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.
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.
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.
Some of the skills we work on in the Unleashed Academy:
- Name recognition
- Greetings
- Coming when called/recall
- Focus on handler
- Loose leash walking, solo
- Loose leash walking, in a group
- Body handling
- Gearing up
- Vehicle experience, solo
- Vehicle experience, in a group
- Off-leash skills
- Appropriate dog-dog play
- Toy play
- Trading objects
- Drop it
- Leave it
- Door manners / Threshold
- Self-regulation
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 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 finetune and maintain core social and training skills through mindful management and supervision while maximizing their quality of life in the most enriching environments available in the city.
Tuition
The Academy
Tuesday/ Thursday schedule: $125 per day, up to 8 hrs. (One spot remaining).
Monday/ Wednesday / Friday schedule: $115 per day, up to 8 hrs. (Two spots remaining).
Car Service, optional
$15-35+ per trip
Our school year is split into 4 semesters and is designed as a long term program to support you and your dog for the journey of puppyhood through adolescence and adulthood. If you have a shorter term vision in mind, we have a minimum 3-month commitment required from all students; prepaid on the 1st of each month.
Minimum attendance is 2 days per week.
Special rates are available to students on a 4-5 day schedule.
Ready to live life Unleashed?
