Class Schedule and Registration  | Philosophy  |  Teaching Strategies

Dog Training Philosophy - Mutual Respect, Understanding and Enrichment:
We want to provide you and your canine companion with the best dog training you can find anywhere! We design our obedience classes and private lessons to go beyond standard training; we are truly a canine education program that offers a continuum of learning opportunities. Whether you have a new puppy, a rowdy adolescent, an inconsistent adult, or a sedate senior dog we have a training option available. If your dog is perfect or just the perfect candidate for improvement we can meet your needs in a safe, supportive and fun environment.

Building and maintaining positive and loving relationships between canines and people is our ultimate goal. We believe that sharing your life with a confident and well-behaved canine companion is one of the most rewarding outcomes of participating in obedience classes and private training.  Successful co-habitation between dogs and their human counterparts is what we aspire to offer you at Great Dog. We know that sharing your home and life with a dog can be a mixture of joy, adventure and even sometime challenges. We understand that dogs, like people, are complex beings with wide ranges of experiences, abilities and needs. We believe that humans must have an understanding of what motivates learning in their dogs in order to live in harmony with their canine companions. Additionally, canines must learn how to successfully interpret human communication if they are to learn the behaviors that ensure a fulfilling and healthy life with their human family. We want to teach you and your dog life enriching skills in a safe and fun educational setting.

As our urban setting increases in density and more companion dogs share our community it is essential to train our dogs to be safe, predictable and well-mannered. This should begin with early puppy socialization and training and continue on with adult dogs who need manner reinforcement and enrichment activities to promote happy and healthy interactions. Great Dog looks beyond the specific elements of offering a class and strives to enhance our dog loving community at large.

 We understand that some of you have specific needs or concerns about your dog’s behavior. Our extensive training curriculum offers specific areas of instruction for dogs that are overly reactive, aggressive, shy or fearful. We have classes for puppies, tiny dogs, and breeds of dogs such as terriers who have that “special exuberance”! requiring additional tactics for success.  We offer this all in the best interest of you and your canine companion.

 Our classes are in alignment with standards of humane education. You will never find a Great Dog educator recommending shock collars or “jerk and pull” methodology. What you will find are professional canine educators who are passionate about dogs. They are kind and creative people who have a wide range of experiences and extensive knowledge to help you and your dog learn and grow.

 Great Dog is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, Association of Professional Humane Educators and the recipient of the Mayor's Small Business Award.  We are pleased to have three Certified Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT), Four AKC Certified Canine Good Citizen®™ Evaluators, and four Connecting Canines Pet Therapy®™ Team Evaluators. These accredited professionals oversee the curriculum to ensure that the most progressive, effective and humane training methods are utilized in our Canine Education Program. 

Learn about our Teaching Strategies – positive, innovative & humane

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