Obedience Training
Classes for puppies through competitive Obedience and Rally, flexibly offered throughout the week. All classes are taught with highly motivational methods chosen to make learning fun, effective, and safe for the dog and owner.
Our program is structured to expose students to all of our instructors for a well-rounded learning experience.
⚠ Before you register
Most classes build on the one below them — you can join partway, but teams do better starting at the beginning. Dogs must be vaccinated and able to work calmly around other dogs and people. These classes are not the place to work through reactivity.
Class Progression
Hover or tap any class for details.
Not all classes are offered every session.
Everyday manners and life skills. Puppies start with S.T.A.R. Puppy; adult dogs start at Beginner 1. Advanced Intermediate is by instructor permission.
Puppies 9 weeks to 6 months; foundation manners, leash walking, sit/down, handling, impulse control, recalls, house-training, socialization, and behavior problem-solving. Includes AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy certification testing.
First adult-dog step or next step after puppy class. Introduces/reinforces sit, stay, down, wait, come, loose-leash walking, and problem-solving for common behaviors such as jumping, pulling, and chewing.
Builds on Beginner 1 with more difficulty and distraction. Adds proofing, behavior sequences, loose-leash walking, place, leave it, and continued problem-solving.
Develops sit, down, stay, wait, recalls, heel, eye contact, and obedience skills under greater distraction. Introduces and practices skills needed for AKC Canine Good Citizen.
Continuation of Intermediate 1, working on more duration during stays with distractions. Stronger “Waits” for the Recalls with proofing. Also higher level obedience skills. Manners when a visitor touches dogs.
Adding more advanced high level obedience skills. Adding hand signals to verbal commands. Every day manners to have our dogs be a pleasure to live with. Games are included in the lessons as well as Trick Dog skills.
Trick, rally and therapy-dog classes. Taken alongside your regular class, not instead of it.
Non-competitive rally-based class that uses rally signs to improve obedience, engagement, front/rear-end awareness, and handler-dog teamwork. Also covers AKC Trick Dog skills, luring, capturing and shaping, working toward Novice, Intermediate and Advanced Trick Dog titles.
More advanced therapy-dog preparation with medical equipment, polite greetings around mobility aids, professional public walking, and visits with other dogs.
For teams that completed Beginner 1 and 2 and want to keep training fun through obedience, rally, tricks, games, and foundation skills for future competition work.
For teams working toward AKC titles. Obedience and Rally are separate tracks — you don't need one to do the other.
Introduces shared rally/obedience skills such as pop-up stand, down in motion, finishes, backing in heel position, rally/obedience jumps, engagement games, and working connection.
Heelwork taught piece by piece, along with the rest of the Beginner Novice and Novice exercises.
Putting the exercises together into full Beginner Novice and Novice runs, and going over the rules for showing. For teams not yet ready for the ring-prep class.
Ring-prep class for Beginner Novice and Novice obedience trials. Covers rules, ring procedure, polishing/proofing formal exercises, and run-throughs when time permits.
Foundation skills for AKC Open exercises and CDX preparation, with emphasis on dumbbell take/hold/carry, off-leash heeling, retrieving, broad jump, and drop on recall.
Foundation skills for AKC Utility exercises and UD/Utility Dog Excellent preparation, including hand signals, scent discrimination, and directed jumping.
Teaches AKC Rally Novice and Rally Advanced signs, rules, handling tips, and short courses.
Teaches AKC Rally Excellent and Master signs, rules, handling tips, and short courses for higher-level rally teams.
● = running this Fall.
Registration opens August 24. You can browse classes now.
Not sure which class fits your dog? Email our Obedience Director at dir.obed.pdtc@gmail.com