We offer a variety of online puppy and dog training options in either class or one-on-one format. One-on-one training gets you undivided attention through a Zoom connection. Classes give you the opportunity to learn with a group. All classes will require video submissions and instructor feedback on a private Facebook page. Classes will begin with an initial Zoom meeting, four weeks of lessons, and another Zoom check-in at the halfway point. Zoom is an easy way to have an online meeting using your phone, computer, or tablet. I’ll be glad to walk you through the initial setup if you’ve never done video conferencing before.
Private Online Training
Many of the same options that are available with in-person training are now available online through a Zoom connection. You can train one-on-one or with the whole family. The only difference is that we only see each other over the internet.
Private Training
We will set times that are convenient for you for Zoom training sessions. You can hear and see me; I can hear and see you and your dog. We’ll interact in real-time to achieve your goals. You and your dog will bond and develop ways to communicate.
Lessons can cover anything from basic foundation skills to more advanced or fanciful things. We’ll work out a training plan together that meets your needs and your dog’s.
You can submit videos of your practice sessions for instructor critique and to fine-tune your skills.
Partner Training
Team up with a friend and another dog to form a training partnership (2 people and 2 dogs). We’ll plan the training to benefit everyone, and, like private training, lessons can cover almost anything. You and your partners will train together, and I’ll be there by Zoom to guide you along.
Online classes
CONTROL UNLEASHED®: Reactive to Relaxed
Do you have a dog who loses her mind at the sight of another dog (or squirrel, or UPS guy, or leaf)? Is your dog easily distracted or uncomfortable around other dogs or in busy situations? Do you want a dog who can happily acknowledge distractions and then focus on you? This is your class! Control Unleashed® is suitable for both canine companions and performance dogs. This introductory class will be followed by a second advanced class. Cindy is a certified Control Unleashed® instructor.
CONTROL UNLEASHED®: The Sequel
Building on the foundations of Reactive to Relaxed, this Control Unleashed® class will help your fearful, overexcited, easily distracted dog settle down in unfamiliar situations. Together you’ll learn to tune out the things that drive your dog nuts and work together at whatever you choose to do. This class is excellent for performance dogs who are overwhelmed by ringside frenzy, but also works well for companion dogs who find That Squirrel or the neighbor’s fence-fighting dogs a bit much to handle. Cindy is a certified Control Unleashed® instructor.
WHIZ KIDS – Puppy 1
Our puppies need to learn to navigate the world with the confidence and the necessary skills to be good citizens. You will learn to motivate and reinforce your puppy for the behaviors you want to see more and to create and implement management plans for the behaviors you want to see less. This class is appropriate for pups up to the age of six months.
We’ll cover socialization, learning to focus and pay attention to humans, basic leash skills, and how to settle in a crate or on a mat. Once our pups can settle on a mat, we’ll use that as the starting point for other behaviors throughout our dog’s training. We’ll cover the beginnings of stationary positions and learn to come when called, all with games that make learning fun for you and your dog.
RISING STARS – Puppy 2
Perfect puppies and great companions need continuing education and skill building. Rising Stars will build on the skills learned in Whiz Kids. You will help your pup reach a new level of connection to you and a greater ability to perform behaviors in different places and with more distractions.
Using games and patterns, your dog will learn to focus through distractions, settle on a mat when guests arrive, and ignore things you don’t want her to have. We’ll work on recalls with distractions, transitions from a momentary sit or down to reliable stays, and play heeling games to improve leash manners.
HOT SHOT TEENS
Suddenly your puppy isn’t a baby anymore. She’s an adolescent with a mind of her own and an attitude to match. In Hot Shot Teens, you and your dog will build skills for navigating the real world, with age-appropriate behaviors and increasingly difficult distractions. This class is suitable for dogs 8 months and older.
We’ll cover greetings, both human and canine, settling and staying under new conditions, waiting patiently, and reactions to “weird stuff” in the environment. As always, we’ll be using games and patterns to reinforce focus and attention.
TRICKS FOR KICKS
Tricks provide a fun way to impress and entertain people by demonstrating how amazingly smart and talented your dog is. Better yet, teaching your dog tricks is one of the best ways to improve his training skills. And in this class, you’ll both have a total blast while you learn!
We’ll cover timeless classics like shake, wave, roll over, and bow. We can try body tricks such as drumming, skateboarding, handstands, and picking up toys. The possibilities are endless, and limited only by your imagination.
ON A PEDESTAL
Part tricks, part advanced mat work, part preparation and positioning for other activities, platform training helps your dog understand the whats, wheres, and whys of positioning. A platform can be anything – a manufactured stand like those used in animal acts, an ottoman, an overturned planter, a giant ball. You can use a platform to reinforce your dog’s stay, to position one dog while working with another, to send your dog out to a pre-determined spot. You can even use it to teach an eviction notice (get off the furniture). If the mats we started with in CU and Whiz Kids are magic, pedestals are phenomenal.
COOPERATIVE CARE
Just like we usually aren’t keen on a trip to the dentist, our dogs may not be keen on a trip to the vet. This class will help you turn your dog into a willing participant in veterinary care, grooming, and all those pokey-prodey-handly things that are necessary but not always fun. Your dog will learn how to position herself and hold a position, how to tolerate handling, and – most important – how to say no politely if it all gets to be a bit much. Her stress level and yours will go down.
To sign up for classes, contact Cindy by phone, text, or email. If you text, be sure to say who you are!