Obedience
Dog Obedience Rockledge
Many dog owners can not appreciate how much they can improve their relationship with their pets by taking a short course in dog obedience. In fact, it has been said that many of the dogs that wind up at the Humane Society are there because the owners never went to obedience training.
We offer obedience courses that are based on aspects of animal behavior. We teach from the viewpoint of the dog’s background, motivation, and expected reactions, and we present techniques for both of you to learn controlled behavior in your relationship. For example, we show the proper way to train your dog to come to you when you call and avoid the pitfalls which cause the dog to run away instead!
All of our techniques use positive reinforcement, and we deliberately avoid the “jerk and pull” approach. Over the years, we have found that a dog will eventually forget a desired (proper) behavior, in the absence of the punishment that caused that behavior during training. On the other hand, the pleasant memory of a tasty little treat will form good and long-lasting habits in every dog.
We believe you will love your dog even more when you can give a command that is instantly obeyed by a smart friend with a wagging tail, who mostly wants to make you happy. Such dogs never end up at the pound.
Canine Good Citizens
The Canine Good Citizen Test (often required to qualify as a therapy dog) is a measure of the sociability of your pet. Our intermedia obedience courses will cover what you and your dog need to pass this test. Please call or inquire at our front desk, if you are interested in obedience classes and prepping for taking this test.
Classes
Puppy Pre-School
Several puppy pre-school courses are now running on weekday evenings (for six weeks), and new ones will be starting soon (weather permitting, i.e., no cancellations).
You may request a sign-up on our waiting list for this course using our registration form, or by calling 321-636-PETS (7387). The fee is $90.00 for a six-week session, to be paid in advance. The courses are size-limited to between thirteen and fifteen puppy-trainer pairs.
Basic Obedience and Problem-Solving
The basic obedience and problem-solving courses are currently given on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings generally at either 6:00 PM or 7:00 PM, and continue for six weeks. Please check with us for the exact schedules of upcoming classes. This course will also be taught on Saturday mornings during the cooler months.
You may sign-up on the waiting list for this course using our registration form, or by calling us at 321-636-PETS (7387). The fee is $90.00 for the six-week course (payable in advance) to reserve your spot.
Intermediate and Advanced Courses
We now offer an Intermediate level course, which covers the exercises needed to obtain the AKC obedience titles Canine Good Citizen, Companion Dog, and Utility Dog. This course is given on Monday evenings at 7:00 PM.
Schedule and Fees
Puppy Pre-School
Several puppy pre-school courses are now running on weekday evenings (for six weeks), and new ones will be starting soon (weather permitting, i.e., no cancellations).
You may request a sign up on our waiting list for this course using our registration form, or by calling 321-636-PETS (7387). The fee is $90.00 for a six-week session, to be paid in advance. The courses are size-limited to between thirteen and fifteen puppy-trainer pairs.
Private Lessons
Private and in-house coursework is available, also, by special arrangement. Please call Barkingham and ask for Candi to discuss these options.
Basic Obedience and Problem-Solving
The basic obedience and problem-solving courses are currently given on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings generally at either 6:00 PM or 7:00 PM, and continue for six weeks. Please check with us for the exact schedules of upcoming classes. This course will also be taught on Saturday mornings during the cooler months.
You may sign-up on the waiting list for this course using our registration form, or by calling us at 321-636-PETS (7387). The fee is $90.00 for the six-week course (payable in advance) to reserve your spot.
Registration
To get on the waiting list for any of our obedience classes, or to make inquiries via email, please fill out the registration request form.
Obedience FAQs
You will learn why your dog acts the way he does and what makes your dog behave. Once you understand our method, we guarantee that you will succeed. We only ask that you practice at home during the week, as this will ensure your progress in the class.
We accept puppies who are at least four (4) months old and have had their rabies shot. We ask that you enter him in the puppy class so that he is together with his peers. Puppies have a short attention span and must be trained differently than adult dogs.
We believe that anyone who will be living with the dog and attempting to control the dog should know the concepts that you are learning, the methods that you are using, and the instructions that you are practicing. There are as many ways of training dogs as there are trainers, and it is often best that the members of your family attend at least the first session of course instruction, to familiarize them with our teachers and methods. After that, we recommend that only one person handle the dog in-class training. Junior handlers (preferably 13 years or older) are welcome to participate as the prime trainers, as long as parents are present on the sidelines throughout the class to oversee the lesson. Parents may not drop off minors at classes.
If you find, before attending the 1st class, that you can not begin the session, we will give you a complete refund, if we can fill your spot. If we cannot fill your spot, we will retain the fee and reschedule you for the next session; or, if you will not be attending our class at all, we will credit your account, less a $25.00 administrative fee (recognize that we lose the balance since you left the spot empty). The demand for these courses and the availability of times to schedule them is such that we can not offer refunds if you drop out after starting the course. There are no refunds after the second class has been taught.