Which Dog Training Class Should We Take?

A dog training class is a great way for most dogs and puppies to learn to behave well around other dogs and people. Please look at the age limits and and pre-requisites on the comparison chart below to see which class is right for you and your dog. The suggested Tracks (recommended order for classes ) and Case Studies, which are below the comparison chart, and the page with full course descriptions will also give you more information. All of our dog training classes are held at our facility in Seattle.

Course Name (click for full description)	Age or size Restrictions	Pre-Requisites	# of sessions	Schedule
Puppy Training & Socialization - all sizes (Puppy Kindergarten)	2-5 months at first class	none except one DHLPP shot at 6 weeks or later + 10 days to take effect (should eventually get 3)	6 weeks, drop into any number of sessions, reserve 1-3 weekly classes	Click for Schedule
Puppy Training & Socialization - small breed class (Puppy Kindergarten)	Under 20 pounds at adult weight. 2-6 months at first class	same as above	same as above	Click for Schedule
Puppy Catch-Up	5-9 months at first class	none, except 3 DHLPP shots	6 sessions	Click for Schedule
Intermediate Puppy (Puppy Jr. High)	5-9 months at first class	Puppy Training & Socialization (or permission), three DHLPP shots	6 sessions	Click for Schedule
Advanced Puppy (Puppy College) Off Leash	6-12 months at first class	Intermediate Puppy (or permission), three DHLPP shots	6 sessions	Click for Schedule
Dog Manners 1, 2, 3	5 months or older. But, if you can, social dogs 5-9 months should take Puppy Catch-Up	none for DM1, DM2 requires DM1 or Puppy, DM3 requires DM2 or Intermediate Puppy	4 sessions	Click for Schedule
Terrier-rific Basic Manners	5 months or older, adult weight under 30 pounds	none	4 sessions	Click for Schedule
Fluency Field Trip	Mature	Advanced Puppy or Dog Manners 3	4 sessions	Click for Schedule
Rally Obedience Basics	7 months or older	See obedience skill list	6 sessions	Click for Schedule
Wallflower Dog (shy dogs)	all ages	none, except age-appropriate vaccinations	4 sessions	Click for Info
Growly Dog	all ages	none, except age-appropriate vaccinations	6 sessions	Click for Schedule
Growly Dog 2 (practice sessions)	all ages	Growly Dog class or permission	1 session	Click for Schedule
Jump Into Agility Workshop	10 months or older	At least one dog training class (can be concurrent)	1 session	Click for Schedule
Workshop (Fraidy Dogs,Coming When Called, Jumping/Pulling, Dog Ownership, etc.)	all ages	none	1 session	Click for Schedule
Free Training Practice	Any age - all 3 sets of shots complete	Current or past enrollment in a multi-session Ahimsa class	unlimited	Click for Schedule
Private Behavior Consultation with Kathy Sdao	Any age	none	varies	Click for Schedule

Tracks - which class follows which?

Here are the main routes that people follow through training classes at Ahimsa. There is no such thing as graduating from training...it's like saying you've graduated from exercising once you take a class in weightlifting. Stop taking classes whenever you feel like you and your dog are at a good point, but keep training at home from time to time. Come back for more classes or workshops if you ever feel like you and your dog need a little more bonding or training!

Starting with a Puppy (less than 5 months):

Standard Route: Puppy Socialization > Intermediate Puppy > Advanced Puppy (Intermediate can be skipped if you did lots of training in Puppy class)
Obedience Route: Puppy Socialization > Intermdiate Puppy > Advanced Puppy > Rally Obedience
If your puppy doesn't play well with others, or you can't take Intermediate & Advanced Puppy for some reason, then could do: Puppy Socialization > Better Manners or you could also do Puppy Socialization > Basic Manners > Better Manners (use this option if you didn't have much time for skills training when you did puppy class).

Starting with a Dog over 5 months (you can jump in the middle if the skill level is higher):

Standard Route: Basic Manners > Better Manners
Obedience Route: Basic Manners > Better Manners > Rally Obedience

Case Studies - which one sounds like you and your dog?

My Labrador Retriever puppy is 5 months old. He has no training history with us, though he might have been trained in the past. Which dog training class is best for us?

The best class for him is Basic Manners. The cut-off age for starting Puppy Training & Socialization is 5 months for standard-sized breeds and 6 months for breeds that will end up being less than 20 pounds at their adult weight. Dogs cannot attend puppy class after 6 months old for most breeds, 7 months for small breeds, so you could technically take 4 weeks of puppy class. Our Intermediate and Advanced Puppy classes require previous puppy classes (at Ahimsa or elsewhere), so if you want to go that route, sign up for Puppy Training & Socializationmultiple times per week, and then email us to shorten your 6-week membership to 4 weeks, so that your puppy finishes before he is 6 months old. A more stadard route: Basic Manners will get you started on building a strong relationship and communication structure. If he were a terrier under 30 pounds, then you could take Terrier-rific Basic Manners, instead.

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We just adopted a dog from the shelter. She knows her basic commands of sit, down, stay, leave it, leash walking, and come, but she doesn't listen well in public. I have trained other dogs using positive reinforcement (but not the clicker). She is 1 year old. Which class is best?

I'd recommend Better Manners, because she is older than 5 months and you both have training experience. You can learn how to train with the clicker fairly easily, since you've trained using rewards before. The actual clicker is also an optional tool. Better Manners help her polish her training skills. If either of you weren't used to training, or if your training experience was only with leash corrections, then Basic Manners would have been more appropriate.
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My dog is just over 6 months. We have not done any formal training but she knows the basics: sit, down, come, stay, but doesn't always follow through. A friend suggested agility training. She isn't thrilled with dogs but not at all aggressive (she often runs away). I want a well trained dog, one other people will enjoy too. What should I start with?

I would say the most appropriate classes for your dog are either the Wallflower Shy Dog class (for working on the shyness with dogs) or Intermediate Puppy. I think you'd find Wallflower to be the most helpful, and from there you can move on to the more standard classes. If you are able to take Wallflower and Intermediate Puppy simultaneously, that would be the very best thing. If you can't do both at the same time, and she's still under 9 months when she finishes Wallflower, you could take Intermediate Puppy afterward. The next class after that is Advanced Puppy, which is an off-leash class that will prepare you well for agility. If Intermediate Puppy doesn't work, you could take Better Manners, which is for dogs of all ages with training experience.

Intermediate Puppy does have some play time in it. If it turns out to be too much for your dog, the instructor can give you both something else do do during play time.

Getting her over her fear will help make class experiences (agility or otherwise) more fun for both of you.

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My dog lunges and barks at other dogs. I'd like to be able to feel safe walking my dog, like I don't have the Most Obnoxious Dog in the neighborhood. Is there a class for this?
Our Growly Dog Class is an excellent way to help make your walks and other encounters with dogs more pleasant. Even if your dog is just shy and you think it might develop into aggression, Growly Dog Class would be great. In that class, only one student dog attends each session (humans attend all 6). We have 'neutral' dogs to help us work on your dog's aggression problem.

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My dog has some aggression problems, especially on leash. Should I take a manners class first, or Growly Dog class?

We recommend Growly Dog class before other classes if your dog frequently growls and/or lunges at other dogs on leash. In that class, you'll learn ways of getting more control over your dog as well as making him or her less likely to feel the urge to act aggressively. We do not have a minimum training level for the Growly Dog class.

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I'm getting a new puppy. When should she start class?

Start the Puppy Training & Socialization class asap. Your puppy needs at least her first DHLPP shot - the new ones are now given at around 6 weeks old. 10 days after that first shot, she can come to class. Please make sure she is not coughing or otherwise sick when you bring her to puppy school.

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My puppy is 4 months old. She's already had a puppy class. What should we take now?

You could either take another round of puppy training class (because your puppy is under 5 months) or sign up for the next class, Intermediate Puppy (aka Puppy Jr. High). The curriculum for Intermediate Puppy is for puppies between 4 and 9 months old that have a fairly good concept of sit, down, stay, leave it, leash walking, and come, but she need not be perfect yet.

[Schedule and Registration]
I see that you have different Membership Levels for puppy class, where I can reserve from one to three days per week. Which one is right for me?

It depends on your schedule and your dog. If your schedule is constantly changing, then reserve just one day each week (like Saturdays at 10) and drop into the other days. If you want to make sure there's space for you because you're busy or you're driving from Mukilteo or you're taking the bus to class, then reserve each of the classes that you might want to attend. If your dog is shy or you need structure to make sure you work on the training, then plan on attending more puppy classes per week - either reserved or drop-ins. Generally speaking, the more days you can come, the better.

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I have two dogs. Should I sign them both up for the same class?

If you do, each dog will need his/her own human handler. If the dogs are at the same training level (Basic/Better/Puppy/workshop), then you can enroll each of them in the class. If you are looking for a less expensive route, you cannot split a class between two dogs (i.e., sign one up and have the other dog attend some of the time), but you can have one dog go through the class and work with the other dog at home.

[Schedule and Registration]

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Which Dog Training Class Should We Take?

Tracks - which class follows which?

Case Studies - which one sounds like you and your dog?

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