The Mind Your Manners series is all about making life with your dog a breeze! You'll learn to communicate smoothly and teach your furry friend some polite household manners. We cover a lot, like greeting guests with grace, coming when called, and walking nicely on a leash, in addition to many many other behaviors.
Start with Mind Your Manners 1 if your dog is new to formal training or hasn't worked with a group before. It's also great for puppies fresh out of puppy class! For our tiniest learners under 17 weeks, we recommend the Puppy Plus class instead, since their little brains have very different needs and much shorter attention spans. If this class sounds like a fit for your family, please note the schedule for your chosen class. Most run weekly, but occasionally, there might be a surprise twist!
This class is for the littlest pups between 8 and 20weeks!
Why start with Puppy Plus?
*Puppies develop more confidence! Puppies exposed to new people, sounds, and environments before 16 weeks are far less likely to develop fear or anxiety later in life.
*Social skills! Supervised play teaches bite inhibition and healthy communication with other dogs — things they simply can't learn at home alone.
*Good Habits! Basic commands, leash manners, and focus come so much more naturally when training starts young, before bad habits take hold.
*A stronger bond with YOU! Learning together is one of the best things you can do for your relationship with your dog from day one.
If your puppy is 14 weeks or younger they will be able to take all 6 consecutive sessions but even if they are a little bit older, we can get them in for a few weeks - just shoot us a message.
Become a great walking team and enjoy your outings together.
(This class addresses loose leash walking. If you are experiencing reactivity with your dog, please check out our Chill! class for Reactive Dogs instead. )
Join us for our fun summer and early fall class, perfect for those who graduated Mind Your Manners 1, Leash Manners, or more! This course is all about practicing your and your pup's skills in the great outdoors. We’ll visit various public spots, brushing up on manners and tackling outdoor adventures with style. With four sessions scheduled in the cooler early mornings or late evenings, we dodge the summer heat.
Locations are conveniently within 15 minutes of Chardon. Despite being outdoors, our usual group class rules still hold. Your furry friend must be at least 6 months old and fully vaccinated and fecal checked. Plus, they need to be reasonable relaxed around other dogs.
Join Manners Out And About for four weeks of fun for just $130!
Mind Your Manners 2 is perfect for dogs who had a bit of training already. We’ll build on what your dog learned in the beginners’ class and take their skills to the next level. We will also introduce new skills like finding the elusive off-switch, picthing in with nail care, and staying out from underfoot when needed. It's tailor-made for those who've graduated from our Mind Your Manners 1 class but open to any dog with prior training. This class can be repeated several times until the skills are rock solid.
If this class sounds like a fit for your family, please note the schedule for your chosen class. Most run weekly, but occasionally, there might be a surprise twist!
Focus is on assessing current readiness and preparing you to test for AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC). The test will be offered a week after the last session of the class. Class participants have the option to sign up for testing.
In this class, we will expand on the skills acquired in Mind Your Manners 1 and 2, elevating you and your dog to new levels of mastery. Our focus is on achieving fluency and reliability.
Expect a challenge, but don't worry—you can take this class as many times as you need until you're brimming with confidence. With smaller group sizes in this class, our instructor will help you trouble shoot and boost your skills.
Therapy Dogs carry much needed light and love into our lives when we need them most.
If you think you and your dog are ready to answer that call and have what it takes, consider taking our Therapy Dog Prep class with Beth.
It truly takes a special team. Here are the pre-requisits:
You and your dog must have excellent communication skills with each other without using force.
Your dog should know basic manners and have a very strong "leave it" cue. (This is not a beginners' class. )
It helps if your dog is past the teenage shenanigans or has the wisdom of an "old soul." If your pup is more of a "wild child," a little more time to mature might be needed.
Both you and your dog should like people but be able to remain calm around them.
Nosework is a unique team sport for you and your dog, teaching you to interpret your dog’s body language and detect when they’re hot on the scent trail. Every moment is filled with skill, pride, and joy. Once you are in, you will become a member of the close knit community supporting and cheering for each other in every session.
What’s needed? Your dog needs to be up-to-date with vet records (see our policies),non-reactive, and people-friendly. NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE in the sport is necessary.
Do you want to know how smart your dog really is? This six-week class explores that question. Masterminds! is for advanced learners only. Different than a tricks class, it was developed to tap deeply into your dog’s cognitive abilities. You will use a clicker to teach your dog things like reading simple words, recognizing and selecting items by a given name, selecting items by color or shape, and copying your actions to learn a new behavior.
Our Trick for Treats class was developed for the pleasure of dog training. It will challenge you to become a better dog trainer as you use capturing and shaping to put skills to the test. This class will be excellent to create a stronger, more joyful bond between you and your dog. We are offering testing throughout the year to give you a chance to earn Trick Dog Titles and bragging rights.
Book our training center for an hour with your dog.
Pay for the time, enter one of the pups' names, and you will be able to bring up to 4 dogs who know each other well and get along.
The room is large, has dog friendly flooring, and is climate controlled. A non-fenced outdoor potty area is available for the dogs. An office person will be in the center during use but will stay behind a closed door unless needed.
We are proud to keep the center safe even for young puppies who are not fully vaccinated, yet. Current vet records are strictly required to guarantee that safety. Records can be emailed to [email protected] anytime before the visit.
We are experienced with and compassionate to reactive dogs. If your dog is sensitive, please indicate during booking and we will take precautions not to disturb them.
Come join our crafty Pop Up! session to create a special gift for your fur-kid! We’ve got all the supplies you’ll need and will guide you in making one of a choice of projects as a surprise for your pup. Your dog will have to stay home for this one since you will have your hands full!
Crafts differ each session, please call or email to find out what we will create.
We adore kids and dogs! But let’s face it, sometimes they create a bit of a complicated love story. This session is perfect for families with kindergartners through fourth graders aiming to ensure everyone stays safe and sound together. NO real dogs will be present! We’ll be practicing with a stuffed friend instead. We will learn about what dogs need, how they talk to us, and how to be their best friends. Every participating child will receive a copy of our Acorn activity book!
- By the way! If you lead a scout troop or work with kids of this age in a professional setting and would like us to visit your group, please let us know. We find this topic to be so important that we are usually happy to do outreach programs at no charge.
How boring would life be if we never got to read, watch TV, or explore new things? Dogs crave enrichment just as we do. In this session we will explore some enrichment activities and share ideas that you could try at home.
Join our Pop Up! session for a delightful refresher on those loose leash walking skills you've picked up with us. If your leash manners need a quick tune-up, this is your jam! (New to this? We suggest starting with our Leash Manners or Mind Your Manners 1 class for a solid foundation.)
Join us for a artsy Pop Up! session where you and your furry friend can create a masterpiece together! We provide all the supplies, and you'll take your artwork home. Don't worry, the painting technique is perfectly safe for your pup!
Join our engaging session on canine body language! Discover what your furry friend is saying and how to understand their mood. Enhance your bond and safety with better communication. Current veterinary staff, shelter staff, and volunteers can attend for free! If you're part of these wonderful groups, just give us a shout to sign up.
These work sessions are reserved for our friends who have already tackled reactivity and want to continue the journey. The format will closely resemble our class sessions.
If you haven't worked on reactivity with us, we won't be able to assist during these sessions, but we'd love to chat about other ways we can support you.
Come on in and use our Christmas backdrop to take beautiful Christmas pictures of your pups and family. We will help with the pictures but Santa will NOT be present this day so it is ideal if your dog is shy or fearful of people.
Your minimum cash donation of $15 will help support Neighborhood Pets in Cleveland.
Neighborhood Pets is an organization that supports families in need provide care and emergency services for their pets. In that way Neighborhood Pets helps keep pets in their homes and therefore alleviate stress on our shelter system.
