Dog Training Tips for Toronto Dog Owners
Browse our library of actionable dog & puppy training articles
Actionable advice for Toronto Dog Owners
Five Tips to Keep Your Dog Exercised and Enriched When It’s Freezing Outside
As a dog guardian, you know how important exercise and mental stimulation are for your furry friend. But what do you do when the weather outside is frightful? Keeping your dog active and engaged during the cold months can be challenging, but it's not impossible. Here...
Scary or Supportive? Puppy Socialization Done Right
Am I doing it right? Everybody that gets a new puppy has one thing at the top of their mind: socialization. But what IS it? HOW do you do it? WHEN should you start? What is socialization? From Oxford Languages: the activity of mixing socially with others.the process...
My Dog is Bored and is Driving Me Crazy – Enrichment During Social Distancing / COVID-19
By Dr. Sarah Shapiro-Ward Enrichment describes all the activities our dogs do which fulfill their mental, social and physical needs. Toronto dogs are typically accustomed to getting their social time through daycare, dog walkers, playdates and dog parks. Physical...
Is my dog playing, bullying, or fighting?
In our Puppy Socialization classes, one of the lessons we try to teach new puppy owners is how to recognize the signs of appropriate and healthy play between dogs. On one hand, we have some owners that are "helicopter parents" and at the onset of anything more...
New Puppy Help! Expert Advice from When Hounds Fly Dog Training
Congratulations on your new addition! Bringing home a new puppy is a big event and it’s your job to raise them to be confident and successful in the world. Having helped over 12,000 dogs (and their owners) since 2010, we’ve been asked a lot of questions from new puppy...
3 Tips for Success with Headcollars for your Dog
3 Tips for Success with Headcollars for your Dog Why use a Headcollar? A dog headcollar is a valuable tool for handlers with strong dogs, offering leverage and control. If you have a very strong dog, and you or the dog's handler is not very strong or stable, a head...
How to Stop Your Dog from Digging in the Yard
As springtime blossoms, garden enthusiasts and lawn lovers are eagerly planning to bring their outdoor spaces to life. However, dog owners face a unique challenge: their beloved pets might see the freshly turned soil as an irresistible playground. If your dog has a...
How to Successfully Trim Your Dog’s Nails: A Step-by-Step Guide
Nail trimming is an essential part of dog care, yet it can be a daunting task for both pet and pet parent, especially if your dog has a history of discomfort or fear associated with it. Keeping your dog's nails short is crucial for their overall health and mobility,...
Understanding Your Dog’s World: Preparing for a New Baby
Welcoming a new baby into your home is a life-changing event, not just for you but for your dog as well. As your family grows, your dog will face adjustments to new sounds, sights, and routines. Understanding these changes from your dog's perspective is crucial for...
That Time I Sent My Parent’s Dog to a Choke Chain Trainer
When I was a new dog owner, I thought all training was positive reinforcement based and I had never heard of or seen aversive training techniques. My parents, who lived in the Vancouver area at the time, were eager to adopt a Beagle mix named Cooper. To ensure a...
How to Keep Your Dog Safe from Aggressive Dogs
By Andre Yeu, Founder, When Hounds Fly In light of a recent article from the Toronto Star about the distribution of aggressive dogs in Toronto, many dog owners are increasingly concerned about safety during their daily walks. The Star provided a breakdown of breeds...
My Friendly Dog is Now Reactive! Help
By Rachael Johnston, KPA CTP As someone who works a lot with dogs and humans in the context of private lessons I commonly hear this story from many a confused and exasperated client: “My energetic puppy used to be friendly to all the dogs he met but now that he is a...
The Secret to Helping Your Reactive Dog
Written by Rachael Johnston, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, Family Paws Educator If you are the owner of a leash reactive dog, you are not alone! In fact, many dog guardians in Toronto struggle with leash reactivity in their dogs. It is certainly not an uncommon sight in your...
Why We Refuse to Board and Train
Just this month I was asked by two people (a fellow Karen Pryor Academy trainer, and a Toronto veterinarian) whether I do board and train or whether I had referrals for trainers that did. My response to them was this: "Most board and train facilities are terrible and...
If Not You, Then Who?
Dear Dog Training Professional: If I know you're good, you've gotten referrals from me. I don't travel far to see clients, and neither do the other trainers here. My general rule of thumb is, if I can't bike there in 20 minutes from one of our locations, then it's too...
Markham Classes Now Available – Starting October 5
Markham Dog Parents! When Hounds Fly is Here! We’re thrilled to announce that When Hounds Fly is finally offering dog training in Markham, in partnership with The Paw Social, Markham’s premiere home-style dog daycare! Ready to build a strong bond with...
July 2024 Promotion – Exclusive Savings (50%) on Online Courses
Buy $30 Get $30 in July Online Course Sale For the entire month of July, When Hounds Fly and Fetchy are thrilled to offer an incredible promotion that you won't want to miss! All Online Courses Now $30 (or less!)Get access to our self-paced online dog training...
May 2024 Promotion – BOGO on Puppy Socials (16-24 Weeks)
Puppy Parents! May Promotion: BOGO on Puppy Socials (16-24 weeks) Don’t miss out! If you are a new puppy parent with a puppy that’s between 4 to 6 months, take advantage of our BOGO deal on Puppy Socials at all When Hounds Fly locations. Dog parks are hit and miss,...
Understanding Your Dog’s World: Preparing for a New Baby
Welcoming a new baby into your home is a life-changing event, not just for you but for your dog as well. As your family grows, your dog will face adjustments to new sounds, sights, and routines. Understanding these changes from your dog's perspective is crucial for...
Five Tips to Keep Your Dog Exercised and Enriched When It’s Freezing Outside
As a dog guardian, you know how important exercise and mental stimulation are for your furry friend. But what do you do when the weather outside is frightful? Keeping your dog active and engaged during the cold months can be challenging, but it's not impossible. Here...
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When Hounds Fly is proud to have the largest number of Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partners (KPA CTPs) and Certified Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT-KAs) on staff of any training organization in Canada.
You can count on us to deliver
Training You’ll Feel Good About – A Commitment to Positive Reinforcement
Positive Reinforcement methods are the most effective way to change behaviour, and make the learner (both human and dog!) feel supported and have a fun and enjoyable time learning.
An Experience Both You and Your Dog Will Enjoy
Every time you train this way with your dog, they’ll light up and come to you with this look of eagerness, joy, and anticipation. Working with us means that training changes from something you do to your dog – into an activity that you and your dog can’t wait for. The connection you build with your dog through our training methods is something that you have to experience.
In Your Neighbourhood, When You Need Us
We believe every dog (and their owners) should benefit from socialization and training as part of their health and wellness. We’re in convenient locations, with classes nearly every day of the week, at convenient times. To keep you from waiting too long, our core classes are “Start Anytime”, so enrollment is on-going. For private lessons, we continue to grow our team (currently over 12 instructors) so you can see us as quickly as possible.