UPDATE:
See Spot Think is on hiatus! Check out Mary Bradford's services here:
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Group Dog Training Classes
For Class Policies, click here.
Foundations
The foundation courses are recommended for those new to training or even just new to our training. Each age level has two levels of courses to teach you the basics before moving on to the "Continuing Ed" classes.
Puppy Kindergarten
For puppies 8 weeks to 16 weeks at the start of class (20 weeks for small breed puppies):
Puppies have a “critical period” before 4.5 mos of age where what they experience, or don’t experience, has long range impact on who they become as adults. Geared for puppies 8 to 18 weeks of age (small breed pups up to 20 weeks), the goal of this class is to help your pup grow into a confident, safe and well adjusted adult while building a strong team bond between dog & human. Through early socialization, puppy play and exercises geared towards temperament as well as obedience, you and your pup will gain a solid foundation to build upon. In addition to basic obedience behaviors, we address puppy biting, social & environmental confidence, comfort being handled, prevention of common behavior problems and more. Your puppy will learn the art of off-leash play in a safe and controlled environment while developing an all-important "soft mouth". What's a "soft mouth" and why is it important? Come and find out! 7 weeks, 1 hour each week (plus 1 free Puppy Playtime session). (Level 1 class)
Puppies must have a minimum of 1 round of puppy vaccinations 7 days prior to class, 1 round of Bordatella (if intranasal, 4 days before class) and continue with age appropriate vaccinations throughout class as determined by your veterinarian.
Read the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's position on early socialization here.
Puppy 2: The next steps
(pre-requisite is Puppy Kindergarten)
Continue your puppy's development by building on the blocks established in Puppy Kindergarten. While Puppy 2 still includes temperament related exercises, this class transitions to a heavier skill-centric curriclum. We’ll work on achieving further reliability with the basic obedience learned in PupK while introducing further useful behaviors like “Leave It”, “Go to your mat”, “Find It’, a formal ”Heel” and more. 6 weeks, 1 hour each week. (Level 2 class)
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Adolescent & Adult Dog Classes
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PLEASE NOTE:
I'd recommend checking in with the following training facilities to see what they have on schedule. I will update here as mine changes.
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Adolescent Kindergarten
For tweens 5-7mos at the start of class:
This class is for the older puppy that might be too old for PupK but could still benefit from a more puppy-focused curriculum than the Basic Manners class. We will focus on exercises that teach socialization, self-control and cooperation as well as any remaining "puppy" issues such as house training, chewing, biting etc. As in all of the Level 1 classes, we address the foundation behaviors (Attention, Sit, Down, Stay, Come, No Jumping, Walking On Leash and more). (Level 1 class)
Adolescent 2: The next steps
(pre-requisite is Adolescent Kindergarten)
Continue your dog's development by building on the blocks established in Adolescent Kindergarten. We’ll work on achieving further reliability of basic obedience behaviors while introducing further useful skills like “Leave It”, “Go to your mat”, “Find It’, a formal ”Heel” and more. 1 hour each week. (Level 2 class)
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Basic Manners
For any aged dog beyond the age for Puppy Kindergarten
This class is designed for adolescent or adult dogs needing a solid foundation in the basics. We focus on exercises that teach self-control and cooperation while also addressing how dog's learn and how to read canine body language. As in all of the Level 1 classes, we address the foundation behaviors: Attention, Sit, Down, Stay, Come, No Jumping, Walking On Leash, Leave It and more. 1 hour each week. (Level 1 class)
Basic 2
(pre-requisite is Basic Manners)
Continue your dog's development by building on the blocks established in Basic Manners. We’ll work on achieving further reliability with the basic obedience while introducing further useful behaviors like “Go to your mat”, “Find It’, a formal ”Heel” and more. 1 hour each week. (Level 2 class)
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Continuing Ed
Pre-requisite: Both a Level 1 and a Level 2 Foundation course.
Skill Building Through Games
Continue to build skills working as a team through a variety of games that will challenge both you and your dog. We draw from Suzanne Clothier's RCT Training Games as well as other non-competitive exercises that make training fun. Games are modifiable for all skill levels and have lots of room for increased difficulty as you progress. Don't let the "Games" part of the name fool you though, these are challenging exercises that will keep both human and canine brains stimulated. You won't want to take this course just once!
Tricks & Clicks
Continue teaching your dog skills while simultaneously being delighted. Tricks are a wonderful way to continue a healthy pattern of training, focus and bonding between you and your pup. We introduce the clicker so you can be just like the Hollywood movie stars. Clicker training is fun, effective and excellent mental exercise for your dog. While it's use is optional (tricks can certainly be taught without it), this is a great way to give this precision tool a try. Tricks can include Bang! (play dead), beg, hi-five, shake, wave bye-bye, get the newspaper, Don't be sad, Peekaboo! and and and... Start by learning some handy foundation behaviors and then beyond that, the curriculum is flexible so bring your favorite trick idea!
Village Walk / Go Dog, Go!
Join us as we embark on field trips out and about. In this class you will have the opportunity to transition your team's skills from our classroom to the real world where you will get to work with your dog in true-to-life situations, but with the support of an instructor as well as fellow dog owners. These weekly adventures may include village walks, parks, canal visits and outdoor cafe chilling. We focus on remaining connected around distractions, walking on leash without pulling, passing by other dogs calmly, greeting people politely, settling quietly and coming when called.