Mind Your
Manners
This class is for dogs 6 months and older who missed out on puppy class or older dogs that need to learn foundation behaviours.
About Mind Your Manners
Cost: $230 + GST
This class is for puppies six months and older who missed out on puppy class or older dogs that still need to learn foundation behaviours. This class is great preparation for our Advanced Foundations class. Your dog will learn foundation behaviours such as sit, down, touch, place, recall, loose leash walking, coming through the door calmly, leave it, and drop it. We’ll also incorporate trick training and discussions on common behaviour concerns.
This class is not set up for dogs to interact with one another. This is a class focused on teaching foundation behaviours within a minimally distracting environment to set learners up for success. Dogs may have visual access to the other dogs in class during the first 5-10 minutes of each session and potentially at one station per class at a distance, to ensure all participants remain calm enough to learn. To get the most out of this class we highly recommend viewing the orientation and resource page upon registration.
Join us for a fun, positive and Fear Free class!
Dogs must be comfortable around other people and animals. Guardians with fearful or anxious dogs require private training and this class is not suitable for their needs.
For this class, you’ll need to bring:
- a clicker
- 6ft leash
- harness or flat collar
- your dog’s favourite treats
- a “place” mat (a non-slip mat such as a yoga or bathmat)
Location: Companion Veterinary Clinic
Prerequisites: Dogs must be fully vaccinated, including against Bordetella.
What's Included?
4 Sessions
Mind Your Manners is 4 one-hour training sessions
Exclusive Resources
After registration, you'll receive exclusive access to online resources including, handouts, training videos and more!
Flipbooks
After each class, you'll receive a digital flipbook with handouts covering the discussions in class and step by step training videos
Private Training
Puppy class participants receive discounted private sessions for preventative behaviour concerns (for up to 6 months), and access to walk & train sessions
Frequently Asked Questions
No, dogs in this class are in view of each other at the beginning and end of each class, but are not encouraged to interact.
No, unfortunately we don’t offer make up classes. Each class has 4 stations set up (one for each dog), so we don’t have the space for an extra dog in a future session.
Thank you for your interest in taking Mind Your Manners! It is always exciting to see guardians who want to help their dogs build and improve their foundation behaviours.
It is important that we make sure all the dogs in a group session can handle the format of the class, so everyone can be safe and productive. Mind Your Manners is set up so that dogs can view each other in the same room during guardian discussions at the beginning and end of each class (there is no interaction, but they will be in the same room as other dogs). During these class discussions (while dogs are leashed, but in view of each other), we recommend that everyone bring a prepared lickimat with peanut butter or canned food to use as a distraction. For the rest of the class time, you and your dog will be moved from station to station throughout the class and typically only see others “in passing”.
When you arrive, the lobby will be set up with one dog (and their guardian) in each corner of the room on a station mat, licking a likimat before class begins. Then, we split everyone up into different stations around the clinic (exam room, treatment room, lobby, etc.) and rotate everyone through each station. So, while there will be no interaction between dogs during the session, there will be times when you might pass each other in a hallway or practice behaviours in full view of other dogs and guardians, and of course during the discussions at the beginning and end.
You can see how this format may not work well for dogs who are leash reactive or uncomfortable around other dogs and/or people. It could be too distracting an environment for your dog to be successful and allow the success of others, and if you suspect this might be the case with your dog we strongly encourage private sessions instead. If you’re not sure how your dog would handle this class, you could set up a similar scenario by taking them to a pet store with a prepared lickimat and see if they are calm enough to relax and enjoy it with people and pets in view.
If you receive this message or the button is greyed out while trying to register it means that the next class is currently full. Classes typically run monthly, and sometimes if we get enough people on the waitlist, we’ll add extra sessions. Email us to join the waitlist!
The maximum number of dogs for this class is 4.
Yes! We believe that training should involve the whole family, and your children are welcome to attend with you. Our class is set up with stations around the clinic, and there are a couple of stations in exam rooms, so depending on the size of your family, it may feel a bit cramped.