Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome! We’re so excited you’ve entrusted your pup’s training to us! We have a wide variety of classes to fit every need from basic manners (which we call Good Dog Skills) to sports like Agility, Frisbee, and more!

If you’ve never taken a class with your dog before, our Good Dog Skills track is a great place to start!

Looking to get started in sports? All new clients must complete at least one session of Sport Dog Foundations.

Available classes can be found on our booking page.

A full session of Sport Dog Foundations is where you’ll want to start, even if you’ve already taken manners classes. Dog sports require a whole different group of skills than basic manners, most notably, the ability to maintain our dog’s engagement even when they are off leash. This class will set you up for success and make your transition to dog sports smoother.

Your Agility journey starts in Agility FUNdamentals! Whether you have an older dog who is just starting out, or a new puppy, this class will teach you the basics of forward focus, impulse control, obstacle commitment, and foundational obstacle behaviors. Exercises are modified to meet each team at their level.

Once you have instructor approval, you’ll be able to continue your agility journey with obstacle specific classes like Contacts & Weaves, or sequencing type classes. Your instructor can recommend your next steps, or take a look at the course descriptions to see if a course is suitable for you and your pup.

All of our group class and private registration is conveniently online! This allows you to browse our availabilities and find the time that works best for you. Assuming you meet the pre-requisites, you can go right ahead and book for yourself through the booking page online portal.

Please note - you must have completed Sport Dog Foundations to sign up for any Agility privates with Grace Heck.

Drop in classes are group classes that have extra spots remaining after registration has closed. We open these extra spots up to be booked on a class by class basis. Sometimes students want to try out a class before committing to a full session, or they have vacation or other plans that prevent them from doing the full session. Drop ins help to accommodate these folks. However, drop ins are only opened after registration closes, and there’s no guarantee that a class will have drop in spots available. If you have your heart set on a specific class, your best bet is to register for the full session to secure your spot!

Unfortunately, no. A single class of Sport Dog Foundations won’t cover all the topics you need to know to be successful in Agility. You're welcome to try out a drop in, then either book further drop ins or a full session at the next registration period. Your instructor will let you know when you are ready to move on to other dog sports.

That depends. At Hounds of Heck, we pride ourselves on teaching you solid dog training, and moving at your dog’s pace. Often this means that teams need to spend multiple sessions in a class to truly master the topics.

Why do we do this? Because too often in our industry, teams are passed along to the next level before they are ready, glossing over weak spots or challenge areas. These always crop back up, often months or years down the road, and create lots of frustration for the teams who feel like they need to “go backwards” to address them. We’d rather teach you to do it correctly the first time, however long that may take, than have you feel short changed in the future.

You can find our Polices and Rules here!

After completing at least one session of Sport Dog Foundations, students may start in Agility Fundamentals. We have a few foundational classes, followed by skill building, and culminating in coursework. Training is lifelong, and after students begin taking coursework classes, we encourage you to take skills and coursework classes interchangeably as needed after.

A full description of the agility progression can be found on our Training - Group Classes page. Otherwise, see the flowchart below.