 Share this page →
Dog Training Puppy | Middle & High School | CGC | Agility HSSV has partnered with A DOG'S LIFE to offer high quality, educationally focused and FUN! classes for you and your companion. Join us at our new Animal Community Center with a group of trainers that are among the best in the Bay Area. All of our Senior Trainers are graduates of the prestigious San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers, studying under nationally renowned dog behaviorist, Jean Donaldson and/or are Certified Pet Dog Trainers (CPDT) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). A DOG'S LIFE trainers are available to sit down with you to discuss training approaches, give helpful hints, and help sharpen your training skills. Appointments are recommended.
A DOG'S LIFE makes training classes fun for people and their canine companions! You'll learn safe and effective positive reinforcement training methods from highly skilled and experienced certified trainers. All classes are dog and people-friendly and designed to help you learn how best to train your perfect family pet. We have courses for all canine ages and all canine (and human!) skill levels. Best of all, individual attention abounds with our maximum dog-trainer ratio of 10:1. Scoll down to all the class descriptions below to learn more about our specific offerings! TO REGISTER FOR CLASSES, PLEASE CALL A DOG'S LIFE Sunnyvale at (408) 747-1111 or sign up online now!
Kindergarten Early puppy training is the key to preventing common behavior problems later in life and to developing great habits, right from the start. The experiences your pup has during this critical period of development, known as the "socialization" period, will strongly influence later behavior. A young puppy that is exposed in a positive manner to numerous people, sounds, and to the world in general, will result in a well-socialized, less fearful adult dog. A class with other pups in their same developmental period gives them a chance to develop good dog-to-dog social skills and to learn good bite inhibition (ability to control the force of their bite). While the goal of kindergarten is teaching good bite inhibition and socialization, manners will also be taught. Using modern, scientific methods, you'll begin teaching your pup some basic obedience including sit, down, stay, come when called, leave it, etc. Additional topics covered in Kindergarten include: crate training and housetraining, alone training, chewing, nipping and biting, and body handling so your pup is comfortable at the vets and groomers. Kindergarten is a six-week course, 50 minutes each week and pups are to attend every session with you and/or your entire family. Enrollment includes a free copy of Teoti Anderson's book, "Your Outta Control Puppy." Course prerequisites:
$185 - six-week course ($160 for A DOG'S LIFE members) Elementary School Elementary School is designed for the quickly emerging adolescent. Manners and obedience are stressed in both on- and off-leash class situations. Behaviors covered in Kindergarten will be taken to a higher level. Special emphasis will be on how to motivate your teenage dog, stay, come when called, and walking on leash. Additionally, new skills (e.g., "go to your mat," Emergency Recall, variations on heeling such as stop, fast, slow, etc.) will be taught. This is the "juvenile" stage in your dog's life when his reliability tends to wane. This class will help keep both you and your dog on track as you navigate this sometimes-challenging time. Elementary School is a six-week class. The first class is an orientation designed to help you better understand and communicate with your dog so you can get the most out of these classes. Owners should attend the first class without their dog and attend classes 2 thru 6 with their dogs. Course prerequisites:
$185 - six-week course ($160 for A DOG'S LIFE members) Puppy Prep This third and final level in the Puppy track program works toward finishing and proofing your dog's manners and skills to a fluent level. Training will continue to be done in both on- and off-leash situations. Your dog will perform out of sight stays with distractions, learn more precise heeling, distance commands and will build more reliable responses to all of your requests. Upon completion of Puppy Prep, your well-trained dog will be prepared for anything, including taking the CGC test, agility, freestyle, flyball, or just being the perfect pet! Course prerequisites:
$185 - six-week course ($160 for A DOG'S LIFE members)
Canine Middle School (Basic Obedience) Canine Middle School is a basic training class designed to teach your dog all the fundamentals of training. Best of all, you'll use positive reinforcement training methods that help strengthen the bond between you and your canine companion. Both you and your dog will graduate with a better understanding of each other! Behaviors your dog will learn include: Sit ~ Down ~ Stand ~ Stay ~ Come when called ~ Watch me ~ Wait ~ Leave it ~ Loose-leash walking ~ Sit for greetings. Course prerequisites:
$185 - six-week course ($160 for A DOG'S LIFE members)
Canine High School (Intermediate Obedience) Canine High School is designed for graduates of Canine Middle School (or any other basic training class). You'll expand on and refine all those behaviors you learned in Middle School, and then your dog will learn even more! Some of the additional behaviors your dog will learn include: Heel ~ Go to your mat ~ Take it and drop it ~ Speak and shush In addition, your dog will learn "Bang" for "play dead!" Course prerequisites:
$185 - six week course ($160 for A DOG'S LIFE members)
Canine Good Citizen Prep The American Kennel Club (AKC) created the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification program to reward responsible ownership and canine good manners in the home and in the community. Our six-week class works specifically on teaching you and your canine companion how to have a wonderful relationship and how to present yourselves well in the community. On graduation day, you and your dog will have the opportunity to take the Canine Good Citizen test. All dogs that pass the 10-step CGC test qualify to receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club. $185 - six-week course ($160 for A DOG'S LIFE members) Price includes the test on the final day of class. Visit http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/index.cfm to learn more about the CGC Program. CALL FOR INFORMATION Canine Good Citizen - Test Only $15 ($10 for A DOG'S LIFE members) CALL FOR INFORMATION.
BEGINNING PET DOG AGILITY Beginning Pet Dog Agility will introduce you and your dog to the fun of agility. Using positive reinforcement methods, your dog will learn how to complete the various agility obstacles, such as jumps, tunnels, weave poles, teeter-totters, and other contact items. We will also begin some sequencing (your dog learning to do multiple obstacles in a given run) and you will learn the fundamentals to build on with future agility classes. In this rewarding dog-person team sport, you, as a handler, learn how to communicate effectively with your dog and give your dog a fun and creative outlet for its energy. Dogs should attend all sessions of this six-week course. Course prerequisites:
$185 - six-week course ($160 for A DOG'S LIFE members)
|