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In 2023 Blue Fawn Maine, LLC opened its doors in Waterboro, Maine. Located in the Village District of Town, BFM’s training facility is 12 minutes north of Sanford and 25 minutes west of Biddeford on Route 202. Blue Fawn Maine specializes in behavioral training, as well as offers pack walking, private sessions, workshops, and more.
Age Range: 8-20 weeks
OPEN-ENROLLMENT! JOIN ANYTIME! DROP-IN OPTION AVAILABLE!
Prerequisites: Puppies must be at least 8 weeks old at the start of class and have begun their vaccine schedule with a veterinarian.
Class Focus: The focus here is on starting you and your puppy off on the right foot together. Puppies will receive socialization opportunities with other puppies, gentle exposure to novel sights, sounds and surfaces, and the baby basics of obedience. Owners will learn how to address all of the common puppy challenges from house training to handling, biting, and nipping.
Puppies who meet the requirements of the AKC STAR Puppy test will be awarded with a certificate issued by The American Kennel Club.
TRICKS! Ages: All ages! Prerequisite: Level 1 or the equivalent with Instructor Approval Who’s it for?: ALL DOGS - mixed breeds, purebreds and rare breeds! Cost: $200 Class Length: 6 weeks, 60 minutes each week Class Focus: With the introduction of AKC’s new Trick Dog Division, there is a fun new competitive environment in which ALL dogs can earn a little recognition for their abilities. This course will introduce the how-tos of trick training through luring, shaping and capturing, while introducing a number of creative and clever pet tricks. For an AKC Trick Dog Novice Title, dogs and their handlers must perform 10 unique tricks (5 if the dog has achieved its Canine Good Citizen certificate). Each week we’ll intro new tricks to train while practicing the previous week’s clever actions. I will provide instruction on how to register your dog with the American Kennel Club and check off those tricks as you work towards your title!
AKC Trick Dog classes at Blue Fawn are offered in 6 week blocks, each geared towards participants earning their Trick Dog Titles. With five Levels of Titling opportunities (Trick Dog Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Performer & Elite Performer) these classes are the beginning of a terrific adventure in training, I hope you'll join us!
PREREQUISITE: This option is available to puppies currently enrolled in our puppy program and for recent graduates within the 5-9 month age range. Additional options will be available soon for slightly older adolescents. If your puppy fits loosely within the parameters, please feel free to contact Shannan to discuss these details. All participants must be approved by Shannan for this play time.
TIME: Saturdays at 10 am
STARTS: September 28th, 2024
CLASS LIMIT: 10 per class, please register your attendance online ahead of time through the Package Portal.
This class is setup for 60 minutes each week to allow for puppies to romp, play and further their socialization.
STARTS: TBA • 6 Weeks • Beginner Scent Work with Kathy Velek
Beginner Scent Work: Dogs of any age with little or no prior experience in Nose Work
Class size: 4-6 teams
Start Date: TBA (6 weeks)
Cost: $200
In this class we’ll teach you and your dog the basics of all things Scent Work!! Nose Work is not only a ton of fun, but also a great tool for building a dog’s confidence, impulse control, and problem-solving skills, while strengthening the dog – handler bond, as you and your dog learn to put their power of sniffing to good use. Your dog will begin learning from week 1 that odor (birch oil) pays!! We’ll also use food searches to build hunt drive and solidify searching techniques. Handlers will learn proper methods to handle the scented materials, and the basic properties of how odor moves and behaves, so they can set up great searches on their own. Class fee will include a basic scent kit and all supplies needed for the class.
Note: Dogs that are reactive or need space from other dogs are welcome, but please note this when signing up for the class.
In this class you will start your dog on a journey of using their nose for fun and games, and as their handler, you will learn to observe their behavior in a way that you never have before.
In honor of Willow, the master of retrieving items and balancing objects, I am offering this class to share her secrets. We’ll work on creating a calm and steady dog first, followed by training the retrieve and balance. Reach out to me if you’re interested in participating in this challenge!
Age Range: 16 weeks and up
Prerequisites: Dogs must be at least 16 weeks of age and UTD with their vaccine schedule at the start of class.
Class Focus: Acquire some skills. We’ll teach your dog to learn and we’ll teach you how to speak. Once your dog is looking to you. Your job is to show the, what you want. Skills include focus, sit, down, stay, place, leash walking, wait and recall.
Age Range: 6 months and up
Prerequisites: Level 1 or equivalent, Instructor approval.
Class Focus: Test some skills! Now that your dog has acquired a robust skill base, we’ll work on speed and accuracy through repetition and plenty of reinforcement. We’ll be fading some luring and helping our dogs to do some independent thinking to find the correct answers. We'll continue creating joyful, confident, cooperative companions, not just dogs who sniff for treats before they comply. This is where your bond begins to show and you lean into the relationship to achieve success as a team. A few new skills include distance targeting, drop on recall, send and a slightly more formal heel.
Dates:
Age Range: 1 years and up
Prerequisites: Level 2 or equivalent, Instructor approval.
Class Focus: You got this! Generalization is the task at hand here, just because your dog knows to perform a skill in one (controlled) setting, it doesn't mean they’ll know how to perform it elsewhere (weird doggie oddity). This is the phase where we begin to close the gap between the classroom and the wide open world. New skills will vary, but we’ll introduce some distance and moving drops and a retrieve.
Age Range: 18 months and up • Prerequisites: Level 2 or equivalent, Instructor approval. • Class Focus: Now you're preparing to soar! Let’s aim our sites on a formal certificate from the American Kennel Club that proves your dog’s skills meet a national standard! Go to BlueFawnMaine.com for more info.
STARTS: TBD • 6 weeks • TIME TBD • Novice/Intermediate Scent Work with Kathy Valek For dogs of any age who are experienced with searching for at least one odor (birch, anise or clove). In this class we’ll take your basic Scent Work game to the next level. We’ll focus on setting fun and informative hides to build dog and handler skills by working through various scent puzzles. Handlers will practice “reading” their dogs and supporting them throughout the search process, and dogs will learn to search with confidence and clarity. Class fee will include all supplies needed for the class. Note: Dogs that are reactive or need space from other dogs are welcome, but please note this when signing up for the class.
Age Range: 9 months and up
Prerequisites: Rally Intro
Rally On! Class is open to those with Rally experience. Our focus is on breaking down each exercise sign to its components to build, bit by bit, a solid behavioral foundation and a polished performance. Sign recognition is also a consistent focus to aid in remaining connected to your dog throughout the course. AKC, UKC and WCRL exercises and regulations are all covered here, so no matter your preference, you'll be prepared to jump on any course and Rally on!
Prerequisites: Basic Training
Class Focus: Each venue is divided into 3 levels with the course exercises gradually becoming a bit more challenging as you move up through the levels. The first level, called ‘Novice’ or ‘Level One’ is always on-leash. Through this first level we will discuss basic course design, we will introduce heel position, position transitions, fronts and finishes, while also covering a few of the important rules of the game.
In the sport of Rally Obedience, dog and handler will enter a ring and step onto a numbered course to be completed within an allotted period of time. Much like agility, dog and handler move from station to station, but instead of jumps and tunnels and obstacles, they are to perform specified obedience ‘exercises’ as shown on each station sign. A judge scores the performance of each exercise according to that venues regulations.
Time to take our training into the real world! In Level 1 we discuss our dogs need for assistance in generalizing their skills - this means we need to practice these skills in a variety of locations. This is your opportunity!! I’ll be there to guide you through this process and I’m thrilled to be your coach! We will meet out and about at a new location each week. We’ll take weather into consideration, so this course will require steady communication so we all know where we’ll be meeting. Pre-requisite requires Level 1 or the equivalent with Instructor approval.
Pack Walks are structured walks led by Shannan. The date, time and location will be posted in advance on our BMOD FFD Facebook page and anyone with clearance to participate will be permitted to request a spot on a first come, first serve basis.
