Welcome to the Positive Partners family! I am so looking forward to starting group classes with you soon. On this page, you’ll find some very important tasks you need to complete before the first night of class, what you should bring to class, as well as some extra things you can do to help you put your best paw forward and get a head start!

Jump to a section:

  1. Forms & Orientation
  2. Bring to Class
  3. Preparing for Class
  4. Foundation Skills
  5. Helpful Handouts
  6. Puppy Homeschool: 7 days of free instruction!

 

Group Class Policies & Rules

Guarantees: Brianne Harris of Positive Partners Dog Training will make every reasonable effort to help students achieve their training and behavior modification goals, but can make no guarantee of a dog’s performance or behavior as a result of providing professional animal behavior consultation.

 

Student Compliance: Students and members of their household must follow Brianne’s instructions without modification, work with dog daily as recommended, and constantly reinforce training being given to their dog in order to see progress in training and to meet their training goals.

 

Refunds: All group class sales are final once class begins. There are no refunds for unused training hours, classes, services or for disagreements on methodology.

 

Absences: There are no makeup classes for missed lessons. Students will receive emailed homework support for all class sessions.

 

Class Date/Time Changes and Cancellations: If class is cancelled due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, students will receive notice no later than 1 hour before class. Students understand it is their responsibility to know when classes are held, and to check their email prior to class in case of emergency cancellations.

 

Please thoroughly read the below rules. Students who do not follow class policies may be asked to leave a class session. Repeat offenders will be asked not to return to group lessons. There are no refunds offered for lost lesson time due to students not following policies.

  1. NO DOG-DOG INTERACTIONS OR MEET-AND-GREETS before, during or after class.
  2. Your dog must be ON LEASH with the leash IN YOUR HAND at all times.
  3. Potty your dog in the designated potty areas, but do not let them urinate on or walk in landscaping. Please bring your own bags for waste. Clean up after your dog and then drop the bag in the white paw print can.
  4. Bring your class supplies in and set up your station BEFORE bringing in your dog.
  5. Please ask before you pet another dog.
  6. If you or your dog needs a break during class, by all means, take one. Go out to the potty area and let your dog relax, or just sit quietly and watch while others work their dogs.

Forms & Orientation: MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE CLASS

  1. Sign the Waiver: https://form.jotform.com/200796400257150
  2. Watch the orientation video: https://youtu.be/v38d3k4-QQA
  3.  Send me the 2 secret words from the videos. 
  4.  Email me a copy of your Proof of Rabies and vaccinations
    1. We require that puppies have received their 2nd booster for the DHPP no less than 7 days before joining class
    2. Dogs over 6 months old must also have their Rabies vaccination
    3. Please follow your vet’s guidance for any non-core vaccinations
Bring to class:
  • harness & leash (See below)
  • Water & a bowl for your dog
  • water for you
  • 3 times as many treats as you THINK you need 😉 (bring a variety of treats, chewy, crunchy, soft, stinky, cheese, kibble, lunch meat, ETC).
  • Poo bags to clean up potties outside the building
Required Gear:
  • a well-fitting flat or martingale collar.
  • a 4-foot to 6-foot leash
  • a blanket or mat for your dog that smells like them
  • Positive attitude!
Suggested Gear:
  • a well-fitting body harness with leash attachment points in the front and back
  • a 15-foot long leash
  • a treat pouch or fanny pack is suggested and can be bought at The Pet Place. Make sure you tell them Brianne sent you!

Leave at home:

Because dogs learn by association, I do not allow choke, pinch, prong, shock, vibrate, or stimulation collars in classes. We don’t want your dog to accidentally associate pain from a collar with the other dogs or people in class! If you feel like you need these tools to safely control your dog, please reach out so we can find an alternative.

 

Please shop locally if you can for your leashes and gear! The Pet Place (near Harris Teeter) is a wonderful locally owned pet store. They can help you with all your gear needs, and will even help you size your harness to your dog!
If you’d rather shop online, here are a few Idea Lists on Amazon.

1. Ruffwear Flagline

 2. Pet Safe 3-in-1

3. Pet Safe 3-in-1

Preparing for Class:

Once you’ve completed the steps above, there are still a few optional things you can do to prepare for class! 

Make sure your dog’s needs are being met properly. 

  • Adequate sleep: Puppies under 1 year need to get 16 to 18 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. Adults dogs need 12 to 14 hours of sleep. Yes, it’s a lot!
  • Proper Exercise: Puppies 6 months and under should get 15 to 20 minutes of exercise daily. Dogs 7 months and up should get 25 to 40 minutes of exercise. Providing too much or too little exercise can cause a whole host of problems! 
  • Mental Stimulation: Dogs get bored, just like we do! Offer your dog their meals from a Kong or Toppl, use a snuffle mat, play ‘find the treat’, go for a sniffari… let your dog use their brain! 
  • Create a routine: Dogs thrive on patterns and routines. There’s always room for freedom, but the more you stick to a predictable routine, the easier life with your dog will be! 
  • Chances to chew: Dogs are made to bite and chew! Make sure you’re offering plenty of dog safe chews (see below!)

Foundation Skills:

We’ll be covering most of these in class, but practicing them before we start will give you a head start!

Charge Your Marker/Name Game

We’ll be using a marker word like “yes” in class to let our dogs know the exact moment they do the right thing. This is super important to our training! Go ahead and charge that marker word!

This video also shows you how to play the Name Game. It’s so important that your dog knows their name and responds quickly to it!

Practice these skills for a couple of minutes a day leading up to class.

 

Up/Down

Everyone wants their dog to give them eye contact and pay attention around distractions. I have found Up/Down to be the easiest way to start building value for paying attention to you! We’ll talk more about all the uses for this skill in class.

Practice this for 2 minutes a few times a week.

Positive Interrupter

While our training will be focused on rewarding our dogs for doing the right thing, that doesn’t mean we’re just ignoring unwanted behavior and hoping for the best! We will use a Positive Interrupter to stop unwanted behavior, get our dog to come to us, and then we’ll have the chance to redirect or reinstruct them so they know what they SHOULD do instead.

Practice 3 minutes, 3 times a week.

Helpful Handouts