’s behavior positively. Learn the difference between a well-trained dog versus a well-behaved dog, leader versus dictator, rewards versus bribes, cooperation versus compliance, and socialization versus interaction. All therapy sessions are private. Phase 1 is recommended for puppies 8-16 weeks of age and consists of 5, 30 minute sessions for $270. Phase 2 provides basic skills and 5, 60-minute sessions, are provided at a cost of $540, and Phase 3 provides 5×90 minute session focusing on behavioral therapy at a cost of $810. At home sessions are available, and all canine participants must have up to date vaccinations. Check out their contact page at https://www.calmandbalancedcanine.com/contact/ to get in touch. They provide free consultations and they are located at 103 Rivalda Road, Toronto, Ontario.
13. Bark Busters In Home Dog Training
With 252 locations in 7 countries, 30 years of experience, and over 1 million dogs trained this in-home dog training service has a tried and true method of delivering effective training for your furry friend. Monica Simpson provides services in the Toronto, East York, Leaside, The Beaches, Don Mills, Willowdale, Forest Hill, and North York areas. You can arrange a session with her by calling the toll-free number at 1-866-418-4584. Their focus is on communication and they teach you to “speak dog”, rather than relying on your dog to understand “human”! They provide sessions for basic puppy training, leash training, barking, separation anxiety, aggressive dogs, jumping issues, general obedience training and more. Prices vary depending on your needs, but usually range from $595 o $895 for an initial lesson day which typically takes 2.5 to 3 hours, subsequent sessions, and a post training assessment.
14. Dog Gone Right
The Dog Gone Right Training Center is located at 3198 Danforth Avenue, east of Victoria Park, in Toronto, Ontario. Founded by owner, head trainer, and behavioral consultant, Margaret Pender in 2004, it began as an in home, private dog training business, and opened its brick and mortar location on Danforth in 2011. Also in 2011, Margaret became involved with certifying the Mini-Vet Campers Pet First Aid for 12-15 year old children and became head trainer for the Junior Dog Trainer Program at the Toronto Humane Society where 10-14 year olds learn how to work with shelter dogs. She provides obedience classes, pet first aid courses, agility classes Rally Obedience classes and Sport Scent Detection training. To check out her full list of services and prices check out the following link http://www.doggoneright.ca/classes.shtml. For available workshops click on http://www.doggoneright.ca/workshops.shtml. Their contact page can be found at http://www.doggoneright.ca/contact-us.shtml.
15. All About Dogs
Owner and trainer Renee DeVilliers started her company in 1996. She became a certified pet First Aid instruction in 1998 and has been training and competing in canine sport agility for over 13 years. She holds numerous certifications from the University of Guelph Continuing Education Program and is a long-standing member of Responsible Dog Owners of Canada, The Canadian Association of Pet Dog Trainers, The Canadian Kennel Club, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the Agility Association of Canada, Association of Pet Dog Training and the Canadian Association of Rally Obedience. She has also appeared on many TV shows as an expert in her field. Training services provided include obedience, behavior modification, scent detection, dog sport and agility, show handling, puppy classes, and Rally Obedience. Check out the following link for a full range of services, schedule, and pricing https://www.allaboutdogs.ca/what-we-offer/?v=7516fd43adaa.
Do you know of any other dog trainers in Toronto? Please tell us about them in the comments box below!
Laurie Haggart is a freelance writer living on a farm west of Edmonton, Alberta. She has previously worked as a veterinary assistant and currently writes pet-based web content. She enjoys rural life with her husband, grown children, dogs, cats, horses, beef cattle and one geriatric bunny rabbit!
