Puppy Essentials is anyone with a puppy between the ages of 8 and 15 weeks.

Please note that to attend Puppy Essentials In-Person, puppies must be a minimum of 10 weeks of age due to vaccination safety requirements.

Yes! This is what is truly special about our programs! When you attend classes in person, you'll get to know your consistent Instructors during class each week. Ask questions and get support in real time as you learn and work on the program skills.

I bet you're thinking online will be different. Well, think again! When you attend Puppy Essentials Online, you'll get access to trainers 6 days a week to ask questions. You can email, post questions in the support group, and even submit videos of your training. Your Instructors will provide detailed feedback. In addition to the video lessons, you’ll get to attend weekly coaching calls where we talk about important topics like nipping, barking and how to capture good behaviour. If you can’t make it live, watch the recording later. Take advantage of 4-months of the previous live lessons which are available for your learning!

With all of this, whether you train with us online or in person, you’ll never feel alone!

Whether you choose Puppy Essentials in-person or online, you'll get high-quality instructions and support from our expert team of trainers.

Both programs provide detailed written instructions to supplement your live or recorded demonstrations. You’ll have access to loads of supplemental video content, including repeated instruction, real-life training examples and recorded classes.

The biggest benefit of training with McCann Dogs is the collective decades of experience in our expert trainers. If you run into a problem, chances are we've seen it and solved it many times before. Joining Puppy Essentials gives you access to an amazing program that will take you step-by-step through the process of training the skills all pup’s need in order to grow into a well-rounded and safe 4-legged family member. Since dogs are not robots, when they do something different or unexpected, you'll be able to call on us, through your support options, to troubleshoot and solve less common problems.

In-Person classes have scheduled start dates and run on the same day and time each week. If you can't make a lesson, reach out to our office team to see about booking a make-up lesson. We're located near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Online classes can be attended instantly from anywhere in the world! Start now!! Our doors are always open. You can work at your own pace and on your own schedule. We'll be there to support you when you need us!

In-person classes start every month! Online classes start instantly upon purchase.

No problem! Check out our Full Money Back Offer:

In-Person Program - 24 hours before your first lesson

Online Programs - 48 hours after you purchase

If your puppy is older than 4 months, we encourage you to look at our Life Skills 1 Program. We can support you through any lingering puppy issues and get you started on the skills that are important for an older puppy.

Yes! We train in comfort year round. Our modern, bright training halls are fully climate-controlled for a cool experience in the summer and warmth in the winter. Our rubberized flooring provides a great, non-slip training surface and all of our training halls are equipped with stereo systems so you can easily hear all of the instructions. Check out our virtual tour for a better look at our facility.

For class, you will need a 6-foot leash and a regular flat collar (we recommend a metal buckle). You’ll also need some training treats and a bait pouch. For your convenience, we have a small store at our facility or you can purchase recommended equipment online. Over the years, we’ve settled on equipment that we like and that very effectively suits the purposes and needs of our training programs. We’d be happy to help recommend products for you.

Our family dog classes are for dogs who are friendly with people and other dogs. If you are experiencing aggression, fear or undesirable reactivity from your dog, either toward people or other dogs, reach out to us at yourdog@mccanndogs.com for more information.

If kids are part of your family, we want to help you teach mutual respect between them and your canine addition. This means teaching the dog to have good manners around both adults and kids. We encourage the entire family to attend classes; however, for safety reasons, all handlers must be a minimum of 16 years of age.

We know through experience that often, kids aren’t able to take charge of the dog, leading to even less respectful behaviour from the dog going forward. We recommend that an adult take the time to teach the dog all of the necessary skills before any children in the family ask the same of the dog.

Our Online Programs provide a perfect setting for all family members to learn together and get involved with the training!

We follow a core vaccination schedule. Dogs attending classes must be up-to-date on all core vaccines including Parvovirus, Distemper and Rabies. Up-to-date is dependent on the age of the dog. We require the following:

Dogs 10 - 12 weeks of age must have one vaccination including Parvovirus and Distemper

Dogs 12 - 16 weeks of age must have a second vaccination including the above

Dogs 16 weeks and older must have the two previous vaccinations plus we look for Rabies vaccination between 4 - 6 months of age

Yes - we offer private lessons for individuals who require a personalized training program. All in-person private lessons are conducted at our facility in Flamborough, ON, Canada. We also offer Zoom Private Lessons for virtual learning. We do not do home visits.

Our In-Person Classes have a ratio of one instructor for every 4 dogs in class. The bigger the class, the more instructors there are to help out.

Our Online Classes have ongoing registration, but we support our online students 6 days a week. There is not a shortage of instructor interaction!

Yes, we love it when the whole family is on board and encourage everyone to come along!

All of our In-Person classes include a comprehensive online training manual that compliments the lessons to assist you with practicing at home!

For our In-Person Programs, if you have more than one puppy in the same household, you will need to have a different handler for each puppy and register each puppy separately! We have many family members come to class together!

For our Online Program,  if you have more than one puppy in the same household, we offer a special discount to you! Email onlinetraining@mccanndogs.com for more details!