MISSION STATEMENT:

Teaching and appreciating real-life, practical canine skills and using those skills in everyday situations, so dogs are well-behaved members of households and a welcome part of society

 

What is C.L.A.S.S.?

Canine Life And Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.), is a reward-based, four-level group class curricula for pet parents to practice and showcase real-life skills with their canine companions. 

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Dogs that complete this reward-based, four-level group class curricula are ambassadors for well-trained, socialized dogs, and educated dog pet parents are role models – they help train the younger generations in responsible dog pet parentship and setting a positive training foundation.

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Whether you are fine-tuning your training skills to move on to other activities, or working on improving behavior issues, these courses will greatly benefit anyone with a dog regardless of age, size, breed, or experience.  Yes.  Even reactive or aggressive dogs.

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The four levels of the program are Pet Parenting Team Training 101, 102, 103 & 104

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Each Pet Parenting Course level is designed with several goals:

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• Instilling a goal on the part of pet parents to continuously work with their dogs to create well-behaved, well-socialized companions in a fun, relaxed, safe, non-judgmental team training class curricula.

• Providing basic foundational dog training using positive reinforcement methods giving your dog more acceptable outlets for their energy, and increasing the odds that the dogs will stay in their families for their lifetimes rather than be given up due to behavior issues.

• Providing a fun, safe, & relaxed step-by-step group class environment for both pet parent and dog to practice in real-life relevance.

• Learning and practicing real-life, practical canine skills and using those skills in everyday situations, so dogs are well-behaved members of households and a welcome part of society.

• Learning how to properly manage so-called “unruly” dog behaviors so that dogs are welcome in more social situations by incorporating skills they learn in dog training classes into daily living with their dogs.

• Gradually raising the criteria for pet dog training and manners using a high standard curriculum with four levels of achievement.

• Improving relationships between dogs and pet parents through education and promotion of positive reinforcement and ongoing training.

• Reinforcing responsible pet parentship by teaching basic, intermediate, and advanced manners.

• Providing pet parents with opportunities to hone their dogs’ real-life skills and to receive feedback on developing those skills with their dogs.

• Providing real-life tools so that pet parents can include their dogs fully in their lives; this is much easier when dogs are given boundaries and skills with real-life relevance.

• Jumping up, barking, chewing, mouthing, peeing, pooping, digging, chasing, and tugging are all normal dog behaviors. Pet Parents will learn how to how to properly manage and/or change the dog’s motivation for the so-called “unruly” dog behaviors when appropriate.

• Incorporating fun and enriching tricks, games, & play breaks if time allows such as shake, spin, rollover, fetch and speak.

• Strengthen the trust and bond relationship between pet parent & dog through effective communication, understanding and quality time spent together.

• Offer goals for pet parents to continue training beyond basic skills and to maintain those skills.

 

REWARD-BASED TRAINING METHOD AND BENEFITS

Positive, reward-based training minimizes the use of punishment and is fun for you and your dog. C.L.A.S.S. practices & promotes healthy relationship-based training, training in which the communication is two-way, the mutual trust is strong and the pet parent gets to know the dog as an individual to help him reach his full potential. Reward-based training is instructive, telling the dog, without anger or force, what we would like the dog to do.

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The human tendency is to notice and react when a dog (or person) is doing something we don’t like. Yet we would have much better relationships if we rewarded the dog (and pet parent!) for doing things we do like. Help set the dog up for success by giving feedback and rewards for behavior you like, and by arranging the learning environment to make it easy for the dog to do the appropriate behavior as well as not to do the behavior you dislike.

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Positive, reward-based training does not mean that your training is indulgent or without restraint. Clear boundaries and rules still need to be set for our canine companions. For one, dogs feel more secure with clear boundaries, because they know what is expected of them. Two, boundaries are necessary to maintain harmony in the human household. With reward-based training methods, those rules and boundaries can be established without creating a confrontational atmosphere.

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Does Positive, Reward-Based Training Work?

Positive reinforcement – rewarding a desired behavior – is an effective and reliable method of teaching new behaviors or changing current behaviors in any physically and mentally healthy animal. Dogs are more likely to repeat behaviors that get rewarded, which is why positive reinforcement works.  Furthermore, learning occurs readily in a reward-based training program in which the dog feels safe and relaxed. Training that relies on the use of physical and emotional punishment creates stress, hinders the learning process, and can harm the relationship.

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Positive reinforcement training is not based on using only food as a reward; it is about understanding the science behind positive reinforcement. It is a simple rule that behaviors resulting in pleasant consequences will be repeated, and behaviors with no payoff will decrease. Positive consequences can be anything the dog likes, from massages and belly rubs, to going for a walk, to sitting next to you, to playing. The pet parent who understands their dog as an individual with a unique personality, likes and dislikes can effectively use a variety of rewards, in addition to food, during training.