Dogs who are nervous around people often struggle in daily life. In this program we will work on increasing your shy dog’s trust with other people and increasing your dog’s trust in you to keep them safe. Our dogs may never be best friends with everyone they meet, but they can learn to relax near people, develop skills for interacting, and be comfortable with people talking and moving. You will also learn how to set achievable goals and create comfortable games and activities for your dog. You will also learn how to teach your dog to interact with new objects in the environment in a structured setting. The dogs systematically learn to go on, over, under, and through different obstacles. Through these activities, the dogs learn to view novel items as a potential opportunity for these games, rather than something scary. As we progress, we will add tasks and combine skills, which will continue to build teamwork and develop environmental confidence.
The classroom environment offers you the opportunity to practice these skills around dogs and handlers working on the same activities. The small class size ensures plenty of individualized coaching.