About

“Sit. Stay. Lie down.”

You’ve heard this one before and so has your dog. It’s the standard-issue trifecta of tricks expected of every pooch—the hallmark of a “well-trained pet.” But some dogs are meant to be more than “well-trained pets.” Some dogs are natural performers and irrepressible explorers. Some dogs are clowns, some are divas, and some are drama queens. Some dogs are just bursting to learn, play, show off, and have fun— who could blame them?

Canine Circus School has classes for every age, breed, and temperament, offering performance routines meticulously crafted by award-winning dog trainer, Francis Metcalf, this isn’t just about teaching your dog a few fancy tricks (though students will learn plenty). Instead, by combining the rigor of obedience school with the creativity and fun of the big top, this “art school for dogs” aims to go beyond churning out “well-trained pets.” We want to turn every dog into an artist.

Why You and Your Dog Should Run Away and Join the Circus: 

Be The Coolest Dog On the Block: While a circus routine might look like a chaotic tumult of movement, noise, and silliness from the outside, each act is a carefully choreographed series of movements and gestures, all of which can be recombined and repurposed, both inside and outside the ring.

Build Functional Obedience: Any dog that learns to remain attentive amid the pandemonium of a circus act will have no trouble navigating the myriad distractions of everyday life. “Because real life is a lot like a circus!” Drills in the ring steadily build a vocabulary of communication between handler and dog, while slowly habituating the new student to the company of his or her fellow performers.

Develop Trust:  The performers aren’t the only one’s having fun at circus school. Here you will get the opportunity to be creative with your dog’s training without the stresses of a competitive show or sports environment.

Bring the Circus Home:  Plenty of dogs can shake or roll over. But how many in your neighborhood can balance a ball on their snout, push another dog in a tricycle, or play a card trick? Our hands-on, “learning by doing” approach will not only help your dog learn tricks quicker, it will give you both a foundation of training that will allow you to develop your own routines.

About Your Trainer: This may be Canine Circus School, but Francis Metcalf takes clowning around very seriously. With over two decades of experience in the field, he has worked with hundreds of dogs ranging in breed, age, and temperament. Francis has been invited to deliver seminars around the globe, including recent travels to New York, Madrid, and Santiago, Chile.

Francis’ uniquely successful approach to dog training emphasizes trying over perfection. The learning process begins by rewarding behaviors that come naturally to the dog, before building up towards more complex routines. This way neither the dog nor the handler get overwhelmed, guaranteeing that everyone is learning and having fun while they do it.

More about Francis Metcalf