Canine Life & Social Skills

Canine Life and Social Skills

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

C.L.A.S.S., or Canine Life and Social Skills, is an educational program using a variety of games to promote learning with the use of positive reinforcement and to strengthen relationships between humans and their canine companions. C.L.A.S.S. is a 4-level evaluation for dog owners to demonstrate the real-life skills of their dogs, as well as a knowledge assessment of the owners’ understanding of basic dog handling and care.

C.L.A.S.S. is about teaching and appreciating real-life, practical skills, such as walking nicely on a leash, settling down, meeting strangers, table manners, attention, and coming when called, just to name a few. C.L.A.S.S. used to provide dog/student teams the opportunity to have their skills evaluated by a professional dog trainer but has since changed to student self-assessments (SA). Passing a C.L.A.S.S. SA is a testimony to the life skills that a student and their dog have developed together. Moreover, by using those skills in everyday situations, a dog can become a well-behaved member of your household and a welcome part of society.

C.L.A.S.S. is the program pathway if you are looking for your dog to earn the CKC Canine Good Neighbor Certificate or if you are interested in Therapy Dog certification.

C.L.A.S.S. - HS (Puppy):

This program combines beginner level basic manners with off-leash playtime with other puppies!

Some of the skills practiced in this program are as follows:

Name Game, Sit, Down, Come, Gotcha Game, Sit-Front, Heel (on / off-leash), Confidence Course (obstacles), Comfort Around Food Bowl (resource guarding prevention in practice), Positive Socialization & Meeting Strangers, Physical Body Handling (by pet parent).

* 6 x 60-minute Sessions

Puppies should be:

Between 12-24 weeks
Healthy and parasite-free
Have a minimum of 2 sets of vaccinations +Bordetella
If your puppy is fearful, please book a private or virtual session before registering for any group program

PREREQUISITE:

NONE - Highly recommend PupFIT-Foundations (for puppies 8+ weeks)

Saturdays 9:00am-10:00am

April 27 - June 15 (no classes May 18, June 8) 6 spots open

$215.00+gst

The next three levels of the program are named after human university degree programs: the B.A. for Dogs™ (Bachelor’s level), the M.A. for Dogs™ (Master’s level), and the Ph.D. for Dogs™ (Doctorate level). The skills in each level vary in the level of difficulty and distractions.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

C.L.A.S.S. - BA:

Mat, Wait at the Door, Come & Leashing-Up Manners, Loose-Leash Walking & Attention, Meet & Greet, Leave it, Wait for Food Bowl, Stay, Settle, Give & Take (Trade), Sit, Down, Stand, Focus, Circle & Sniff Game, Golf Game,

*6 x 45-minute Sessions

PREREQUISITE:

NONE ***HIGHLY RECOMMEND: C.L.A.S.S. (HS) - Puppy and / or FIT-Foundations Level 1

Reactive dogs / Fearful dogs - please book a private or virtual session before registering in a group program

Saturdays 10:30am-11:15am

April 27 - June 15 (no classes May 18, June 8) 5 spots open

$215.00+gst

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

C.L.A.S.S. - MA:

Wait in the Car, Calmly Pass by Other Dogs, Wait at the Door with Distraction, Come & Leashing-Up Manners with Distraction, Sit, Down & Stand (hold positions), Body Handling (by instructor), Loose-Leash Walking & Leave It (Figure 8 Configuration), Stay with Distraction & Distance, Out of Sight, Out of Mind (stay with instructor or semi-familiar person while handler leaves the room for 1 minute)

PREREQUISITE:

C.L.A.S.S. (BA)

Saturdays 12:00-12:45pm

April 27 - June 15 (no classes May 18, June 8) 5 spots open

$215.00+gst

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

C.L.A.S.S. - Ph.D.:

Advanced Loose-Leash Walking, Back Up, Advanced Stay, Advanced Come & Leashing-Up Manners, Meet & Greet w/Body Handling (semi-familiar or unfamiliar person), Attention During High Distraction, Table Manners, Do You Really Know Sit? (familiar instructions in unusual and distracting settings)

PREREQUISITE:

C.L.A.S.S. (MA)

Saturdays

TBA

$215.00+gst