|
All of our classes are based on evidence-based methods of training to ensure an effective and enjoyable learning experience for you and your MSPCA-Boston training classes are held at the MSPCA Animal Care and Adoption Center, 350 So. Huntington Ave., Jamaica Plain. Meet our Training and Behavior Coordinator, Terri Bright Which class should I take with my dog? Puppies under 5 months Puppies and dogs over 5 months old Advanced classes If you are interested in the newest rage in dogdom, try "Nosework!" Your dog will learn the same scent discrimination skills as police dogs! Discount packages
|
|
MSPCA Students Shine at a Local Agility Trial
|
|
Classes are held Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/ and Sunday evenings, as well as Saturdays/Sundays during the day. If you do not see a class listed, email Terri Bright (tbright@mspca.org) to find out when the next class on that day begins; an early registration can reserve your spot before the class is listed on the website! Class Schedule:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Follow our Canine Good Citizen Pit Bull Challenge Training Blog To celebrate Pit Bull Awareness Month, MSPCA Training Coordinator and Behavior Analyst Terri Bright has set some lofty training goals for our big homeless terriers. They will be trained on the 10 components needed to pass the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test! Follow their progress! Canine Good Citizen Prep Class The “Canine Good Citizen” Award is a certificate bestowed by the American Kennel Club to any dog that passes a formal test that involves basic Obedience and social behaviors. If you want your dog to become a Therapy Dog, this is the class for you! In this class, the dogs and their handlers will learn what the tasks are in the CGC test, and will be able to practice them in a classroom setting. Your dog must have taken Beginner and Level 2 class at the MSPCA or have special permission from Training Coordinator Terri Bright to enroll in this class. Just write to tbright@mspca.org.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Next Level: Pet Obedience, Not for Beginners This class is for folks who have taken Beginner Pet Obedience at the MSPCA (or elsewhere and who get permission to take the class here), and who want to continue their excellent training with our skilled instructors. Lonnnnnger sits and downs. More predictable stays. Cuter loose-leash walking (the kind where the dog looks at you adoringly). Harder challenges (walk by the HOT DOG on a loose leash!) All four paws on the ground at all times. It CAN be done! specialized class. Class Schedule: email tbright@mspca.org if you are interested, more L2 classes soon!
Level 2.5! You have taken Level 2, but you want to practice in a warm place with your best friend for a month. Email tbright@mspca.org if interested!
Your dog has taken Beginner Pet Obedience and The Next Level, and hankers for more! Class Schedule:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fun Fridays!
If you have taken Beginner Pet Obedience and want an informal, fun and less-structured continuation of training your dog at the MSPCA, this is the class for you! If you have taken classes elsewhere and want to take Advanced classes here, but have no clicker experience, this is where to start! Also, if your dog has not learned "clicker" training, but you want to take other classes at the MSPCA, this is where to start! Pay $100 and go to at least 4 classes every 6 weeks. If you skip 2, no worries! (If you skip 3, you must pay again for another round). The curriculum is not cumulative, so you will miss training fun, but no homework, if you don’t go every week. For maximum fun (and learning), go every week! The skills you will work on will build on what you learned in Beginner Obedience:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Our homeless dogs are learning too! Here they are at their first lesson: one box has a bowl of food in it, and the dogs are following their noses! Dogs from Adoption Center learning to find food in a box Your dog will be crated or waiting in your car when it is not their turn; this is the only prerequisite for the class. Intro to Nosework (choose "Nosework" from the menu when you pay for all NW classes...) Class Schedule:
Intro to Odor (Level 2- you must have taken Intro to Nosework)
Advanced Odor (You have taken two Nosework classes) Class Schedule:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Research has shown that the early weeks of a puppy's life are crucial to social development, with other dogs and with people. For that reason, this class is especially for puppies who are 8-20 weeks old, and is a drop-in format. You will pay $100 for four classes and come at your convenience until your pup is five months old. Additional classes can be purchased in blocks of four classes. Puppies will get to socialize and spend time learning to learn; you will get puppy tips and will learn how to teach your puppy to grow up to be a good dog. Every day that goes by without socializing and training your young pup is a day lost to his or her social future- register today! What to bring to Puppy PNL: a hungry puppy; a flat buckle collar, a normal leash (no flexi's please!), and enough soft, tasty treats to feed your pup every minute or so! Class will be in the Education Room: drive past the MSPCA entrance, around to the left, and park across from the white fence. Walk up the stairs to the Ed Room. Please note: unless you have a note from your vet showing a medical reason your puppy could not attend, we do not give refunds for PPNL classes if you do not bring your puppy to class. Class Schedule:
If you are not sure which class your pup belongs in, write and ask! tbright@mspca.org Cost: $100 for 4 weeks |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Obility! In this class, you and your dog will learn the pre-requisite skills needed to play the fun and fast-growing sport of Canine Agility. In this class, you and your dog will learn behavioral shaping games involving standing on things that move; they will also learn to jump and go through tunnels. Even more important, they will learn to stay and watch their handler and play games while other dogs jump and go through tunnels. Class dogs should have taken a Beginner Obedience Class at an MSPCA, have taken an Obedience Class elsewhere, and/or the dogs should be able to pay attention to their owner in a room full of other moving dogs. BEFORE YOU REGISTER, if your dog has NOT taken an MSPCA class before, please email the Training Coordinator with the details of your dog's prior training, and get permission to register! If you have any doubts about your dog's ability to give you some attention in a classroom full of other dogs, please register for Beginner Obedience instead, and plan to take Obility in the next go-round! Class Schedule:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rally Obedience Rally Obedience is a fun sport that combines the precision of competition Obedience with the fun of Agility. In “Rally O,” it is sometimes called, the dog and handler learn 13-20 behaviors that are standard Obedience behaviors: come, sit, heel, down, stay, along with different turns, and jumps are added for fun! The challenge is that the signs are laid out in a course (see the signs here: http://www.akc.org/pdfs/events/rally/new_rally_signs_2007.pdf) , and the dog and handler complete the timed course in a specific manner with as few “faults” as possible. The owners are encouraged to talk to their dogs and make the experience a lot of fun for all. Rally is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country- sign up and give it a try! (If you and your dog have not taken a class at the MSPCA before, please email the Training Coordinator- tbright@mspca.org- for permission to register!)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Agility
Your dog has not taken Agility or Obility before, but you have trained your dog using rewards. (If you have relied on equipment such as a pinch collar or leash corrections and are interested in taking Agility, please email the Training Coordinator.) You must get permission from the Training Coordinator to take this class if you have not taken classes at the MSPCA; email tbright@mspca.org with your dog’s training history. Classes run for 6 weeks and are start dates are tentative, depending on the weather! Class Schedule: Intro to Agility
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Beyond Beginner Agility You have taken one rewards-based class in Agility at the MSPCA or elsewhere, and your dog can perform all of the equipment in class, except, perhaps, the weave poles. Class Schedule:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Competition Agility Is your dog “fluent” on all the Agility equipment except perhaps the weaves? Do you have a start-line stay and leadout? Front and rear cross? Are you ready to take it to the next level and learn some speed, handling and control? Do you hope to compete someday? Class Schedule:
|
A Note from the Dog Training Coordinator
If you have scrolled down to here, and did not find the class you hoped for, please drop me an email or telephone me (contact info below) to let me know what you would like to learn with your dog!
To secure a spot in our classes, you must pay for the class in full and complete a registration form. Once we have received your information and payment, we will send a confirmation to you.
We require that dogs attending classes are up-to-date on their rabies vaccine and current on all other vaccines per their vet's recommendation. All family members are welcome in class, however, please email the Training Coordinator for permission for children under the age of 7 whom you want to bring to class.
Please note: All classes are on a first come / first served basis. If the class you were interested in has filled, you will be contacted about alternate class availability. If you find you are unable to take this class after registering for it, you must notify the office 10 days prior to the start of the class. Notification after 10 days will result in you forfeiting 50% of your registration fee. Sorry, no exceptions! There will be no tuition refund once class has started. If you must miss a class, please notify the instructor beforehand, so you may be given make-up homework.
For more information, contact:
Training Coordinator: Terri Bright, M.S. Ed., BCBA
Email: tbright@mspca.org
Call: 617-522-5055 (x 5297)
