Adult Dog Classes

We have a variety of training options for dogs older than 10 months (or older than 12 months for small breeds) that range from teaching you and your pup some foundations of training, to advancing your skills around distractions and temptations, to just plain having fun with your dog! In our classes and private sessions, we will help you learn how to motivate your dog to enjoy working with you by setting them up for success and rewarding good choices. We work hard to use tools and training techniques that leave the individuals on both ends of the leash happy, which means we’ll never ask you to use force or leash corrections to teach a new behavior or get your dog to comply. Some tools that you can expect us to use in classes include clickers, treats, toys, your dog’s favorite petting spot, and praising the heck out of them. If this is a different style of training than you’re used to, that’s okay! You may want to read through our FAQs to get a little more information about why we train the way that we do.

To figure out which of our classes is best for you, check out the options below. If you have a dog who barks, growls, or lunges at other dogs or people, check out our Growly Dog classes or private sessions designed especially for dogs who need some extra help with their social skills! Click on a class to view more information.

Class Logistics for Adult Dogs

What does my dog need to know, and what vaccinations do they need to have to attend classes?

For our Basic Manners class, your dog doesn’t need to know anything!* It’s a great first-time training class or a refresher course, and we ask that you start with this class if a) you’ve never trained a dog using a clicker or primarily positive reinforcement before, or b) your dog is just learning the basics of obedience. (It’s okay if they already know sit and down – we’ll help you expand these behaviors fast!) For our other adult dog classes the requirements vary by class, so pay attention to the prerequisites on the class page before you register.

Before attending class, your dog will need to be up to date on its DHPP/DLPP and Rabies vaccinations (we do accept titers as well). We also encourage you to talk with your vet about whether a Bordetella vaccination is appropriate for your dog, since it’s very commonly passed among groups of dogs in close quarters.

*If your dog is sometimes growly with other dogs or with humans, please look at our Growly Dog classes. If you’re not sure that Growly is right for you, contact us so we can help you determine the right training environment for you and your dog!

How are your adult dog classes structured?

We have two general types of classes for adult dogs: Series classes (in which all of the dogs and owners will begin on the same day and you will have the same group of dogs in class each week) and ongoing or rolling admission classes (where your first week of class may be another client’s 3rd time attending).

In our series classes, we will have a curriculum of behaviors and goals for the dogs, with each week building on skills from the previous classes. For these classes, it’s important to make sure that your schedule allows you to attend most of the scheduled classes since we don’t allow students to drop into other series classes for make ups.

In our ongoing classes, you have lots of flexibility in the timing and the behaviors that you train. You can manage your schedule by logging in our our website and swapping your classes if it turns out you can’t make a session or just want to try out one of the other types of ongoing classes! For more information about our ongoing classes, check out our FAQ page.

What do I need to bring with me?

Each class is different, but for each of our classes you’ll want to bring lots of tasty treats for your dog, a non-retractable leash, and comfortable clothes that can stand up to a bit of dog hair and drool. When you sign up for a class, you’ll receive a confirmation email with plenty of detailed information on logistics for that class as well as a link to download the Ahimsa Dog Training Manual.