UPDATE: Family Dog Manners & Obedience will begin Sunday, June 26 at 1 PM. See our Group Classes page for details.

We’re excited to announce that positive reinforcement dog training classes have come to the North Quabbin! We have secured space for our first set of classes in Orange:

No, we mean Orange, Mass., of course! Classes will be held in June, at the Orange Innovation Center, 131 West Main St., Orange, MA 01364.

We’ll be running the following classes:

• Family Dog Manners & Obedience
• Service Dog Foundations I
• Puppy Kindergarten
• Service Dog Foundations II

Find out more about each class below.

Instructor

Classes are taught with enthusiasm and humor by Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, Sharon Wachsler. Sharon is experienced with pet, puppy, and service dog training, uses positive methods (with dogs and people!), and has taught classes for Dakin Humane Society. All classes are kept small for lots of individual attention for you and your dog. Dogs, like people, have good days and bad days. Sharon will help your dog get to the next level, no matter which kind of day you’re having. After all, every dog has its day!

Location

Classes are indoors at OIC, held rain or shine. OIC is conveniently located right off of Route 2 and accessible by Orange-Athol community transit and FRTA. The location is wheelchair accessible.

Family Dog Manners & Obedience

Want a mannerly mutt? A polite Papillon? An obedient Old English Sheepdog?

Do you want a dog who pays attention, does what you ask, greets politely, and comes when called? This is the class for you!

This beginner family dog training class teaches your dog basic skills to make your dog a pleasure to live with. It is appropriate for dogs of any age, from elderly to adolescent. Your dog will learn…

• Sit
• Down
• Attention
• Leave it
• Polite greetings
• Coming when called
• Polite leash walking
• Wait

Family Dog Manners & Obedience is perfect for…

• Newly adopted dogs who need some help understanding the new rules
• Young and adolescent dogs that have hit that “difficult” phase
• Older dogs who could use some reminders about good manners
• Any age dog or owner who enjoys training and wants to take their teamwork to the next level

Requirements, Fees, and Schedule:

• Health: Dog must be vaccinated and generally healthy
• Behavior: Dog must be able to work around other dogs and people
• Prerequisites: None
• Course length: 6 weeks
• Fee: $128
• Starting date: Sunday, June 12 at 1 PM. (Can’t make this time? Contact us to request days and times that work for you. We’ll do our best to accommodate you in future class cycles.)
• Register: HERE

Service Dog Foundations I

Are you taking your dog to the next level and beyond? Service Dog Foundations is for dogs that have graduated from basic manners and are ready to focus on the foundation behaviors needed for an assistance dog career. Service Dog Foundations is built around handler focus — your service-dog-in-training (SDiT) focusing on you and offering eye contact, relaxed behavior, and eager working attention.

Are you training your dog as a mobility, psychiatric, medical alert, or other assistance dog? This is the class for you!

This class is designed with the needs of the owner-training service dog handler in mind. Your service-dog-in-training (SDiT) will learn to alternate between active working and active relaxation. As the course progresses, dogs will learn to maintain focus, working around increasing distractions. During “settle” periods, students will participate in discussions about common SDiT handler issues, such as how to handler questions from strangers, gear and equipment questions, and more. This class is appropriate for dogs of any age, from elderly to adolescent. Your dog will learn…

• Eye contact and handler focus
• Conditioned relaxation (chill out in any environment)
• Working Dog Walk (advanced/focused leash walking)
• Leave it
• Touch (nose targeting)
• Stay
• Around (avoiding obstacles and increasing team communication)
• Public access training foundations
• BONUS: Q&A on service dog joys and challenges

Service Dog Foundations I is perfect for…

• SDiTs that can perform cued behaviors reliably at home but not as well in other spaces
• SDiTs that have some, but not all, the foundation behaviors they need
• SDiT teams that want to build their confidence and teamwork together
• SDiT handlers that want the information and support of a service dog group class

Requirements, Fees, and Schedule:

• Health: Dog must be vaccinated and generally healthy
• Behavior: Dog must be able to work around other dogs and people
• Prerequisites: Family Dog Manners & Obedience or equivalent*.
• Course length: 6 weeks
• Fee: $128**
• Starting date: Date and time to be determined. Contact us to request days and times that work for you. We’ll do our best to accommodate those we hear from first.
• Register: HERE

*Equivalent means that your dog can reliably perform most of the behaviors taught in Family Dog Manners & Obedience in a group class environment. If your dog has had previous private or group lessons, please contact us to discuss which class is most appropriate for your dog. We may ask to speak with your previous trainer, send us video, or do a consultation.

**We offer discounts to service-dog handlers who are low income and disabled. Please contact us for information.

Stay Tuned….

We will eventually also be offering

• Puppy Kindergarten (for pups 8-16 weeks old)
• Service Dog Foundations II
• Canine Good Citizen class

Interested in one of these courses, or another course you don’t see listed? Contact us!