Q: Where is Canine College located?
A: We are in North Chapel Hill. For those of you familiar with the area, we are on New Hope Church Road about a half mile off of I-40. For further directions, see our Directions page for a map.
Q: Our dog has a couple of behavioral problems. He jumps on people and he still goes to the bathroom in the house. Are these types of issues that you can fix?
A: Certainly, behavioral problem solving is an integral part of any serious obedience program. Virtually every dog that we train has some simple behavioral problem that the owner would like us to deal with. Jumping on people, play-biting, destructive chewing, getting on the furniture, nuisance barking, and housebreaking are a few of the behavioral problems that we successfully deal with on a daily basis.
Q: Our dog is very obedient around the house but once we're outdoors, especially if he is off leash, he acts like he doesn't hear us. What do you suggest?
A: The short answer is, obedience training. Virtually everyone who calls us has a dog that listens when there's nothing better to do. There is a big difference between a dog knowing "how" to do something (like coming when called) and a dog knowing that he "must" listen when given a command. The goal of all of our programs at Canine College is off-leash reliability.
Q: Our dog is aggressive toward other dogs when we take him walking. Is this something that you have experience with?
A: Animal aggression on walks is much more common than you might think. We probably get a call a week from people whose dogs exhibit this behavior. In most cases any of our obedience programs will cover this without any difficulty. In more extreme cases we recommend that the dog be enrolled in one of our "board and train" programs.
Q: We have an older dog. We've heard that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Is that true? Do you work with older dogs?
A: Nothing could be further from the truth, you can definitely teach older dogs. When we say "Any Age, Any Breed, Any Problem" we mean it. We have successfully worked with dogs as old as nine years of age. Regardless of age, we can help you with your dog.
Q: We have a 5-month-old puppy. At what age can our dog start training?
A: Real obedience training can begin when the puppy is around 14 weeks of age. That is the earliest age that we can start the private personalized obedience lessons for you and your dog.
If you are interested in one of our "board and train" programs the puppy needs to be at least five months of age.
Q: We are interested in your private personalized obedience lessons. When does your next class begin?
A: Because all of our lessons are "one on one" your classes can begin at almost any time. Simply call us and talk to the instructor to work out a mutually satisfactory time for you to get started. Most people who call us get started within a week.
Q: If we wanted to drop our dog off for one of your "board and train" programs, when could we get started?
A: We only work with a few dogs at a time in our "board and train" programs. Usually there is a one to two week waiting period, but it really just depends on when you call and when the next slot becomes available. We also take reservations for future dates. Our advice is to call as soon as you know you want to do the training and speak with us to get the ball rolling.
Q: We have a Beagle that totally ignores us when she smells something that she likes. She puts her nose to the ground and off she goes. We've heard that you can't train a Beagle to be reliable off-leash. Is that true?
A: Nonsense. There are several breeds that are reputed to be "untrainable." Nothing could be further from the truth. We've successfully trained everything from hounds and terriers to wolf-hybrids. At the risk of sounding redundant, Any Breed, Any Age, Any Problem: We can train your dog.
