At Your Service Dog Training

At Your Service

  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Blog
  • Contact

(413) 336-0598
sharon@atyourservicedogtraining.com
  • Service Dog Training
  • Puppy Training
  • Pet Dog Training
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Testimonials

Service Dog Training Classes in Northampton

April 27, 2017 by sharon Leave a Comment

Mastiff puppy curled on floor on a woman's feet under a table, wearing a red and black service dog vest.
Photo courtesy of Tamar Paltin

This summer, we’re offering group classes in two locations — service dog classes in Northampton and pet manners and obedience in Orange.

We’ll be offering three service dog classes in the Pioneer Valley:

  • Service Dog Foundations — intermediate/advanced manners and obedience focusing on the most important skills SDiT teams need for public access, starts on June 1
  • Assistance Tasks — an advanced class, training several assistance tasks for mobility, psychiatric, or medical alert service dogs, starts on June 15
  • Public Access training — intermediate/advanced class training in a variety of public spaces in the Valley (Hadley, Northampton, Holyoke, etc.), starts this fall

Looking for pet dog classes in the North Quabbin? We are still offering these year-round! Learn about Family Dog Manners & Obedience group classes.

Which is right for you and your dog? Learn more…

Service Dog Foundations

Service Dog Foundations is an intermediate/advanced manners and obedience class specific to the skills most important to SDiT teams, including “working dog walk,” handler focus, leave it, and settle. In every class, we also train how dog and handler work with with human interactions in public accommodations, including how to head off access challenges. The class also is a way for teams to work in a group with other SDiT teams that are sharing similar goals and challenges.

SDF Details

Classes are one hour, meeting weekly for six weeks. Dogs attend all classes. Class size is limited to 6 dogs. Enroll today to reserve your dog’s place in class.

Date: Starts Thursday, June 1 (runs through July 6)
Time: 1:30 PM
Location: Animal Alliances, 137 Damon Rd., Northampton, MA 01060
Fee: $160
Registration required: Yes, register your dog
Prerequisites: This is an intermediate level class…

  • Dog/handler team must be able to work well around other dogs and people
  • The team must have completed at least one (and preferably two) group classes in manners/obedience with At Your Service or Animal Alliances, or equivalent (classes with trainers with compatible methods may be acceptable — please get in touch to discuss this)
  • Teams that are new to At Your Service will be asked to complete a history on their dog
  • For more information visit Group Classes or register now
  • Have questions? Email or call us. We are happy to help.
Finn takes out the trash. Photo courtesy of Barbara Handelman

Assistance Tasks class

Assistance Tasks is an advanced class training common assistance skills often used by service dog teams, particularly for psychiatric or mobility-related disabilities. If your dog already has an excellent foundation in obedience and manners and is ready to move on to task-training, this is the class for you.

Assistance tasks are fun to train and are the “brass ring” that SDiT teams are reaching for! They are also complex, must be built slowly, and are usually extremely important to the handler, so they must be done right. Because tasks are unique to each team, they usually also necessitate private training. This class aims to reduce owner-trainer costs and errors by providing instruction in basics of common tasks in a group setting.

The class will start your dog on these skills:

  • Shaped retrieve (foundation for any task your dog does with their mouth, including retrieving dropped or named items, opening doors, covering with a blanket, dressing/undressing, etc.)
  • Guiding (take the handler to an exit, their car, an available seat, a specific person)
  • Alerting (alert to specific sounds, sights, situations, handler’s behavior, etc.)
  • Chin rest (foundation for deep pressure therapy and shaped retrieve)
  • One public access skill — “make yourself small” — training to fit in small spaces.

AT Details

Classes are one hour, meeting weekly for six weeks (but skipping one week in the middle — so the class will take 7 weeks). Dogs attend all classes. Class size is limited to 6 dogs. Enroll today to reserve your dog’s place in class.

Date: Starts Thursday, June 15 (runs through July 20)
Time: 12 PM
Location: Animal Alliances, 137 Damon Rd., Northampton, MA 01060
Fee: $160
Registration required: Yes, register your dog
Prerequisites: This is an advanced class…

  • Dog/handler team must be able to work well around other dogs and people
  • The team must have completed at least one (and preferably two) group classes in manners/obedience with At Your Service or Animal Alliances, or equivalent (classes with trainers with compatible methods may be acceptable — please get in touch to discuss this)
  • Skills will primarily be shaped. Both dog and handler must have relatively fluent marker/reward (clicker training) skills.
  • Dog must be reliable in two cued behaviors in a group class setting: 1. nose target (when cued, dog touches nose to handler’s hand or any other object) and 2. a down-on-target (usually referred to as a go-to-mat or go-to-place behavior)
  • Teams that have not worked with Sharon before will be asked to complete a service dog questionnaire before enrolling and may also need to attend a lesson/assessment, prior to enrolling
  • For more information visit Group Classes or register now
  • Have questions? Email or call us. We are happy to help.
Luca at the grocery checkout. Photo courtesy of Barbara Handelman

Coming in the fall: Public Access Training class

This intermediate/advanced class will focus on manners, obedience, and for dogs that are ready, tasks, in public settings. The class will be held in the Valley (Hadley, Northampton, Holyoke, etc.) and will meet in a variety of different settings — stores (home goods, grocery, pharmacy), restaurants (fast food or sit down), medical, possibly one rural location, etc. The class will end with an optional public access assessment for each team. Because of the complexity of finding the venues, etc., details of this class (including the cost, dates, etc) are still being determined. If you’re interested in this class, get in touch now to reserve your dog’s place.

Not sure which class would be right for you and your dog? Get in touch. I am happy to guide you.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Group dog training classes, Public Access Training (PAT), Service Dog Training, Service Dogs, Training

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Public Access Classes

For dogs that have completed at least intermediate manners training and are ready for advanced public access training, including stand-stay, curl up under chairs and tables, etc. Our next class starts soon. Space is limited.

Service dog training from anywhere in the country

We are specialists in service dog training! Online lessons are a safe, convenient way to receive expert, individual training instruction.

Subscribe by Email!

Enter a word or phrase to search our archives

Certified Professional Dog Trainer

Certified Professional Dog Trainer

Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner

Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner
APDT Professional Member

Licensed “Be A Tree” Presenter

Doggone Safe Member
CATCH Canine Trainers Academy Official Mentor Trainer

Recent Posts

  • “It’s the cat’s meow!” — Scholarship recipient Cindi Gazda & service dog Zoe
  • Prepare Your Dog for Your Return to Work: Preventing Separation Distress in the Age of COVID
  • Great Gifts for Dog Lovers
  • “Here to Help, Not Judge” –Trainer Alex Wise
  • Dog lovers in MA – Support this bill!

Top Posts & Pages

  • Service Dog Training
  • Training Services
  • Service Dog Academy - Our Service Dog Board-and-Train Program
  • Service Dog Scholarships
  • Access for Service Dogs in Training

Feeds

  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

Join us on Facebook

Join us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

My Tweets

Categories

  • Behavior modification
  • Chews & Feeder Toys
  • Choosing a Dog Trainer
  • Desensitization and Counterconditioning
  • Dog Behavior
  • Dog Bite Prevention
  • Dog body language
  • Dog gear
  • Dog Health
  • Dog Safety for Kids
  • Dog Safety Tips
  • Dog training
  • Dog training resources
    • Dog Training Books
    • Dog training videos
  • Enrichment
    • Dog toys
  • Events
  • Fearfulness or anxiety
  • Featured
  • Holidays
  • Horse training
  • Just for Fun
  • Management (Prevention)
  • or equipment
  • Pre-Adoption Consulting (Finding the Right Dog)
  • products
  • Reactivity
  • Service Dogs
  • Train the Trainer – pet professional consulting
  • Training
    • Barking
    • Car reactivity
    • Group dog training classes
    • Jumping
    • Loose Leash Walking (Heel)
    • Nipping
    • Pet dog training
    • Private In-Home Dog Training
    • Puppy training
      • House breaking/House training/Potty training
      • Puppy Socialization
    • Recall (Train Your Dog to Come when Called)
    • Service Dog Training
      • Assistance Task Training
      • Public Access Training (PAT)
      • Service dog laws and legalities
  • Uncategorized
  • Virtual online dog training

What Our Clients Are Saying…

TJ Legg
Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner
"It’s just brought so much pure joy! My dog and I like each other a lot more now." -- Sam Legg with TJ
APDT Professional Member
"She has worked miracles with my dog!" -- Gail Mason with Dazzle

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Certified Professional Dog Trainer

Copyright © At Your Service Dog Training, LLC · All Rights Reserved



Are you sure?

Do you really want to delete card?

This process cannot be undone.

deleting...

Card has been deleted successfully.