We provide the general public with education and training for purebred and crossbred dogs. We instruct people with dogs of all breeds, mixes, sizes, ages, and abilities, to train their dogs to be good companions. All our instructors have trained and shown their own dogs in either breed competitions, obedience, rally, herding, or agility trials. We have set our training standards high in accordance with the American Kennel Club (AKC) for conformation, obedience, rally, and agility. We strive to give the highest quality of training available while continually updating our training methods. We offer education for YOU - teaching you how to teach your dog to obey your commands. The actual training and practice is your responsibility. We believe in FIRM, FAIR, CONSISTENT training with heavy doses of PRAISE and LOVE. Our methods are based on positive motivation and reinforcement.
- Currently, we offer classes in Agility, Conformation, Obedience, Rally, Canine Good Citizen, and for puppies.
Below are basic descriptions of these categories.
Click on the links at the bottom of this page for more specific class information.
Agility
(from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Dog agility is a sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs must run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives. The handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles, except accidentally. Consequently, the handler's controls are limited to voice, movement, and various body signals, requiring exceptional training of the animal and of the human.
In its simplest form, an agility course consists of a set of standard obstacles, laid out by an agility judge in a design of his own choosing on a roughly 100 by 100 foot (30 by 30 m) area, with numbers indicating the order in which the dog must complete the obstacles.
Courses are complicated enough that a dog could not complete them correctly without human direction. In competition, the handler must assess the course, decide on handling strategies, and direct the dog through the course, with precision and speed equally important. Many strategies exist to compensate for the inherent difference in human and dog speeds and the strengths and weaknesses of the various dogs and handlers.
- Classes offered range from fun with your dog to competition levels.
Conformation
(from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
In a conformation show, judges familiar with specific dog breeds evaluate individual dogs for how well they conform to published breed standards. Conformation shows are also referred to as dog shows or breed shows. Conformation shows are typically held under the auspices of a national kennel club. At the highest levels are Championship or all-breed shows, which have separate classes for the majority of breeds. In addition, the show can be breed- or group-specific, usually organized by a breed club and often called a specialty show.
- Classes offered are to get you ready for your first show, or to hone your handling skills.
Obedience
(from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Obedience Training usually refers to the training of a dog and the term is most commonly used in that context. Obedience training ranges from very basic training, such as teaching the dog to reliably respond to basic commands such as "sit", "down", "come", and "stay", to high level competition within clubs such as the American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club, where additional commands, accuracy and performance are scored and judged.
Obedience implies compliance with the direction or command given by the handler. For a dog to be considered obedient rather than simply trained in obedience, it must respond reliably each time the command is given, by what is commonly known as its handler. A dog can go through Obedience training and not be obedient. If a dog is referred to as being Obedience Trained it should comply immediately with every command its handler gives. In the strictest sense an Obedience trained dog is an obedient dog.
Training a dog in obedience can be an ongoing and lengthy process depending on the dog, the methods used, and the skill and understanding of both the trainer and the handler. The level of obedience the handler wishes to achieve with the dog is also a major factor in the time involved, as is the commitment to training by the handler.
Obedience training is often a prerequisite for or component of other training.
The actual training of the dog can be done by anyone, the trainer, owner, or a friend. Typically the individual who is caring for and living with the dog participates and trains the dog, as they will be the one who will be giving the commands. The relationship and trust between the dog and handler are important for success.
Basic or beginner's obedience is typically a short course where it is demonstrated to the handler how to communicate with and train the dog in a few simple commands. With most methods the dog is trained one command at a time. Though there may or may not be a specific word attached to it, walking properly on a leash, or leash control, is often the first training required prior to learning other commands.
- Classes offered cover a wide range including Puppy, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Rally, Canine Good Citizen.
(from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Rally Obedience (also known as Rally or Rally-O) is a dog sport based on obedience. It was originally devised by Charles L. "Bud" Kramer from the obedience practice of "doodling" - doing a variety of interesting warmup and freestyle exercises.
Unlike regular obedience, instead of waiting for the judge's orders, the competitors proceed around a course of designated stations with the dog in heel position. The course consists of 10 to 20 signs that instruct the team what to do. Unlike traditional obedience, handlers are allowed to encourage their dogs during the course.
There are currently two sanctioning bodies for Rally-O in the United States; the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT).
In AKC Rally, which is only open to AKC breeds, the team starts with 100 points, and the judge deducts points for mistakes, after qualifying three times at each level, the dog earns a title, which appears after the dog's registered name.
There are three levels in AKC Rally:
- Novice, the easiest class. The dog is on leash and there are 10 to 15 stations, the title is RN.
- Advanced, for dogs who have completed their novice title. Dogs are judged off leash, and the title is RA.
- Excellent, the highest class, for dogs who have earned their advanced title. 15 to 20 stations, including 2 jumps, are used in this class and the title is RE.
Additionally, there is the Rally Advanced Excellent (RAE) title, in which the team has to qualify in both Advanced and Excellent in 10 trials.
In APDT Rally-O, which is open to any dog and handler, the team starts with 200 points, and the judge deducts points for mistakes and adds bonus points that can be earned for optional exercises. There are three levels and there are additional titles for multiple qualifications at various levels. APDT Rally varies in some respects in the performance of some of the exercises and has some exercises, such as a retrieve, not seen in AKC rally. The most obvious difference between APDT and AKC rally is the ability to reward the dog with food in the ring under specific conditions in APDT rally.
APDT also has some trials in Canada, but Canada also has Canadian Association of Rally Obedience (CARO) and Canadian Kennel Club (CKC)Rally. CARO is similar in many respects to both AKC and APDT Rally, with the addition of some agility elements. CKC Rally began in early 2007 and is similar to AKC Rally.
- Classes offered include Novice, Advanced, and Course Work.
(from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
The Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program, established in 1989, is an American Kennel Club program to promote responsible dog ownership and to encourage the training of well-mannered dogs. A dog and handler team must take a short behavioral evaluation of less than half an hour; dogs who pass the evaluation earn the Canine Good Citizen certificate, which many people represent after the dog's name, abbreviating it as CGC; for example, "Fido, CGC".
The evaluation consists of ten objectives. All items must be completed satisfactorily or the team fails. Test items include:
- Accepting a friendly stranger.
- Sitting politely for petting.
- Allowing basic grooming procedures.
- Walking on a loose lead.
- Walking through a crowd.
- Sitting and lying down on command and staying in place.
- Coming when called.
- Reacting appropriately to another dog.
- Reacting appropriately to distractions.
- Calmly enduring supervised separation from the owner.
Evaluators sometimes combine elements during the actual test.
If all ten objectives are met, the handler can apply for a certificate and special dog tag from the AKC stating that the dog has earned the CGC.
Dogs do not have to be registered with the AKC to earn a CGC, nor do they have to be purebred or, in fact, registered with any canine organization. The goal is to promote good citizenship for all dogs.
Since its inception, the CGC program has become the model for similar programs around the world, is the backbone of other exams, such as those given for therapy dogs, and is a good starting point for more advanced dog training.
The program has also been an important option for some communities wrestling with whether to adopt breed specific legislation (BSL). Cities like Pasco, WA which had pit bull owner problems. Their hybrid program allowed owners to either secure very expensive insurance or have their dog pass the CGC test. The test, in this case, was actually more a Good Canine Owner test and led to a drastic reduction of dog threats and attacks. And closer to home, in 2008, the city of Kenmare, ND has banned American Staffordshire terriers, Rottweilers and Doberman pinschers.
- Class offered includes CGC testing at the conclusion of the session.
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