THE ACADEMY
The Academy
Our signature program is a Montessori school setting designed to coach dogs through essential life skills in a full day of care. With a special focus on nature-based experiences, our days include training walks or off-leash hikes custom to each grade level.
Using positive reinforcement, intentional lessons are embedded throughout the day in the form of games, training sessions and thoughtful interactions led by our team of certified professional dog trainers. Our curriculum nurtures a range of social play, exploration, resilience, confidence, calmness and communication skills.
Our small class sizes and staff to student ratio are unrivaled in this unregulated industry. We work to understand and meet the individual needs of each dog while also supporting their growth with specific life skills so they gain the confidence and resiliance for navigating city life and also have the recall skills to explore in the wilderness.
Need more support?
Additional coaching is available to all Unleashed students through our private training and walk + train programs.
Car service is available to students in select neighbourhoods for convenient in-home pick up and drop off.
Having a long day? We have aftercare to support you.
Curriculum
Training plans are customized to each student based on their unique needs and family goals. We introduce pups to new scenarios in a safe and controlled environment, teaching them appropriate responses and looking for consistent signs of comfort and confidence.
Outdoor recreation and continuing education are a big part of our philosophy which is why your dog will practice their skills indoors as well as outdoors on field trips to continue to grow their skills in more distracting environments.
Our programs are developed for our members to be with us long term, to support you and your dog as they grow from puppyhood into adolescence and then into adulthood and beyond.
We adjust their programs as their needs change in each life stage and strategize to set dogs of all ages up for success so that they are with dogs in a curated friend group that works for their specific age, size, development level and needs.
Once your dog learns a new skills we continue to build it in new and different environments, then with distractions, then with distance and when applicable; with duration.
THE ACADEMY:
Some of the skills we work on in the Unleashed Academy:
- Focus + Attention
- Name recognition
- Building food and toy motivation in all different contexts and environments
- Greetings
- Recall/Coming when called
- Target work (Nose target, paw target etc)
- Settling
- Go to bed
- Loose leash walking, solo
- Loose leash walking, in a group
- Body handling, intro to animal husbandry
- Gearing up
- Vehicle experience, solo
- Vehicle experience, in a group
- Off-leash + trail skills
- Dog park skills
- Appropriate dog-dog play
- Toy play
- Trading objects
- Drop it
- Leave it
- Pattern games
- Dog Barkour
- Fitness + Wellness exercises
- Intro to cooperative care
- Door manners / Thresholds
- Self-regulation
- Neutrality to being with other dogs when needed (Ie/ rest time, other dog doesn't want to play, seeing dogs outside etc
- Neutrality to city life and novel objects (Ie/ bikes, cars, scooters, skateboards, strollers, streetcars, trucks, strangers, kids, baby toys etc)
- Tricks: over, under, through, spin, twirl, crawl, put your toys away etc
Other Academy activities:
- Obstacle courses
- Free shaping
- Scent games
- Foraging
- Dissecting/shredding
- Lick mats
- Frozen kongs
- Kong wobblers/treat dispensers
- Food puzzles
- Sniffaris
- Decompression walks
- Skill/confidence building walks to local businesses (Ie/ A bank, a pet food store, a clothing store, a coffee shop, outside of a grocery store etc)
Grade Levels
Internally, our dogs expand their skills through 3 grade levels that help us plan appropriate schedules and lessons that suit their stage of development and set them up for success.
Level 1
As new students are welcomed into the program, they’re paired with a dog trainer for 1:1 instruction on foundation behaviours and private, leashed walks in the neighbourhood. In this stage, we’re assessing where they need the most support in navigating city life and strategizing effective, fear-free lesson plans for their personality and learning style.
Level 2
At this point, we are seeing consistency and mastery of basic behaviours taught in Level 1 and can begin adding distance, duration and distraction to our exercises. Dogs start going on neighbourhood walks with a buddy, and work their way up through small group walks and car rides to a park or trail setting.
Level 3
Students at this stage have shown us they have the skills to navigate off-leash adventures, and now get to enjoy full length hikes at a forest or beach destination as part of their daily routine. They continue to fine tune and grow their training skills, maintain core social skills and meaningful friendships through mindful management and supervision while maximizing their quality of life in the most enriching environments available in the city.
Tuition
The Academy
8:30am-4:30pm, Montessori Dog Day school: Specialty Coaching + Private tutoring and training & Field trip depending on skill level.
School Cohorts:
Monday/Wednesday
Tuesday/ Thursday
Monday/Friday
Wednesday/Friday
Academy members have a reserved schedule of two days a week minimum which works out to between 8-10 days per month.
Monthly Tuition ranges from $1250-$2400 depending on your Dog’s reserved schedule, experience and development level.
Experienced Students (full year):
Payment plan A) Monthly: $1250/month x12
Payment plan B) Quarterly: $3500x 4
If you are interested in 3+ more days a week please let us know and we will go over your payment options.
New members require more support during their initial three month onboarding. We staff an extra Trainer to work with them to guide them through their Academy experience to grow their skills and integrate into their school cohort.
Payment plan A) Monthly: $1400/month x3
Payment plan B) Pay first 3 months up front: $4000
- After their initial 3 months of onboarding, Members that commit in three month semesters instead of the full school year remain at the $1400/month tuition.
- Dogs that need more one on one support after three months may require additional resources and custom fees depending on the dog's needs.
After Care for The Academy: $20 each half hour from 4:30-6pm.
This extra time is added convenience for pet parents or guardians who need to work longer and will arrive after our 3:30-4:30pm school pick up window.
Please let us know by 3pm if you would like aftercare for the day. It will be added automatically for any dog picked up past 4:35pm.
Our Car Service for The Academy has tiered pricing ranging from $17-37+/per trip, depending on how far away you live. This service may be added as part of your reserved schedule if needed. For last minute same day requests, they must be submitted by 8am and 2pm and approved by Kate. We do have service boundaries, if you are interested in this service, please inquire so we can go over options for you.
Ready to live life Unleashed?
