Do you want your dog to look to you for how he should behave? You know what you want him to do, but do you know how to clearly and consistently communicate this to your dog? We show you how, with trainer-led demonstrations and interactive hands-on exercises. We help you change how you behave with your dog, so your dog’s behavior will change.
Our classes are designed to help you achieve a closer bond with your dog and build a more confident, balanced relationship through your daily interactions and training. From puppy class to basic manners and beyond, Performance Plus has a class for you.
Our classes are progressive and build on the skills taught in the previous classes. Our instructors are dedicated to helping you learn how to have fun and effectively train your dog.
See our Pet Obedience Class Calendar below for start dates and session status.
Please see our Pet Obedience Events page for information about special events planned for people who attend our pet obedience classes.
Read our Refund Policy and Required Vaccinations Policy
PERFECT PUPS
This 6 week class is for pups between 8 and 18 weeks old. Your puppy will get a chance to socialize and play off leash with other puppies while learning some of the most important “people rules,” like come! This class utilizes your puppy’s greatest window of opportunity for learning. You will learn to teach your puppy foundational skills that will start your pup on the right path for life. You will strengthen your bond and build a balanced relationship while having fun teaching your PUPS to be PERFECT. There are discussions on puppy issues, such as housebreaking, biting, chewing, jumping up on people and things and good puppy management. The first class is a Chat Class for people only. Do not bring your pup to the first class.
PERFECT PUPS PLUS
A 6 week fun and fast-paced class designed for graduates of Perfect Pups. This program continues to strengthen and expand your pup’s foundational skills, as well as build his confidence. Functional obedience commands such as sit, down, and come will be reinforced. Skills such as walking on a loose leash will be introduced. We encourage our Perfect Pups class graduates to take advantage of this class. It is time well spent. One of the key benefits of this class and continued training is teaching your pup to pay attention to you in the presence of other dogs and people. You will help your pup learn vital lessons in how to be your best friend and an important participant in your everyday life.
PERFECT OLDER PUPS
This 6 week class is for pups 5 to 12 months old. This class is for the older puppy who missed out on attending puppy classes when it was a baby pup 8-18 weeks old. You will learn to teach your puppy foundational skills for good behavior such as sit, down, come and loose leash walking. There are discussions on puppy issues such as biting, chewing, jumping up on people and things, and proper puppy management. Puppy play is not allowed in this class as the window for optimum puppy socialization closes at 16 weeks old. The focus will be on teaching the dog impulse control, attention and cooperation. The first class is a discussion of the training methods that will be used and how dogs learn, as well as, the individual concerns of the group. The first class is a Chat Class for people only. Do not bring your dog to the first class.
BASIC MANNERS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE
This 6 week positive, progressive class is for ALL DOGS over the age of 5 months. Whether you have never trained your dog or have just let things slide and need to regain some control…BASIC MANNERS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE is for you. We will be teaching behaviors like coming when called, staying when told, walking nicely on a loose leash and learning how to control and communicate with your dog through basic obedience commands such as sit, down, and wait using lots of praise, treats and play to help your dog learn the exercises. Problems and concerns of the group will be discussed. The first class is a Chat Class for people only. Do not bring your dog to the first class.
BASIC MANNERS PLUS
This is a 6 week fun and motivational class for dogs over the age of 6 months. This class is strongly recommended for graduates of Basic Manners for Everyday Life. We also accept dogs from other programs that are friendly to people and other dogs and have mastered an equivalent of Basic Manners. The purpose of this class is to reinforce and broaden the skills you learned in Basic Manners. It takes time and practice to build your training skills. This 6 week program enhances your new skills and helps you to become more proficient in handling your dog. Fun activities like jumping over jumps and running through tunnels are introduced. Many people enjoy this class so much they repeat it in order to polish their dog’s behavior in social situations. Completion of Basic Manners or equivalent required.
THE BASICS. . . PLUS AND BEYOND
This is a 6 week class that builds on skills of focus and attitude. All previous skills will be reinforced and expanded. Some competition obedience maneuvers will be introduced. Dogs and handlers practice accepting a friendly stranger, controlled walking, and walking past other dogs as they continue to work on paying attention while in the presence of other dogs and people. We teach dog owners how to find solutions to problems they cannot solve, and how to keep learning and working with their dog. You learn to communicate in a way that your dog will understand; therefore, you improve your relationship and strengthen your leadership position. Many people enjoy this class so much they repeat it over and over again. Completion of Basic Manners Plus or equivalent required.
CANINE GOOD CITIZEN PREP CLASS
The skills taught in all the other classes culminate here. In this 6 week class we work on all the elements required to pass the test for an AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certificate. Some of the elements covered are stays with distraction, recalls with distraction, loose leash walking, accepting a friendly stranger, walking past other dogs, and sitting nicely for petting. Testing will be done within a week of the conclusion of the class. Completion of Basic Manners Plus or equivalent required.
ICO – INTRO TO COMPETITION OBEDIENCE
This class is for those who want more! Completion of Basic Manners Plus & Beyond is required. This is an introduction to Competition Obedience at a ‘just for fun’ level. In this class you will learn how to increase your criteria and expand your training skills as you begin to explore the world of competition obedience. A sampling of Novice, Open and Utility exercises will be introduced like heeling, fronts, finishes, pivots, signals, directed jumping and more. At the same time you will be building a stronger relationship with your dog which will net you many awesome benefits in your everyday life! This is a progressive class that runs in 6 week sessions.