Skiplyn Kennels

Beginner Obedience

In the Beginner Class we will help you teach your pet proper socialization, how to accept being physically handled, how to sit, stand, down, stay and to come when called, and to walk nicely beside you without pulling and sit when you stop walking. These basic obedience help you concur other unwanted behaviours like jumping, chewing, digging or barking. All dogs of any breed, size, and age (as young as 8 weeks) are welcome. No dog is "too old" and no breed is "un-trainable". I have several years of experience in successfully training all breed types and virtually every temperament of dog.

Intermediate Obedience

In the intermediate level class, we continue to work on all skills introduced in the beginner level, adding progressively challenging distractions that you and your dog will encounter in real life. Hand signals are taught in addition to verbal commands strengthening your dog's understanding of each concept, and we introduce 'finishes', where your dog smartly returns to heel from sitting in front. This class is a prerequisite for Skiplyn Kennel's advanced obedience class and agility classes.

Advanced Obedience

In the advanced level class, we continue to challenge your dog with increasingly difficult distractions. We use distractions to simulate obstacles you may encounter in everyday life on your walks, particularly other dogs and people. Working through these challenges strengthens your bond with your dog and helps him to be reliable in these scenarios. Your dog will amaze you in what he is able to accomplish at this level. Stays are done off leash at extended distance and duration and are tested through realistic distractions. For those interested, training techniques that prepare the dog and handler team for obedience competition are introduced.

Training your dog is an on-going process throughout your dog's life. Classes provide a structured environment to learn the skills and methods, but also provide the necessary distractions to reinforce your dog's obedience and skills.  Outside of class, it is easy to fall into old habits. Many owners find that their dogs benefit from retaking a class as refresher periodically.