Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $285
Prerequisite: Dogs must be between 6 months and 2 years at the start date of class. If your dog is 2 years or older, we recommend the Life Skills class.
Total students: 6

Adolescent dogs provide their own flavor of being in the world. Whereas puppies tend to be inquisitive and receptive, adolescent dogs (like adolescent humans) seem to think they know how the world works... and if you would just let them do what they want, the world would be a much better place! There is a happy medium. These dogs still are very impressionable, so training at this time in life is a great investment for future happy and safe families. In class, we will foster and strengthen the communication and cooperation you and your dog have as a team. We will do this by using both cued behaviors and captured/shaped behaviors. Behaviors will include Recall, Wait, Polite Greeting, Leash Handling, Leave It.  If you have a super star who knows these behaviors, have no fear, we will show you how to make them stronger. Remember training is like lifting weights the successes don't stop with just lifting the barbell once or even twice.

When deciding between Adolescent Manners and Life Skills: Adolescent has more of a focus on enrichment (meeting needs and energy outlets) and emotional regulation (which adolescents tend to struggle with). A dog with big feelings and lots of energy would do best in Adolescent. The class will touch on some elements in our Brain Games and Life Skills classes and an added element of the very basic dog reactive skills.

Length: 4 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $210
Prerequisite: Basic manners training with us in one of the following: Puppy Manners, Adolescent Manners, Life Skills, Impulse Control or private training
Total students: 6

Do you have a dog that actively seeks a job and is searching for something to do? Are you looking for ideas on activities you can do at home to give your dog more mental stimulation? Are you looking for more ways to bond with your dog by engaging in games you can play together? In this class, we will show you how you can get creative with basic household items to make fun and challenging puzzles for your dog. We will also show you ways to play games with your dog that are fun for you and your dog! Brain games are great for building your dog's problem-solving skills and confidence in interacting with their world.

• Does your dog have endless energy?
• Is your dog cautious about the world?
• Has your dog mastered their puzzles toys?
• Are you looking for new ideas to entertain your dog?

Join our Brain Games class to build your dog’s problem-solving skills and engage their brain!

Length: 4 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $210
Prerequisite: Basic manners training with us in one of the following: Puppy Manners, Adolescent Manners, Life Skills, Impulse Control, Social Manners, or private training
Total students: 6

This class is held in Clarendon or Shirlington. This class is for the dog that responds really well to basic obedience cues at home or in the classroom but could use more practice around everyday distractions. We will practice exercises to reinforce your dog's response to important cues like Watch Me, Touch, Settle, Leave It, and Loose Leash Walking in the face of distractions we happen to encounter like people, dogs, children, strollers, bicyclists, traffic, joggers, etc. This class is also a great way to continue socializing your dog to new surroundings and help them to feel comfortable with a variety of visual stimuli and sounds.

Length: 4 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $210
Prerequisite: Basic manners training with us in one of the following: Puppy Manners, Adolescent Manners, Life Skills, Impulse Control, Social Manners, or private training
Total students: 6

* This class is held in the Barcroft area and on the trails. The first class meets in the FGMN parking lot. Subsequent classes meet out on the trail at the trainer's direction. We will embrace mother nature in all forms, this class is held rain or shine!

Are you eager to take your strong leash handling skills somewhere other than your home, classroom, or neighborhood? Let’s take it to the trails! Nature Walks is a good alternative to City Walks classes which are held in the busling Shirlington area. In this class we walk as a group through nature, specifically the Allie S. Freed park along the Four Mile Run trail. We’ll discuss equipment and good nature citizen practices for sharing the path with your dog. We will be venturing out among the same trails that our daycare team uses to walk daycare dogs on their Nature Walk activities. We will encounter water experiences, open-area experiences, and lovely shaded tree areas. Bring your water bottles and your comfy shoes.

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $285
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

This class is designed for the shy and fearful dog or the dog that is generally lacking in confidence. This may stem from a dog having none or very little socialization, having particular sensitivities in which they need extra support, or a traumatic experience that is impacting everyday life. We will address how stress impacts your dog’s life and how to properly read stress signals from your dog. We will build a foundation of basic coping skills and practice on exercises to boost confidence. Emphasis will be on creating a safe place for each individual dog to learn, relax, and encourage curiosity that will foster joy of learning.

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $285
Prerequisite: Confidence I or Reactive Private Package
Total students: 6

This class offers the opportunity to continue and expand on the work that was started in the Confidence Building I class. It may also be suitable for dogs that have taken private training lessons with the purpose of improving the dog's confidence level. The focus is on using the agility equipment to build and further the confidence level of each dog. Elements of the regular confidence building class will be incorporated as well. Goal is for all the dogs to expand their comfort zone even further while having fun at the same time.

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $345
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 5

This class is designed to help if you have a problem walking your dog on leash in the neighborhood while encountering other dogs. We’ll work on confidence building exercises to establish positive associations with other dogs on leash. We will discuss and recommend the appropriate equipment suited for your dog's level of reactivity, necessary obedience cues the dog should know well, and how to combine training and management in your daily routine. We will teach you what to do in these situations, how to live with a reactive dog, to give them their best life, and how to minimize their stress triggers associated with encountering other dogs. This class requires that the student shows a real commitment and actively works with their dog outside of class. Please note that we will screen each potential dog carefully to ensure this class is the right fit. Some dogs may need a behavioral consultation either prior to, or instead, of this class. We will not accept students in this class where the dog has killed or severely injured another dog.

Click Here to see if this class is right for you?

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $320
Prerequisite: Reactive Dog Part 1 or Private Reactive Package
Total students: 6

This class is designed for the student who has completed previous reactivity training with us and wants more practice opportunities in a safe space with committed fellow students and with the guidance of dog training instructors. We will continue the work that was initiated in the Dog Reactive Part 1 class. We realize it can be challenging to find people to work with whom you can set up a safe and structured space to practice with. While we realize that the dogs in this class may be at different stages of reactivity, and we will adjust the practice for this, we can only accept dogs in the maintenance class who have shown they are ready to be in the presence of other dogs outside of the cubby space. For dogs not quite there yet we recommend signing up for our reactive private package.

Length: 6 classes, 45-min each
Cost: $295
Prerequisite: Reactive Dog Part 1 or Reactive Package or Trainer Recommendation
Total students: 3

This mini-class has fewer students and is specifically designed to hone dog reactive leash-handling and management skills in increasingly varied scenarios with potential triggers.

Length: 4 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $210
Prerequisite: Basic manners training with us in one of the following: Puppy Manners, Adolescent Manners, Life Skills, Impulse Control or private training
Total students: 6

Whether you are a new or experienced dog owner, teaching your dog tricks is a great way to bond with your dog and have a great time doing it! Tricks are an easygoing way to challenge your handling skills and your dog's mental accumen. In this introductory class, we will show you how to teach your dog new behaviors through key methods using luring, targeting, and shaping techniques. Tricks can also be extremely useful in everyday practice when attempting to refocus your dog on to appropriate behaviors. In this class, we will introduce you to simple and easy to teach tricks including Touch Targeting, Paws Up, Sit/Down/Release (foundational skills), Middle, Catch, Sit Pretty, Leg Weave, Bow, Spin, and Roll Over.

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $285
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

This class is tailored specifically for dogs that need more structure and guidance on an everyday basis because they are maybe a bit out of control. It is a class for highly energetic dogs and dogs that can go from low to high arousal in a matter of seconds. It may be expressed by the dog charging the front door when hearing a visitor coming, a dog that plays a bit too rough when you engage him in an activity, a dog that pulls a lot on leash, jumps up on people and/or acts a bit out of control in more distracting environments, making it generally difficult to take the dog places. We will work on keeping the dog's attention and focus. We will work on a variety of impulse control exercises like stay, wait, and leave it. We will show you how you can teach a dog to turn off from a highly aroused state to a calm state on cue. We will incorporate socialization exercises to help the dog generalize calm behavior around a variety of distractions. We will also address appropriate ways to give these dogs enough physical and mental outlets for their energy in a contained and structured fashion. This class is ideal for any high energy dog and Bully breeds in particular. Please note this class is not suitable for dogs with high reactivity towards people or other dogs. If this describes your dog, contact the training school and we will discuss other more suitable class options.

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $285
Prerequisite: Impulse Control I
Total students: 6

Now that you've worked on keeping your dog's self-control and response around distractions in Impulse Control I, it's time to take your dog to the next level. This class is tailored for dogs who have a good obedience foundation and are at an intermediate level, including Impulse Control I students. Your dog knows all the basic cues and has learned some self-control around mild distractions. The focus of this class is for the dog to learn to respond calmly and reliably to cues in the face of intermediate to more challenging distractions. The dogs will perform more detailed behaviors and in closer proximity to other dogs. The more you can channel exuberant behavior into calm and controlled responses the more you will be able to bring your dog with you to a variety of places without having to worry, allowing you to spend quality time with your dog and enrich the bond the two of you have together. It is also a great precursor to various dog sport activities you can do with your dog for fun.

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $285
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

Life Skills is the perfect class for both new and experienced dog owners. In this class we will work on basic manners by teaching behaviors through exercises that we can apply in useful ways to daily life. We will help you understand what motivates your dog and help develop your knowledge about your dog’s body language and how that influences the training when the environment changes. For example, if you have a dog that sits at home, but nowhere else, we will show you what type of practice exercises will help encourage your dog to sit in everyday situations, including outside the home. We will also work on leash handling, recalls, and polite greetings without jumping. When possible, we will also include some fun training that you can add to your training repertoire to help break up the structured exercises and have some fun with your dog. Any time you train with your dog, it is a great opportunity to provide mental stimulation.

If your dog is between the 6 month - 2 year age range and deciding between Adolescent Manners or Life Skills: Adolescent has more of a focus on enrichment (meeting needs and energy outlets) and emotional regulation (which adolescents tend to struggle with). A dog with big feelings and lots of energy would do best in Adolescent. The class will touch on some elements in our Brain Games and Life Skills classes and an added element of the very basic dog reactive skills. Life Skills is more focused on the mature dog with a focus on teaching or expanding their basic manners skillset.

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $285
Prerequisite: Life Skills
Total students: 6

This class is a continuation of our Life Skills class but with benchmarks! We will continue our work on basic manners such as ...

• recall - in the classroom environment, will your dog come from 10ft away and be leashed up?
• leash handling - in the classroom, will your dog do a 20ft loop and give 2 seconds of eye contact during that walk?
• polite greetings - will your dog let a stranger, with permission, approach from 5ft away and keep a loose leash?
• leave it - will your dog leave items while walking by and stay 2ft away?
• wait - on cue for the food bowl plus wait at door
• stay - while you speak to someone, will your dog stay for 1 minute?
• settle - will your dog settle in a down for 1 minute and until released?
• tricks - will your dog perform spin or crawl within 3 seconds of the cue?

We’ll go for these and more inside and outside!

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $285
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

This class is designed to help you create positive experiences with strangers. If you have a dog who is not comfortable meeting and greeting people on the street, is reactive to people passing by at a distance, does not do well when friends and family enters your house and/or have any other specific issues related to proximity to people this class is for you. The class will work on three main themes; (1) Teaching obedience cues to build a solid communication system between you and your dog and help you reinforce appropriate behavior around strangers, (2) Counter-conditioning and desensitization exercises to help the dog develop good feelings around strangers and (3) Problem-solving activities will be spaced out throughout the class to engage the dog cognitively and to encourage the dog to engage in activities that are fun while people are around. We will also discuss management strategies and have some time to address the specific challenges are facing in their lives with their dogs. This class requires that the students show a real commitment and are willing to work with their dogs outside of class. We request that all dogs who registered for this class is prepared to come with a minimum of two adults per dog. It can be the same person each class or vary from week to week. This way we will have a larger number of "new" people for each dog to work with during the six week class.

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $285
Prerequisite: dogs less than 6 months as of the start date of class
Total students: 6

This class is tailored specifically to puppies to teach young dogs optimal socialization skills and basic manners. Emphasis is placed on building strong relationships and confidence in your puppy using positive reinforcement interactions with other puppies, people, and the environment. Puppies will learn to respond to their name, how to focus their attention on you, sit, down, and recalls. You will learn leash handling skills, and how to encourage your pup to greet people politely! We will also offer positive and encouraging exposure to novel sounds, visuals, items, grooming and handling, and incorporate trading into our conditioning exercises to build confidence in their ever-changing world as they develop and learn how to be more independent dogs.

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $285
Prerequisite: dogs should be a minimum 6 months of age
Total students: 5

We often, inadvertently, discourage our dogs from using their noses during walks, play in the yard and at home. This class is designed to give dogs an outlet to use their most specialized sense – smell. Your dog will learn to rely on their nose and develop a drive to hunt for odor. In turn, you will learn about your dog’s amazing scent capabilities and develop observation skills to read your dog’s body language. Scent Work takes this amazing working relationship and turns it into a fun game that any dog can play. This class is centered around your dog being a dog.

This class helps build a dog's confidence as well as the ability to focus and welcomes any type of dog; shy, reactive, low-energy, high-energy and older senior dogs. Since the exercises are conducted one dog at a time on the floor we have a lot of flexibility to set each dog up for success. Once you try this class, you'll see it is fun and super addicting!

All dogs love to use their nose and these classes will optimize your dog's natural scenting abilities. We begin by establishing a good search drive, then we transition to different challenges to expand their newly honed skills. The progression for searching for odors takes this path: in containers, in indoor areas, then outdoor areas, and ultimately searching for it when buried.

Your dog does not need to have had any prior training to take these classes. As a matter of fact you will hear the instructor say "leave the obedience at the door." This is all about the dog's ability to work and learn at his/her own pace without any pressure from the handler. It is also an activity that is super easy to set up at home so you have a great activity you can engage your dog with any time you feel like it within your own home environment.

Length: 6 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $285
Prerequisite: Scent Work I
Total students: 5

Once you and your dogs have completed the Intro to Scent Work class, you’ll be ready to add different search environments, like the outdoors! Just like with Scent Work I, we’ll be allowing and even encouraging your dog be a dog. Because Scent Work requires your dog be in charge, the confidence building is ever-growing. They will be encouraged to investigate their world. Their curiosity will increase their resilience and can be generalized to other situations in daily life that may otherwise be concerning or frustrating. Instead of bracing themselves for what the world is going to do next, your dog will be empowered and eager to discover the nuances of their environment in a way that is exciting and welcomed by all!

Length: 4 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $210
Prerequisite: ages 6 months and older
Total students: 6

This class will offer a safe place for you to teach your dog good boundaries and how to develop self-discipline in a social setting, combined with improving your off-lead control over your dog in the face of distractions. We work on relationship building skills and how to solicit engagement and keep it going strong despite competing interests in the environment. Class starts with working on a solid recall, getting a retrieve and other important life skills within a social setting. You will learn vital skills necessary to keep your dog within your control even in more challenging situations, building up your skill-set one step at a time. We will show you how you can get your dog to understand playing with other dogs is a privilege he will earn after learning the basic conditions of your relationship together first. Please note that we require full and active participation by the handlers and all exercises will start on-leash with the intent to continue on to off leash in Social Manners II for those who are interested.

Length: 4 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $210
Prerequisite: ages 6 months and older, Social Manners I
Total students: 6

This class will offer a safe place for you to continue to build on your dog’s social skills with the addition of providing off-leash play. We will continue working on relationship building skills and reliable responses in the presence of distractions. This class will provide a rotation between handler/dog exercises and off-leash play time. Please note that enrollment in Social Manners II is at the discretion of the instructors and will only apply to dogs suitable and ready for off leash play.

Length: 4 classes, 1 hour each
Cost: $210
Prerequisite: ages 2 years and older
Total students: 6

In this class, we'll use stations to present unique experiences to motivate, reward, and build emotional intelligence, similar to the "soft skills" we develop as humans. This is accomplished through a variety of small challenges that are achievable for the dogs. We'll focus on developing your dog's cognition by providing your dog opportunities to engage in their environment, rather than approaching life with “what can this environment do to me?” They will learn that their behavior has an effect on their environment. With this sense of agency, comes a reduction in frustration and an increase in behavioral flexibility. For example, if you were to get a new car, your dog may take awhile to feel comfortable getting in. Dogs with a flexible repertoire will be inclined to proactively try novel experiences and will be resilient enough to bounce back quickly from a minor set back.

If your dog is already emotionally and cognitively flexible and resilient, this class will invest more in ensuring your dog remains that way in the future, building up their knowledge stores. On the other hand, if your dog is rarely emotionally and cognitively flexible and resilient, this class will introduce or increase your dog’s sense of engaging proactively in the world. The stations will accommodate a range of cognitive skill and resilience. Exploration is the key to developing and maintaining resilience.

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: None. Excellent for any dog especially puppies, adolescents, elderly dogs, and Impulse Control, Confidence Building, Brain Games, or Relax students and anyone with enrichment interest.
Total students: 6

Cooperative care emphasizes active pet participation in grooming, vet visits, and handling at home. This workshop aims to introduce you and your dog to concepts to help your dog tolerate husbandry procedures by giving them greater control over their experiences through a framework of behaviors built on trust and collaboration.

• Does your dog struggle with grooming or vet visits?
• Does your dog avoid brushing and nail trims?
• Is your dog tolerant of handling and do you want to prevent potential problems?
• Do you want to learn how to help your dog feel more confident when faced with care tasks?

Join our Cooperative Care workshop for an introduction to building or maintaining your dog’s tolerance of handling!

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

Whether you have taken our Impulse Control class in the past or want to in the future, this workshop is for you! Impulsive behaviors can be hard to tackle on your own. The content of this workshop will vary slightly, depending on the needs of the dogs present. During this workshop, we’ll have an opportunity to discuss things you can do today to reduce your dog’s impulsiveness. We will offer examples and demonstrate how we work with the dogs that attend our Impulse Control School program and how you can become empowered to reduce impulsive behaviors in response to your dog’s environment.

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

Have you just started house training your puppy? Is your dog almost crate trained? Are you planning an overnight road trip with your newly adopted seven-year old? Having a crate-trained dog is useful for many reasons. It tremendously increases your pet care options over the course of the dog's life. In this workshop we will work with you and your dog using your own crate that you will bring to class with you. We will show you exercises on how to introduce the crate to your dog and build your dog’s comfort level in the crate. We will provide you some best practices for duration and location. Because you will be supplying the same crate you use at home, we will be able to give you guidance on the appropriateness of the crate (ie size) and location suggestions for the home. This will be a great workshop to take once you begin crate training at home. Then, if you reach a plateau, or want to get more guidance, come to this workshop and we can refresh your approach. This is also a great workshop for dogs that board or seek vet care in facilities that utilize crates.

* We recommend bringing your own crate but it is not required. We will have stand alone crates available as well as the same kennel systems we use in daycare for boarding.

Length: 2 sessions, 1 hour each
Cost: $95
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

Does your dog attend dog daycare? Learn the skills that will aide in your dog being a great daycare dog. In this workshop we will work on skills essential to keeping dogs safe in any off leash environment such as collar touch, recalls, and crate enclosures.

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

Teaching your dog tricks is a great way to bond with your dog and have a great time doing it! Tricks are an easygoing way to challenge your handling skills and your dog's mental accumen. Tricks can also be extremely useful in everyday practice when attempting to refocus your dog on to appropriate behaviors. In this workshop, we explain the concepts of using key methods like luring, targeting, and shaping techniques to teach any new behavior and we will introduce you to simple and easy to teach tricks such as Paws Up, Middle, Catch, Sit Pretty, Leg Weave, Bow, Spin, and/or Roll Over.

• Is your dog cautious about the world?
• Does your dog love to learn?
• Do you and your dog love to learn new things together?
• Do you want to advance your handling skills?
• Do you want to build a stronger bond and receive more active participation and attention from your dog?

Join our Fun Tricks workshop to learn adorable tricks and have fun with your dog!

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

This is an intense session where we proof the behavior with duration and distractions. We start at a level that is appropriate for the class average, but we will make sure each individual student is personally challenged and leaves with the knowledge and tools they can use to confidently work on better leash manners.

• Does your dog pull on leash?
• Are you able to walk your dog on a slack leash?
• Do you worry about your safety or being pulled down by the strength of your dog when they pull?
• Does your dog know the rules of staying within boundary of a 6 foot leash?
• Would you like to enjoy walks with your dog?

In this workshop we will teach you and your dog how to have more enjoyable walks together by helping both of you facilitate a loose leash. We’ll go over leash handling, loose leash exercises, and some best practices when walking to help everyone have a good time.

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

The emphasis of this workshop is how to effectively meet and greet other dogs and/or people at close proximity on the street while maintaining calm and responsive behaviors from the dog and the handler. Real life situations are always unpredictable and messy so preparedness is key. Therefore, the environment on the street requires a two-fold process. We will cover both effective training exercises to practice, as well as necessary management techniques on how to gradually build a desired response from our dogs while passing by other people and dogs.

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

It is a joy to have a happy dog, but if that means your dog is jumping on people all the time that can become a real nuisance. We teach you to combine management and training in everyday life and how to make the dog offer a sit whenever approached by a stranger or in the presence of other distractions.

• Is your dog a jumper?
• Does your dog get overly excited to greet others?
• Does your dog think it's their job to greet every person they see?
• Does your dog "push" their way onto people a little too strongly?
• Do you want an easy to teach your dog to ask for permission to greet another dog or person?

Join our polite greetings workshop. We'll teach you how to implement management techniques when you are not actively training and how to teach alternative behaviors for your dog to practice when granted the choice to greet others.

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

In this session we cover all the important principles you need to follow to in order to develop a reliable recall. We practice with a wide range of distractions and show you how to use body language and voice to your ultimate advantage. We teach you to be the one in your dog’s life and how to set up practice sessions in a way that your dog would always consider it in his best interest to come when called.

• Does your dog run away from you when you call them?
• If your dog got loose by mistake, would you be able to get them back easily?
• If your dog were lost, would your dog run up to a stranger for safety or run away?
• Would you like to learn how to train a reliable recall?

In this workshop we will help you learn how to strengthen your dog’s desire to come back to you in a variety of situations.

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: None. Excellent for any dog especially puppies, adolescents, elderly dogs, and Impulse Control, Confidence Building, Brain Games, or Cooperative Care students and anyone with enrichment interest.
Total students: 6

Does your dog have concerns about the world around them, struggle to self-regulate their activity level, or have trouble settling down easily? This workshop is designed to help your dog relax in the moment, while also teaching you techniques to promote relaxation at home and in the real world.

Relaxation is another piece of enrichment that is often overlooked. There are benefits to having downtime and rest; being tired and overstimulated isn't fun! Stress can lead to health and behavior problems over time. Relaxation techniques can help a dog cope with everyday stressors and reduce its effects. We will cover topics like settling, calming enrichment, and providing choice and predictability in your dog’s life.

• Does your dog have trouble settling down?
• Does your dog have concerns about the world around them?
• Is your dog always on the go and struggles to switch off?
• Do you want to learn how to help encourage relaxation in your dog’s life?

Join our Relax workshop for tips on how to help your dog take it easy.

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: None. Excellent for any dog especially puppies, adolescents, elderly dogs, and Impulse Control, Confidence Building, Brain Games, or Cooperative Care students and anyone with enrichment interest.
Total students: 6

In this workshop, you and your dog will be a team, searching for clues to break the code. You’ll work against the clock leveraging your skills (such as having a thumb) with your dog’s skills of having a powerful nose. No experience needed. If your dog has any food limitations, please let us know and be sure to bring enough treats to provide us for when we set up each room.

Length: 2 sessions, 1 hour each
Cost: $95
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

What is enrichment and how can we make it a part of the daily lives of our dogs? In this workshop, we will be taking a holistic view of enrichment and how to best meet your dog's individual needs. The exercises in this class will cover the different elements of enrichment, as well as provide many ideas of fun activities to do at home to help create a fulfilling lifestyle for your dog. This workshop will bring out your creativity in no time!

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

Whether you have taken our Confidence Building class in the past or you see it might be in your future, this is the perfect workshop for you! Fear presents itself in different ways. Each dog has a unique response to fear and each dog may experience fear in different ways depending on the environment. We will be mindful of the presentation of fear in the dogs in attendance and will alter the discussion and content accordingly. During the workshop, we’ll have an opportunity to observe and discuss body language that can indicate the various ebbs and flows of a fearful experience and feelings of being more comfortable. We’ll talk through things you can do today to reduce your dog’s experience of fear. And we’ll give you an example of how to start and continue the process of desensitizing your dog to things that trigger the fear.

Length: 2 sessions, 1 hour each
Cost: $95
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

This is a two session workshop with a focus on applying good manners in the real world on a group walk. Every session begins with some prep work in the facility and then we take it on the road. In addition to working on foundation behaviors on the walk we will also incorporate good manners around other dogs and people. This workshop is a great precursor to the City Walks class if you want to test if you are ready. Please note that we will be outdoors for better part of the session and will only cancel in case of inclement weather.

** This workshop is sometimes offered outdoors as well, usually in Shirlington. Meet up location will be provided.

Length: 1 hour
Cost: $55
Prerequisite: N/A
Total students: 6

Wouldn't it be great if you could bring your four-legged companion to the restaurant or coffee shop? Don't think your dog can do it? Think again! We will talk about management aspects of bringing your dog to public spaces and then we will practice polite behavior. The later part of the workshop will include eating and drinking at the table while at the same time working with your dogs. You bring food (regular meal, sandwich or other snack per your preference) we will accommodate with drinks. Please note: This class is for dogs who already have a concept of the cue settle and/or a few minutes of duration with stay.