Classes
What your dog wants most is to spend time with YOU. When you make the time to learn something new or take a class with them, you increase your bond, help to build their confidence and burn off mental and physical energy.
At Hound Sense, we offer a wide range of different classes and programs, all of which are positive, humane and canine-friendly. They are designed to be fun and educational for both dog and owner. We welcome and encourage the whole family to attend classes.
UPCOMING Fall 2023 Classes / Programs
Agility – starts Sun Oct 22nd
Brain Games – starts Sun Oct 22nd
Obedience – starts Sun Oct 22nd
Nosework level 1 – starts Tues Oct 24th in Devon
Nosework level 1 – starts Wed Oct 25 in St. Albert
Nosework level 2 – starts Tues Oct 24th in Devon
Treibball level 1 – starts Sun Oct 22nd
Hound Sense will continue to offer the New Puppy/Dog Program and the Keeping Your Dog Busy Program on-line via video sessions.
For more information, please call or email.
Devon classes are held at the Dog Shoppe 36 Exploration Drive in Devon.
St. Albert classes are held at Mr. Pet’s 580 St. Albert Trail.
FUNCTIONAL 
OBEDIENCE
In our Functional Obedience classes, we begin to develop a language that both you and your dog can understand.
LEVEL ONE
Sept – July 6 weeks – $265
Level One is a beginning class and we cover a wide range of things: the foundation of manners and obedience, socialization, social skills with both dogs and humans, basic canine behaviour and communication, how to prevent and manage undesireable behaviour, how to deal with specific issues. We cover the Big 6 of basic obedience – come, sit, stay, down, walk nicely and stand as well as a variety of more “functional” commands such as leave it, drop it, move, etc, etc, etc.
This class is for young dogs, dogs that are new to the household, or dogs that need a refresher. Puppies may attend this class once they have had their 2nd set of shots.
LEVEL TWO
Sept – July 6 weeks – $265
Level Two is for dogs who already have the basics of obedience. In this class we build on basic skills and work on more advanced obedience skills incorporating duration, distance and distractions. Also included are signal and vocal commands, off leash control, strategies for dealing with any issues that participants may be having and more.
AGILITY
Sept – June 7 wks – $295
A wonderful, fast-paced sport for you and your dog. The dog will learn to master an obstacle course that includes jumps, tunnels, weave poles, teeter totter, a-frame, dog walk and more. You will learn how to guide your dog through the course.
Pre-requisites: dogs must be at least one year old and have basic obedience skills
NOSEWORK
Sept to Apr 6/7 wks – $295.00
Nosework is a class that dogs love! It is a low impact activity that is tremendous fun. It is basic scent detection training for your dog and allows them to combine their amazing sense of smell with their love of performing a task. We teach the dogs to identify a specific scent, to locate the scent and then tell us that they have found it. As the dogs gain experience we ask them to begin to recognize additional scents and to discriminate between different scents. Nosework is an excellent class for dogs that are older, or have mobility issues, are a bit shy or have not been socialized well. It is also a great class for dogs that have alot of energy – using their nose requires a great deal of effort and it is one of the best ways to tire them out.
Dogs should have basic obedience.
BRAIN GAMES & COGNITION
5 wks – $295
Can your dog differentiate between a square and a circle?
Will they imitate what they saw you do…..on cue?
Is your dog right or left pawed, or are they ambilateral?
Recent advances in our understanding of canine cognition have shown that your dog’s brain is capable of a lot more than you might think. They can reason, make inferences, make choices, follow gestural communication, do shape and colour and object discrimination, imitate you and much more.
Through a series of simple, fun games and activities, this class looks at your dog’s cognitive potential and you will be absolutely amazed at their ability to grasp and apply concepts far beyond what we usually ask them to do.
TRACKING
Apr – Sept
Level 1- 7 wks – $325 Level 2: 6-9 wks – $280 – 350
Tracking is one of the most interesting and enjoyable activities that you can do with your dog. They are natural trackers and tracking is something that they were born to do. In this class, we learn how to direct this natural ability to follow a specific track to find someone or something. Classes are held in different locations in the Edmonton area each week.
Tracking is very tiring for your dog
a tired dog = a happy owner!
TRICKS & TREATS
Sept – June 6 wk class-$265 OR 3 hr Workshop $185
Expand your dog’s repertoire by teaching them different tricks from the useful to the cute to the entertaining. In this class, your dog will learn to crawl, roll-over, catch a treat from their nose, bring you your slippers and much more.
Included in the class is an introduction to “Do As I Do” – a fascinating training technique which uses the social learning and imitation abilities of dogs in order to teach them new skills. Pre-requisites: dogs must have basic obedience skills
WALKING WORKSHOP 
4.5 hr workshop – $265.00
Do you wish that your dog would walk nicely & be well-behaved while out walking?
In this intensive workshop, our goal is to help you turn your walk into a pleasant experience rather than an exercise in frustration. You will learn different tools and techniques that will help you take control of your walks and teach your dog to walk nicely with you. If your dog is reactive, we teach both of you how to understand, manage and control that reactivity.
OUT & ABOUT
April to September $40/class
Have you ever taken your dog to Jackie Parker Park? to the University? to old Strathcona?
Dogs are very curious and love to explore new places. We owners are sometimes nervous to take our dogs to new places as we are not sure how they will behave. Our Out & About program is designed to help your dog develop proper etiquette and polite behaviour outside of a classroom or your home.
The sessions take us all over the Edmonton Capital Region and are a wonderful way for both you and your dog to experience different places, people and things.
INTRODUCTION TO TREIBBALL
level 1 – 6 wk class-$295 level 2 – 5/6 wk class – $280
Treibball – urban herding or herding with balls, is a dog sport for dogs of any breed, age or size. In the game, the dog works with the handler in order to use their nose or shoulders to drive balls into a goal, in a certain order, within a certain time limit.
It is a low impact activity for both dog and handler that is played with the dog working off leash. It involves learning target training, directional or herding cues. Benefits include building your dog’s attention, better off-leash skills and strengthening the bond and your working relationship.
Dogs should have basic obedience in order to participate.
Training Tips
What you allow your dog to do,
you are training them to do.
Just like us humans, each dog will learn at their own pace. Some will pick things up more quickly than others.
Always set them up to be successful.
Do not be afraid to take a step back in training if necessary.
If you want your dog to do something, use their name.
If you want them to stay in place, do not use their name.
Lower pitch sounds cause your dog to slow down or stop
Learning is hard work – fun, challenging and stressful.
When you are patient, consistent, sincere and enthusiastic, your dog will be more motivated to respond.
Always work obedience commands into your daily routine, walks and playtime.
This helps your dog learn faster and teaches them that they need to “perform” no matter where you are, or what you’re doing.
REMEMBER:
A well trained dog does not happen by accident,
nor does it happen overnight.