You’ve probably heard of Waggie Dog School before. Kind of hard not to when it has been operating since 1985 and is led by Patrick Wang, who has about 40 years in his portfolio.

That’s not where it ends. The guy has bagged awards, taught dogs that starred in international productions/movies, and is a licensed obedience judge. 

Speciality-wise, Patrick employs international standards. From what we’ve seen, training is step-by-step, normally kicking off by solving minor issues (e.g. barking or chewing) and progressing to complex commands.

His bright personality deserves some props as well. Lessons here are rarely dull, with furparents often praising his mix of humour and technicality.

Not everyone is a fan of that, though. Some clients noted that the jokes made them feel a bit uncomfortable.

The school charges by course, too, and the rates are on the steeper side. That’s a bummer if you’re looking for a cheap or ‘pay-per-session’ format.

Effective Methods

Impressive training and effective methods! Just a few lessons, my dog is never the same!… Luckily I signed up for Patrick’s obedience course, life has never been so wonderful with my dog🤩… I wish to say a big thank you to Patrick on behalf of our 🐶

Benny Lim, Google Review

Very Responsible

Patrick is a very responsible and dedicated coach. He helped to correct our dog’s behaviour… He is willing to spend extra time to coach students who need more help. He and his team are amazing.

Peh Clarine, Google Review

I owe my dog’s improvement to Pawsitive Furkids. This school is run by Veronica Tan and Patrick Koh, both multi-accredited trainers who lean on positive reinforcement techniques.

One thing I especially appreciated was the thorough consultation. They were quite patient, identifying my pup’s negative habits and which low-stress, evidence-based plans would’ve fixed them.

Beyond being effective, their Basic Obedience course has a social element, too. The sessions we attended were group-based (I did it with my pals), but with a max of 8 participants, they remained manageable and focused.

That said, it’s a 7-lesson setup; not the best choice for those after a one-off session.

Pawsitive is also a smaller team. Slots could fill quickly.

The good news is that it’s on the cheaper side, course-wise, at S$650. 

What’s more, Veronica is CDTI- and CCFC-certified, meaning she’s qualified for trick training and dog conditioning. In fact, she’s a Trick Dog Champion and was once named CDTI’s trainer of the year!

Very Much Worth the Time

When Caramel first arrived, she was nervous and kept barking at anything – new toys, strangers, other dogs, her own reflection… My neighboring condo’s security guard nicknamed her “Barky” cos the whole neighborhood would know when she’s on her walks 🤣 .

With that, I’m so grateful for her attending Puppy Kindergarten with Patrick, Veronica and Amily at Eng Kong Garden. Not only has she learnt obedience training, more importantly she can socialize with her classmates in a safe environment, walk neatly on leash and “go say hi” to other dogs in the neighborhood.

They gave me so many extra tips as a first time dog owner. I really feel it’s very much worth the time and getting up early. Strongly recommend!

P.S. the yummy bread bakery next door is a bonus.

MP C, Google Review

Knowledgeable and Skilled

We had a lovely experience at the puppy kindergarten with Pawsitive Furkids. We found the course very helpful in settling in our puppy, with a focus on reinforcing positive development and correcting some undesirable behaviours using gentle redirection. Patrick and Veronica clearly care a great deal about the development of each of the puppies in their school, and are both very knowledgeable and skilled. We learnt a great deal about how best to support and guide our pup – thank you Pawsitive Furkids!

Alicia Hornsby, Google Review

Following a reward-based system, Supernova is meant for parents who prefer force-free methods. We found that through our interviews, clients expressed their appreciation for the school’s accredited, empathetic, and patient trainers.

If we’re talking standout services, their Good Canine Citizen Programme comes to mind. Its biggest perk? Pups as young as 3 months can join and socialise with others, so habits like chewing and leash pulling can be solved ASAP.

The Agility course gets some props, too. A major reason it’s effective is the employment of USDAA international standards and progression-style learning.

Got to save up, though. Their rates can go up to S$1,000.

We’d also love to see more group-based sessions. While they have 8 courses, most of them are done privately or 1-on-1.

Other than that, Supernova is solid. All their trainers are certified (some are even award-winning), plus the team is huge, so availability is typically not a concern.

Really Listens and Customises the Training

Shanice from SuperNova International Dog Sports Academy is amazing!… She really listens and customizes the training to fit your puppy’s needs… You can tell right away that Shanice really knows her stuff and truly loves dogs… I highly recommend her if you want someone who genuinely cares and gets results.

Eliza Pansacola, Google Review

Very Patient

Shanice has given knowledgeable advice and very patient when training Ollie (who gets distracted by everything from the start). After just 6 sessions of private training, Ollie has been able to listen to command and walk on leash better.

Joey Tay, Google Review

Woofie is among the city’s best schools for obedience training. When your staff has been working with police K9 units since 2012, that’s not a shocker.

In terms of speciality, theirs is training pooches with behavioural issues. That means they might be the right call if your pup is aggressive, anxious, overly excited, or too dependent.

The sweet bit is that they don’t use fear-based methods. Based on interviews, Woofie banks on confidence-building exercises and consistent routines instead.

Some unique courses are on the menu as well. For instance, they have a Kids Training session where pooches and children are taught respectful and safe ways to interact with one another.

However, the school’s service list is way shorter than most competitors, with it zeroing in on obedience training. If you’re after schools that teach tricks or improve conditioning, there are better alternatives.

Very Good Advice

Trainer Zee has been a great trainer for our shetland sheepdog… He took the effort to spend extra time and gave us very good advice as first-time dog owners. We managed to learn a lot of tips from him and how to be assertive to our dog.

Rachel Kek Siyu, Google Review

Patient, Knowledgeable

We had such a wonderful experience with Teacher Zee over the course of 5 sessions!… Zee was incredibly patient, knowledgeable, and encouraging—not just with Uni, but with us… Highly recommend Zee to anyone looking for a kind and professional trainer who truly cares about both the dogs and their humans!

Jovial V, Google Review

Having opened in 1998, Sunny Chong is the second-longest-running school on this list. The cooler part? Their appeal goes beyond longevity.

For starters, their facilities are government-approved, such as the dog hotel and day care centre. Most competitors can’t brag about that.

We appreciate their holistic curriculum, too. Aside from behavioural training, sessions here involve social interaction and physical conditioning, all held via smaller, customised classes.

Moreover, Sunny Chong accepts 3-month-old puppies. As I’ve mentioned, this feature is beneficial to parents who want to correct negative habits early.

Their customer service really needs some work, though. Complaints about slow responses, lack of updates, and overselling have been raised by clients.

Not the most affordable option around either, so there’s that.

On a positive note, they’re quite flexible with setups, as 1-on-1 and group lessons are on the books. There’s even a boarding-training option, a win for clients with tight schedules.

Responsive

Rescued 2 dogs with behavioural issue ( 7 years and 2 years )

Enrolled both for Obedience Class

Sunny personally came to the house to listen to their needs

The class gave me handles to manage both of them

It is encouraging to see them responsive

Also sent them to Sunny’s day school

where more healing is happening

very grateful for that

dogs have an opportunity to learn how to swim, socialise with many other species of dogs in a controlled environment, have obedience training.

what I appreciate most is the constant communication, videos to show how the dogs are progressing

and the team listens to feedback and yearns to keep improving.

The photo was taken this morning. They can now sit and stay with me hiding and will not escape. there are residents walking around with their morning trolleys and kids going to school

d l, Google Review

Excited to go every week!

Paris (Singapore Special) is super happy with the staff in SCDTS… she enjoys the playtime with her schoolmates and picks up skills quickly from trainers… She is looking forward to her school days every week!

Jenny Chen, Google Review