Mother Knows Best

Dorothy is an absolute gem!!! I think you need to be a special kind of person to be a dog trainer and Dorothy is definitely that. She cares as much about mans best friend as she does the families the dogs are subject to be a part of.
Our experience with Dorothy was with the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind. In this program you train the dog for its first year until it goes off to be a service dog for the duration of its life (very rewarding). Rocky was trained to such a great temperament that the program has decided to use him as a breeding dog with the hopes there will be more like him. If the Canadian Guide Dogs use Dorothy for such a noble cause I would think she knows what she is doing so I laugh and shrug my shoulders at the people with negative ratings on this board.
Not everyone is made to have a dog, there is a comment below regarding how Dorothy tells a story while the dog is expected to sit still. That is normal dog practice, if you are told to sit and stay, you sit and stay. She also brings humour into the classroom which is refreshing as training your dog can be stressful (if you could do it yourself you wouldn’t need to go to class) similar to the dentist, if you flossed everyday you wouldn’t need to be there either.
Further Dorothy has helped my Dad tremendously with his depression due to her dog training which shows that her training is really both for owner and dog alike. Actually, my dad was helped so much that there have been discussions about starting dogs for depression as well.
I cannot say enough good things about Dorothy!!! If you want to have the best results from the class listen to the professional and don’t think that you know it all! Easier said than done for some of the people on this board.

This lady has a few screws loose. I wouldn’t let her train my worst enemies dog, let alone my own. Go with anyone else!!!

I was very happy with Dorothy’s training. I came here after I had a recommendation from a colleague. While it was hard at first for my little shorkie to get into things, the trick was really practice. And that’s what Dorothy had mentioned. You need to practice at home. We are constantly getting compliments about how our dog, Pasta, is very obedient and well trained — thank you Dorothy.
Prices are incredibly reasonable. Dorothy is adorable and has been doing this for many years. She definitely has an old school technique, but it works. Not everyone may like it, but it’s the same with children — not everyone parents the same way.

I took my Yorkie to MKB for basic obedience training when she was a puppy and I was not impressed with Dorothy nor her training method.
My dog was the smallest dog in the class and Dorothy constantly picked on her, calling her a ‘spoiled princess’ repeatedly and using negative training styles which neither I nor my dog appreciated. I have since trained her at positive reinforcement classes and she has done great! She loved the positive reinforcement classes and picked up the skills very quickly. In Dorothy’s class, my dog did not even learn to sit — she was terrified of Dorothy and the punishments.
My dog has a sweet temperament and has never met a soul she didn’t like except Dorothy. We dropped out of the classes midway through and switched to another training school and it was a great decision!
Perhaps if you have a big dog, this class may be more suitable for you. I felt that Dorothy had a negative attitude toward small dogs.

I enrolled my dog for two levels of training with Mother Knows Best. The prices were reasonable and Dorothy seemed to know what she was talking about. Other than learning to sit, my dog came away with no other skills. She is a rescue and many of her issues were not addressed. I also didn’t agree with the method of training– using a choke chain (not suitable for smaller dogs) and poking your dog in the ribs to correct undesirable behaviour. I was also instructed to keep my dog crated while at work (8 hours) and at night. My dog basically lived in a crate and was miserable for two months, until I decided to just leave her out. I noticed a HUGE improvement in her behaviour and she was so much happier. It really upsets me to think of all the poor advice I received in dealing with her and I feel like I was basically abusing her. I’ve since trained elsewhere and my dog is so happy and well behaved.

I enrolled my mini poodle into Dorothy’s class after seeing the amazing reviews she received online and her prices were very reasonable for the service she was offering.
Unfortunately, I had to remove my dog from the class as her teaching method was not something that I was looking for. Dorothy was very friendly but I personally felt that she would not address some of her student’s questions and went in circles. Also, her tips and teaching style was not working for me and honestly, from what I saw in the class, it was not working for most of the dogs.
I asked Dorothy for a refund and she happily obliged. This was something I definitely appreciated.

3.5 stars. I would describe this class as «old school.» Dorothy is good at what she does and, undoubtedly, is extremely knowledge and experienced in dealing with dogs. However, she does utilize leash corrections and supports spraying water, foghorns, and deep-​voiced scolding of our puppy. These methods are not for everyone, especially with the newer, positive-​reinforcement only classes that can be found which I am moving my pup to.

Dorothy’s classes are great for your freshly-​baked, bag-​of-​bones puppy who doesn’t know what you mean when you yell «sit!» at him over and over again.
This is an obedience training class. If your dog/​pup has specific behavioural issues — like aggression, separation anxiety, etc. — obedience training will not help.
We had an aggressive dog who liked to bite. By the end of Dorothy’s class, we had a well-​behaved, obedient dog who could walk perfectly on-​leash, sit, stay, leave-​it… and bite.
Again, I would recommend her to anyone who needs basic obedience training, but if you need behavioural shaping or rehabilitation, this may not be your best bet.

Dorothy and Andria are the best, most thoughtful, most helpful trainers in the world!!! I apologize about the hyperbole, but they do deserve a ton of credit.
They have excellent courses that are fun for the owners and pets and they take so much extra time to help with specific obedience issues. For example, I often stay after the class to ask specific questions about how to deal with some possessive issues that my dog has, and Dorothy will sit down for half an hour and work with me and my dog — it is like getting a free private lesson.
And, they key thing for you to know is just how much the team loves animals. Dorothy and Andria both have day jobs and they work super hard at night to give these courses, not because they are earning a ton, but because they genuinely love the animals and love helping people become better owners.
Thank you so much — you guys are the best!
–Mike & Liz (& Mackie)

Norman completed 1 ½ years of training with Dorothy and Ola. He went through levels one and two of obedience and then spent a year doing agility. Loved the agility! We’ll probably go back in the fall. Norman is now very well behaved and he really had fun at the agility. The church where the classes are held is close by. The downsides… the church gets really hot so dress appropriately, especially for agility when you’ll both be running around; no treats allowed during obedience which works for some dogs but my dog seems to learn better with food; and Dorothy has one set approach and doesn’t deviate from this… so if her tips don’t work for your dog you end up feeling a little stuck. However, highly recommended as good basic training. Ola is one tough cookie too!

Very standard puppy training class —
Your puppy (or rather, you will) learn how to get your dog to heal, sit, stay, come … the very basic commands, that my puppy was already well on his way to knowing prior to attending puppy classes.
Dorothy ‘Mother’ talks way too much. her stories long & often pointless — my dobie ended whining in frustration.
What puppy is going to hold a ‘sit’, on a slippery tiled floor, during her 25 minute story on why you shouldn’t take your dog off it’s leash if it doesn’t know ‘come’. Yeah lady, we know, the dog got hit by a car (25 minutes later!)
I ended up dreading the classes because of the over-​drawn boring stories.
Nothing special, and I wasn’t crazy about the venue, a church — the reason I mention this, is because of the lanolin flooring — my jumbo sized puppy (a dobie) couldn’t sit without sliding down — there was no rubber matting, which made most of the exercises very difficult for him.
Very small space —
Fine for small breed dogs, NOT so suitable for larger ones.
Standard obedience class pricing. But again, nothing special.
Parking, good luck. There’s the church parking lot in the back, but there’s literally maybe 6 spots. There’s a few spots of street parking avail.
I quickly realized «mother» aims her training towards small, easier breeds, as my large puppy wouldn’t respond to even her, with that little overpriced, flimsy martingale collar they try and sell you during your first class.

Malik graduated from the first level of obedience here two months after we first adopted her! Our adoption agency recommended we take her to some sort of obedience training as soon as possible. Make it part of her transition… I think they were right! It was a great bonding activity to do with a new addition to your family, and it lays out some simple ground rules right at the beginning that you can continue to build on forever.
At $ 135 per six-​week course (one hour long, once a week), it is one of the most inexpensive obedience schools in the city, but still one of the best! Class sizes are small — there were 10 – 12 dogs in our group.
Our classes were held at College & Bathurst, at College United Church. It’s a convenient location to get to from just about anywhere, and there are about six free parking spots in behind the church.
Dorothy Avery, the instructor and owner (presumably the mother in «Mother Knows Best»), is sooooo funny. We decided she would be the perfect character for a recurring SNL sketch. Dorothy’s dog for demonstrations in class is a bright red stuffed thing she calls «Fido». It’s hilarious. She is a great subject to do an impression of, and her one-​liners are PRICELESS! All joking aside though, she is certainly a dog expert, and a no-​nonsense trainer. Her own dogs do shows.
The Mother Knows Best website is fantastic — something sorely lacking in a LOT of dog obedience places in the GTA. I have no idea why!!! We found it very useful to read through the handouts available on the website before taking classes, and we have gone back and used them as reference points since finishing the classes. I think it’s useful information whether you take a MKB course or not! Check out all the sections — there’s a pretty cute photo gallery of Dorothy’s clients as well.
We plan to continue on and take Dorothy’s agility classes with Malik. She’d be awesome at the crazy obstacle courses, I think! She’s too small to really do the frisbee stuff at 5 ½ pounds!
The Martingale collar recommended by Dorothy changed our lives. Walks are a very enjoyable activity now, as opposed to being pulled along and Malik being choked by a collar or pinched by a harness because she’s pulling so hard!
Dorothy’s classroom helper/​teaching assistant’s name is Ola, and she’s amazing too. Much younger and much more intimidating, all the dogs in the class were completely submissive to her — a la Cesar Millan –it’s nuts! She DEFINITELY knows what she’s doing, and is great at one-​on-​one tips if your dog is a little slower to catch onto something.
At the last class, if you and your puppy pal are successful (which no doubt you will be), you participate in a graduation ceremony. Your dog walks up and receives a handshake and a diploma. I added a pic of the certificate — obviously we brought it home and framed it. It’s definitely one of the most adorable moments of my life so far, and the photos are priceless. If your pet is essentially your child, it’s a moment filled with pride and joy. Our little girl’s all grown up!!!

So we had our first class here last night. It was AMAZING. I took my pup to a puppy training class at a different place before (see previous reviews). I thought this would be a repeat of more of the same. I was SO wrong. The owner, Dorothy is a kooky lady who knows her stuff. She said that from the FIRST class with her, your dog will be 75% to 90% better at walking on lead without pulling. «Yeah right», I thought.
We bought the Martingale collar that she recommended, and gave the class a try. Most classes start the dogs off with «sit» commands. Not Dorothy. We began with heeling, and true to her word, our dog has a vast improvement after only 1 class.
Its cheaper than many other classes in town, located right downtown, and is already giving me results. This is serious business, and I cannot wait for the next class!

Last night was week three of my six week long beginner obedience training course for Ophelia, dog in the city. Ophelia is what dog people call «sassy» and she has always been particularly disobedient with me (I am not a dominant person by any stretch of the imagination). At ten months old, she is probably the oldest dog in the class of about 16. Most of the dogs are young, small puppies. I have to admit that I was feeling a bit meh about the first two classes — Ophelia doesn’t have any of the typical dog problems, she can walk on a leash, doesn’t bark much, is housetrained, etc. Rather, her major problem is that she bites… me only. Last night she was acting up in class and the dog ladies (Dorothy, the instructor, and her two helpers Andrea and Olga — they are all awesome!) were really helpful in showing me how to deal with it. I am looking forward to seeing how well their tricks work after some practise. The six week course is $ 135 and you are encouraged to buy a $ 20 Martingale collar at the first class. Watching the cute little puppies learn is worth the cost of admission alone, but the «dog talk» approach used seems to be very effective. I plan to take the advanced course in the future.