Puppy & Dog Class Descriptions

Family Dog

This is a basic class similar to a basic obedience or manners class - but more than obedience, you and your dog will learn how to understand each other to happily share a home without driving each other bonkers! You will learn how to best communicate with your dog to build a better relationship, and will learn skills that will help your dog navigate the human world. Class covers cues such as sit/stand/down; hand and object targeting; stay; wait; recall; drop it; leave it; go to mat. Class also covers skills such as loose leash walking, polite greetings, door manners, and attention; and concepts that are essential to having good manners - such as calmness, focus, and optimism. We talk about how dogs communicate, how to meet your dogs’ needs through exercise and enrichment, and practice real life uses of manners / skills, playing games to make training fun. This class is appropriate for adult dogs of any age, and puppies too!

Family Dog Experience 2 / Canine Good Citizen

This class is a “level 2” manners class that builds on the skills and concepts learned in your basic class; with a focus on attention and working through distractions. At the end of the class, humans and their dogs can take the Canine Good Citizen test (optional).

Nose Work

Nose work is becoming a very popular dog sport! It is a sport that is easy to get started in, can be played anywhere, AND is great for both dogs and humans of any age or temperament (including older dogs or reactive dogs). In class we start out hunting for food - teaching the dog how to search, using something rewarding to make it fun; while at the same time teaching the human to learn how to read their dog’s body language to know when they are on the scent! As dogs and their humans gain experience, they can progress onto searching for the target odors used in nose work - birch, anise, and clove. Everything we do in class can be played at home - which makes for great exercise and enrichment when the weather is yucky.
Nose work is a great class for dogs that are reactive to or nervous about other dogs, as each dog searches individually (just the dog and their human in the ring) while the others wait their turn.

Dogology teaches on Thursday evenings (and occasionally other days) at Do Over Dog Training. Click here

Resolving Reactivity (1&2)

Owning a reactive dog that barks and lunges at other dogs or people while on walks can be incredibly stressful. There are many reasons for leash reactivity, from frustration to fear - but regardless the reason, this class will help your dog change your dog’s reactive behavior to something more pleasant for you and healthy for them - from a dog who is over aroused when seeing other dogs or people, to a dog who is calm, comfortable, and able to cope when faced with triggers.

Classes are small in size. In class, we will work with management techniques to prevent escalation of your dog’s reactive behaviors; behavior modification to reduce your dog’s arousal response to triggers; and distraction or emergency techniques to use in emergencies when sh*t hits the fan.

During training, your dog will not only learn new behavior but also change their underlying emotions about seeing other dogs. You will also learn other complementary techniques, skills, and practices to use at home to help your dog’s overall mental health and wellness.

In Reactivity 2 (Resolving Reactivity Redux), continue to work on your skills in new and different settings, and add some more tools to your reactivity toolbox!

Drink with Your Dog™

One of the best things you can do to keep patios and breweries dog friendly is to teach your dog GREAT brewery skills! When you visit a brewery with a well-behaved dog, you not only set a good example for other visitors with dogs, but you also remind breweries that there are wonderful dogs out there who are fun and hassle-free to welcome into their spaces. Certified Brewery-Friendly Dog Titles are a fun way to continue your training after taking a basic class! In this class we will work on: settle under the table, calm greetings with friendly strangers, polite ordering skills, leash walking with distractions and through tight spaces, leave it, and recover from startle. Click here to get on the list for the next class (these classes are held in partnership with Do Over Dog Training).