Beyond Basic is a unique class designed to take you and your dog to the next level in the development of real world ready basic skills and teamwork. We use super fun interactive games and activities to nourish relationship, boost communication and inspire cooperation, all while engaging in effective, stimulating and practical dog training.

Participation in Beyond Basic will help dogs and their humans develop greater fluency and generalization with basic skills, contribute to building confidence and optimism through the use novel objects and props, and give you opportunities to try new things in a safe, supportive and playful environment.

This class is a perfect follow up for many of Great Dog’s classes, including Basic Obedience, Puppy Basics, and the Adolescent Dog Class.  Beyond Basic is also a wonderful way to enrich and fine tune dog and handler teamwork for therapy dog  teams, dog sports or other activities you want to share with your dog.

Come join us for a dog training experience you and your dog will LOVE!

Let the Games Begin!

A rockin’ recall is vital for your dog’s safety and off-leash reliability.  And let’s face it, you love to see your dog running joyfully to join you.  When you have confidence that your dog loves to come when called there is the possibility of more freedom and fun for your dog.  While it seems like a simple behavior on the surface, coming when called is actually a complex skill that requires the dog draw on a collection of concepts — like focus, self-control, engagement, thinking in arousal and proximity value – in order to perform  in the real world.

In Recall Rodeo, we will break it down, using fun games and simple, but powerful exercises to bolster the building blocks of a rockin’ recall, all while cultivating real-world off leash reliability.  If you build it, they will come!

Whether a puppy just beginning to develop these skills or an experienced dog who could use a Recall “tune up,” Recall Rodeo is sure to help you further your training goals.   Come join us for a rockin’ good time in Recall Rodeo!

For the majority of folks sharing their lives with dogs, walking is the most common source of exercise and stimulation in their dog’s life.  And yet, comfortable, connected and cooperative loose-leash walking can be a rather complex and  challenging activity to master for both you and your dog.

The world is full of exciting distractions and curious attractions, tempting your dog to investigate or to react in a doggy fashion that may not be compatible with their human’s vision of the perfect walk.

In Walking in Total Harmony (WITH) you will learn how to turn loose leash walking struggles into strengths, developing skills and concepts that boost your relationship and turn walking the dog into walking WITH – Walking in (Total) Harmony!  Using dog-friendly, positive reinforcement-based strategies you will learn how to create a walking experience both you and your dog can enjoy.

Reactive to Reliable is a specialty class designed to address struggles with reactivity.  This class features a carefully designed classroom environment that allows dogs and their handlers to practice the foundation skills and strategies necessary to create reliability in their teamwork.  The goals for this class revolve around fostering calmness, confidence, connection and the capacity for disengagement from tricky triggers to engage with each other as the dog and their human navigate the frights and delights encountered on their excursions out into the world.