As we better understand our
dogs, it allows us to more effectively and efficiently communicate to
them which behaviors we want them to do, and which ones we don't want.
We can communicate in ways that they find easier to understand. Mostly
that involves much less talking! And much more "doing"!
It's here and it's a big SUCCESS!
PUPPIES WELCOME! PROGRAM! We have a special and very unique puppy socialization and training program at Dogs Welcome! It is designed to maximize your puppy's ongoing socialization and training at the ages when they are most impressionable, yet sometimes the hardest to live with! In our puppy program we only allow puppies that start with us in Puppy 1 to continue on to Puppy 2, 3, and 4, and now 5, with no session off between each level of class. "Our" pups keep up their social skills as they go through those bumpy and potentially troublesome adolescent stages. To be part of the DW! Puppy Program, your pup must start with us while they are under 18 weeks of age. Get started in Puppy 1 - Socialization, and continue on into Puppy 2 - Continuing Socialization, then on to Puppy 3 - Adolescent Manners, and then to Puppy 4 - Off Leash Control, and the newly added Puppy 5 for those that really want to start challenging their dogs and themselves while working off leash and using dog-dog play as a potent reward! 
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Coming Soon: YOUNGSTERS WELCOME! PROGRAM
We will soon be adding some specialized "Adolescent Classes" for pups that missed out on becoming part of our unique Puppies Welcome! Program. For pups that are 18 weeks or older we will be offering classes that give extra training exercises, info, and advice relating to issues that you most need while living with a dog from 18 weeks through 6 months of age, or with a dog from 7 months through 13 months of age. By grouping these youngsters together, we can focus on what they need most, which is not the same as what adult dogs need, or what young puppies need. With similar, limited ages in the classes, we can experiment with some off leash socialization and play. Each class will differ as to the level of off leash play and training we can do, based on the past socialization histories of the individual dogs, and how that specific mix of dogs gets along. In some cases we may allow some dogs to be off leash together and not others. But our goal, whenever possible, is to get all the pups playing with one another and being able to work off leash safely around each other. Learning to focus, concentrate and control their impulses is definitely necessary for all young dogs whether you teach them at home or in a class. In these classes we focus a lot on these fundamentals. | 
Classes for adult dogs
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Everyday Manners 102
The prerequisite for this class is successful completion of Everyday Manners 101, or Puppy 1 and preferably also Puppy 2
In this class we begin to increase the criteria we require for all the behaviors we started teaching in Everyday Manners 101, plus learning a few new useful behaviors
By "raising the criteria" we mean to increase the difficulty of the exercise in a systematic, step by step fashion that allows the dog to succeed with each new level of difficulty. This process of building success upon success helps dogs learn quickly and to become very motivated to do the behaviors we are asking of them!
In Everyday manners 102 we increase:
The prerequisite for this class is successful completion of Everyday Manners 101, or Puppy 1 and preferably also Puppy 2
In this class we begin to increase the criteria we require for all the behaviors we started teaching in Everyday Manners 101, plus learning a few new useful behaviors
By "raising the criteria" we mean to increase the difficulty of the exercise in a systematic, step by step fashion that allows the dog to succeed with each new level of difficulty. This process of building success upon success helps dogs learn quickly and to become very motivated to do the behaviors we are asking of them!
In Everyday manners 102 we increase:
- our dogs' ability to pay attention to us despite increasing levels of distractions and temptations all around them!
- our dogs' ability to use self control while walking on leash, while increasing their tendency to actually notice us and try to walk with us! We do this while increasing the level of distraction and temptations all around them
- our dogs' ability to "come" when they are farther away from us, and when more tempting distractions are all around them
- our dogs' ability to automatically "wait" at doorways, including in the car, despite leaving the door open, stepping farther away from the door, and having more tempting distractions all around
- our dogs' ability to politely greet everyone, everywhere, even when excited, without jumping up on people
- and we will teach our dogs to automatically not take anything we are holding without our permission, and to back away, "off" of anything they are approaching if we ask them to. Building up the difficulty of this exercise step by step, to make it truly reliable could some day save your dog's life
- and of course some tricks!
- and more about how dogs learn and how best to teach them, broadening your base of knowledge so you can deal with more new situations or training problems as they come up
Puppy 1- Socialization**
This is the entry level class designed for that new puppy you just got! Puppy 1 - Socialization is for puppies between the ages of 8 weeks to 18 weeks of age at the start of class. If your puppy is older than 18 weeks (Everyday) Manners 101 is the appropriate class for you.
Because socialization to the world at large is a time-sensitive issue, we try to make the most of this precious period of time in your puppy's life by focusing this class on making the most of the opportunity to be exposed to unfamiliar dogs and people - to "socialize" your puppy as much as possible. Learning of "commands" can happen at any time at all in your dog's life, but optimal socialization can ONLY happen now! While dogs do increase or decrease their social skills throughout life, you can never again effect their adult temperament and personality as significantly as you can right now.
So in Puppy 1 - Socialization, we have the puppies working and playing off leash for most of the class. This gives the puppies a chance to interact with other puppies, and with a variety of humans. So feel free to bring along friends and neighbors to watch, and to help socialize the puppies to more people! We will interrupt play very frequently with various activities with us, and make it very positive by associating a lot of their food and some special treats with these activities. This will condition the pups to accept as normal, and even enjoy, such things as having their collars grabbed, even by strangers.
We will also interrupt play very frequently to teach our puppies do "Sit", "Lie Down", "Stand", "Come" and to follow us, both on leash and off leash. We will hold, handle, and desensitize our dogs to the common sort of handling they will need to accept throughout their lifetime. We will focus on making all of this as positive, enjoyable, and fun as possible for the puppies. From this they learn to enjoy "working", being grabbed, being handled, following their owner, coming when called, and even coming away from play with another pup! All while they are having almost constant interaction and exposure to unfamiliar dogs and people. We have carefully organized the class to give the optimal blend of socialization and a solid start on good habits and good manners.
**A Brief Lesson on Socialization. What is it? Why does it matter?
This is a VERY special time in your dog's life, completely unlike anything they will ever experience again, making Puppy 1 - Socialization the single most important class you can take with your dog in their lifetime. Why? Well, when puppies are very young (well under 18 weeks), they are going through a critical developmental stage that allows them to be open and accepting of the new and unfamiliar. As they pass this age threshold they begin to become more selective of who and what they consider to be "normal". They become less open to change and to newness. Anything new and different (including new people and new dogs) becomes a little bit more "suspect" and they become a bit more wary and cautious of anything unfamiliar.
The period of time when they are very young is called the "Sensitive" or "Critical" Period of Socialization because it comes only once in their life and prepares them to learn who to trust and befriend, and who and what to avoid. However, if a puppy receives a broad exposure, in a positive, safe manner, to a wide variety of people, places, things and other animals (including other dogs) during this sensitive period, they develop a broader acceptance of everything and everyone in the world around them. They carry this into the rest of their lives and it allows them to become friendly, social, outgoing, accepting adult dogs. Without this early exposure, then as adult dogs their lack of socialization tells them to avoid and mistrust everyone new. They can become very anti-social as adult dogs. And we all know how anti-social dogs can often be either crippled with fear and anxiety, or they can be defensive and aggressive towards anyone new.
Puppy 2 - Continuing Socialization
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Puppy 1
This class is for puppies that have just completed a full session of Puppy 1. We build on behaviors learned in that class adding somewhat increased degrees of difficulty and distractions. It is an opportunity to keep up with your pup's on-going need for socialization as your puppy goes through many adolescent changes. As part of this we also work on helping your pup learn better self-control (not jumping up to greet people, not pulling on leash, etc.). Your puppy will be starting to look almost like an adult but inside their heads they are still youngsters! We will help you figure out how to understand and keep up with the changes your pup is going through. Besides training you and your dog, Puppy 2 can also offer a valuable sort of support group atmosphere as many of your classmates will be dealing with the same changes in behavior from their puppies that you may be experiencing with your own! We will continue to spend a large portion of class working and playing off leash with very frequent interruptions for training, handling, and practice learning how to listen to you and follow instructions, even in a very distracting environment!
Puppy 3 – Adolescent Manners RECENTLY ADDED CLASS!
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Puppy 2
We have developed a special class to help you, to help your pup, make the transition from a baby (in Puppy 1 – Socialization) to a budding adolescent (Puppy 2 – Continuing Socialization) to an older adolescent (Puppy 3 – Adolescent Manners). Our goal is to help you and your pup go through this potentially bumpy time, as smoothly as possible.
As they near the end of Puppy 2 the puppies are shifting more and more out of the “baby” stage of development and into the “teenager” stage. Yet they are not adults, and won't be for awhile. As they go through these stages from being a young baby to an adult, there are a lot of behavior changes that can typically happen along the way. One of them is to actually de-socialize if socialization is not kept up. The changes can sometimes be fairly dramatic, and quite sudden. Therefore, continuing socialization, some of it on leash, some of it off leash, will be an important aspect of this class..
In this class we begin to increase the criteria we require for all the behaviors we started teaching in Puppy 1 and Puppy 2, plus learning a few new useful behaviors. By "raising the criteria" we mean to increase the difficulty of the exercise in a systematic, step by step fashion that allows the dog to succeed with each new level of difficulty. This process of building success upon success helps dogs learn quickly and to become very motivated to do the behaviors we are asking of them!
We will work on getting better reliability, even while working through gradually stronger distractions. This is the tough part! Teaching our dogs to do simple behaviors such as sit and come are not difficult. What is tricky, is helping them understand they should do these things we ask, even when there are distractions all around competing for their attention and focus.
In Puppy 3 we will work more on distance commands (getting our pups to listen even when they are not within reach); making sure the basic fundamentals we've been learning so far are really understood by our dogs; and adding in some tricks and some games that use the skills they are practicing in class.
We limit Puppy 3 to only recent graduates of our Puppy 2 classes, and we require a continuous chain of attendance with no breaks between sessions because of the age of the puppies. With adult dogs this sort of continuity is not as essential. But with growing pups, time is of the essence! So to make the most of this crucial time in your pup's life, in order to attend Puppy 3 we require your pup to have a continuous progression of attendance from Puppy 1, to Puppy 2, to Puppy 3, with no breaks in between sessions.
PUPPY 4 - Off Leash Control NEW CLASS!
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Puppy 3
“Puppy 4 – Off Leash Control” - An important aspect of this class, as with all in this series, is to try to help your young dog maintain their socialization as they are growing, maturing, changing. We will allow some off leash play and focus a lot on off leash training and practice - something we can't safely allow with just any dogs. Because your pup has gone through Puppy 1-3 here at Dogs Welcome! we know them and we know the socialization they have had thus far in classes, so we know it's pretty safe to let them off leash together as we train them. This gives you an excellent training opportunity that allows you to gain better off leash control in the presence of very high level distractions (other dogs!). How much we can actually fit in will vary from class to class, as we tailor each class to meet the needs of the dogs present. We will begin working on:
- More challenging leash walking; working on just getting more and better control in a variety of circumstances
- We'll work on teaching them not to jump up, in ever more difficult and tempting situations!
- We'll begin to teach “stay”, however.... if you've been building duration into your “Settle” all along as instructed then you already have a “stay”, it's just called “Settle”! (or “sit” or “down” – if you built in duration from the start, as instructed). We will work on having them hold still for longer periods, and even during activity & distractions around them.
- We'll practice “Come!” with more distractions around and gradually increasing the distance and difficulty for the dogs. We'll also work on refining their response: working towards having them come the first time you call!
- We'll let the dogs play, off leash, then call them to come out of play while the others keep playing and at increasing distances from us. We'll begin to ask them to “Sit” from a distance, during play!
- We'll find out if our dogs really know the word “Sit” (and Down, and Stand), by incorporating it into games and challenges, representative of everyday, real life scenarios (will they “Sit” with your back turned as you are bending over picking up poop and another dog is walking by?)
- We'll increase the difficulty of the automatic “Wait” at the door (and add a cue to it for other contexts). We will work towards eventually being able to rush towards the door with our dogs, and rushing out the door, but having our dog stop before the threshold and wait inside for permission to go through the doorway!
- We'll learn more about incorporating “life rewards” in place of many of the food rewards we've been using, for the things they are already good at.
- We'll show you how to call your dog “Off” of a variety of things (not just food) even from a bit of a distance
Special note: Children in class
Are they welcome? Absolutely! We love it when the whole family comes to learn how to work together to help their dog learn nice family manners, and to go beyond that to do fun activities with their dog, as a family.
All family members are encouraged to attend group classes. To protect the safety of everyone in class, canines and humans alike we have the following guidelines to help keep classes safe and fun for everyone:
- Children must be under parental supervision and control at all times.Parents should stop them from doing anything disruptive to the other students or other dogs. Children need to stay in the classroom where their family and dog are working. None of us have x-ray vision! Parents cannot be watching children in the hallways, if they are themselves in class working with the family dog! Keep your children with you!
-Please, no running or yelling in the classrooms, in the hallways, or on the grounds. No crawling on the floor or lying on the floor (except in the "kids corner" in the front training room where young children often lie down on a big pillow and watch class!). The building and grounds are full of dogs! And what do dogs naturally do? Chase moving, squealing beings! So don't allow your children to run and scream, while around dogs at school, or anywhere they are around dogs. It's not safe. It's not wise. Neither is crawling around or lying on the floor. It can "spook" many dogs, is not sanitary, and can be disruptive to the other students.
- Since not all dogs are comfortable around children, children should be instructed to never approach or pet any other dog in class, or in the halls, or on the grounds, without express permission from you, their parent, as well as express permission from the dog's owner. If everyone agrees, then let the dog approach the child for a friendly hello. Never force a dog to hold still for a child to come pet them. If the dog seems to want to get away, don't force a greeting upon them. This can be potentially dangerous if the dog is stressed or worried enough to defensively lash out a the "invading" child (the dog can see it as the child invading the dog's space). Never let your child run up and hug someone's dog, and perhaps not even your own dog if they don't seem to care for it. A large percentage of bites to children's faces come from kids hugging dogs who do not like the invasion of their personal space and the restraint of the hug.
All family members are encouraged to attend group classes. To protect the safety of everyone in class, canines and humans alike we have the following guidelines to help keep classes safe and fun for everyone:
- Children must be under parental supervision and control at all times.Parents should stop them from doing anything disruptive to the other students or other dogs. Children need to stay in the classroom where their family and dog are working. None of us have x-ray vision! Parents cannot be watching children in the hallways, if they are themselves in class working with the family dog! Keep your children with you!
-Please, no running or yelling in the classrooms, in the hallways, or on the grounds. No crawling on the floor or lying on the floor (except in the "kids corner" in the front training room where young children often lie down on a big pillow and watch class!). The building and grounds are full of dogs! And what do dogs naturally do? Chase moving, squealing beings! So don't allow your children to run and scream, while around dogs at school, or anywhere they are around dogs. It's not safe. It's not wise. Neither is crawling around or lying on the floor. It can "spook" many dogs, is not sanitary, and can be disruptive to the other students.
- Since not all dogs are comfortable around children, children should be instructed to never approach or pet any other dog in class, or in the halls, or on the grounds, without express permission from you, their parent, as well as express permission from the dog's owner. If everyone agrees, then let the dog approach the child for a friendly hello. Never force a dog to hold still for a child to come pet them. If the dog seems to want to get away, don't force a greeting upon them. This can be potentially dangerous if the dog is stressed or worried enough to defensively lash out a the "invading" child (the dog can see it as the child invading the dog's space). Never let your child run up and hug someone's dog, and perhaps not even your own dog if they don't seem to care for it. A large percentage of bites to children's faces come from kids hugging dogs who do not like the invasion of their personal space and the restraint of the hug.
