FAMILY MANNERS CLASSES

This class will afford your puppy opportunities for socialization to new people, places and things in a supervised setting. Off leash play will be at the discretion of the instructor. Common owner concerns will be discussed. This class will run for three to four weeks and will NOT include the AKC Star Puppy test.

Puppies should have their standard vaccinations as per their vets recommendation. Rabies vaccine is required for dogs over four months of age.

Skills Introduced: Socialization and safe handling

Your puppy’s early months are a critical developmental period in which they learn how to interact appropriately with new people, dogs, and environments. This class helps you make the most of that important window by building the foundation for a friendly, confident, well-mannered adult dog. Using positive, reward-based methods, we introduce essential skills such as basic manners, clicker training, attention, safe handling, and guided socialization. Off-leash play will be offered at the instructor’s discretion to ensure a safe and positive experience for all puppies.

Puppies should have their standard vaccinations as recommended by their veterinarian; a rabies vaccine is required for dogs over four months of age.

To be eligible for the AKC S.T.A.R.® Puppy Test, puppies must attend six weeks of classes.

Class Limit: 8 dogs

For: Puppies under 5 months

Prerequisites: None

Next Class: Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials

Did you recently acquire a new dog? Did you miss registration for FM Foundations? Do you need to get the basics asap? Jump Start will get you on the right track, right away. Learn the essentials and get your dog started right away learning polite manners for day-to-day life. This class will prepare teams to go to FM Foundations class the following session.

For puppies over 5 months old.

Introduce your dog to the skills it needs to become a well-mannered family pet. In this class, owners will learn to use dog-friendly training methods as they teach their pets to sit, lie down, wait, walk on a loose leash, come when called and more. This class will help you build a strong relationship with your dog, and to manage your pet comfortably in your home. These foundational skills are geared toward preparing your dog for the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. Class limit 8.

For: Dogs, age 5 months and older. Both you and your dog must be comfortable spending an hour with a group of canines of various sizes and energy levels. Please check with your instructor as to whether or not dogs attend the first class.

Skills Introduced: Attention, Sits & Downs, Loose leash walking, Stand, Recall, Stay, Leave It, Drop It

Now that you and your dog have learned the basics of reward-based training in Family Manners Foundation, you are ready to kick it up a notch. In this intermediate-level class, you will build reliability by training in an increasingly distracting environment and with gradually increased distance and duration, while fading the lures and additional prompts. The ultimate goal is a dog that will reliably respond to your cues no matter what is going on around him. Class limit 8.

Prerequisite: FM Foundation or instructor´s approval

Skills Introduced: Sit, Down, Stand, Stay, Recall, Loose Leash Walking - all with increasing duration, distance & distractions, go to place

ADDITIONAL TRAINING

If you are thinking about participating in an activity with your dog, but aren't sure which one, this sampler class is just for you.  Each class will be devoted to learning about and experiencing a different activity such as agility, rally, obedience, scent work, canine good citizen tests and more.  Dogs should be comfortable working in the presence of other teams.  Limit 8 teams.

Prerequisite: AKC S.T.A.R.® Puppy, Family Manners Foundation or Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials

Teaching tricks can be a valuable learning experience for you and your dog. They help you teach your dog to think and solve problems with you as a team, help you perfect your timing of feedback, and engage your dog's interest in all his training. Will introduce the use of targeting and props to turn a few behaviors into cute tricks. Use this class to round out your dog's education, show off his natural talent, and challenge him mentally while learning invaluable tricks for therapy work or everyday life. Skills learned will help in working toward and AKC Trick Dog title.  Class limit 8.

Prerequisites: AKC Star Puppy, Family Manners Foundation, Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials

Does your dog become distracted on walks by items that attract his attention, such as sticks, leaves, or trash?  Pick up things in your home such as children’s toys or shoes, or “counter surf” for food?  Refuse to give up something in his/her mouth, whether it’s dog toys or bones, or worse, stolen forbidden items?  This class focuses on teaching the dogs to willingly ignore, or turn away from, or let go of items of interest to them, using non-confrontational methods.  Limit 8 teams.

Prerequisites: Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials, Family Manners Foundation or instructor approval

Use your dog's crate to enhance focus and motivation, to work on self-control for a phenomenal stay, to train a speedy and dependable recall, train distance skills for obedience or agility, and to develop an amazing working relationship.

Class Limit: 8 dogs

Prerequisites: AKC S.T.A.R Puppy, Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials, Family Manners Foundation

This class is designed to help you and your dog prepare for the AKC Canine Good Citizen® (CGC) test. Teams will practice the ten required skills, including polite greetings, loose-leash walking, supervised separation, and remaining calm around distractions, using positive, reward-based training methods.

The official CGC test will be administered during the final class session. Class limit 6.

Prerequisites: Family Manners 2: Building Skills, Family Manner Skills, or instructor approval

This class prepares teams for the AKC Community Canine (Advanced CGC) test, the next step beyond the Canine Good Citizen title. Working in real-world settings, dogs will practice advanced manners such as walking politely through the community, maintaining stays and recalls amid distractions, and demonstrating reliable behavior around people and other dogs.

The official Community Canine test will be administered during the final class session.  Class limit 6.

Prerequisites: Dogs must have taken and passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen test.

This class prepares teams for the AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen® (Urban CGC) test, which evaluates reliable manners and confidence in real-world city environments. Dogs will practice advanced skills amid urban distractions such as traffic, crowds, varied surfaces, and everyday noises and scents, building on the foundation of the CGC and Community Canine levels.

Some classes may be held off-site to ensure teams gain experience in authentic community settings.

The official Urban CGC test will be administered during the final class session.  Class limit 6.

Prerequisites: Dogs must have taken and passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test

Does your enthusiastic dog jump on people or pull toward other dogs in excitement? This class helps owners teach overly friendly dogs to greet people and other dogs politely while remaining calm and under control. Using reward-based methods, you will learn strategies to manage excitement, reinforce appropriate behavior, and build reliable manners in everyday social situations. Class limit: 8.

Prerequisites: Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials, Family Manners Foundation or instructor approval

Fear and anxiety can underlie many behaviors in shy or fearful dogs, and training alone may not be enough to change these responses. This class helps owners learn to read their dog’s body language, identify triggers, and respond in ways that promote emotional growth and confidence. Once these foundational concepts are understood, you can apply them in real-world, dynamic environments, helping your dog feel more comfortable and secure in situations that previously caused fear.

Class Limit: 6 dogs

Prerequisites: Prior to enrolling, please contact the instructor to determine if this class is a good fit for you and your dog.

Struggling with getting your dog to walk politely on a leash? This focused mini-class is all about loose-leash walking. You’ll practice practical techniques and exercises to help your dog walk by your side. Bring a motivated dog, ideally after some exercise, along with a variety of high-value treats to reinforce success.

Class limit: 6

Prerequisites: Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials, Family Manners Foundation

Learn how to teach your dog to come reliably the first time, every time - anywhere, anytime, and away from distractions! This class uses positive, reward-based methods to build a solid recall and is suitable for puppies and dogs of all ages. Class limit: 6

Prerequisites: AKC S.T.A.R Puppy, or Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials or Family Manners Foundation

This course teaches the fundamental applications and scope of therapy dog work and the positive effects that handler/dog teams can have on patients and others in need. In addition, we focus on some of the basic obedience exercises that are essential in the visiting process. 

Pre-requisite: Dogs must be at least 8 months of age

Therapy Dog Skills is a course for teams that are not quite ready for the demands of our Therapy Dog Certification Preparation class. Skills places strong emphasis on fine-tuning of Obedience exercises which are essential in all therapy dog interactions. We also focus on dog/people and dog/dog socialization dynamics.

Successful completion of this course qualifies teams to enter Therapy Dog Certification Preparation in a future session.

Therapy Dog Certification Preparation is the highest-level class in this special program. The course orients students and their dogs to a wide variety of circumstances that they are likely to encounter in visits to hospitals, schools, libraries, elder-care residences, and many other facilities in which therapy dog teams can play a significant role in healing and learning.

Candidates for this course should have well-developed obedience skills, balanced temperaments, and a desire to help people in need.

A screening is required to register for this course. Therapy Dog Certification Preparation screenings (each about 20 minutes) will be on Saturday, November 1st. To reserve a time for you and your dog, contact George Berger – Georgepb37@gmail.com

This is a skills class for current therapy dogs only. This class does not prepare you for the therapy dog certification test.

Prerequisite: Therapy Dog Certificate Prep with George Berger. Instructor approval required.

Engagement games will introduce effective ways for handlers to communicate with their dogs and get their attention. Great for dogs who get sucked in to their environment, or dogs that need to work on focusing at the start line. Engagement games will cover how to handle disengagement, determining thresholds, and using your dog’s distractions to your benefit.

Class Limit: 8 dogs

Prerequisites: Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials or Family Manners Foundation

Teams will prepare for the advanced CGC known as the Community® Canine test: https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/akc-community-canine/test-items/ and the AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen® test: https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/akc-urban-canine-good-citizen/about/.

 The AKC Urban CGC requires that the dog demonstrate CGC skills and beyond in a setting that includes traffic, crowds, noises, smells, and other distractions that are present in a city or town. One or two classes may be off-site. 

The tests will be administered during the final class of the session.  Class limit 6.

Prerequisites:  Dogs must have passed the CGC test prior to taking the CGCA or CGCU test.  Dogs must be registered with the AKC prior to taking the CGCA or CGCU test.  For information on getting an AKC number: http://images.akc.org/cgc/number.pdf.

Do you dread taking your dog for a walk? Does your dog whine, bark, and lunge when they see another dog? Whether your dog likes other dogs or not, in this class you will learn techniques to help you and your dog have more relaxed and enjoyable walks. You will learn how to change your dog's behavior, teach them to make new associations and better choices. 

Note: Reactive Rover is not a class for dogs that have bitten dogs or people. If your dog has a bite history, you will want to find a private trainer to work with.

Class limit 5 - No dogs in the first class.

Your puppy’s early weeks are an essential time for learning about people, places, and new experiences. This class provides a safe, supervised environment to help your puppy build confidence, develop appropriate social skills, and explore the world in a positive way. Off-leash play may be included at the instructor’s discretion. Common concerns will also be discussed to support you through this important developmental stage.

This class runs for three to four weeks and does not include the AKC S.T.A.R.® Puppy test.

Class Limit: 8 dogs

For: Puppies under 5 months

Prerequisites: None

Next Class: AKC S.T.A.R Puppy

Introduce your dog to the essential skills needed to become a well-mannered and enjoyable family companion. In this class, owners will use reward-based training methods to teach their dogs foundational behaviors such as sit, down, wait, loose-leash walking, recall, polite manners, leave-it, drop-it, and more. These skills not only strengthen the bond between you and your dog, but also help you navigate everyday life with confidence and ease

Class Limit: 8 dogs

For: Dogs over 5 months

Prerequisites: None

Next Class: Family Manners 2: Building Skills or electives

Now that you and your dog have built a solid foundation in reward-based training through Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials, you’re ready to take your skills to the next level. This intermediate-level class focuses on strengthening reliability by working in more distracting environments while gradually increasing distance and duration and reducing reliance on lures and prompts. Owners will continue refining their handling skills as their dogs learn to respond consistently, no matter what is happening around them.

Class Limit: 8 dogs

For: dogs over 5 months

Prerequisites: Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials, Family Manners Foundation or instructor approval

Next Class: Canine Good Citizen, or electives

Did you recently bring home a new dog or miss registration for FM Foundations? This half-session class is designed to help you catch up quickly and ensure your dog gets started on the right paw. Owners will learn reward-based training methods as they introduce their dogs to essential skills for polite day-to-day manners, building a strong foundation for confidence and success.

Class Limit: 8 dogs

For: Dogs over 5 months

Prerequisites: None

Next Class: Family Manners 1: Foundation Essentials