Class Criteria: Heritage Square Bark & Learn (March 1st)

Attendance:

  • Clients may attend the class with one extra person at no extra charge. Two seats will be available per registration.
  • Clients with multiple dogs must have individual registrations and must have a handler for each dog.

Walking Gear:

  • Please bring your dog on-leash, using walking gear that you can comfortably keep them safely restrained and under control.
  • We ask that the dog have a flat collar on, regardless of whether or not it is attached to a leash.
  • Please do not bring your dog on a prong collar, a choke chain, or an e-collar.
  • If the dog is brought in on a gentle leader, we ask that it be switched to the collar or other gear while stationary in session.
  • Walking gear recommendations will be available during class.

Treats:

  • We encourage you to bring any treats that your dog enjoys as we will be using them to motivate the dog.
  • Your dog should be mildly hungry for the class.

Before class:

  • I recommend that you do NOT do high-energy activities with your dog in an attempt to wear them out before class. If you are concerned about your dog’s ability to stay calm, it’s more helpful that the dog do plenty of sniffing and engagement in mental activities.
  • Please encourage your dog to potty before coming to class. It’s not the end of the world if they don’t though.

Arriving:

  • While entering the space, please keep your dog on a short leash and away from other dogs. We may practice some on-leash introduction exercises, however, they will be done in a controlled manner at the right time.

During Class:

  • It is your responsibility to keep your dog comfortable during instruction. This may include T-Touch Massage, a favorite toy or enrichment feeder, or gentle direction such as asking them for a simple behavior to put their mind on.
  • Please do not allow your dog to continue to stare down another dog in class. This will very likely cause disruption.
  • Please do not use leash-corrections on your dog if they bark.

This is a Positive Reinforcement dog training class.

  • What that means: We will be addressing behaviors using an understanding of what the dog’s motivation is, and granting access to it when they do the behavior we want.
  • What it does NOT mean: That training is without boundaries or a certain measure of consequence. Those boundaries and “consequences” will never add conflict, pain, or discomfort.
  • While anyone is free to use the methods they would like, we ask that while attending this class, you adhere to the direction provided in regard to the use of punishment vs reinforcement.

Personalized Instruction

  • Come to class with any questions you may have about your dog’s behavior! While we may not have time to cover the subject in detail, it’s more than likely that someone else in the class has the same question.
  • Details regarding private lessons will be available if that is something you would like to discuss after class.

Come to class ready to learn, have fun, and have your questions answered! We will be providing Walkthroughs on all behaviors discussed during class, so don’t worry about taking notes (unless you really want to).