I looked at several school for Bodhi's puppy education and decided to go with the Ottawa Canine School located on St-Laurent Blvd. The Ottawa Canine School has several classes to choose from such as puppy kindergarten, obedience, agility and Canine Good Citizen preparation. I wanted to enroll in puppy kindergarten and was glad to learn that the registration is on going. You can start at any date and will get 5 lessons of 1 hour. On his first day, Bodhi got to meet with Alana & Roxanne, the trainers, and was right at home. We were shown the proper way to have dogs greet and moved to the hall where the training happens. The training hall is large and clean. The classes have a nice flow and are very interactive. You also get to interact with other dogs. There is a small break halfway through the class. Alana is very knowledgable and Roxanne gives your dog the extra attention that they sometime need. The Ottawa Canine School also has a day care including a one just for small dogs on Thursdays. Bodhi loved his experience and since he was already familiar with the settings because of puppy kindergarten, he was immediately comfortable. The only downside that I would like to point out is that you have to reserve/cancel in advance as there is no walk-ins. I would recommend both the classes and the day care and not to hesitate to contact them if you have any questions. read more

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Visited the Ottawa Canine School for their Fun Friday small dog play date. BEYOND disappointed at the woman who ran the playdate. Extremely uninterested and unfriendly throughout. Not to mention that when my dog tried to PLAY (GASP!) at the PLAY DATE, she wouldn't cease following him around everywhere he went and giving the whole family looks, instead of approaching us with any concerns/letting us explain my dogs noisy and energetic ways. From the moment we walked in we all felt judged and considered leaving early after being told that we couldn't use some agility equipment because we were making my dog jump "too high" (maybe 3/4 of a foot?) while we were just testing out what he would be like. I was highly considering taking Timber there for some agility classes because the facility really is gorgeous, welcoming and well-kept but FAT CHANCE now. I have no doubt that their TRAINING would be fine, but this experience absolutely ruined it for me. Such a terrible waste of my $20. read more

The staff at the Ottawa Canine School are lovely, patient, and well educated. This school deals with positive reinforcement training. When I got my puppy I was taught awful things by neighbours and friends who thought they knew dogs. Lily and I were both so happy to find this school. we learnt so many new things in a very positive environment. We now have an incredible bond thanks to this school, and Lily has some awesome party tricks! I would highly recommend them. You don't realize how much you as a human need to learn. read more

I have been to a few different obedience schools in Ottawa with my dog Picchu. I took some agility classes at the Ottawa Canine school and was very impressed with the expertise, advice and patience of the instructor. The ratio of dogs per class was good. Although a little small, the space was perfect for my dog's introduction to agility (less far to retrieve him if needed). I know that they have since expanded the space. read more

My dog was in the Reactive Rover class offered at the Ottawa Canine School. A class meant for dogs who are reactive to other dogs, each dog and their owner is put in a small 'play pen' type area, in a large room with 6-8 other dogs and their owners, each in their own play pen type areas. The dogs can sense that the others are all there and they can hear each other, which is torturous for dogs who are reactive to other dogs. My dogs (and consequently MY) anxiety level was through the roof the whole time and the trainers just feed them treats to try to keep them quiet, which just reinforced my dogs behavior. My dog is extremely strong and for a class for reactive dogs, they expected him to sit there for one hour while they talked about what we were supposed to practice with them for the week. Four weeks in, and we had barely done any actual exercises during the hour long session with the dogs. I left feeling sore and exhausted from trying to keep my poor dog calm for a whole hour. I am currently seeing a physiotherapist for a shoulder injury directly related to their class as I was constantly pulling on the leash while my dog jumped around trying to see the other dogs. Not only did I acquire a serious injury which has affected my job (I am a nurse)m but the trainer also called my dog names twice on the first class. Although I'm sure he didn't mean to be rude or hurtful, it was very unprofessional and I was not impressed. I ended up dropping the classes altogether. They tried to reassure me by telling me "Don't worry this happens all the time, a lot of dogs aren't able to complete the program"... which to me says more about their program than it does about my dog, as it claimed to be exactly what he needed. They did offer me a couple of private lessons to make up for the balance but the shoulder injury will last a lifetime and I certainly won't be back to the Ottawa Canine School or recommending it to anyone. Their regular training classes may be OK ( I have no idea ) but I would seriously advise everyone against the Reactive Rover class. read more

The facilities are great and always well maintained and clean, which is very difficult when you are housing dogs constantly. I have attended a couple fun friday events (intro to agility and intro to nosey dog) and both were great. Definitely worth the money to test out if you and your dog like the activity before enrolling in classes. I also rented the facility out and housed a few friends and I and we played with the agility equipment after having attended the fun friday and it was an awesome experience. It was easy to rent, the fee was minimal. I have met a few different trainers and have always liked them. I was hoping to take my dog there for doggy daycare but it is a little too far out of my way to be able to drop off and pick up during the designated times. They support a lot of rescues within the community which is always good to hear. I have also recommended a few of their classes to friends who have always had great experiences and great things to say about them as well. Highly recommended. read more