Puppy basics (10 weeks to UNDER 7 months)
In our puppy class we strive for fun and socialization. We want the new puppies to be comfortable and safe in the new environment while they learn while being around other puppies and humans.
We Teach you how to positively handle issues such as potty training, chewing, biting and nipping, jumping, and barking. Using reinforcements we coach you how to train your puppy using both hand and verbal cues. This class initially provides 2 “virtual” classes to help prepare you for your “in-person” classes.
In your puppy sessions they will learn to respond reliably to their name, focus, sit with release, walk politely on a leash, sit with greeting, leave it, mat, send to mat, stay with distance and verbal distraction, down, touch recall, drop it and more!
*Puppy classes consists of 2 initial “virtual” classes and 8 “in-person” classes for $150
Basic
In our young – adult class we take any age dog over 7 months. There is no age that a dog cannot learn. We emphasize a dog friendly atmosphere so other students can move around and learn without the fear of lunging or dog reactivity.
We devote an hour session to socialization exercises and fun enrichment games.
In your basic sessions they will learn to respond reliably to their name, focus, sit with release, walk politely on a leash, sit with greeting, leave it, mat, send to mat, stay with distance and verbal distraction, down, touch recall, drop it and more!
*Basic classes consists of 2 initial “virtual” classes and 8 “in-person” classes for $150
Intermediate class (*Must demonstrate all basic skills to move on to this level)
In our intermediate class we increase from basic skill to expecting your pet to increase his knowledge through practice and consistency.
Skills trained in intermediate:
- Line up
- Heel
- Stand
- Stand and stay
- Sit stay with distance, duration and distraction
- Down stay with distance duration and distraction
- Back up
- Send to mat
- Send to mat with duration and distraction
- Polite greeting another dog from 3 ft.
- Polite greeting another dog, humans shaking hands
- Wait
CGC Prep Class (*Must demonstrate all basic and intermediate skills to move to this level)
Our CGC pre class is considered advanced. Your dog must at this time be consistent with all the skills in basic and intermediate. When passing this class you will have the knowledge to train your dog to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizenship test. Once the CGC is passed you can go on to take the therapy dog test if that is your goal.
Skills trained in CGC Prep:
- Comfort with grooming (ears, chest and feet)
- Perfecting walking politely on a leash (no pulling and no tools used)
- Walking 2 x 2 with another dog and human
- Perfecting recall with distance duration and distraction
- Reaction of another dog (approach, tolerance and handshake)
- Sit/down, walking away from dog and returning with release
- 3 minute supervised separation
- Walking through a crowd
- Perfecting sit with petting
Beginning Freestyle Dance
This is a fun class for those that already have some obedience skills. By adding tricks and obedience cues choreographed to music. This class is taught by Cathy Jacobs at Rocking Paw
Therapy
If you are interested in therapy dog work, completing 4 levels of Rocking Paw Training (Basic, intermediate, CGC Prep and Community Canine) will get you and your pet prepared for the therapy dog test. All of our students that have gone on to take the therapy test have tested through Pet Partners and with the knowledge from the Rocking Paw courses, passed with ease. Contact us for questions on therapy dog work!
AKC Community Canine and AKC Urban Canine
These classes are offered after you pass the CGC Prep class. Both of these classes prepare you and your dog for outings in public. For more information on these courses please feel free to contact us.
Scent work (scent detection)
This is a fairly new dog sport. Dogs already are equipped with loving to sniff and snarf everywhere, now we are going to teach them drive to find a scent. Using food reinforcement in the beginning stages to increase drive to search, we then pair the scent we want the dog to find with the food, and eventually over the period of 6 weeks fade the food and the dog is alerting you to the scent. This is a wonderful mental game for those that just want to have fun with their dog, or those that thrive on competition!
Rocking Paw has several levels and free searches for those that have taken a scent-work class. We are teaching handler and dog AKC scent which is Birch, Anise, Clove and Cypress in the environments of interior, exterior, containers, buried and handler discrimination. With a motivating method of pairing the scent with a food reinforce we can watch the dogs true instinct to hunt! Food is faded and your dog is driving to the odor and indicating to you that they found the source!
