Our dog workshops cover a range of topics for dogs of all stripes. Learn to train two or or more dogs, have fun with agility, or teach your puppy to overcome her fear of children. These dog training workshops are held in Seattle at our training facility at 902 NW 49th
Street in Ballard. [Directions] Standard workshops are "per dog" or "per family" if no dog is present.
Baby-Proofing Your Dog – How to Introduce a New Human Baby to your Four-legged One. Are you expecting your first child, and you worry about how your current four-legged child will react when you bring your baby home? Do you have a puppy and think you might have a baby in the future? Do you have human grand-babies in Seattle or elsewhere that your dog hasn't met yet? The Baby-proofing workshop contains essential training tips to practice with you dog long before your baby comes home, as well as how to manage the all-important Baby and Mom’s Homecoming. Your dog is welcome to the workshop where he’ll get exposed to a variety of baby swings, chairs and other gadgets. The baby-proofing workshop also includes a frank discussion of dog bites and how to prevent your child from becoming a statistic.
Jumping and Pulling: Teach Your Dog Polite Greetings and Leash Walking. Does your dog's pulling or jumping embarrass you? Or maybe you just want your arm back in its socket and the scratches on your legs to heal. Whatever your reasons for teaching your dog not to jump up during greetings and to walk politely on leash, it's a great idea!
Please bring more than one person to the jumping/pulling workshop, if possible. We will be using the extra people (those not holding onto a dog) as greeters, who will help work on your dog's jumping. They'll also be there to help work on some leash walking.
This workshop in Seattle gives you and your dog a chance to practice polite behavior with willing strangers. Some dogs may be perfect by the end of today. Some may not - but you will have an excellent set of skills to take home to practice working on these polite behaviors. If you apply them consistently, you will have a dog you can enjoy walking!
Here Boy! Secrets for Training Your Dog to Come When Called. Teaching your dog to come when called is very important for safety in the busy city of Seattle. In this workshop, you will learn and practice several techniques for teaching your dog to come when called. You will teach your dog or puppy an "Everyday Recall" and an "Emergency Recall," the former for use at the dog park or in the house, and the latter for those rare emergency times when your dog's life depends on coming when called. Special equipment: 20-30 foot long leash or rope (not an extendable leash). You can buy them at most pet stores in the Seattle area or use climber's webbing, a softer, sturdier, less expensive alternative.
Houseful of Dogs - living peacefully in a multi-dog household. This workshop is designed for families living with more than one dog, or contemplating adding a second (or third or fourth!) dog to the household. It is also a great choice for people who foster animals for shelters and rescue groups.
You will learn how to select and introduce a new dog to the home, how to prevent and resolve dog-to-dog conflicts, and when to seek professional help. You will also learn how to train invaluable behaviors such as the group “stay”, the group “wait” and the group “leave it”.
This seminar in Seattle combines lecture, DVD clips and live demonstrations to give you all the information you need to live harmoniously with more than one dog.
For the Multi-Dog seminar, please leave your dog(s) at home.
Fraidy Dog! Overcoming Fears. This workshop in Seattle is a must-see if your dog is afraid of something (or everything) in his world. You may have "tried treats" for teaching your dog to overcome his fears of children, dogs, loud noises, etc. But as they say, the Devil is in the Details. You will learn about how timing, the choice of treat or toy, and even the way you are breathing affects how quickly (or even if) your shy dog will overcome their fear. Some dogs would prefer to be left home at this workshop. If so, please respect your dog's wishes and attend without your dog. The goal is not to put Fido into a scary place and then hope things get better. A systematic approach to getting your dog used to the Scary Monsters he's seing throughout Seattle (children, dogs, men, thunder, etc.) will be much more effective.
If your dog is fear aggressive or barky, please also leave your dog at home. Being barked or growled at will only make life scarier for the other shy dogs! Please also consider our four-week class for working with fear, the Wallflower Class.
Tricks Workshop. Teaching your dog tricks using the clicker is a great way to build a
stronger relationship with your dog. It's also a
fabulous way to show the world how smart your dog is and,
in fact, make him smarter in the process! Using the
clicker to train tricks will help your coordination and
teach your dog or puppy how to learn. All ages and
experience levels are welcome in this
workshop, from puppies to geriatric dogs (yes, old dogs can
learn new tricks!)
Tricks taught will vary, based on what the students
are interested in, but can include: jump through hoops,
figure 8 through your human's legs, walk backwards,
bow, spin, play dead, find the keys, roll over, etc.
This is a great workshop to take if you plan on competing
in agility with your puppy, or just want to prove to your friends that
you have a smart dog.
Best in Show! Intro to Dog Conformation
Do you have a purebred dog that you would like to show in conformation, but
don't know where to start? Or maybe you just want to know what those people are doing in those dog shows on TV? If so, this is the workshop is for you! This beginning workshop is for those new to conformation (show) handling. Learn the ins and outs of the dog show world, including dog show etiquette.
In this workshop, you will get the basics of how to teach your dog how to stack, gait, and bait. (And learn what all these terms
mean!) You'll also learn how to present your dog's best features to the judge. Your dog is encouraged to attend this workshop with you!
Bad Rap: Responsible Ownership for Pit Bulls and other Bully Dogs.
Half of the proceeds of the Pit Bull seminar will be donated to Seattle Pit Bull rescue organizations.
Pit Bulls are very popular in Seattle - they are something like the 3rd most popular "breed". Though, of course, Pit Bull is not a breed type, but rather a generic term used to describe all dogs with similar traits and characteristics often known by the public as Pit Bulls. But I digress...
It seems Seattleites love the Underdog. I think people with dogs in the pit bull family appreciate that bully dogs are loving sweet, intelligent, wonderful family dogs, who love to clown around. Unfortunately, pit bulls and their mixes do need structure and are not your parent's labrador retriever. Their reputation as dangerous dogs is not entirely based in fiction. These dogs are, as a rule, excellent with humans, but can be aggressive to other dogs as they mature. In the dogs that do go through "The Switch," aggression usually shows up between one and two years, even if the dog has been thoroughly socialized with other dogs. This seminar will give useful advice for all of the bully breeds, mixes, cousins, and their lookalikes, to varying degrees (American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers, Boxers, etc.) - basically all of the bully dogs that seem to make people with small children cross the street for no good reason.
To make your dog a Seattle Pit Bull Ambassador and truly give these great dogs what they deserve, you may need to change the way you walk your dog, live around the house, or introduce your dog to other dogs. For this seminar, please leave your dog at home. We may bring our own bully dogs to demonstrate the practical management and training concepts in this session. Feel free to bring pictures of your bully dog! And do bring as much of the human family as you can.
Jump Into Agility Workshop
At the end of this fun, active agility workshop in Seattle, you will know why Dog Agility is one of the fastest growing sports in Seattle and the rest of the USA. We will present basic agility information and do a short agility demonstration. The rest of the agility workshop will be spent with you and your dog having fun together participating in an introduction to this exciting and rewarding activity.
Dog agility is a great opportunity to build trust and confidence and enhance your relationship with your dog. You'll also meet other people who are crazy about their dogs too! For most of the JIA seminars, dogs should be at least 10 months old - if your dog is mature, but younger, ask for instructor permission. We do have a Puppies Only JIA from time to time, with training and safety adjustments for younger dogs. Human agility handlers of any age are welcome! (If you feel your child may distract you or others, please treat yourself to a babysitter and leave your child at home).
This workshop is *not* a pre-requisite for any of Pritamo's other agility classes. For info on full agility classes, or for questions about the content of the Jump Into Agility workshop, visit the Fun Quest Dog Sports website.
Click the size below for another video of Grisha & Peanut running agility: 8 mb | 800kb
Canine Good Citizen Test
Prove to yourself and others that your dog has what it takes! The Canine Good Citizen Test is offered by the AKC as a way for all breeds to prove that they have basic dog manners. Many insurance companies use the CGC test as a way to screen out "bad dogs." The CGC test can help with finding a place to rent or a even a place to stay the night! A Canine Good Citizen is welcome more places!
CGC Test Item 1: Accepting a friendly stranger
CGC Test Item 2: Sitting politely for petting
CGC Test Item 3: Appearance and grooming
CGC Test Item 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
CGC Test Item 5: Walking through a crowd
CGC Test Item 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place
CGC Test Item 7: Coming when called
CGC Test Item 8: Reaction to another dog
CGC Test Item 9: Reaction to distraction
CGC Test Item 10: Supervised separation (3 minutes)
The best classes to prepare for the CGC Test are either the Basic Manners / Better Manners series or the Puppy through Advanced Puppy series. The Fluency Field Trip will also help, though many students can pass the CGC test before that. Those training classes also help prepare students for the Delta Society Pet Partners test for therapy dogs.
If you are a current or past Ahimsa student (6 week class or more), then one great way to prepare for the CGC test is to attend our free drop-in training practice class.
Teaching your dog to come when called is very important for safety in the busy city of Seattle. In this workshop, you will learn and practice several techniques for teaching your dog to come when called. You will teach your dog or puppy an "Everyday Recall" and an "Emergency Recall," the former for use at the dog park or in the house, and the latter for those rare emergency times when your dog's life depends on coming when called. Special equipment: 20-30 foot long leash or rope (not an extendable leash). You can buy them at most pet stores in the Seattle area or use climber's webbing, a softer, sturdier, less expensive alternative.
Do you have a purebred dog that you would like to show in conformation, but
don't know where to start? Or maybe you just want to know what those people are doing in those dog shows on TV? If so, this is the workshop is for you! This beginning workshop is for those new to conformation (show) handling. Learn the ins and outs of the dog show world, including dog show etiquette.
Half of the proceeds of the Pit Bull seminar will be donated to Seattle Pit Bull rescue organizations. 
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