At Your Service Dog Training

At Your Service

(413) 336-0598
sharon@atyourservicedogtraining.com

Family Dog Manners & Obedience – Class starts in January

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Psst, Mom, jot this down! I need training. (Photo copyright Barbara Handelman. Used with permission.)
Psst, Mom, jot this down! I need training. (Photo copyright Barbara Handelman. Used with permission.)

Do you have a newly adopted dog who needs to learn how to behave in your home?

An adolescent pup who has forgotten how to listen?

An older dog you just never had time to train?

Now is the time to get better behavior: Take your pet to class! School is in session for your dog starting next week.

Enroll your dog in Family Dog Manners & Obedience class.  Classes meet Thursdays at 5:30 PM at Orange Innovation Center (the former mattress factory) at 131 West Main Street, Orange, MA. Class is scheduled to begin January 5, but will run once it fills. Register now to hold your dog’s place.

This six-week course gets your dog started on all the basics for good manners. Here’s a peek at what we cover:

Week 1: People-only Orientation

What is good training? How associative learning and learning by consequences combine. SMART (See, Mark, And Reward Training). Games to practice timing and mechanics. Practice on the guest Demo Dog.

Week 2

Concept: Consequences matter more than words

Behaviors: Mannerly mat (settle on a mat), Sit, Attention (respond to name), Down, Loose leash (polite leash walking), Wait at the door, drop it!

Week 3

Concept: High rate of reinforcement

Behaviors: Settle on mat, Sit, Polite greetings, Down, Attention, Loose leash walking, Touch (nose targeting), Wait

Week 4

Concept: The 3 Ds of Difficulty — Distraction, Duration, and Distance

Behaviors: Settle, Attention, Touch, Polite greeting, Down, Loose leash walking with side-sit, Leave it

Red and white short-coated Border Collie running across a field.
Coming when called is a critical skill in an emergency.

Week 5

Concept: Build Powerful Cues!

Behaviors: Settle, Touch to build Recall, Polite greetings, Recall (coming when called), Loose leash walking with distraction, Stay, Leave it

Week 6

Concept: Bringing training into real life

Behaviors: Stay — Sit-stay, Down-stay, Recall — counterconditioning collar grabs, Recall past distractions, Loose leash walking with distractions, Leave it, Training Fun and Games, Raffle drawing

Orange Innovation Center sign with orange, blue, green sign in front of large industrial cement building

Classes are fun, informative, helpful, and local! See what previous students have said:

“We’re very happy to have found you & are really enjoying the class.” -Deb & Jake Smith

“It’s a great class! We are loving it. The best part of class for me is… Working around other dogs. Seeing his confidence build.” -S.L. of Greenfield

“I’m so happy with all we are learning. The best part of class for me is… Just learning all the steps to teaching my dog correctly. A great class I have learned a lot and will continue to work with my dog.” -T.E. of Shutesbury

Read more testimonials.

Your six-week class, including homework and access to our library of helpful training handouts, is just $128.

Ready for better behavior? Register your dog for class today!

Update: Upcoming Classes – Manners & Obedience and Service Dog Foundations

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You don't have to tie yourself in knots to find a training class! (Photo copyright Barbara Handelman. Used with permission.)
You don’t have to tie yourself in knots to find a training class! (Photo copyright Barbara Handelman. Used with permission.)

At Your Service is offering three classes this month in Orange. Each class is six-weeks long. Spaces is limited, so register right away to reserve your dog’s place. NOTE: If you’re looking for a class, and there’s no time that works for you, get in touch and let us know what you need.

Our Current Roster of Classes

Family Dog Manners & Obedience: Saturday, September 17 at 11:30 AM.

UPDATE: This class is FULL. Please register for one of our next classes. Learn the basics of sit, down, come, polite leash walking, polite greetings, wait, settle, and more. ONE SPACE LEFT. One of the teams has had to drop out due to illness. If you would like to join us, contact us right away to get your dog registered.

Service Dog Foundations: Saturday, September 24 at 10 AM

For dogs being trained to assist their disabled handler. Dogs must already have taken Family Dog Manners & Obedience or equivalent. Training on settle, handler focus, working dog walking, and foundations for working in public. 1 SPACE LEFT. Register or learn more about service dog training.

Family Dog Manners & Obedience: Tuesday, September 27 at 6 PM

Learn the basics of sit, down, come, polite leash walking, polite greetings, wait, settle, and more. 3 SPACES LEFT. Learn more about our classes. Register your dog for class.

Looking for a class that’s not offered here? Drop us a line. We may be able to add it.

Looking for helpful training tips or want to be first to sign up for a class in the future? Like us on Facebook or subscribe to our blog for the latest information on pet and service dog training.

Fall Into Better Behavior from Your Dog! (Plus Come-when-Called tips)

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Goldendoodle wearing a dress shirt and pink tie
Toby is dressed for back-to-school! (Toby is a Goldendoodle service-dog-in-training owned by Donya Platt. Photo used with permission)

Autumn is here, kids are going back to school, and we are all ready for better behavior from our dogs. This September, we’re offering two 6-week classes in Orange to help your dog with all the basics — sit, down, stay, polite greetings, mannerly leash walking, and more! Your dog will get started on the three Rs: Recall (come when called), Recline (settle when asked), and Recognize Your Name (pay attention) — among other things.

To get you in a “back to school” mode, we’ve included some great RECALL (come when called) tips for training your dog. See the purple tips at the bottom of the post.

What makes At Your Service classes unique?

  • Convenient: Serving the North Quabbin region — located off of Route 2 in Orange, at the Orange Innovation Center in a very spacious first-floor room with its own entrance
  • Positive: Taught with marker-based, positive reinforcement — learn to get great behavior from your dog without force or pain!
  • Helpful: Taught with fun, humor, and positivity for people, too! Using TAGteaching, games, and always responsive to our students’ feedback, we try to make class a good experience for ALL participants
  • Informative: Once you enroll, you get lifetime access to our Client Portal and a library of over 70 training handouts, homework sheets, and helpful tips
  • Affordable: A six-week class is only $128, a significant savings on in-home training and more bang for your buck than shorter classes that cost more

Which class is right for your dog?

There are two classes being offered right now: Family Dog Manners & Obedience, and Service Dog Foundations. Find out the details below.

Family Dog Manners & Obedience

Min Pin sitting on the back of a Leonberger who is lying down.
“You said, ‘Sit’! So I did!” Photo copyright Barbara Handelman, used with permission.

Family Dog Manners & Obedience is ideal for…

  • Newly adopted dogs
  • Family pets that could use better manners
  • Adolescent dogs (5 months to 2 years) that have forgotten how to behave with the onset of “youth”
  • Dogs that respond to cues (sit, down, stay, come, etc.) at home but not when distracted
  • Future service dogs taking their first class

What do our past students say about Family Dog Manners & Obedience?

I’m so happy with all we are learning.

It’s a great class! We are loving it.

A great class I have learned a lot

See what else our students say about our classes or register your dog.

Service Dog Foundations

In Service Dog Foundations…
  • You will learn: Advanced training skills, including shaping, capturing, reading dog body language, release cues, and targeting, as well as a protocol for responding to strangers when you’re doing public access work
  • Your dog will learn: Improved fluency in behaviors such as… go to a mat and relax, eye contact/handler focus, handler-focused leash walking, leave it, wait, and working and training around distractions, including strange people and dogs

Service Dog Foundations is ideal for…

  • Dogs being trained to assist their disabled handler as a service dog
  • Dogs that have already taken a basic manners class taught with positive methods
  • Dogs that can respond to cues in some situations but not around other dogs or people
  • Dogs that need increased attention on their handler

Ready to sign up? Register your dog for class. Have questions? Get in touch.

Recall Training Tip: Hide & Seek!
A great game to play on a cold, rainy, or snowy day is hide and seek. Put your dog in a sit-stay or down-stay and hide elsewhere in the house. Then call him to come find you. When he does, give him praise, love, and a treat. Then repeat! A great way to train a “stay” and “come.” (If your dog is not yet solid on his stay, have someone else hold him while you hide.)

Recall Training Tip: Bonanza!
If your dog is wild about meal times, use a special emergency-recall cue (such as “BONANZA!” just before you put the food bowl down. Over time, the dog will have a strong emotional response to hearing “BONANZA!” If you ever need to call your dog in an emergency, it could be a life-saver.

Recall Training Tip: Kids Can Train, too!
The “Come Game” is a great family game, including for kids. Give everyone some tasty treats, and call the dog between you. Every time the dog comes, she gets a treat! Start out very close together in a low-distraction area inside your house. Make sure she knows how to do this well before you increase distance or take it outside. If she nips the kids’ fingers when she takes treats, have them drop her treat between their feet.

Ready to get your dog on the path to better behavior? Register for class, learn more about our classes, or get in touch.

Hurry! Sign Up for Obedience & Manners Class

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UPDATE: We are offering group classes on a rolling basis. Our next class is scheduled for Saturday mornings. Check out our current group class offerings.

 * * *

Training classes start this Sunday, June 26 at Orange Innovation Center. We still have room for your dog.

Brown and white short-haired dog lying on a welcome mat holding a leather leash in his mouth.
Who do you want to greet you at the door?
This six-week class is only $128. It looks to be a fun and interesting group!
This class is appropriate for both pet dogs and service-dogs-in-training, especially….
  • Young dogs in need of basic manners and obedience training
  • Older dogs that have obedience and manners in some areas but not in others
  • Dogs with more advanced manners and obedience training that would benefit from training around the distractions of other dogs and people
  • Dogs that have past experience with aversive training classes that would benefit from positive-methods-only group classes
  • Dogs on the service-dog career path that need the prerequisite to Service Dog Foundations I class
The class starts this Sunday, June 26 at 1 PM. It runs through August 7 (no class July 24). Learn more about this group class or register for the class.

Positive Pet and Service Dog Group Classes come to Orange

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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:

Photo of an 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

portrait_house_smClasses 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!

LocationOrange Innovation Center sign with orange, blue, green sign in front of large industrial cement building

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…

  • SitBrown and white short-haired dog lying on a welcome mat holding a leather leash in his mouth.
  • 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 focusBlack Bouvier wearing black service dog harness with white and red patches
  • 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!

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

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