FAQs
While the foundations class is not a requirement, we strongly suggest starting all
dogs with the foundations class. In the foundations class, we will discuss any and all problem behavior that you may
be having with your dog and we begin foundational obedience. Foundational obedience teaches your dog
commands using only positive reinforcement. The
foundations class does not make your dog obedient, but It makes it much easier for your dog to learn commands before
being exposed to distractions and pressure. The basic class
will make your dog obedient.
Most dogs go into heat for 2 to 3 weeks. You should leave your dog at home for at least two weeks
and come to class without your dog so that you can get the
lesson for the day. Work your dog at home and when you
get back to class, you should not have fallen behind. If you
decide that you are behind, then you will be able to attend an
entire new basic or advanced class at no cost.
The youngest a child can be to participate in a group class is
13 years old. If you have a child that is younger than age 13 and you
still want your child to participate, contact us and we will
discuss a private class option for you.
It is possible to begin with an advanced class without attending a basic class, but we will need to
evaluate your dog before enrolling your dog into an advanced class to make sure your dog is at the correct
obedience level on leash. You can not expect your dog to become obedient off leash if your dog is not already
obedient on leash. A couple of tests that you can do at home to check your dogs obedience:
- Check to see if your dog will walk nicely next to you on your left side even if another dog is walking past you at 10 feet or less.
- Put your dog in a down position and tell your dog to stay. Have someone else walk past your dog at 10 feet or less.
While we generally don't accept payment plans, exceptions are occasionally
granted. If you need to pay after the first day of class,
please Call us and we will discuss this option.
You can use any collar that you choose, as long as
it is not a choke chain. We do not allow choke chains on our
training fields. We generally do not allow harnesses on the
training fields, but some exceptions are granted.
We prefer the registrations and payment is done ahead of class
time but if that is not an option for you, payments and
registrations will be accepted on the first day of class.
Most dogs are allowed in class with
some serious precautions in place. Please call us to discuss
your dogs situation so that we can insure everones safety.
If your dog has injured a person, we generally do not train
these dogs because while there is training that can be done,
we can not guarantee that your dog will not bite someone.
We prefer to start dogs at 4 to 5 months old after the dog has had their 16 week shots.
Older dogs can
still be trained as long as they don't have a mental or
physical disability due to their age. Older dogs sometimes
take different training techniques then most of the dogs in
class. Please contact us ahead of time to discuss your older
dogs situation to make sure we optimize your dogs training
plan.
Miissing one class usually is not a problem. Let us
know ahead of time so that we can discuss the following
weeks lesson plan. If you miss two weeks in a row, you
might get too far behind. Contact us to see what we can do
to help you catch up.
Group basic and
advanced classes begin every other month. The start date
and times for these classes can be found at the class
descriptions page for each class. Foundations, and all
private classes are by appointment. Classes are held at
5962 W. County Line Rd. Springdale, AR. 72762
A service dog is trained for a specific disability such as a seeing eye dog. A therapy dog provides comfort to the handler or the public.
Therapy dogs can provide emotional support to those people who are grieving, have anxiety, PTSD, or other types of emotional needs.
The therapy dog title process is about six months of training. Classes include but are not limited to rigorous obedience classes,
temperament tests and volunteer hours.