FAQ

To view your account or pay an invoice, follow the instructions:

To log into your account to view your registrations or pay a bill go to the dogbizpro login page HERE.

Next, you will see a screen with several tabs. To pay a bill, click on the invoices tab.

Find the invoice you are looking to pay and click on the three dots to the left side of it.

Once clicked you will see a small menu appear giving you options. Three icons will apear. A printer, a paper with a magnifying glass and a dollar sign. The printer icon will allow you to print your invoice. The magnifying glass will open the invoice for you to view. The dollar sign will give you the option to pay.

To pay, select the dollar sign and hit the paypal button to pay your invoice. YOU DO NOT NEED A PAYPAL ACCOUNT to pay using a credit or debit card online.

If you do not have a paypal account, use the pay with debit or credit card button on the PayPal page.

For puppies: We need to see that they’ve had their first round of puppy shots (parvo distemper which may be abbreviated on your records as “DHPPV,” “DHPP,” “DA2PP,” or “DA2PPV”)

For adult dogs:  We require a rabies vaccine as well as parvo distemper (parvo distemper may be abbreviated on your records as “DHPPV,” “DHPP,” “DA2PP,” or “DA2PPV”).

We do not require that you give us a copy of your records. But you will need to bring them for your instructor to see at the start of each new class session (for example the first day of Puppy Class as well as the first day of Tumultuous Teens).

*Any dog which is showing signs of illness (vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, lethargy, etc) should be cleared by a veterinarian before attending any classes or socials, both for their well being as well as the health and safety of all our canine students.

• Log onto your account and access the  homework for the week you missed and practice to the best of your ability. 
• Your trainer and/or their assistant will catch you up upon your return to the best of their ability. Most of our classes have a built in “review” time at the start of each class where we warm up with the things we have already learned and often that time can serve to catch up anyone who may have missed class.
• If your dog is undergoing surgery (castration or spay for example) and won’t be able to attend class, you may come watch your regularly scheduled session without them! This way, once they are feeling better, you will know how to proceed with their training and won’t fall behind!
• If you will be unable to complete a session (will miss more than one or two classes due to unforeseen circumstances) you may request a credit for another class at Heavenly Hounds. There are, however, no refunds after the start of a given class session, only credits.

Private lessons are often a good place to start when working with a reactive dog. It allows the instructor to asses and observe the dog in her regular environment. 

We also have a class specifically designed to address these issues. Reframing Reactivity just might be the best way to help you help your dog.

DUE TO COVID, WE ARE ONLY ALLOWING 1 FAMILY MEMBER/DOG IN CLASS (EXPECT FOR FAS CLASS AND PRIVATE SESSIONS). FAMILY MEMBERS WILL BE ABLE TO WATCH LIVE VIA ZOOM. 

In general, it is best if the handler can be consistent from week to week, HOWEVER, we understand that everyone is busy and sometimes it is difficult to be there each week.   If you want to switch handlers, it is your responsibility to pass along all of the training exercises we have done in class to your fellow handler.  Although we will always make an effort to help out someone who missed a class, we cannot spend extra time each week catching someone up as that would not be fair to our other students. That being said, we have had several families who have successfully switched handlers every week due to their own dedication and persistent communication and if you think you can do the same, we won’t stop you!

• Flat Collar:(buckle or Martingale style) and, if you prefer, a well-fitted traditional style harness can be added. Easy walk or other harnesses/head collars can be discussed on an as-needed basis.
• Leash:A 6-foot light-weight leather or nylon leash (no chain or retractable). All dangling items, rings, charms, poop bag holders should be removed so as not to distract the dog if they become an issue.
• Toys and/or treats:HIGH VALUE ($50-$100/hour level) toys and treats (see chart below)! Bring a few things in case what you thought was going to work doesn’t. Please avoid crumbly/crunchy cookie-type treats.  For nose work classes: Sometimes, your usual food reward for other activities is not high enough value for nose work. We’ve found some of the following to be very motivating: Tuna, sardines, salmon, bleu cheese, ham hocks, sausages, mackerel, meatballs, liverwurst, and hot dogs.
• Treat pouch/bait bag:Please bring a wearable pouch (fanny pack can work in a pinch) or bait bag in which to put the food for easy access during training (no plastic baggies).
• Mat or blanket for your dog:Some dogs prefer to lay on a soft surface over the floor and may avoid settling down if they don’t have something to lay on.
• Hungry & Motivated Dog:Please either don’t feed your dog before the class, or feed a reduced meal so that your dog is hungry and motivated. Also, if you have a high energy dog, please don’t burn them out with a long hike or play session before the class.

Puppy classes only:

• Mat to Sit on:This one is for you, not your dog. Owners will be sitting on the floor (so long as they are physically able to do so) with their puppies and you may prefer something more comfortable than the floor.
• Brush:There will be time between exercises where you may want to practice getting your dog used to being brushed and groomed.

Please note that many of these required items can be found by visiting our STORE.

We ask that both in the parking lot and inside of the Heavenly Hounds Training facility that you keep your dog(s) a generous distance from all other dogs.  There are a variety of reasons why this has become our policy:

Leash work = teamwork

While the dogs in our classes are here for a variety of training goals, one of the most common complaints is that dogs pull on leash. If our human students allow their dogs to pull them towards the other dogs inside and outside of class,  they are actually reinforcing the pulling behavior! The dog pulled and got rewarded with getting to visit the dog.  This is counterproductive to our student’s training goals!

While we do think having doggie friends and off leash romps can be great, and we are not trying to discourage dogs from bonding with members of their own species; However, we want to make sure that our dogs are bonding to people during the critical socialization periods of their development to avoid potential behavior problems down the road. This is far more important with the world that we live in than having canine friends. At the end of the day, we want dogs to be our friends, and not drop us like hot potatoes every time they see another dog.

We encourage you to think of the leash as the signal to your dog that you are now working together. We want the leash to be the symbol of a strong bond and foundation with our dog which will result in eye contact and a loose leash. We want you to be the most interesting and fun aspect of your dog’s life so that they will always choose you over any canine they come across.

Not all dogs want to meet new dogs!

While some dogs would probably be ok meeting new dogs on leash, it doesn’t mean the dog they want to go visit will be receptive of that approach. Just as not all humans are interested in making new friends while in line at the grocery store, many dogs are simply not interested in greeting every dog they come across. Similarly, some dogs will be flat out irritated or stressed with a dog coming towards them and often those signs of stress are easy to miss. While the initial greeting may seem ok, it can very quickly escalate into a fight if one dog feels trapped (common since they are on leash and have nowhere to go) or frustrated that the other dog didn’t hear or see their signals that they didn’t want to be greeted (often indicated by posture, lip licking, looking away and other body language which may or may not include growling or barking).

At Heavenly Hounds we are proud to offer and entire class, called Peace Walks, for dogs that are reactive to other dogs on leash. This is an incredibly common issue and can be directly caused, in some cases, by on leash greetings. Some of our students who have graduated from our Peace Walks class go on to attend other regular group classes (a testament to their hard work and dedication to their dogs!) but their dogs will always be more sensitive to dogs running up to them. We ask that all of our students be respectful of their hard work.

What if my dog is friendly and loves to meet new dogs?

“Friendly” dogs that love to greet on leash may not be perceived as such by the other dog on the receiving end. While you see an excited dog pulling to get to a possible new friend for an impromptu play date, the other dog might be seeing a stranger aggressively approaching (because they are straining forward on the leash)! In going back to the grocery store example: you might be willing to say a casual hello to someone in line with you at the store, but you are WAY LESS likely to be receptive to someone running down the aisle yelling “HELLO NEW FRIEND! I WANT TO COME TO YOUR HOUSE FOR DINNER TONIGHT!” Keep that in mind when you are out for walks with your dog.  Even the most patient and friendly dogs in the world don’t want to meet every overly excited dog they come across.  At some point it won’t be fun anymore and that can lead to some serious behavior problems, including leash reactivity. We strive for all our canine students to be social (capable of being in the same environment, if not actually playing) with other dogs but we do not want them to be dependent on them! We want you to always be #1 in your dog’s mind.

See our Policies page for details.