Foundation I Obedience Classes

phone calls

312 East Johnson Avenue Cheshire, CT

203.272.2182

email us at Smartydog1@aol.com

Smartydog Foundation I Training Classes
5 week courses starting soon...

Tuesday Afternoon Classes - Starting on November 12th

Tuesday Evening Classes - Starting on November 12th

5 week course - 198.00 (plus tax)

Foundation I Behavioral Course

Tuesday Afternoon Classes starting on November 12th
(This will be the last session starting this year)

.
Five Week Foundation I Behavioral Course - 198.00 (plus tax)

This course is appropriate puppies, small dogs & adult dogs.
Classes will be determined by the age & size of the dogs.

The first class meets from 1:30 to 3:30 without your dog.
(we allow up to two people, per dog to attend the lecture and classes)

Classes with your dog are one hour
and will meet Tuesday afternoons at 1:30

(depending on the number of students registered for this course, classes may split into 2 groups with approx 6 dogs per group)

1. You must attend the first class that meets without your dog to attend this course. Failure to attend the first class will result in a $50.00 transfer fee to attend another session.

2. Confirmation emails do not go out until several days before the class starts. If we close registration we will notify anyone who has registered but didn't get in.

Register Online

Foundation I Behavioral Course

Tuesday Eveninge Classes starting on November 12th
(This will be the last session starting this year)

.
Five Week Foundation I Behavioral Course - 198.00 (plus tax)

This course is appropriate puppies, small dogs & adult dogs.
Classes will be determined by the age & size of the dogs.

The first class meets from 5:30 to 7:30 without your dog.
(we allow up to two people, per dog to attend the lecture and classes)

Classes with your dog are one hour
and will meet Tuesday Evenings at 6:00

(depending on the number of students registered for this course, classes may split into 2 groups with approx 6 dogs per group)

1. You must attend the first class that meets without your dog to attend this course. Failure to attend the first class will result in a $50.00 transfer fee to attend another session.

2. Confirmation emails do not go out until several days before the class starts. If we close registration we will notify anyone who has registered but didn't get in.

Register Online

Our dog training program consists of two courses, Foundation I and Foundation II that work together

The reason for two courses is that it takes time and practice for your dog to learn to behave in a variety of situations.

Foundation I

Learning How to Communicating with Your Dog. Overlaying, rules vs commands, backward chaining, use of appropriate marker words.

Teaching Your Dog Impulse Control & Managing Arousal Issues
Arousal and excitement contribute to many behavioral problems such as jumping on people, leash pulling, not coming when called and barking behaviors.

Arousal greatly reduces your dogs ability to think and respond. Science has shown that the more often a dog engages in high arousal behaviors that the brain is re-wired and fast tracked for arousal.

There are many life skills that can be taught to your dog to diminish arousal issues. Change of feeding procedure, household management strategies, utilizing the wait command are a few things that are very helpful.

Leash Management
Your leash is a communication tool. Simply holding the leash while your dog drags you about teaches your dog that it is ok to pull.

Constructive Play
One awesome way of improving connection and control is with through constructive play.
- Teaching your dog tricks
- Playing "find-it"
- Playing "hide and seek"
- Retrieving with structure & commands

Sit & Down Commands
It is likely that your dog knows the "sit" command. But will he do it every time you tell him even if he is excited or distracted. Will your dog hole the sit command until you release him, or does he sit and then jump on people.

Our training techniques include the "sit until released" command.

Let's Talk About Common Behavior Problems.,, Management & Solutions
Coming when called, jumping on people, chew or stealing items, pulling on a leash or even housebreaking problems.

Building Your Dogs Self-confidence and Trust in YOU.
Each class includes a variety obstacle challenges.

Obstacles are fun for your dog
Obstacles help your dog recover from arousal and relax.
Obstacles help build your dog's confidence
Obstacle training enhances communication.

Do you want your dog to have better behavior?

Many behavioral problems that people experience with their dogs, have at least in part, been inadvertently taught to the dog by their owners.

Your dog is not willful, your dog only knows what you have taught him or her.

Stealing things, jumping on people, pulling on a leash, and not coming when called are behaviors that owners may have inadvertently taught their dogs by allowing the dog the opportunity to practice the behaviors or by providing attention to the dog for those behaviors.

One example of why your training attempts may be failing...

Did you know that there is a difference between teaching your dog a "command" and teaching them a "rule"?

A command must be given in order for the dog to do the behavior but a rule is in place at all times.

For Example, if you teach your dog the "sit" command, you do not expect the dog to sit all the time, you expect the dog to sit when you give the sit command (and hopefully you expect them to do so until you release them).

When you use the command "off" when your dog has his feet on the counter you expect the dog to know that you not only want him to get off now, but you also expect him to stay off, always.

Sit is a command, off is a rule, rules and commands are taught differently.

Watch Training Movie

Our Behavioral Obedience Course
is a Guidance Based training program.

All exercises are designed for the success of your dog.
We will only ask them to do things that they can do.

You will give your dog a command, then guide your dog
to the correct behavior and then praise them...
failure is not an option, punishment is not necessary.

All of our courses are built on our unique cross training methods. Exercises are divided into a variety of categories to help you build a strong relationship with your dog while they develop a broad base of life skills.

Behavioral Obedience, a guidance based cross training program
	Obedience Commands	Behavioral Commands
	Leadership exercises	Directional Commands
	Confidence Building	Controlled freedom
	Impulse Control

* Solve unruly behaviors

* Learn effective discipline techniques

* Learn play training exercises

* Obstacle confidence training

* End play biting problems

* Stop your dog from stealing things

* Eliminate jumping on furniture & doors

* Eliminate jumping on people

* Understanding housebreaking problems

* Eliminate chewing problems

* Understanding separation anxiety

* Address canine barking issues

* Understand how the environmental
affects your dog's behavior

* Understand how dogs think & learn

* Learn household behavioral management

Teach your dog to…

* Walk nicely on a leash

* Sit, Down, Stand and Stay on command

* Wait & Leave-it on command

* Greet people without jumping up


Obedience Commands:	sit, down, stand, sit-stay, down-stay, stay-stay come when called, walk nicely on a leash

Advanced Obedience Commands:	long distance stays long duration stays sit, down or stand on recall moving stand

Leadership Exercises:	body handling, leave-it, wait, move

Behavioral Commands:	off, wait, quiet, leave-it. get busy

Directional Commands:	Over, under, around, walk-on, back

Confidence Building Exercises:	Communication exercises designed to increase your dogs trust in you while improving their self confidence.

Controlled Freedom Exercises:	Specific movement exercises designed to teach your dog to follow your directions and stay connected to you even when they are distracted, aroused or excited.

Impulse Control	A common cause of behavior problems in dogs is distraction. Environmental triggers cause dogs to shift their focus from you to the distraction. Commands such as "leave-it" and "wait" help to improve a dogs attentiveness to their owner