Smart Dog Training

Smart Dog Training Train with your brain, not pain! Humane, science-based training and behaviour modification for your Serving Victoria since 2004.
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Over 10 classes a week in downtown Victoria as well as Day Training services and agility in North Saanich. We specialize in foun­da­tion train­ing for pup­pies or older res­cues and in urban dog enrich­ment. We have an excel­lent track record help­ing pup­pies and shy dogs be braver, help­ing impul­sive dogs achieve self con­trol, and giv­ing own­ers the tools they need to train as pro­fes­sion­al

s would, all in a respect­ful, fun, and chal­leng­ing envi­ron­ment. Our staff have exper­tise both in teach­ing dogs and in coach­ing peo­ple; no ques­tion is too silly, no puppy too zoomy, no res­cue too shy or too rowdy! Classes in downtown Victoria

With over a dozen classes a week, the majority in downtown Victoria Smart Dog Train­ing spe­cial­izes in coach­ing peo­ple and their dogs. Our lead train­ers hold CPDTs and our staff have degrees in edu­ca­tion, sci­ence and com­mu­ni­ca­tions. We com­bine our strengths to give you and your dog the best pos­si­ble expe­ri­ence.

Crysta, 5.5 months old, showing off her Sit Challenge ribbon from Basic Puppy Class. Crysta will be starting in the Inte...
11/13/2024

Crysta, 5.5 months old, showing off her Sit Challenge ribbon from Basic Puppy Class. Crysta will be starting in the Intermediate level next week! Good job, Crysta!

Handsome Smokey (a 6 month old BC SPCA resuce pup), chilling in our Basic Training class. Over the course of this class,...
11/06/2024

Handsome Smokey (a 6 month old BC SPCA resuce pup), chilling in our Basic Training class. Over the course of this class, Smokey has learned to LOVE his mat. He will happily settle on it anywhere, and we need to put it away when trying to train other things as he already has such a high value for lying calmly on his mat!

🎉 We’re excited to announce that we have successfully renewed our Animal Kind Certification! 🐾This achievement reflects ...
11/06/2024

🎉 We’re excited to announce that we have successfully renewed our Animal Kind Certification! 🐾
This achievement reflects our commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality care and upholding the highest standards for animal welfare. Thank you to our wonderful team and supporters who make this possible every day. Let’s continue to make a difference together! 💙
https://animalkind.ca

🐶🎄 SmartDog Winter Workshops🎄🎅Give your dog a present they will never forget… training and time with you in a fun short ...
11/04/2024

🐶🎄 SmartDog Winter Workshops🎄🎅
Give your dog a present they will never forget… training and time with you in a fun short class!
Sign up here:
Nov 13 & 20 at 6pm, 1415 McTavish Road: I Chooses You:($120)
https://smartdogtraining.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?schedule=1279
Nov 27 & Dec 4 at 6pm, 1415 McTavish Road: Cool Tricks:($120)
https://smartdogtraining.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?schedule=1280
Dec 11 at 6pm, 1415 McTavish Road: Impulse Control:($60)
https://smartdogtraining.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?schedule=1281

Is your dog celebrating Halloween with you this year? Instead of "trick or treat", in our house we call this "trick FOR ...
10/30/2024

Is your dog celebrating Halloween with you this year? Instead of "trick or treat", in our house we call this "trick FOR treats"! Do you have a cute doggy costume photo or trick photo to share with us?

https://www.facebook.com/100063621697696/posts/822729489857767/
10/30/2024

https://www.facebook.com/100063621697696/posts/822729489857767/

Halloween can be such a fun event for us humans and some pups like getting dressed up to get all the attention.

However many dogs do get spooked on Halloween night and go missing. Let's try to help our dogs feel comfortable and keep them safe at home.

Here are just a few tips to keep your dogs safe on Halloween night.

Have fun and stay safe this Tuesday!

Rainy season has officially arrived! Read below about some helpful house training tips this time of year.https://www.fac...
10/19/2024

Rainy season has officially arrived! Read below about some helpful house training tips this time of year.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/jBszHdxwMrjq2X2y/

Housetraining in the rain! Let me ask you a question: Would you rather go to the bathroom in a warm, dry, convenient location, or a cold, wet, inconvenient location?

If we want to teach our dogs to choose a cold, wet, inconvenient location, we need to make it worth their while. Humans, this means that when your pup is working on house training, you need to to outside with them. Bring high-value, tasty treats to reinforce them for going in the location you prefer.

This usually only lasts a few weeks and then the habit is formed and the treats can go away. While you're helping your pup build their bathroom habits, get them outside frequently and be consistent with the yummy food reinforcement!

Stewey practising the Stay. Stewey is an almost two-year-old pup who recently came into his owner's care. Our Basic Clas...
10/16/2024

Stewey practising the Stay. Stewey is an almost two-year-old pup who recently came into his owner's care. Our Basic Class is also great for older dogs who are new to their families!

10/02/2024

Wintrow (15 weeks old) learning to be comfortable with brushing in our basic training class. Over the past week, his person started with just touching his body with her hand, then progressed to a single brush stroke, then multiple brush strokes. Good job, Team Wintrow!

So many people to thank and congratulate for our Back to Cool AAC trial wrap up. Big Thanks to Tracey Mallinson and Chr...
09/23/2024

So many people to thank and congratulate for our Back to Cool AAC trial wrap up. Big Thanks to Tracey Mallinson and Chris Elias for giving us the super fun courses to play on and being so encouraging and setting the tone for 'going for it' and having fun. Also big thanks to the many people who always help up out in so many silent and on going ways. It literally could not be one without you. Especially to the set up and take down folks.. I think for the set up i can start assuming people will be there and not making people come too early..😊 Thanks also to the new faces trying out different volunteering roles and also for some people doing just a few more rounds of volunteering. It is deeply appreciated!

Along side of our many many titles and brags I wanted to give a big shout out to Karen Kelly and Blaze and Camille Lucas and Finnegan for winning the Cueing Prize. This prize might need a better name because it is a result of such clear communication between handler and dog and it makes for those memorable runs for both the handlers and the watchers that we never care if a bar tips or somehow the Q is not recieved... It is hopefully why play agility.. . Well done you two. Finally there are those brags and titles of specific milestones in the AAC that we acknowledged as well:

Diane Morrison and Timber - Masters Jumper Dog of Canada and Agility Trial
Champion of Canada

Rosalind Coleman and Gwen - Masters Agility Dog of Canada (August) and
Masters Snooker Dog of Canada (May)

Karen Kelley and Blue - Expert Gold Jumpers (from August trial)

Patrice Abbott and Koa - Agility Dog of Canada

Jacqui Loughton and Wednesday - Agility Dog of Canada

Heather Bogdan and Pippin - Starters Games Dog of Canada

Ray Bronson and Kai - Starters Games Dog of Canada

Donna Romain and S'Miles - Masters Snooker Dog of Canada

09/10/2024
Remember to meet your dog where they are at during your training journey. Going back a step or two from where your dog o...
09/10/2024

Remember to meet your dog where they are at during your training journey. Going back a step or two from where your dog once was at is ok! You will get back to where you were in training. It's never a straight line to success. Give yourself and your dog some credit 😉

Address

1415 McTavish Road
Victoria, BC
V8L5T3

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 12:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 12:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 12:30pm
Thursday 9am - 12:30pm
Friday 9am - 12:30pm

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Videos

Training can be full of fun times!

Wintrow (15 weeks old) learning to be comfortable with brushing in our basic training class. Over the past week, his person started with just touching his body with her hand, then progressed to a single brush stroke, then multiple brush strokes. Good job, Team Wintrow!

Our classes are so much more then basic obedience. We help you understand your dog and their needs. Sign up for classes here https://smartdogtraining.dogbizpro.com/Public/Registration/Index.aspx

Loki (9 months old) practising recall off a high-level distraction in our Intermediate Class. He's fully engaged in playing with a toy, and can still recall immediately. Recall off playing with a toy is a step towards recall off playing with another dog, and Loki is well on his way! What I also love in this video is that after his recall, his person offers him different reinforcement options. When it's clear that he prefers food over toy play, she drops the toy and goes right back to food. Recall can save a dog's life, and we need to make sure that what we're offering for a recall is the thing the dog truly wants. Great job, team Loki!

If your pup loves toys, they can be used to reinforce behaviour instead of food. Mango thinks toys are great reinforcement!

That's a wrap folks.. made in the shade AAC trial was definitely part sun, part shade and part lightning - in the sky and on courses. Big thank you to Ivy Marie and Anna Lupacchino for keeping us thinking, learning and stringing some brilliant moments together!! Your courses were fun, your company lovely and your wisdom and humour much appreciated. Brags and titles to come tomorrow or Tuesday. As many of you know life gets in the way sometimes... we missed Margaret a lot, and hope you are recovering well Margaret Parkinson. People came forward in ways that were so inspired.. I know life is getting in the way for many of you too.. So many things to do and yet you still find a way to show up.. Thank you old friends and new ones too. I am deeply honoured to know so many thoughtful, hard working and fun people. Swift my new puppy survived her health scare and despite my lack of sleep Saturday night and concern for her Sunday the trial finished successfully and early. Thanks again so much for the extra hands at the end of the day. You people get stuff done!! We didn't quite get as many photos as sometimes but i do have a little video of a very few snippets of what i get up to on a typical Friday morning before a trial. .. I always hope the footing, the courses, the light is as good as it can be for you and your fur friends.

We finished Intermediate Class with some dog tricks! This is Loki learning how to spin. See the comments for a video of Griffin learning how to weave legs. Training should be fun, not just a chore. Teaching tricks to your dog is one more way to engage them and have fun with them!

Ode recently had an eye infection and needed eye drops every 8 hours. With time and patience, it's possible to teach a dog to willingly accept necessary care. Ode now sits calmly through the procedure and gets a yummy food reward!

Weekend reminder to let your dogs have moments to slow down, sniff and explore their surroundings. It's good for all of us to slow down and take it all in.

Indy (4.5 months old) practicing a beginner's recall. We sometimes call this the Kindergarten Recall because it takes time and scaffolding of the training to build up to a University Recall (recall out of playing with other dogs or in another scenario that the dog finds exciting). Kindergarten Recalls are easy, short successes where the dog comes running full speed when called, in a location with very little distraction. Indy is well on his way to graduating to Elementary School Recalls, which we'll start in class next week!

We like to tire out our puppies before work shifts. A nice walk, some training and then we didn't want her to sleep before we were ready to work so I call this 'tired puppy with blueberry'. What have you done to keep a puppy awake a little longer?

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Over 10 classes a week in downtown Victoria as well as Day Training services and agility in North Saanich. We specialize in foun­da­tion train­ing for pup­pies or older res­cues and in urban dog enrich­ment. We have an excel­lent track record help­ing pup­pies and shy dogs be braver, help­ing impul­sive dogs achieve self con­trol, and giv­ing own­ers the tools they need to train as pro­fes­sion­als would, all in a respect­ful, fun, and chal­leng­ing envi­ron­ment. Our staff have exper­tise both in teach­ing dogs and in coach­ing peo­ple; no ques­tion is too silly, no puppy too zoomy, no res­cue too shy or too rowdy! Classes in downtown Victoria With over a dozen classes a week, the majority in downtown Victoria Smart Dog Train­ing spe­cial­izes in coach­ing peo­ple and their dogs. Our lead train­ers hold Certifications in Dog Training and owner Sherry Antonishen is a Certified Behaviour Consultant for Canines. Our staff also have degrees in edu­ca­tion, sci­ence and com­mu­ni­ca­tions. We com­bine our strengths to give you and your dog the best pos­si­ble expe­ri­ence. Serving Victoria since 2004.

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