Key Skills
Essential Life Skills for Your Dog - Our Expert Take on Basic Obedience Classes
Basic Obedience & Skills Training For Every Dog
Our flagship program that covers all your basics from Sit & Stay through to ignoring distractions, anti-counter surfing and leash pulling
Key Skills includes 6 modules you can take in any order and ensures you understand the "why" behind the "how."
At The Dog School we don't just teach rote step-by-step instructions, we help you understand how to train any behaviour using first principles and a genuine passion for expert instruction. Key Skills covers all the essentials and helps dog owners with sit, stay, leash-pulling, resource guarding, calmness around distractions, focused attention and more.
Our 6-Credit Package is designed specifically to take you and your dog through the complete program.
Start anytime and go at your own pace. No waiting for session start dates. For more pricing details visit our Pricing Page
Classes run Tuesday evenings, Friday mornings and Saturdays.
Full Class Schedule is on BusyPaws - A free account is required
Open to dogs and puppies over 12 weeks old with a complete vaccination record.
Start Anytime
No waiting for the next session start dates
Extra Support
Active online Discord community, Free Office Hours & Course Manuals all included
6 Modules
A complete curriculum covering everything your dog needs. Work through all 6 at your own pace
Small Classes
Maximum 5 dogs per class in our clean, purpose-built 900sf studio
What You'll Learn
A principles first approach means you won't just learn how to get skills from your dog, you will learn the theory behind why and how dogs learn so you can become an amazing dog trainer inside and outside of the classroom.
Our 6 Modules are titled Calm, Engagement, Follow, Send, Target, Wait and each class covers essential life skills including:
Calm
Engagement/Focus
Want a dog who *actually* knows how to chill?
Key Skills - Calm covers how to move up and down the excitement ladder and going beyond obedience stays for real relaxation.
Exercises Include:
- Mirror Me Game
- Foldback (Fancy!) Downs
- Settle vs Stay
The cornerstone of all good training is your relationship!
Key Skills Engagement teaches you how to identify what motivates your dog and how to use these motivators to increase desired behaviours. Learn all about "loopy training." Also covered in this class is greeting a person with permission (without jumping up, barking and knocking them over).
Exercises include:
- Up / Down Game
- Tug and Drop
- Permission to Greet a Person
Follow
Send
Learning to follow you is a key life skill for dogs! Learn how to create a dog that wants to be by your side even in the face of distractions (like other dogs!).
Follow is the foundation of exceptional leash walking and recall skills.
Exercises include:
- Treat Toss
- Follow Me
- Resist a Friendly Dog
Ever wanted your dog to go to their mat when someone rings the doorbell? Or stay out of the kitchen while you're cooking? Or stop counter-surfing?
Key Skills Send covers how to send your dog to a thing with a variety of different cues including an automatic leave-it by going to mat (did we mention automatically?)
Exercises include:
- Name Attention
- Send to Mat
- Anti-Counter-Surfing
Target
Wait
What do Nail Trims, Wicked Recalls and advanced tricks like Dog-Jenga have in common?
Come find out in our Key Skills - Target Class!
Exercises include:
- Chase me Game
- Touch
- Body Handling (Opt Outs, Opt Ins)
Key Skills Wait covers all the components of a wicked stay that keeps your dog happy and engaged!
Learn about the concept of "backchaining" a behaviour and how a release cue is the magic ticket for engaged, happy and distraction-proofed waits.
Exercises include:
- Sit and Explode
- Stay and Release to Bowl
- Go through a Doorway
Ready To Join?
Fill out our no-obligation form below. No Vaccine Record handy have more questions? No Problem. Just shoot us an email at info@thedogschool.ca
Key Skills Frequently Asked Questions
What age does my dog need to be for Key Skills?
Key Skills is open to dogs and mature puppies over 12 weeks old with a complete vaccination record. If your puppy is under 16 weeks, our Puppy Programs may be a better starting point.
Do I need to have done puppy classes first?
Not at all! Key Skills is designed for any dog starting out, whether they've done puppy classes or not. If your dog is over 16 weeks and you're starting from scratch, Key Skills is where to start.
Do I need to commit to a specific day and time every week?
Nope! Our start-anytime model means you join when you're ready and attend when your schedule allows. There are no fixed weekly commitments or session start dates.
What does Key Skills actually cover?
Six modules covering all the essentials: sit, down, stays, settles, loose leash walking, recall, household manners, reinforcement strategies, calm down routines and basic obedience around distractions. You can take the modules in any order and go at your own pace.
What makes Key Skills different from other basic obedience classes in Vancouver?
We teach first principles, not just step-by-step instructions. You'll understand why your dog learns the way they do, which means you'll be able to train any behaviour, not just the ones we cover in class. Our curriculum is PhD-designed and delivered by certified trainers in a maximum class size of 5 dogs.
What extra support is included?
All Key Skills students get access to our online Discord community, free weekly office hours with Sarah and Katrina, and comprehensive course manuals for every module.
How much does Key Skills cost?
One credit gets you one class. Credits start at $50. Our 6-credit package is designed to take you through the complete program. Visit our Pricing Page for full details.
What comes after Key Skills?
Once you've worked through the modules, many students move on to our Advanced Badge Classes. 60+ skills across 8 tracks including nosework, agility, rally obedience and trick training.
My dog pulls constantly on the leash. Will Key Skills help?
Yes! Leash pulling is one of the most common things we tackle in Key Skills. You'll learn exactly why your dog pulls and how to build reliable loose leash walking using force-free methods that actually stick outside of class too.
My dog won't come when I call them. Is that covered?
Recall is a core part of the Key Skills curriculum. We cover recall very thoroughly and ensure you are building a reliable recall around real-world distractions.
My dog jumps on everyone. Can Key Skills fix that?
Yes. Household manners including jumping, counter surfing and general overexcitement are all covered in Key Skills. We work on the underlying reinforcement strategies so the behaviour actually changes rather than just being suppressed.
Is Key Skills suitable for a dog that doesn't listen at all and doesn't seem food motivated?
Absolutely! that's exactly who Key Skills is designed for. We start from first principles so it doesn't matter where your dog is starting from. Many of our students come in feeling like their dog is untrainable and leave with a completely different relationship.