Group Classes
Explore the classes offered below, and we look forward to seeing you in class!
Important Note: This is a list of all the classes that have been taught by our trainers. All classes listed here are not necessarily currently available. Please click here to see a list of the classes that are currently available, or click on a trainer’s name to see which classes that trainer is offering.
Beginner Level Classes
These classes are aimed at dog-handler pairs who are just starting out on their training journey. If you are looking for your puppy’s first class, or have an older dog who needs some training, beginner classes are right for you and your dog.
Puppy Start Right © - Sara Alguire
This class is for puppies 8 - 14 weeks of age.
This class provides a positive start in your puppy’s journey as a beloved family member. Activities focus on creating positive exposure to sights, sounds, and experiences in their environment. Handlers will learn problem-solving and prevention skills for raising a young puppy.
Puppy Essentials 1 - Sara Alguire
In this course, we will build the foundations for great communication between you and your puppy. Understand the world from your dog's point of view while teaching her the basic skills needed to be a successful family member.
Focus and Attention
Greetings and Door Manners
Leash Walking
Sit, Down, and Leave It
AKC® S.T.A.R. Puppy - Sheyenne Ridenour
Join our 6-week AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy class where we set the gold standard in puppy training, endorsed by the American Kennel Club® (AKC). Our curriculum revolves around the acronym S.T.A.R., which represents Socialization, Training, Activity, and Responsible ownership. Throughout the course, we cover essential aspects of puppy care and introduce foundational obedience skills.
At the culmination of the program, your puppy will undergo the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test, assessing crucial abilities such as body handling, aggression management, grooming, obedience, and leash manners. Passing the test earns you an application for enrollment in the esteemed AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program, along with the prestigious S.T.A.R. Puppy Medal. Whether your furry friend is a purebred or a delightful mix, all are welcome to participate.
Our program not only prepares your puppy for a lifetime of good behavior but also serves as a natural pathway to the renowned AKC Canine Good Citizen® Test. Take the first step towards a well-behaved companion by enrolling today!
Learn more at: https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/akc-star-puppy/
Calm Confident Puppy - Sheyenne Ridenour
Join us on this journey towards nurturing a calm, confident, and well-rounded puppy with our specially crafted 8-week course designed for puppies up to 12 months of age. Drawing inspiration from the acclaimed Leslie McDevitt's "Control Unleashed®, the Puppy Program," this course prioritizes building a strong relationship with your puppy. Class is strategically designed to focus on preventative measures, proactively addressing potential behavioral challenges before they arise. By fostering positive habits early on, you'll pave the way for a lifetime of positive experiences and a harmonious relationship between you and your furry friend.
Preventative Measures Focus:
Early Socialization: Introduce your puppy to positive experiences, people, and environments to prevent fear and anxiety later in life.
Behavioral Foundations: Establish preventative measures for common behavior challenges, ensuring a harmonious relationship as your puppy grows.
Positive Reinforcement Training: Establish a positive learning environment using proven techniques that are gentle and effective
Calm Puppy Comprehensive - Sheyenne Ridenour
This class is designed to help you and your puppy start off on the right paw. Join us on this journey towards nurturing a calm, confident, and well-rounded puppy with our specially crafted 10-week course designed for puppies up to 6 months of age. Drawing inspiration from the acclaimed Leslie McDevitt's "Control Unleashed®, the Puppy Program," this course prioritizes building a strong relationship with your puppy while learning the basics of positive reinforcement training. Class is strategically designed to focus on preventative measures, proactively addressing potential behavioral challenges before they arise alongside learning the fundamentals of obedience training. By fostering positive habits early on, you'll pave the way for a lifetime of positive experiences and a harmonious relationship between you and your furry friend.
Preventative Measures Focuses:
Early Socialization: Introduce your puppy to positive experiences, people, and environments to prevent fear and anxiety later in life.
Behavioral Foundations: Establish preventative measures for common behavior challenges, ensuring a harmonious relationship as your puppy grows.
Positive Reinforcement Training: Establish a positive learning environment using proven techniques that are gentle and effective
Puppy Obedience Focuses:
Fundamental Cues: Sit, down, stay, and leave-it are all cues your puppy will learn.
Handler Focus: Establishing handler focus is key to loose leash walking and recall.
Manners: Appropriate greetings and other manners will help you and your puppy move calmly through the world together.
Enroll now to embark on this wonderful adventure with your playful puppy!
Calm Confident Canine - Sheyenne Ridenour
This empowering 8-week course is crafted to enhance the connection between you and your canine companion aged over 12 months. Whether you're seeking to refine your dog's self-control, boost confidence, or deepen the bond you share, this course is expertly tailored to address those needs. You will explore concepts and techniques designed to help your dog relax, focus, manage daily stressors, and happily collaborate with you – all through engaging training games that both you and your pup will enjoy.
Who This Class Is For:
Dogs that are uncomfortable or over-excited around other dogs
Dogs that are easily distracted
Dogs that struggle to control their impulse
This class is not appropriate for dogs with a bite history.
Fido’s Stress Free Holidays: Polite Greetings - Sara Alguire
Is your dog a social butterfly who greets visitors a little too enthusiastically? Not sure how you are going to manage a nervous or barking canine during the holidays? This three-week course will give you management tips and easy-to-train skills that reduce stress on humans and their furry companions during the busy holiday season.
Reactive Rover - Marie Meredith
A "reactive" dog is a dog who has an over-the-top reaction to people or dogs in their environment. This could include barking, lunging, growling, or showing teeth. This Reactive Rover class is specifically designed for dogs who show these reactive-type behaviors on leash. The class is closely managed so your dog can learn how to be more comfortable with the people, dogs, and environment around them. We can help your dog go from frantic to focused.
Click! to Calm - Sara Alguire
Our dog's behavior can limit their lives and ours. In Click! To Calm, you will learn to understand how your dog's emotional state contributes to the behaviors that challenge you. Your dog will to navigate an ever-changing and challenging environment with confidence.
Handlers with fearful, impulsive and/or reactive dogs will learn the skills needed to improve their dog's emotional response to triggers and build new behaviors for safer and more enjoyable interactions with the environment.
Intermediate Level Classes
These classes are aimed at dog-handler pairs who have already taken a class together, or have done private training. If you are looking for the next steps to take with your dog or are looking for more fun activities, intermediate classes are right for you and your dog.
Puppy Essentials 2/Canine Good Citizen Prep - Sara Alguire
Advanced obedience leading to passing the canine good citizen test.
The Awkward Phase - Liz Throckmorton, Sara Alguire
As your dog is learning to become an adult and gain independence, they will likely become more independent and push the boundaries. During this adolescent stage, undesirable behaviors may worsen if your dog isn't being guided in the right direction with positive reinforcement training.
This class is for dogs between 8 months and 2 years old who are jumping up on people, pulling on the leash, busting through doors, and exhibiting over-the-top rambunctiousness. Although these behaviors are normal and expected during this phase, you will learn methods to address them in a productive, positive, and fun way.
We will use foundational behaviors such as handler focus, targeting, "leave it," and settling on a mat to help with an array of issues including distractions, jumping up, and chewing on inappropriate items.
Walk With Me! - Sara Alguire
This class will teach you and your dog how to walk together so that walks will be safe and enjoyable for both of you. You will learn different techniques to help your dog understand what to do instead of pulling you down the street. A few behaviors we will work on are impulse control around distractions, handler attention, and maintaining a loose leash.
Cooperative Care - Sheyenne Ridenour
In our Cooperative Care (CC) class, we revolutionize the way we care for our furry friends! Gone are the days of forcing pets to endure invasive procedures – instead, we empower them to actively participate in their own care with consent and cooperation.
Cooperative care (CC) is training a dog to actively participate, or consent, to their care so that no force or restraint is needed! Instead of forcing dogs to only tolerate, or worse case they do NOT tolerate, invasive procedures we perform on them, we can flip the script and empower them to work cooperatively with us! CC is important for keeping your dog comfortable and calm while allowing your pet professional (vet, groomer, etc) to perform their job while maintaining a trusting relationship with your pup! CC covers many areas, but we will be focusing on vet care (exams, vaccines), grooming (bath, nail trims, brushing, ear cleaning, clipping), putting on their own gear, taking pills, body handling and more! Our ultimate goal is to have dogs who are relaxed and calm for procedures that will benefit their health and well-being. This class is appropriate for dogs of all ages and skills!
Join us in creating a harmonious partnership between you and your furry companion, where cooperation and trust reign supreme. Together, let's pave the way for a lifetime of health, happiness, and mutual understanding.
Parkour for Beginners - Katy Alstrom
Dog Parkour is a fun way for dogs and humans to explore the environment by jumping, climbing, balancing, crawling under, and going around obstacles.
Parkour for Reactive Dogs - Katy Alstrom
Dog Parkour is a fun way for dogs and humans to explore the environment by jumping, climbing, balancing, crawling under, and going around obstacles. This class is aimed at reactive dogs.
Tricks, Tasks, and Boredom Busters - Sara Alguire
This course is for dog handler pairs who are looking for fun, mental stimulation, and a little challenge. In this course, you will increase the trainer skills of capturing and shaping while teaching party tricks such as spin, weave, speak, play dead, and “pose”. In addition, your dog will learn to push a communication button, retrieve common objects such as keys or a water bottle, and put away their own toys.
Tricks for Treats - Sheyenne Ridenour
A fun, spooky twist on our AKC® Novice Tricks class.
Trick training is a great way to have fun with your dog! We will show you how easy it is to teach your dog behaviors that will impress your friends and family, while providing mental stimulation for your dog and building an amazing bond between you. At the end of the course, we will offer you the opportunity to take the AKC Novice Trick Dog test to get an official AKC Tricks title! To get this title your dog will perform 10 tricks (or 5 if they have CGC Title) that they learned during the course.
Some trick options include: crawl, puppy push-ups, high five, jump, kiss, paws up, spin, and touch it.
Advanced Level Classes
These classes are aimed at veteran dog-handler pairs who have worked and taken many classes together. If you are looking to polish your skills or are working towards a certification, advanced level classes are right for you and your dog.
Advanced Reactive Rover - Marie Meredith
This is the perfect class to continue your dog’s reactivity training. There will be plenty of opportunities to practice in the presence of dogs, people, and other triggers. This class will solidify and expand your dog’s skill set!
Canine Good Citizen - Marie Meredith
The AKC Canine Good Citizen Course is a comprehensive 6-week program designed to help you and your canine companion become a responsible and well-mannered team. Graduates of the program have the opportunity to earn the prestigious AKC CGC certification, a testament to your dog's good behavior and your commitment as a responsible dog owner. Join us in creating well-mannered canine citizens!
It is recommended that you have taken an obedience course prior to enrolling in this course.
Therapy Dog Essentials - Sara Alguire
Do you and your dog love people? Volunteering as an educational comfort dog pair or as a therapy dog team can be rewarding for both of you! Learn the basics and prepare for visiting schools, hospitals, and senior residences!
Please note: This is an advanced level course. Canine Good Citizen level of skill or Beginning and Intermediate courses are recommended as a prerequisite. Dogs who display behaviors consistent with leash reactivity or fear of people will be dismissed from this course and offered other opportunities for training.
A consultation with the trainer is highly recommended prior to enrollment.
This class will cover the following skills:
Socialization to the sights and sounds encountered during visits.
Handler focus and Polite Greetings.
Relaxing in unfamiliar environments.
Review of sit and down duration/distance (stay).
Leash Walking with Distractions.
Automatic and cued "leave it"
Reading your dog's body language.
Caring for your dog's welfare in public situations.
Other Classes and Workshops
Litter Box 101 Seminar - Liz Throckmorton
Is your cat eliminating outside of the litter box?
Learn the most common reasons for elimination outside of the litter box and how to solve them. During this 1-hour webinar, we will discuss all of the potential reasons that your cat is eliminating outside of the litter box -- from health reasons to box and substrate preferences to inter-cat aggression. Oftentimes, a combination of these factors is playing a role. The last 15 minutes will be reserved for questions. Register today to learn how to solve your cat's litter box issues!