For your safety, we offer classes online, outdoors, or indoors with a lot of social distance. See our COVID policies for our safety measures.
All group classes also include a free orientation training video before the class starts, as well as lifelong access to our client portal of over 100 training handouts and videos.
Online Classes
Helping Hounds! Tricks & Tasks for Service and Therapy Dogs. This mini-course is for any dog or puppy training as a future SDiT, ESA, or therapy dog – from beginner to advanced. This fun 4-week course will train your dog in “tricks” to use for future service dog tasks or therapy dog visits. Trains alerts for psychiatric or medical alert service dogs, deep pressure or “visit,” go under (tables/chairs/legs). Includes paw target/wave, nose target/kisses, under, and lie on the handler/visitor. $115. Four-week class meets for 45 minutes starting Wed March 3, 2021 at 6:45 PM – Register for Helping Hounds FULL – contact us to request the next class date
Dog First Aid & CPR workshop
Learn how to take care of your dog when the unexpected happens! This two-hour workshop with Certified Veterinary Technician and professional trainer Kristin Neal is packed full of indispensable information. Keep your dog safe until you can get them to medical care. Includes demonstrations and opportunity to try techniques on your dog at home. Topics include “Know Your Dog’s Normal” (Head to Tail Exam, Vitals (respiration, pulse, & temperature), “What To Include In Your Dog First Aid Kit” (and why and how to use them), “Heimlich, Rescue Breathing, & CPR.” Detailed handout provided and up to three days to watch the recording afterward. $30. Space is limited. Meets Sunday, March 28 at 5 PM (Eastern Time). Register for First Aid & CPR 5 spaces left
Indoor Classes
Indoor classes meet at Smithland Supply, 335 Russell St., Hadley, MA 01035. We keep classes small — limit of 4 dogs per class — so there is plenty of room for social distance.
Basic Skills for Therapy & Service Dogs – Is your dog or puppy a future SDiT, emotional support animal, or therapy dog? This beginner level course will start your dog with all the basics for their future career. Fun, helpful, reward-based exercises to train your dog to work happily and eagerly around distractions. $230. Starts Wed April 14, 2021 at 6:30 PM. EIGHT (8) sessions meeting on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Register for Basic Skills for Therapy & Service Dogs 3 spaces available
Intermediate Skills for Therapy & Service Dogs – This in-depth course covers both intermediate manners and prepares future therapy or service dogs for the particular challenges of working in public. Dogs must have completed at least a basic manners class (a previous intermediate manners class is also a good idea) with At Your Service or another rewards-based trainer with a similar approach. Class covers relax-in-place, leave it, leash walking, attention on handler, stand, tricks (as foundations for tasks), appropriate greeting (ignore strangers or greet on cue), touch, and focus on paying attention and working happily around the distractions of public places or therapeutic settings. $230. Starts Wed Feb 10, 2021 at 5 PM. EIGHT (8) sessions meeting on Wednesdays at 5 PM. Register for Intermediate Skills for Therapy & Service Dogs FULL (contact us to request another session)
Canine Good Citizen (CGC) – Train your dog in the 10 skills tested by the AKC’s CGC and be truly prepared to take the test! Ignore approaching dogs, relax when handler moves out of sight, calmly greet strangers. CGC may reduce homeowner insurance or rent (ask your landlord or insurance company). Essential for therapy & service dogs. Open to any dog that has completed rewards-based basic manners. Previous Intermediate is recommended. 7 classes + test with AKC CGC Evaluator. $230. Starts Wed Feb 10, 2021 at 6:30 PM. Seven (7) sessions PLUS CGC test meeting on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Register for Canine Good Citizen prep class + test 4 spaces available
Public Access I (for service dogs) – Succeed in public! Advanced training for relaxation in any environment, leash manners in tight quarters, ignoring dropped food and other distractions, advanced targeting, and how to maintain perfect manners while the handler responds to questions from the public or businesses. “Grocery store obstacle course” and other simulations of real-life environments! Other skills include
Handlers report much greater ease in public after completion. $230. Starts Wed Apr 14, 2021 at 5 PM. Register for Public Access I – 3 spaces available
Kate took Public Access I with her Goldendoodle, Penny. Afterward, she wrote to Sharon to tell her how helpful the class had been, not just for Penny, but for her, too. Kate said that dealing with approaches from strangers in public was now “soooo much easier since we had practiced it!!!” See what else Kate has to say about PA1.
Public Access I (for service-dogs-in-training)
Are you taking your dog to the next level and beyond? Public Access I is an intermediate-level manners and obedience class for behaviors specific to SDiT teams working in public, including “working dog walk,” eye contact/focus, leave it, settle on mat, etc. The class also provides skills to dog and handler to deal with human interactions around public access issues. PA1 is built around handler focus — your service-dog-in-training (SDiT) focusing on you and offering eye contact, relaxed behavior, and eager working attention. Includes grocery store obstacle course and other simulations of real public access situations.
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, we will also address some common SDiT handler issues, such as how to best deal with questions from strangers, gear and equipment questions, and more. Handlers will get to train their dogs and themselves how to fluidly, confidently answer questions from business owners or the public while maintaining their dog’s focus. 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)
- The foundation behaviors needed for assistance tasks
- To ignore strangers while you answer their questions about service dogs, including how to respond to questions from business owners about public access for service animal teams
Public Access 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:
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Prerequisites: This is an intermediate level class…
- Dog/handler team must be able to work well around other dogs and people.
- It is recommended that team have completed our Skills for Therapy & Service Dogs class, but they 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)
- Teams that have not worked with Sharon before may be asked to complete a service dog questionnaire before enrolling
- Dog must be vaccinated and generally healthy
- Course length: 8 weeks
- Class time: 1 hour
- Fee: $230
- spaces available
- NOTE: Class start dates are contingent on registration. If there is insufficient enrollment, we will wait to start the class until it fills. We will notify you if there is a change in the start date of a class you’ve registered for.
- Doesn’t fit your schedule? Contact us to request days and times that work for you. We’ll do our best to accommodate those we hear from first.
- Register
VIRTUAL (ONLINE) CLASSES
Do you have a computer or tablet with a high-speed internet connection OR a cell phone with an unlimited data plan? If so, you’re ready to take one of our fun, affordable online group classes! Online classes are real-time, hands-on sessions with demonstrations, instruction, and individual coaching from your trainer. There are several benefits to online classes, including reduced distractions, greater convenience, and recordings that allow you to watch the class again. Learn more about online training services.
Tricks I – Tricks keep your dog’s brain active, and are a great way to have fun and bond with your dog! Train your dog in tricks such as spin, roll over, jump through a hoop, ring a bell or shut a cupboard, hit a button, bow, and “read a sign.” 5 fun sessions includes an option to test your dog for an AKC Novice Trick Dog Title for your dog! Meets online with interactive video. $125. (Here are two videos of some of the tricks your dog will learn in Tricks I and II: Helping Hounds and Fun & Games.)
- Not currently scheduled – please check out our current classes, above
Other Classes (already running or not currently scheduled)
Public Access II (for service dogs) – Advanced manners for service dog teams. Meets in a different public location every week. For service-dogs-in-training teams that have completed PA1 or comparable and have some solid obedience skills under their belts (Not currently scheduled. Please contact us if you’re interested in this class.)
- Not currently scheduled – please check out our current classes, above
Instructors
Classes are taught with enthusiasm and humor by Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, Sharon Wachsler or by Assistant Trainer, Alex Wise. Learn more about our trainers.
Our trainers are experienced with pet, puppy, and service dog training, use positive methods (with dogs and people), and have years of both group and private training experience. Classes are small to ensure that you and your dog get plenty of individual attention. We will help your dog get to the next level, no matter where you start out.
Locations
Classes are held at Heroes in Whately or Smithland Supply in Hadley. Please check the specific class you’re interested in for more information.
Shaping: Training & Brain Games for Dogs – Shaping is a method of training where we teach our dogs new skills in tiny increments toward a larger goal. Shaping is terrific for building confidence, training complicated or multi-part behaviors, and for teaching owners more advanced training skills. This will be a fun class that will cover both tricks (101 things to do with a box, hit a button or ring a bell) and useful behaviors (go to your place and stay). Previous clicker training class required.
Off-Leash Walking – 4-week mini-course on the advanced skills needed for off-leash walks (recall, attention, leave it, woah). $115. Classes meet outdoors in Summer. Next sessions start Summer 2020!
- TBD Register NOW – 6 spaces left
Helping Hounds: Fun and Useful Tricks – Fun course trains your dog to turn on a light, ring a bell to go out, shut cupboards, find your keys, file their nails, and other fun and useful tricks! See our resident “helpful hound” demonstration video. Next classes start
- To be determined (please contact us if you’re interested in this class)
Special One-Day, 2-Hour Workshop
This workshop is for you if you’re considering a service dog for yourself, a family member, or a client or patient. It is also for you if…
- You’re wondering whether it would be better to train your own or apply to a program
- You would like more information about which laws apply and what the service dog training process is
- You have other questions about service dog training
Service Dog Owner Training: Is this the path for me?
Date: Not currently scheduled (If you’d like this presentation at your training facility, shelter, library, etc., please get in touch!)
Time:
Location:
Cost:
What You Will Learn
Topics we’ll cover include…
- Service dog laws, definitions, terminology, and standards
- Owner training versus programs — pros and cons of each
- The path of owner training: The steps in training a service dog
- Finding the right trainers and programs
- Question and answer
The Presenter
Sharon Wachsler is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP), and owner of At Your Service Dog Training in Hadley, MA. A former disability information specialist and service dog owner-trainer, Sharon offers private and group classes, pre-adoption consulting and assessment to service dog owner-trainers. She consults and speaks on service dog training to trainers, owners, and community groups.
Who Should Attend
This workshop is open to the public — all are welcome! The material is geared to be especially helpful to…
- People with disabilities (of any type) that are considering obtaining or training a service dog for themselves
- Friends and family members of disabled people who are considering obtaining or training a service dog for their loved one
- Those already training a service dog who have questions about the process
- Therapists, physicians, and other healthcare providers who prescribe service or emotional support animals to clients or patients
- Pet professionals (e.g., veterinary staff, dog trainers, kennel or dog daycare staff) who would like to know more about service dogs
- Members of the disability community who would like to know more about service dog handler rights and responsibilities and the lifestyle and work involved with handling or training a service dog
Note: This workshop is for humans. Please leave your pet dog at home. If your service dog or service-dog-in-training accompanies you, it will need to be able to settle quietly for two hours around many people.
Assistance Tasks (for Service Dogs)
Is your dog ready to begin training on mobility, psychiatric, or medical alert assistance tasks? Assistance Tasks is an advanced class on some common assistance skills often used by service dog teams, particularly for psychiatric or mobility-related disabilities. The class will cover the foundations for the following assistance tasks:
- Retrieve (foundation for any take/hold/tug tasks, including retrieving dropped or named items, opening doors, covering with a blanket, etc.)
- Guide/take me to (guide handler to an exit, their car, an available seat, a specific person)
- Alert (alert to handler’s behavior or external sound or sight, etc.)
- Chin rest (foundation for deep pressure therapy and shaped retrieve)
- “Get small” (a public access skill — training your dog to fit in small spaces)
Assistance tasks are complex, take a long time to proof, and are usually extremely important to the handler, so they must be done right. This class aims to reduce handler costs and errors by providing instruction in basics of common tasks in a group setting.
Assistance Tasks is perfect for…
Service dog teams that have solid foundations in trained manners and obedience and are ready to start task training.
Prerequisites: This is an advanced class…
- Dog/handler team must be able to work well around other dogs and people
- Team must have completed at least one (and preferably two) group classes in manners/obedience with At Your Service or Animal Alliances, or equivalent
- Skills will primarily be shaped. Both dog and handler must be skilled in marker/reward (i.e., clicker training)
- Dog must already be reliable in these two cued behaviors in a group class setting:
- nose target (when cued, dog touches nose to handler’s hand or another object)
- down-on-target (usually referred to as a go-to-mat, go-to-place, or relax-on-mat 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 being accepted into the class
- Dog must be vaccinated and generally healthy
Requirements, Fees, and Schedule
- Starting date: TBD – get in touch
- NOTE: Class start dates are contingent on registration. If there is insufficient enrollment, we will wait to start the class until it fills. We will notify you if there is a change in the start date of a class you’ve registered for.
*Not sure which is the right class for your dog? Contact us to discuss it. We’ll help you pick the best option.
Stay Tuned….
Interested in one of these courses, or another course you don’t see listed? Use the form below to get in touch!
