SmartPuppy Classes ONLINE + IN-PERSON test

SmartPuppy Online Classes

Our online classes are offered via two-way video conferencing with the same great curriculum and the same high student-to-instructor ratio as our in-person classes. You will have individual coaching in break-out rooms to work on exercises and get immediate feedback.

You will attend online classes from the convenience of your home, which offers the following benefits:

Fewer distractions for your puppy – it is much easier for your puppy to focus on learning!
Your entire family can attend and learn together.
You are in a real-life environment for training.

We offer critical in-person socialization sessions as a complement to our online classes.

If you already have an account you can sign in here:

View Our Course Calendar

SmartPuppy Socialization and In-Person Classes

We aim to be compliant with the guidance provided by the BC government, Dr. Bonnie Henry and WorkSafe BC. As such our puppy socialization sessions and in-person classes:

Are held at our McTavish location which offers fully fenced outdoor play areas and large, well-ventilated, open air barns. Bay doors and two other doors open. Full wall length open roof vents on both sides. Dress warm!!
Have a maximum of six puppies per class.
Maintain physical distancing between the humans and hand sanitizer supplied.

Effective September 2021, we are pleased to also offer some in-person classes at the Victoria branch of the SPCA at 3150 Napier Lane. Masks are optional at this location. Please do not attend the class if you have any symptoms of Covid-19.

Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, Smart Dog Training cannot guarantee provision of in-person classes. If an instructor is sick and/or has to self-isolate, or if additional restrictions are required so that we cannot safely offer in-person classes, Smart Dog Training, at its sole discretion, will offer one or more of the classes in a session online and there will be no refund if this change is made on or after the date of the first class.

SmartPuppy Online vs In-Person Classes – How to Choose

Please be aware that you cannot switch classes once you have started. Many people think they may prefer working in-person with a trainer, but most dogs learn better at home in a calmer, less-distracting environment.

Online classes will be a better fit for your dog if he or she:

Gets overexcited in the presence of people, other dogs, or in new environments.
Is fearful or nervous around other people, dogs or new environments.
Won’t take food from you or focus on you around other dogs or new environments.
Can’t settle calmly in a distracting environment. (Food chews and stuffed Kongs can help with this, but your dog will need to be able to settle and focus on their chew for extended periods of time.)

Find out what people are saying about online classes

SmartPuppy Classes

SmartPuppy Basic (Level 1) 6 week course – online & in-person

Basic obedience, and common strategies for puppy biting and chewing, jumping up, barking, and pulling on the leash. Basic obedience includes: sitting and lying down; puppy recall, leash walking and stay foundations; learning to settle on a dog bed, or in a crate.

We also cover basic handling such as teaching your puppy to cooperate with nail trims and other forms of care. Curriculum developed by certified behaviour consultant and certified professional dog trainers. Prevent problems before they start with SmartDog Training.

Please contact the office to be put on a waitlist if the class you are looking for is not available for registration

SmartPuppy Socialization (Basic Class Add-On)

Puppy socialization at our McTavish location. Join our certified behaviour consultant with 20 years experience in dog behaviour. Learn canine body language and how to help your puppy excel at reading other dogs.

Outdoors in a large, fully-fenced play area or indoors in covered barn (weather depending)
critical natural grass spaces for calming and decompressing between plays
learn dog body language and what your puppy is communicating
Small groups
One owner per puppy
practise knowing when to leave a play session and why
Social distancing will be maintained and humans will not need to touch anything entering or exiting the location

For puppies 9 – 17 weeks old as long as they have had at least their first set of vaccinations. More guided socialization (play time!) for your puppy! Also includes socialization with people. Recommended for all young puppies, and especially for those who are quieter or shyer.

SmartPuppy Sport Foundations

This 6 week course prepares your puppy for the incredible world of dog sports. Imagine a puppy that can settle in a crate, learn to use its body safely and creatively, retrieve a toy with enthusiasm and work through training questions with confidence! And when behaviour bumps invariably pop up, you have some tools to asses and direct those issues before they spiral out of control. Sounds like its not just for sport dogs!!

Join Certified Behaviour Consultant and agility competitor Sherry Antonishen and Certified Updog Judge and Disc competitor Erin Lucier for 6 weeks of foundations that could last a lifetime.

SmartDog Intermediate & Advanced Classes

SmartDog Intermediate (Level 2)

For dogs who have completed SmartDog Basic or SmartPuppy Basic. Build on skills you learned in the basic level with added distractions. Lots of work on coming when called and working at a greater distance. Also continue to build on the stay and your dog’s ability to settle on a mat, dog bed, or crate. You will learn how to deal with mistakes your dog makes when training, and how to build stronger responses from your dog using less reinforcement.

SmartDog Outdoor Advanced (Level 3)

For dogs who have completed SmartDog Intermediate. Take your dog’s training outside on five fully fenced acres of varied terrain in North Saanich! Practise your dog’s skills with both staged and real-life distractions. This class has a lot of recall (coming when called), including recall off playing with other dogs. This class requires pre-approval by trainer.

Refund Policy: As our class numbers are limited, if you choose to cancel your spot in the class we require 72 hours notice for a full refund, 48 hours for 50% refund. There will be no refunds given if cancellation happens once the class starts, though we will do our best to get you into make-up classes or switch your time if we can do so with no financial loss.

Is My Dog a Good Fit for In-Person Classes?