Q: How much are your services?
A: All prices are listed on the online booking app, along with the dates and times available to schedule for that service. All prices are in Canadian Dollars.
-For private training courses and consultations, the fee includes all members of the family (human and animal) for the same price. All members of the family are encouraged to participate.
-For group classes, the price is per dog, with up to 4 human handlers. Older children and teens are encouraged to participate in the training of their family pet, using age appropriate exercises. However, very young children will require a second adult to supervise them, as all of our focus must be on the dog that we are training at that time.
Prices include all taxes and and service fees.
Q: How long will it take for my dog to learn basic obedience?
A: A dog is a living being, and therefore there are too many unknown factors in order to predict how long it will take for each individual dog. To give you a ball park range: group basic obedience classes are typically 4-8 weeks in length, in order to give you time to practice your skills at home between classes.
Some dogs will pick up certain behaviours faster than others, so keep it fun, keep it positive and you will see improvement over time.
While I can not guarantee specific training outcomes, I do guarantee that I will give you training information that is the most up-to-date to my knowledge at that time, or if it’s beyond my scope of practice, I will refer you to an appropriate resource to assist you. I guarantee that I will not intentionally drag out the training process in order to sell additional sessions.
Q: How do I register for a class or book you for a training session?
A: To register for a class, consultation, or private training session, click the red button associated with the service, and that will take you to the online scheduling app, where you can select the service, and date and time you wish to reserve. The name of the service, the price and availability will be displayed so that you can be sure you are purchasing the service you intended. To select it, click on the red button that says ‘Register’ and then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the purchase. Payment information must be successfully processed in order to register. Payment methods accepted are: Credit Card (VISA or MasterCard), PayPal or e-transfer from a Canadian Bank. You will immediately receive a confirmation email at the email address you provided with your payment information.
Q: What is your Return Policy or Cancellation Policy?
A: For private training sessions and consultations, returns are possible for the portion of training services that were not received, only under extenuating circumstances, at the trainer’s discretion. Puppy Primer sessions will not be discounted if you choose not to attend the 3 puppy play dates made available to you. No portion of group classes can be refunded once the course has begun, as it is then no longer possible to offer that spot to another dog owner. For private training sessions or consultations, you have up to three (3) months to use your ssessions. There is no fee for rescheduling up to 3 times. If a session is rescheduled more than 3 times, it will be considered cancelled by the client and not refunded.
Q: Can I pay in installments, or after the training is complete?
A: All payments must be in full, in advance, in order to book a training session or reserve your spot in a class.
Q: I am trying to register for a class, but it keeps asking for my credit card information. How do I register without it?
A: Payment is required in order to register for services. If you would like to pay in a method other than by credit card, Nice Dog, Scarlett! also accepts: Interac money transfer through online banking (e-transfer), or PayPal. Please send an email to: Trainer@nicedogscarlett.com if you would like to arrange to pay by Interac e-transfer or PayPal.
Q: If I miss one of the group obedience classes, is there a discount on the total cost?
A: No, classes are not pro-rated based on attendance. The space in a series of classes is reserved for you. The information and materials are made available to you so that you can practice, and be on the same page for the following class. A reasonable amount of support and guidance will be provided to assist you in areas you missed, provided it is not disruptive to the others in the class.
Q: What should I bring to a training session?
A: For group training classes, please bring proof that your dog is up-to-date on his or her vaccinations, a standard 4 to 6 foot long leash, a flat buckle collar or even better, a harness. Bring with you a generous handful of treats your dog likes (cut into very small pieces) and a treat bag/fanny pack/small purse or other method of quickly accessing the treats. Please wear comfortable clothing and appropriate foot wear. No high heels, no sandals or flip flops. Comfortable walking shoes or running shoes are best.
Q: What should I NOT bring?
A: Please do NOT bring:
-Children that are too young to participate. We do not have babysitting services available during classes, and need to focus all of our attention on the dogs.
-Human food into the training area. If one person is eating a turkey sandwich, there is no way we will be able to hold your dog’s attention.
-A flexi-leash (retractable leash), as it is ineffective for our training purposes.
-A choke collar, prong collar, shock collar, anti-bark collar or slip lead, as we will be using non-aversive training methods.
Q: What are the scholarships you offer? How does that work?
A: A scholarship is available to you if you if you are:
1: In a situation where you require basic obedience training in order to keep your dog.
AND
2: You would have financial difficulty paying the regular training rate.
You must fulfill both requirement 1 AND 2 to qualify.
To apply for a scholarship, send an email to: Trainer@nicedogscarlett.com with the subject line “Scholarship” and include:
-Your city
-Exactly what you require
-Your dog’s name
-Your name, and
-Your contact information so that I can contact you to discuss the amount available in the scholarship fund at that time, and arrange a date and time for training. The scholarship is entirely funded by other dog owners who have donated to the scholarship program, so it is entirely dependent on the number of donors, vs. the number of recipients at any one time.
*Please note that Nice Dog, Scarlett! does not discriminate against any breed of dog, and is offering this as assistance to help dog owners comply to municipal bylaws, or avoid issues that could become public safety issues.
Q: What are your credentials as a trainer?
A: Please see the ‘About‘ page for more information on me, my certifications, and experience.