Dog Training Hamilton

McCann Dogs is a family-run dog training school in Flamborough, and Flamborough has been part of the City of Hamilton since 2001. Marti and Deb McCann started teaching classes in 1982. Since then, well over 100,000 dogs and their people have trained inside our building on Brock Road, and close to 500 dogs still come through every week.

Hamilton asks a lot of a dog. Bayfront Park on a Saturday, the farmers' market on York, the escarpment stairs. But most of life with a dog here isn't the highlight reel. It's Concession Street past three café patios. It's the delivery driver in Westdale and your dog acting like the house is under siege. None of that means you picked the wrong dog. Usually it means nobody's shown your dog what the job is yet, or shown you how to teach it.

How do we train dogs in Hamilton?

We teach you, not just your dog. There's one instructor for every four dogs, it's the same instructor every week, and most of them started out as students in these same classes. Everything runs on the McCann Method®. We set your dog up to get it right first, add real-life distractions a little at a time, and when a correction is needed it's the lightest one that works. You won't find prong collars or e-collars here, and nobody hands your dog back trained by someone else.

The building was designed around the dogs. Three climate-controlled training halls with rubberized floors. Separate doors in and out, so nobody meets nose to nose in a doorway. Fenced grass for a sniff before class. Next door sits a 12,000 square foot arena with the kind of regulation agility equipment Team Canada members use to prepare for world competition. Kayl McCann, now a 21-time World Agility Champion, spent her first classes as a newborn in a basket beside her parents. There's a dock diving pool too, when the weather cooperates.

Where should your dog start?

Mostly it comes down to age. Puppies 10 to 15 weeks old start in Puppy Essentials, which covers nipping, house training, the crate and first manners. Dogs 16 weeks and older, rescues and adult dogs included, start in Life Skills 1: leash walking, stays, and a recall that holds up somewhere busier than your kitchen. After that comes Life Skills 2 to 4, then agility, rally, parkour and dock diving if you catch the bug. Private lessons, at the facility or on Zoom, are there for the dog who needs a plan of their own.

Most of our classes run from $197 to $774 CAD, depending on the level, and dock diving pool rentals start at $30. Not sure which fits? Call the office and tell us about your dog. We'll point you to the class your dog needs, which isn't always the one you'd guess.

How do you get to McCann Dogs from Hamilton?

From most of Hamilton, take the 403 toward Burlington and exit onto Highway 6 North. Turn left onto Highway 5, then right onto Brock Road. We're at 929 Brock Road in Flamborough. Families in Waterdown, Dundas and Ancaster are closest.

Hamilton dog training FAQ

Is McCann Dogs in Hamilton?

Yes. Our school is at 929 Brock Road in Flamborough, which has been part of the City of Hamilton since 2001. Families come in from the Mountain, the lower city, Waterdown, Dundas, Ancaster and Stoney Creek.

How old does my puppy need to be to start?

Puppy Essentials takes puppies from 10 to 15 weeks old in person. The 10-week minimum is there for vaccination safety. Online, you can start from 8 weeks. Dogs 16 weeks and older start in Life Skills 1.

Do you do private lessons or home visits?

Private lessons, yes, at our facility or over Zoom. We don't do home visits.

Can you help with an aggressive or reactive dog?

Our group classes are built for dogs who are friendly with people and other dogs. If your dog is aggressive, fearful or reactive, call our office first. We'll talk it through with you and figure out the right next step, because a group class usually isn't it.

Do you use corrections?

Rewards come first. When a dog clearly understands and chooses not to listen, we use the lightest correction that creates change. We don't use prong collars or e-collars.

Happy Training!