Week One: Canine Life And Social Skills (CLASS) Training

[Jen & Ember]

Last night was the first session of the Canine Life And Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.) training that I enrolled Ember into. It was mostly an information session where the human partners got to learn about the program, its philosophy, and also talk about goals and hopes for the class. The dogs got to stay at home and snooze while the humans did some learning. 

CLASS is the Association of Pet Dog Trainers answer to the AKC's Canine Good Citizen training but has some differences. The CLASS program uses 3 levels of testing whereas the CGC has all the training elements rolled into one test. 

The program philosophy is completely positive, reward based training. There are no physical corrections, pinch/prong collars, loud/harsh words/tones. You may only bring a regular 6 ft leash, flat buckle collar, and treats. You also can utilize a clicker and an easy walk harness (harness only for the first level of training). 

For my style and where Ember is at in her training I think this could be a really excellent model for us. It builds on top of the Puppy Manners I & II that we have already taken really nicely. I am completely aware that we have a lot of work to do as she is still inconsistent on things (and so am I). 

The elements within the training & on the test are: Wait at the Door, Come & Leashing Up Manners, Loose Leash Walking & Attention, Meet & Greet, Leave It, Wait for the Food Bowl, Stay, Settle, Give & Take. The trainer shared the the test is very difficult and to be prepared for a lot of work. 

Homework for week one is to do an assessment for a thorough evaluation on Ember's level of skills for Sit, Down, Stand, Come, and Settle. The goal is to identify whether she does each with a verbal command, hand signal, or full lure. Then up the distraction level and do it all again. 

More to come!

(You can find more info on this training at www.mydoghasclass.com)

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

sounds like it will be an interesting class.  I look forward to next week's update.

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Sounds very helpful. I think those are the basic skills everyone would like their dog to be proficient with.  I know I would! 

I haven't heard of this specific class being offered right in Seattle (rather than surrounding areas)- have you?

[Jen & Ember]

There is a way to look up trainers on the website I believe. If I remember right, there was not one in Seattle. We're taking the class in Everett at her doggy daycare since we adore them. :) 

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Bummer. Everett would be too much of a trek. Sounds great though!

[Sue & Lily Grace]

This sounds like a great class. Really looking forward to your updates. Good luck.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

This sounds exciting for you and Ember!  I'll be interested in how the trainer approaches each of the elements, especially the loose leash walking and the settle.  I did all positive training with Guinness and those two were the most challenging.  Good luck and thanks so much for sharing this with our group!

[Becka]

Thank you for taking the time to write about this. I think it's great that the trainer let you know that the test is hard and you should be prepared for a lot of work. Hopefully that will help when you're feeling discouraged. Have you started Ember's assessment yet?

[Jen & Ember]

Yep, I've been working on assessing her in different environments, at different times of day, with noise, without noise, etc. It's really interesting to put an unbiased eye on her behavior and reactions to commands. I'm finding that she is pretty darn good at 'sit' wherever we are, but the more distracted the environment the less she gives me eye contact when she performs the behavior. I hadn't noticed that before. The other commands have some work to be done. I'm feeling a bit guilty as I read on DK about all these amazingly well trained doods... but also committed to putting in the work to have Ember achieve the same status! :) Very excited for Weds and our next class. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

It's always good to hear about different training methods. Thanks.