We teach the AKC S.T.A.R. PUPPY CLASS for puppies 12-weeks up to 1-year of age. This is a 7-week group class session that follows the American Kennel Club (AKC) program. This class is designed to get dog owners and their puppies off to a good start. Your puppy will be introduced to obedience training along with socialization introductions. 

Puppies will begin to learn basic obedience commands including:  sit, down, stand, wait, and come. Training classes teach you how to best communicate with your puppy.

Socialization is just as important at this age. Organized training builds confidence and introduces new skills to help them get along with other dogs, people, and other animals. Socialization is essential to raising a well-balanced adult dog. During class, puppies are given limited supervised time to play and just be puppies. The puppies also learn it is okay to be touched all over by anyone (very convenient on those visits to the vet).

This class is taught by an AKC Approved CGC Evaluator. All breeds are welcomed! Check out www.akc.org for more details.

The Family Pet Class is tailored to older puppies (over six months) or older dogs that have not been exposed to obedience training in the past. The class session is 7-weeks.

Dogs in this class will learn to be attentive to their owners so they are able to learn. They will begin to learn basic obedience commands such as: sit, down, stand, stay, wait, come, and walking on a loose leash. They will also learn to leave and drop an object. The class outline includes weekly practice homework.

This is a lot for you & your dog to learn in a short period of time so homework will be very important. Be prepared to put in some time outside of class to maximize your dogs’ success. We will encourage you to learn a basic trick for graduation time!

This class is your first opportunity to place a title of certification on your dog offered by the American Kennel Club, (AKC). To obtain a CGC certification, your dog must demonstrate ten (10) basic obedience skills under testing conditions. The dog must also show that it can be left with a stranger without showing signs of anxiety. It’s very important to have a well-socialized dog in order to succeed in this class.

To qualify to take the CGC class, your dog must have completed the Whitewater Valley Dog Training Club Family Pet Class or the equivalent class offered elsewhere. You may also be able to take this class with permission of the instructor. When the class is completed, arrangements will be made for the dog/handler teams to take the CGC certification exam.

Check out www.akc.org for more details.

Therapy dogs offer comfort and companionship for people residing in nursing homes, hospitals, & other healthcare facilities. In addition, they are used in schools & libraries to promote reading programs and life skills development. They are not service dogs. Since they are shared with persons experiencing high stress & anxiety, the dog’s temperament must be friendly and approachable.

With additional training they can be used for disaster stress relief. To qualify to join the Therapy Dog Class, your dog must have completed the Whitewater Valley Dog Training Club Family Pet Class or the equivalent class offered elsewhere. Passing the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Class would be highly recommended. To become a certified therapy dog, your dog will be tested by a Therapy Dog International Evaluator.

Your dog will be asked to perform thirteen (13) basic obedience skills and demonstrate that it can accept situations that might be encountered in a hospital or nursing home quickly and reliably. When the class is completed, arrangements will be made for all dog/handler teams to take the Therapy Dog International (TDI) certification exam.

Dogs must be at least one year of age to earn their Therapy Dog International certification. Please review details at www.tdi-dog.org.

Started in 2005, AKC Rally is a fun family sport and participation increases each year. All dogs are welcome to participate in AKC Rally, whether purebred or mixed breed. It’s a perfect starting point for those who are new to canine sports, as AKC Rally provides a challenging introduction for all dogs and handlers to strengthen their skills.

Think of an AKC Rally event as any team sport: You and your dog navigate a course, side-by-side, as you steer him through a course of 10-20 different signs. Each of these signs provides instructions regarding the next skill that is to be performed. The dog and handler move continuously throughout the course with the dog under control at the handler’s left side. When you participate in an AKC Rally event, you get to show off both: Your dog’s talents and the teamwork between you.

Fascinating fact: Dogs have a sense of smell that’s between 10,000 and 100,000 times more acute than ours! The sport of Scent Work celebrates the joy of sniffing, and asks a dog to sniff to their heart’s content; turning your dog’s favorite activity into a rewarding game. It is a terrific sport for all kinds of dogs, and is a wonderful way to build confidence in a shy dog.

In so many dog sports the handler is in control but this isn’t true in Scent Work. Neither the dog nor handler knows where the target odor is hidden. The handler has to rely on the dog, and follow the dog’s nose to success. In Scent Work, it is the canine who is the star of the show!