BusinessPaws Spotlight: When Hounds Fly

Now one of the major players in the dog training industry, When Hounds Fly has grown from its humble beginnings in a small studio in Toronto to five dedicated training facilities throughout the city. Founded by Andre Yeu in 2010, When Hounds Fly is well known for their puppy training experiences and behavioural training services. Their team includes 12 full time and 10 part time trainers, in addition to a wonderful administrative team supporting both their trainers and clients. The size of their team and their multiple locations allow them to make positive reinforcement training services more convenient and accessible to anyone needing help with their dog. Having worked with more than 16 000 dogs and their families since opening their doors, When Hounds Fly is truly making a difference in their community.

With a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of British Columbia and experience working for multiple different tech companies, Andre Yeu did not initially plan to start or grow such a large dog training business. His life changed however when he adopted his first dog, Duke, in 2006. The decision to bring Duke home immediately transformed what life looked like for Andre and his partner. After falling in love with their new family member, they were all in on helping Duke live the best life possible. A rescue from a rural hunting background, Duke faced some challenges adjusting to city life. Determined to help him with his reactivity and aggression, Andre signed up for classes at some of the most popular dog training schools in Toronto at the time.

As a consumer of dog training services over the next four years, Andre noticed that the process for registration was often complex and done almost exclusively offline. He wondered why it was that pet services were not making use of the growing e-commerce market space. Rather than being able to self-book, those seeking training services were stuck leaving a message with the business and hoping for a call back to be able to register. In some cases registration was handled exclusively with paper forms! Looking to leading industries, Andre decided to bring streamlined online registration practices to the dog training world. By combining business and finance knowledge from his bachelor’s degree with his experience with client self-service in the tech space, he knew he could make training more accessible to pet parents in his community. Adding to that his completion of the Karen Pryor Academy Professional Dog Trainer course, he was ready to begin teaching classes. In January of 2010 Andre opened When Hounds Fly as a first time business owner and solo trainer.

After teaching his very first class, Andre knew he had made the right decision. The attending students left their class feeling happy and excited about their training progress. As he continued working with clients he saw how offering training services full time allowed him to help more people. From his experience with Duke, Andre understood the importance of quick, easy access to training services. By making quality training more accessible locally, Andre was able to help pet parents in his community see faster results while still focusing on the welfare of their dogs throughout the training process. The combination of elevated training knowledge and a superior client experience reduced training frustration and helped ensure dogs coming to work with When Hounds Fly were able to live their whole life in happy, loving homes.

Andre reached a major milestone as a business owner in 2014 when he hired his first full time, salaried team member. Though he had been growing his business and building his team prior to that point, that was the first time he was able to offer full time employment to another member of his team. While he admits it was a stressful step, it was still very exciting and showed just how far his business had come in 4 short years. 

As his team continued to grow and change, Andre was able to take another significant step in 2017 when he reduced his own classroom time to just once a week. This allowed him to shift his attention to working more with his trainers and inspiring them to be excellent instructors. With further growth came an additional milestone in 2022, when When Hounds Fly welcomed its first General Manager. She was able to take over team management while Andre focused on the vision and marketing strategy for When Hounds Fly. This was a very important step for Andre, as he believes that the goal of any business founder should be to exit the day to day operations and concentrate instead on the bigger picture.

By focusing on sustainable growth Andre has been able to provide financial security for his team members. This in turn allows him to attract and retain expert trainers, helping the When Hounds Fly team provide a better client experience, a wider range of available times and locations for customers looking to book, and greater follow-through for their training programs. Easier and more convenient access means more families are able to access the information and support they need. Through their puppy training experiences, reactive dog group class program, and their many other training services When Hounds Fly is able to help keep pets from ending up in shelters or needing behavioural euthanasia. 

Looking to the future, they hope to be able to expand their Toronto locations beyond the downtown core, making it even easier for dogs and families in their community to get the training support they need. 

Though When Hounds Fly has seen astonishing growth over the last 15 years, they have also worked through their fair share of speedbumps. As for many businesses, the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 required When Hounds Fly to shift gears and begin offering many of their services online. Following the lockdowns, demand for training services spiked in 2021 and 2022 as huge numbers of families welcomed new pets into their homes. That sudden growth was followed by a surprising drop in interest when families began giving dogs up and pet adoption rates dipped as life went back to “normal”. Looking back, Andre understands that it was a mistake to make growth predictions based on an anomaly like the COVID-19 pandemic. Since working through so many sudden changes in a few short years, the When Hounds Fly team now aims to be more cautious about projected growth, focusing on larger amounts of supporting data and longer trend lines.

Another lesson Andre took from the years following the COVID-19 pandemic was the value of online services. Though initially developed in response to lockdowns, When Hounds Fly has seen continued interest in their online training resources. By continuing to offer online training options, and even developing hybrid programs with some online and some in-person components, they are able to help an even larger customer base and provide services to families that might otherwise find training inaccessible. 

As the business has grown Andre has moved away from teaching classes directly, though he still finds himself in the classroom from time to time. He continues to enjoy seeing how much clients appreciate the classes at When Hounds Fly and delights in seeing new trainers experience the joy of teaching. For any business owners just starting out, he notes that it is important to keep in mind that owning a dog training business is not just about loving dogs, you must also love people. He also recommends keeping in mind that it’s often not enough to focus on the wants and needs of dog trainers and others that are already fully invested in the training space. Businesses are instead built with the support of the average dog owner, who often has different wants and needs than the majority of training professionals. Before launching any new service or product, Andre recommends making sure you show it to your target market to get an understanding about whether it is the right fit.

When Hounds Fly has made a huge difference in the dog training industry over the last 15 years, and Andre works hard to ensure his business maintains its position as a market leader. He regularly invests in continued education for his team, helping them keep up to date with the best practices in training and behaviour. He also makes sure to keep an eye on other similar industries such as fitness and healthcare, allowing him to stay on top of any innovations that may be applicable to dog training. Likewise, Andre makes sure he has a proper understanding of what other trainers and training businesses are doing throughout the varied markets in Canada and the United States. By combining their existing knowledge with more recent innovations, the When Hounds Fly team is working to create the next generation of dog training services. 

To learn more about the When Hounds Fly team and their available programs, check out their website, www.whenhoundsfly.com. You can also find them on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. In addition, Andre shares lots of valuable information and resources on his Instagram, @andre_yeu.

When Hounds Fly is a valued client of BusyPaws, making use of our booking, CRM, communications, and payments systems. We’re pleased to share a small part of their story with the pet care community.

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