"We attended Janet's 'Clever Canine' class with our 9–10 month old lab. X. Janet has a great personality for dog/owner training. She's very informative, thorough, humourous, interested in individual problems and solving them. We used clicker training which worked well and covered alot of ground, such as sit, stay, come, down, walking on a loose leash and leave-it. Punishment is never used, only lots of praise. We got written instructions after each class for homework, along with other literature about dog training, learning-games, treat recipes and recommended reading. It was a very enjoyable time for us and our dog. Thank you Janet."

–S. and B. Williams–
puppy classes and dog obedience classes in Victoria BC

Our Classes

We offer classes for precocious puppies, out-of-control adolescents & adults (newly adopted or needing a refresher course).

 

At Clever Canine the focus is on providing the best Victoria has to offer in pet dog training.

Puppy Head-Start Program: for puppies ages 9 to 17 weeks old at the start of class

What your puppy learns between birth and 17 weeks of age is going to play a major role in what kind of adult dog you have. The dog who loves everyone and everything or the dog that startles at the sight of a man in a hat... it all begins right here and now! Get a Head-Start on being the envy of the neighbourhood.

The focus of this course is socialization but you will also get the latest information on puppy biting, housetraining, destructive chewing, jumping, barking and any other typical puppy problem that arises. As a bonus you’ll also teach your puppy how to sit, down and stay; come when called (even from playmates); and walk nicely on a leash.

See the Puppy Class schedule here.

 

The Fundamentals: for puppies and dogs 18 weeks of age and over

In this six week course for teenagers and adults we use only the latest and most effective training methods.

You’ll learn how to teach your dog to:

You’ll also get the most current information for fixing nuisance behaviours like:

See the Fundamentals Class Schedule here.

Out & About: for graduates of The Fundamentals

Is your dog better behaved at home than he is in public? Would you like to be able to take your dog with you when you're out and about? This is the class for you!

We meet at various locations throughout Victoria each week and work on common, everyday situations in public. This is training for the real world, out in the real world of parks, malls and city streets.

See the Out & About Class Schedule here.

Love-to-Heel: for dogs over 5 months of age

Offered occasionally from April through September.

This is a 5 week course devoted to the art of heeling. We’ll focus on effective teamwork between you and your dog. Heeling doesn’t have to be boring or difficult for dogs (or people!) and it can be a very useful skill, even if you think you never want to go into an obedience ring. You’ll teach your dog to heel with confidence and attitude and the techniques of positive proofing will help improve your dog’s attention to you.

This class is for you if you’re interested in