Class
Descriptions
(If
you have any suggestions for
a class you would like to
see please feel free to let
me know)!
Six Week Classes (Cost $160.00)
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Emma Needs Training. My newest edition
Emma needs alot of training and this class will
be for those of you that are experienced and just
need a minimal amount of "instruction" from me
because I too, will be in the class working with Miss Emma
Princess Warrior) This will be a great class for those
of you working for your CGC, Rally or Competition obedience
or for those of you needing to work with positive proofing
for distractions or desensitizing to other dogs or people.
Cost for this 6 week class is only $60.00.
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Puppy K – 6 classes – first class without
the dogs, remaining five classes are with the dogs.
The start of focus and eye contact, sit, down,
stand, the basics of stay, come, loose leash walking
and “sit for petting” (versus
jump on strangers). Answers to those annoying puppy behaviors
will be addressed and the last 15 minutes of each class is
devoted to puppy playtime. Read the new position paper from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior on Puppy Socialization.
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Puppy K / AKC
S.T.A.R. PuppySM - 6 classes - first class without
the dogs. The AKC S.T.A.R. PuppySM is a program designed to get dog owners and their puppies off to a good start. The AKC S.T.A.R. PuppySM Program is an incentive program for loving dog owners who have taken the time to take their puppies through a basic training class. READ MORE.
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Advanced
Puppy K – 6 classes – all classes
are with the dogs. This is for the group that
wants to continue with training and stay together with
the same group of people and dogs. We review what you
have already learned and continue to add new behaviors.
These new behaviors vary depending on the group itself
.
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Competition
Prep for Puppies - 6 week course,
first class without
the dogs. Start your puppy off right!
This class will be geared for all types of competition
for those of you that already know you want to compete
in dog sports. Agility, competition obedience, rally
will all be addressed. Normal Puppy k stuff will also
be addressed.
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Beginners – 6 classes – first class without
the dogs, remaining five classes are with the
dogs. Eye contact, sit, down, stand, stay in all positions,
come, loose leash walking, sitting politely for petting,
door etiquette, impulse control, and a few pet tricks.
- Advanced Beginners - 6 week course, all classes are with
the dogs. The first five behaviors needed for the Canine
Good Citizen test.
- Accepting a friendly stranger
- Sitting politely for petting
- Appearance and grooming
- Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
- Sit and down on command - staying in place
You will also be learning other behaviors, such as come
with distractions, stay with distractions and more useful
pet tricks.
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Pre-Agility with Pam Dennison - Part 1 - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. The objective of the class is to familiarfize the dog with a number of agility obstacles. We will work on approaches from various angles, with the handler in different positions relative to the dog, from a distance, etc. Shaping will be our primary tool for this. We will also work on targeting and some elementary handling exercises. We start small (jumps low, short tunnels) until the dogs gain confidence. This foundation is essential prior to linking obstacles together in a sequence.
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Pre-Agility with Pam Dennison - Part 2 - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. The objective of the class is to continue training with a number of agility obstacles. We will continue to work on approaches from various angles, with the handler in different positions relative to the dog, from a distance, etc. Shaping will continue as our primary tool for this.
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Dog "Flash Mob" Class - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. The behaviors are similar to rally and obedience, but the exercises are done in a group in sync with each other. Prerequisite - your dog must have a modicum of a heel and be good with other dogs.
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Breed Handling with a Twist - 6 week coruse, all classes are with the dogs. in this class we will actually be *teaching* the dogs all
of the behaviors needed for the breed ring, as opposed to just
dragging them around. Teaching them to gait, free stack, hard stack,
accepting handling and more will all be part of this class. Cost: $100 for five weeks.
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Training the Whistle Recall Class - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. This class is based on my DVD of the same
name. Maximum of 5 dogs per class. All of the dogs MUST be good with
other dogs and people, since eventually we'll be off leash or leash
dragging. Cost for this class is $160.00 which includes 1 whistle.
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Benefits: The whistle recall is a great tool for many reasons ~
- If your dog is starting to lose its hearing, the whistle will often
be heard
- If you have poisoned their “Come” cue, the whistle is a great
alternative
- If the dog gets lost, the whistle sound travels much farther than a
verbal recall
- The whistle can be heard over nature’s sounds - surf, thunder,
rain, etc., and even man-made sounds like a generator, loud trucks, etc.
- The whistle is never annoyed, never angry, never scared or
panicked; It sounds the same every time
- Extreme Pet Tricks - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs.
Have you ever wondered how trainers get their dogs to "say your
prayers," grind their own toenails, clean up their toys, do a
handstand and more? Then this class is for you! For the novice or not
so novice trainer/dog, all levels are welcome.
- Service Dog Tricks - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. Even if you don't need a Service dog, it's still pretty neat to have
your dog turn the light on and off, retrieve the phone, pick up
anything you dropped, etc.
Canine Good Citizen - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs. The ten behaviors needed for the Canine Good Citizen test.
- Accepting a friendly stranger
- Sitting politely for petting
- Appearance and grooming
- Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
- Sit and down on command - staying in place
- You will also be learning other behaviors, such as come with distractions, stay with distractions and more useful pet tricks.
- Walking through a crowd
- Coming when called
- Reaction to another dog
- Reaction to distraction
- Supervised separation
We will also be doing additional behaviors with increased distractions and if possible, off leash work – heeling, stays, come and even more useful pet tricks!
- Competition/Rally for Juniors - 6 week course, all classes
are with the dogs. This class is for handlers ages 8 to 17 who are interested in pursuing
competition and/or rally obedience. We will start with basic obedience
using positive methods and grow into behaviors needed for the
competition ring.
Why should Juniors compete and why should they use positive methods?
Having your child learn to train your dog is a wonderful bonding
experience for both human and canine. Teaching the sometimes
complicated behaviors enhances that relationship even more. Using
positive methods illuminates the idea that one doesn't need to use
force to get what you want. This lesson will transfer to other parts
of your child's life and help them acquire a greater understanding of
the world.
Therapy
Dog class, Level 3 - 6 week course,
all classes are with the dogs
There are three Levels of Classes to get
your CGC & TDI
- Level 3: Covers the behaviors needed for your TDI. Ignoring
dropped food, being comfortable around walkers, canes
and wheelchairs.
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Rally
/ Competition - 6 week course, all classes
are with the dogs.
Rally is a new and upcoming sport that takes all
of the behaviors that are pretty standard when you train
your dog - walk on a loose leash, sit, down, stay, etc.
- and makes them fun and rewarding. And, you get to earn
titles! Rally is a great in-between sport, if you can't
decide what to do next - whether it be earning your CGC
or TDI, going into competition obedience or starting agility.
Rally is the sport for you!
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Advanced
Rally / Competition, Level 2 - 6 week
course, all classes are with the dogs
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Advanced
Rally / Competition, Level 4 - 6 week course, all classes
are with the dogs.
- Canine Life & Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.) B.A. Level (Pam Dennison is an official
evaluator and instructor - read more at www.mydoghasclass.com)
There are three different levels of C.L.A.S.S.
- Bachelor's (B.A) level asses the core life skills of a student/dog team and includes a knowledge assessment of the student's understanding of basic dog handling and care.
- Master (M.A.) Level assess the life skills of a student/dog team with distractions
- Doctorate (Ph.D) level is the highest level designed to assess the performance reliability of a dog/student team's life skills.
All students must start in the B.A. level and progress to higher
levels as they pass each level. Successfully completing each C.L.A.S.S. level is like earning an
academic degree in real-life skills with your dog. The neat thing is that many shelters are also adopting this program to
work with shelter dogs to make them more adoptable!
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Crate Games - 6 week class. All classes are with the dogs.
Crate games
can help you build a love of the crate, drive, focus and conversely, calmness. Crate games can help with crate aggression and that annoying "whining in the crate" behavior that we all love so wel. . .and in addition, can also help with mild separation anxiety.
Shadow's
Specialties - 6 week course, all classes
are with the dogs
This class is named after my border collie
Shadow. Because he is a recovering aggressive dog,
he has had to be better trained than my "normal" dogs.
This class will include more advanced behaviors such
as ignoring and coming away from dropped food or
thrown toys, drop on recall, drop while running away
from you, whistle training and much more.
Treibball - 6 week course, all classes
are with the dogs
Treiball is a new sport
(often called "push ball" or "soccer for dogs") that comes from
Germany. Kind of hard to describe so please view the video at the right for more information.
Requirements: Your dog must be good with other dogs and good off leash. If your dog doesn't have those skills, then a Beginner class would be a good place for you to start.-
Free Shaping - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs.
Learn how to free shape tricks you only dreamed about training!
Roll over and cover with a blanket, bow, wipe your feet, trim your
own nails (!!!), close doors, go to bed, carry trick or treat basket
to door, put toys away, turn on lights (and turn them off), and
much more! Some of these are useful, some just fun.
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Tactile and Tricks - 6 week course, all classes are
with the dogs
This class will help save your dog from having to
be either put under anesthesia or from having 12 football
players having to wrestle your dog to the ground,
for something as simple as grooming or toe nail clipping.
I will show you how to “free shape” behaviors
and a list of tricks will be handed out on the first
week. All tricks are marked with a certain number
of points. At the last class, you will get to strut
your stuff, earn points and win a $10.00 gift certificate.
If possible, we will clip nails too! (50 bonus points
if we can do it!)
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Training to Tunes - 6 week course, all classes are
with the dogs.
Let's light up this winter! Instead of hunkering down by the fire
(where your dogs will drive you crazy because they are bored),
Training to Tunes is the class for you! Are you ready to add more fun
to your practice sessions? Have you ever thought you might like to
work on some advanced obedience skills? How about some fine tuning on
your house manners or prepping for your Canine Good Citizen test? This
class will work on a variety of skills including heeling-right and
left side, side passes, forward/backward mirror work, speed changes,
all worked with music to keep it light and fun. Come out and laugh,
dance and train! The prerequisite is that you have already completed a
Beginner or Puppy K class here at PMDT.
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Musical Freestyle - 6 week course, all classes are with the dogs.
Take a look at the video at the right to get an idea of what is possible with Musical Freestyle. The video says it all!
Agility
Prep - 6 week course, all classes are
with the dogs
This class is designed to teach your dog to think
for themselves (really, not a bad thing!), be comfortable
around certain pieces of equipment, stand on moving surfaces,
jump simple sequences. Prerequisite is Beginners. FMI,
please call Pam at 908-459-5244.
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Super Dooper Advanced - 6 week
course, all classes are with the dogs
Continuing to build
those foundation and free shaping behaviors and working off
leash indoors and on leash outdoors (when the weather
is good).
Four Week Classes
(Cost $110.00 unless otherwise designated)
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Pre-natal and Pooch. 4 week class. I hear you laughing already! Pre-natal and Pooch???? Yes, now is the time
to train your dog to accept the new baby - while it's safely inside of
you - preferably while you're still trying to get pregnant or the
instant you find out you're pregnant. There are many different
behaviors your dog will need to know before the big event. Let's make
sure everything runs smoothly and let's not assume that your dog will
be okay with the new arrival (especially if he/she hasn't been around
kids, babies or toddlers).
Pre-FLYBALL. This class is
4 weeks long and will be working on the fundamentals
of flyball. Prerequisites: your dog must have a recall (come), must be
good with other dogs and it would be preferred
that they already have a retrieve or at least a hold
of a ball or toy. 4 weeks
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Acting
Classes for Dogs! **
This series of classes will be about teaching your dog
behaviors needed for print ads, commercials, TV shows and
movies. Once your dog reaches a certain level of proficiency,
my agent will come, take photos and put you in her database
for future jobs! The behaviors listed below are just a
small taste of what you and your dog will learn! In addition
to the behaviors learned, distraction training will also
be addressed (walking on city streets, up elevators, in
crowded rooms with millions of people and cameras). Being
flexible and training on the fly is also a part of these
classes.
It's Showtime!
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Level 1 "Extra!"
Target with nose, paw, chin, target to a "mark," sit
in chair and place paws on table,
work for a stranger, ride a skateboard, close doors,
lie down/head up, lie down/head down, lie down/head
on paws and more!
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Level 2 "Model!"
Jump a jump, open doors, pull objects, put paws
up on windowsill and look out, kiss someone's
face, working off leash, go fast or slow on cue and more!
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Level 3 "Supporting Actor!"
Lift leg (as if peeing), go through a door and
stop, go around objects and stop, play
with a stranger (petting, hugging and with toys), retrieve
any object, go to a specified place and more!
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Level 4 "The Lead!" (aka Do They Give Oscars
to Dogs?)
Bite pants leg on cue, put toys away, carry
toy to a mark and drop it, hump a person’s
leg on cue, learn the names of body parts
and more!
**The reason I developed these
classes is because I just had the opportunity
to do a TV commercial with Emma (Olympic Paint).
I had so much fun (as did Emma), I am still
on cloud 9 after 4 days. After being stuck
in traffic with my agent for hours :o(, the
idea for these classes came to me. I ran it
past my agent and she thought it was a super
idea, since there doesn't seem to be any acting
classes for dogs. She will feed me more behavior
ideas as she thinks of them, but these are
enough to start with.
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Let's Window Shop - We'll be taking the dogs to many different locations, including the Philipsburg Mall!
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Whitman's Sampler - Tricks, Freestyle,
agility prep, free shaping and more, all rolled
into one! Prerequisite:
Beginners class with me. 4 weeks $100.
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On the Road - 4 week course held only in the
spring, summer and fall – all classes with
the dogs. We will take the dogs "on
the road" and meet in 4 different locations to
train the dogs in more real life scenarios, building
on the skills already learned in the previous levels.
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Back to Basics - 4 week course, all classes
with the dogs. This will be a 4 week course to get
you back on the right track if you haven't
been in for training in awhile. A great refresher
course to add between levels!
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Everybody in the Pool! - 4 week course, all
classes with the dogs. Just like this sounds, we
will be teaching the dogs to swim! Not all dogs
naturally know how to swim. If your dog will go
into the water but only up to a point, this is the
class for you. We will take the dogs to 3 different
locations with 3 different water sources - a river,
a lake and a swimming pool. (yes we all have to
wear bathing suits...)
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Recall Class, Level 1 and 2 - 4 week course,
held only in spring summer and fall - all classes
with the dogs) The gist of these classes
is to teach your dog that you are more interesting
than spit on the sidewalk. Prerequisite is Beginners.
- Level 1 – Follow the Leader games designed
to further cement your relationship.
We will be working outdoors, so the distractions
are there, plus we will add some of our
own.
- Level 2 – All distractions!!!!! And I can
think of some pretty creative ones
Three Week Classes (Cost $60 unless otherwise indicated)
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Doga is doing yoga with your dog. Prerequisite: Puppy k or Beginners
class with Pam.
Class runs for 3 weeks. (Cost: $50.00)
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Recall and
Stop - 3 week course, all classes with the dogs.
Bring a harness, leash of at least 30 feet (see the equipment
links on the links page), clicker and tons of food, toys and water.
Growl Class - Six
Week Increments (Cost: $250.00)
Class for aggressive
or reactive dogs. 6 week increments, all classes with the dogs. Morning
sessions from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m on Tuesdays & Sundays.
Prerequisite: minimum of 6 privates with me.
Please note: Depending on your dog's
issues and threshold distances, completing privates
with me is no guarantee that your dog will still
be suitable for the group class. Not all dogs are
appropriate for a group setting. If management decides
that your dog needs additional skills prior to participating
or is not a suitable candidate for class, management
reserves the right to decline his/her continued
attendance.
Read this aggressive dog description BEFORE registering for the class to see if your dog should be in this class.
Cost - $250.00 for six-week increments
AGGRESSION IS JUST A BEHAVIOR AND BEHAVIOR IS
MODIFIABLE.
This is NOT about muzzling the dogs, throwing them into a
room together to “let them work it out.” Classes
are set up so that the dogs do NOT “pop” off, do
NOT aggress, do not bite. Everyone is as safe as humanly possible,
everyone is calm. If your dog’s initial threshold for
remaining calm is being 10 acres away, so be it! That is where
we will start!
This program is all about setting the dog up to be successful,
calm and focused on the handler. It is all about desensitizing
and counter conditioning your dog to their own personal “provoking
stimuli.”
There are no more than five dogs in a class. There are no
more than one or two dogs out at a time. Most of the beginning
training will be held outdoors (yes, even in the freezing winter,
so bundle up!) We will rotate dogs in small, short, successful
sessions, always gradually building their tolerance and acceptance
of their fearful object(s). We will help each other to be successful
and glory in the successess of others.
Prerequisite for joining the class: at least 6 privates with
me AND super name recognition from your dog and a super recall.
Speciality Classes
- GROOMING Class - for the not-so-dummy, but for the person that just doesn't
know how. This will be a 3 hour class, limited to 4 dogs. It will be held offsite (yes I used to
be a a groomer and owned Pride 'n Groom in Washington), on a Saturday.
It will be the first Saturday once the class is filled.
All breeds are welcome because I used to groom all breeds.
Cost is $80.00 and that will yield you not only the knowledge and
hands on experience, but also a completely groomed dog (of which you
will do most of it with me helping, showing).
Tell me what breed you have and bring what tools you have. As part of
the course, if you all want to, once all of the dogs are groomed,
we'll go over to Cherrybrook so I can help you shop for the right tools.
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VALOR Class - A new venue where reactive dogs can compete in agility and garner titles. To that end, I am offering semi-privates (2 dogs, 2 handlers). Each dog will rotate every 15 minutes, back and forth and when not working, they will be put away. Cost for the semi-private is $300.00 per dog/handler for six, one hour lessons, versus my normal charge of $400.00 for privates.
Because these are semi-privates, there is no specific start date. You'll call me and tell me which days and times work for you and I'll put you on my list. When I find someone else that can do your days and times (or if you have a friend that wants to play), then we'll start!
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Kid Proof
Your Dog and Dog Proof Your Kid! This two hour session (one hour
per class) will help teach your children how to
properly approach strange dogs to prevent dog bites
as well as teach your dog to accept strange children.
The first week will be with you and your children
and the 2nd week will be with you, your children
and your dog. 2 sessions/2hours. Special discounted
cost $30.00 (if you would like to see a different
day or time, please contact
me. If you have a group of friends that you think
would benefit, let me know that you referred them
and if they sign up, you will get a 15% discount)
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The
Multiple Dog Household Option 1. In this session we will teach your multiple
dogs door etiquette. You will be able to have
all of your dogs at the door, you can be on the
outside with the door open and call one dog through
and your other dogs will stay until they hear their
name/release word. 1 session/1 hour. Cost $25.00
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The
Multiple Dog Household Option 2. In this session we will teach your multiple
dogs to go to their crates or mat when the doorbell
rings. A huge improvement over knocking over your
guests or creating fights when the bell rings!
Bring your own crate or mat. 1 session/1 hour. Cost
$25.00
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Leave
it, aka Mine! This
3 week class will get you on the road to getting
a very reliable "mine" cue.
An invaluable behavior, which can save you a great
deal of heartache as well as emergency trips to the
vet when your dog races to get the "cookie" you
dropped - only it wasn't a cookie, it was medicine
that is toxic for dogs. Or drinking out of that
stagnant puddle on the trail that can contain
bacteria or the puddle in the parking lot that
can contain deadly anti-freeze. And let's not
forget the old standby - goose poo! 3 session/3
hours. Cost $70.00
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Loose
Leash Walking. This mini
crash course will be held indoors as well as
outdoors. Equipment needed (special harness
- leather tracking harness with padded breastplate
or X back sledding harness - and long line) -
ask Pam. 2 sessions/2 hours. Cost $50.00
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Four on
the Floor. In this
class we will work on at least 3 different methods
to teach your dog to keep their feet on the
ground.
- Turning away,
- "Up" and "off" cues,
- Go visit". 2 sessions/2 hours.
Cost $50.00
Write to me any time with suggestions
for classes!
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