MCSPCA Dog Training: Puppy Kindergarten, Basic Obedience and Agility Training

The MCSPCA offers positive, rewards-based training to help your dog become a good family companion. Miss Luna, to the left, has learned through training that counter-surfing is not acceptable doggie behavior. If she can learn, any dog can!

PUPPY KINDERGARTEN - Next session- Wednesday, March 10, 6:30PM, each session includes 6 classes, 1 hour each, $120 (10% discount for adopted pets), held in agility pavilion at the MCSPCA, in the back of the building. Please call Kathy at 732 542 5467 (new number), or email kathy@monmouthcountyspca.org to sign up.

BASIC DOG OBEDIENCE - Next session Wednesday March 10, 7:30PM, each session includes six classes, 1 hour each, $120 (10% discount for adopted pets), held in agility pavilion at the MCSPCA, in the back of the building. Please call Kathy at 732 542 5467 (new number), or email kathy@monmouthcountyspca.org to sign up.






INTRO TO AGILITY - Thursdays starting March 18, 6:30-7:30PM , 6 classes, $118. This class is designed for those new to agility.  Handlers and dogs will be introduced to the fun and thrill of agility. You and your dog will strengthen your relationship by learning  foundation skills for the sport of agility. This class is designed to exercise both canine brain and body and  introduce basic obstacle familiarization, teaching your dog to climb  ramps, go through a tire and tunnel, climb an a-frame, go over jumps and tip the see-saw.

FOUNDATION SKILLS FOR AGILITY- Thursdays starting March 18, 7:45-8:45PM , 6 classes, $118.  This class is designed for those dog-person teams that plan to compete in Agility. Dog and handler will learn basic foundation skills, including focus through distraction, obedience, and motivation. We will play impulse control games to help the handler have success and control in the ring. We will teach dogs body awareness and shadow handling. We will begin to introduce the dogs to some of the equipment, including jumps and the tunnel. The dogs will learn to feel comfortable on foundation equipment that will lead to training on the teeter, A-frame, and dog walk. The dogs will learn foundation steps for solid contacts. This class is designed for dog and handler teams that are just starting out in Agility, handlers that have just adopted a new puppy and want to start out on the right foot, and for those competing teams that need to "fix" certain behaviors
 in their dog.

Both are held in agility pavilion at the MCSPCA, in the back of the building.

 For more information or to register please contact:
 Sybil Carroll
 Fairy Tails Dog Training
 fairytails@comcast.net
 732-238-8038  v/m.

*Dogs with aggression (human or dog) or reactivity issues are not suitable for these classes. Children under 16 are always welcome and encouraged to handle the dog as long as they are physically capable of holding onto the leash and keeping the dog under control. They also must be accompanied by an adult who must remain for the hour class.

*What is "Dog Agility"?*
Dog agility is a canine sport that tests a person's skills in training and handling of dogs over a timed obstacle course. Teams race against the clock as they direct their dogs to jump hurdles, scale ramps, burst through tunnels, traverse a see-saw and weave through a line of poles in an obstacle course configuration designed to
challenge a handler's competitive and training skills.

A competitor may compete with any dog, purebred or mixed breed in most events. Dog agility is practiced as a sporting activity that demonstrates a handler and trainer's skill in working with a dog on an obstacle course. The type of dog may pose certain challenges in training and handling, but a competitor is not restricted as to type of dog. Therefore, dog agility is frequently referred to as a "sport for all dogs".

*What dog is best suited for agility?*
Any dog with good physical agility and energy is a strong candidate for the sport. Though many breeds appear more naturally adapted to the sport, more than 150 breeds (including mixed-breeds as a single group) have
demonstrated their ability to perform well.