Group Classes
Group Classes for Puppies
For puppies up to 5 months
Life Skills for Puppies
Our Life Skills for Puppies class is designed to help you develop a confident & resilient puppy, and will start you and your puppy on the path to a long and happy life together.
Week one sets the stage with an orientation where we discuss addressing undesirable behaviors, how dogs learn, meeting our puppies’ needs, and more. Each subsequent 50 minute class includes training and socialization exercises, as well as puppy play (with puppies broken into smaller playgroups as appropriate).
Class includes access to an online portal that includes a summary of the activities worked on in class, corresponding homework, and supplemental articles and videos. Email follow-up with your instructor is also included.
Class size is limited to 8 dogs | $225 for 7 weeks
Questions & Answers
What are the class requirements?
Life Skills for Puppies is for dogs ages 8 weeks to 5 months. Puppies must be up to date on Distemper & Parvovirus**, and if 16+ weeks of age, rabies vaccinations. Additionally, puppies must have proof of a negative fecal within the past two weeks to attend. We also strongly recommend vaccination for both Bordatella/Parainfluenza and Canine Influenza.
**We recommend allowing 1-2 weeks for vaccinations to take effect in young puppies who have only received their first vaccinations before attending class.
Is it safe to bring my young puppy to class?
Yes! Your puppy’s behavioral health is just as important as her physical health. Just as you vaccinate your puppy to prevent disease, puppy class allows you to train and socialize your puppy to prevent behavioral issues later in life. For more information, please reference the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s position statement on socialization.
My puppy is: jumping, nipping, chewing, pulling, pottying in the house, or similar (or all of the above)! Will this class help us?
Absolutely! These are all normal puppy challenges. In addition to focusing on teaching basic manners like polite greetings, walking on a loose leash, settling on a mat, and so on, we will teach you how to prevent and address undesirable behaviors.
Can you expand on the topics covered in class?
Of course! We cover the following:
✦ Basic Manners: name response, sit, down, targeting, recall, tug/drop it, loose leash walking, polite greetings, settling on a mat, up/down game, collar conditioning, and potty training
✦ Confidence & Resiliency: All aspects of socialization, cooperative care (grooming, handling, vet visits), crate-training & separation anxiety prevention, addressing fear
✦ Meeting Needs: Physical and mental enrichment, outlets for normal dog behaviors, understanding body language, decompression, agency/choice, safety
Group Classes for Adolescents/Adults
All classes include access to an online portal that includes a summary of the activities worked on in class, corresponding homework, and supplemental articles and videos. Email follow-up with your instructor is also included.
Life Skills for Adolescents
For dogs who have completed our Life Skills for Puppies class
As puppies enter adolescence, their focus changes from you being the center of the universe to the outside world (we often say even molecules become distracting), hormones fluctuate, and they go through a second teething process. As a result, it can seem like they’ve forgotten everything they’ve learned thus far, new behaviors like humping or marking may appear, and they can become more destructive if not given ample outlets for their need to chew.
In other words, adolescence can be maddening! Our Life Skills for Adolescents class will give you additional skills to navigate this phase of their development, as well as continue to build on skills learned in puppy class. Skills include door manners, stay, trade, go to bed, sit front, leave it, and continued practice with sit, down, name response, recall, targeting, and loose leash walking.
Class size is limited to 6 dogs | $165 for 5 weeks
Life Skills Level 1
For adult/adolescent dogs who are new to us or have limited/no training
Level 1 is our beginner level class and is appropriate for dogs with little to no training, or who need more practice with the basics. Week 1 is an orientation without dogs that covers the following topics: how dogs learn, addressing undesirable behaviors, meeting your dog’s needs, and marker training.
In the remaining classes, you will teach your dog skills to live in harmony with you, including polite greetings, loose leash walking, and settling on a mat. Additionally, you’ll teach potentially life saving skills, as well as basics, including recall, drop it, leave it, name response, sit, down, targeting, & wait.
Your registration includes access to an online portal that includes a summary of the activities worked on in class, corresponding homework, and supplemental articles and videos. Email follow-up with your instructor is also included.
Class size is limited to 6 dogs | $255 for 8 weeks
Life Skills Level 2
For dogs who have completed either Life Skills for Adolescents or Life Skills Level 1
Level 2 is our intermediate level class and is appropriate for dogs who have attended Life Skills for Adolescents, Life Skills Level 1, or a similar class, or who have completed private training.
In this class, we introduce new skills that will take your training to the next level. This includes new concepts for building a rock solid recall around prey, verbal only and distance cues, additional pattern games, and cognition games to really make your dog think.
Class also builds on previously covered skills like stay, leave it, loose leash walking, drop it, etc. by increasing criteria and the level of distraction as appropriate for each dog. Because the class size is limited, we are able to tailor the training exercises to your skill level.
Class size is limited to 6 dogs | $195 for 6 weeks
Questions & Answers
I’m not sure which class to sign up for, what should I do?
Please send us a message with a brief summary of your training experience with your dog so we can provide you with input on the best class for your needs.
My dog is reactive toward people and/or dogs. Should I sign up?
Our group classes are for dogs who are comfortable around unfamiliar people and dogs. If your dog is not, we recommend private training, or we can refer you to a reactive dog class.