SKILLS COURSES
LEVEL 1 COURSES
Puppy Course
It’s never too early to get that puppy started with the basic skills they will need to be good family members. This entry-level class for puppies under 6 months old (at the start of class) focuses on socialization and teaches the following skills: sit, down, come, stand, loose leash walking, no jumping, and attention. The first session of the course is our Introduction to Training Seminar which teaches handlers the basics of Redfern’s training techniques.
Beginners Course — Basic Training Principles/Methodology
This is the perfect class for any dog 6 months old or older who has not had any basic training, or who needs a refresher. (Yes, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!) The Beginner’s class focuses on the same basic skills as the Puppy course (sit, down, come, stand, loose leash walking, no jumping, and attention) but with some extra attention to tips for training the slightly or much older dog. Dogs of all ages are welcome in the Beginner’s class. Because the training helps to build a stronger bond and better communication between dog and person, this is an excellent class for newly adopted/rescued dogs. The first session of the course is our Introduction to Training Seminar which teaches handlers the basics of Redfern’s training techniques.
LEVEL 2 COURSES
Puppy Travels
Prerequisite: Redfern Puppy Class or Redfern Beginners Class. Dog must be under 1 year old at start of class.
Puppy Travels is a course designed to work on skills and self-confidence in multiple, public settings. During the course, we will hold the first class at Redfern’s Training Center, followed by 5 sessions held in local public areas. Goals of the class include attention in public, basic obedience in public, loose leash walking, and increasing self-confidence when in new places or when meeting new people. This course can help you to practically apply training to real-world situations.
Mannerly Mutts
Prerequisite: Redfern Beginners Course
OR
Redfern Puppy Class AND Redfern Puppy Travels
Mannerly Mutts is designed to continue the basics taught in Puppy I and Beginners I and focuses on teaching stay, helping your dog gain self-control and on the skills dogs will need to interact with others. These skills include staying put when asked, good walking habits, proper greeting behaviors, and so much more. Successful completion of this course will lead to lots of “Nice Dog!” comments from friends and strangers.
LEVEL 3 COURSES
Courteous Canines
Prerequisite: Redfern Mannerly Mutts Course
Courteous Canines follows Mannerly Mutts as Redfern’s third level of good doggy behavior. In this course, the focus is on ‘well-behaved’ pup behaviors such as greeting visitors calmly and not barking at doorbells, going through doorways without pulling or bolting, settling on a mat or under a chair, and the ‘leave it’ cue. If your ultimate goal with your dog is to get a CGC (Canine Good Citizen) or to become a therapy dog, or even if you just want to be able to take your dog out in public to dog-friendly places (stores or hiking and other places), Courteous Canines may be the class for you.
C.L.A.S.S. –BA (Canine Life And Social Skills)
Prerequisites: completion of Puppy/Beginners Class and Mannerly Mutts
The Bachelor Degree (BA) level of this three-part course is designed to help your dog be welcome anywhere! Full of games that teach but are fun for you and your dog, your pup will become an expert at loose leash walking, greeting people politely, leaving items when asked, settling quietly, going in and out of doors nicely, giving up something when asked, and so much more. The Bachelor’s level is a prerequisite for Master’s level which is in turn a prerequisite for the PhD level. Take just the first class, two classes, or all three to have one of the best-trained dogs in the neighborhood.
Out And About
Prerequisite: completion of Mannerly Mutts Course
Once your dog has the hang of basic obedience skills, up the game by adding distractions your dog needs to work through! This six-week class meets in a different location each week, including local pet-friendly stores, parks, or other locations, to practice loose-leash walking, and basic obedience skills in the company of the other dogs in the class, customers in the stores, and other distractions. An excellent class for owners who enjoy taking their dog with them to public places. This is also an THE class to take in preparation for evaluation as a therapy dog.
Come & Go
Prerequisites: completion of Mannerly Mutts Course
Redfern’s Come & Go course focuses solely on improving loose leash walking and coming when called skills. Approximately half of each session will work with creating reliable recalls and half with improving leash walking.
Wait and See
Prerequisites: completion of Mannerly Mutts Course
Wait and See at Redfern deals solely with teaching your pups GREAT attention skills and reliable stays. After reviewing the basics, the course introduces ever-more-challenging distractions in a sequential and consistent manner! The goal of this course is a pup who routinely checks in on you for directions and who can remain in one spot until released by you.
K9 Sampler
Prerequisites: completion of Mannerly Mutts Course
Have you taken a basic class or two and you’re not sure what you and your dog might like to do next? K9 Sampler is for you! Each week is an introduction to one new area of dog activities: Rally Obedience, Nose Work, Agility, Tricks, Canine Good Citizen/Therapy dog skills, and Parkour. Try out the various sports and areas without having to commit to a whole class and find out what truly sparks your and your dog’s interests.
Tricks (Trick Dog)
Prerequisites: completion of Mannerly Mutts Course
Do you have a fun and social dog that likes to show off a little? Is your dog a therapy dog? Has your dog done all the obedience classes and needs a new challenge? The Tricks class is a great way to have fun with your dog, strengthen your bond with each other, and test your skills as a trainer. Therapy dogs with a handful of tricks will absolutely delight those they visit, and who can resist the dog that says her prayers on cue? We will teach simple tricks that are great in public like shake, high five, and wave bye-bye as well as more advanced ones that will really show off your dog’s talents. Classes will be tailored to the skill levels of the dogs in attendance, and handlers may also work on tricks of their own choosing. Those who wish, at the end of the course, may test for the American Kennel Club’s AKC Trick Dog: Novice title.
LEVEL 4 COURSES
Canine Good Citizen/Therapy Dog Preparation
Prerequisites: completion of Courteous Canines Course
Earn the AKC (American Kennel Club) Canine Good Citizen title in this class that proves to the world that your dog is a well-behaved one in public. Since many of the skills taught in this class are also ones required for Therapy Dogs, this class blends those obedience skills with experience around wheelchairs, crutches, and a variety of other things Therapy Dogs need to navigate comfortably. The final class includes testing for the CGC title, which includes loose leash walking in crowds and around other dogs, sitting and staying quietly in place, being comfortable with being petted by strangers, tolerating distractions, and other competencies needed for dogs out in public and in therapy situations.
C.L.A.S.S. –MA (Canine Life And Social Skills)
Prerequisites: completion of C.L.A.S.S.-BA
The Master’ Degree (MA) level of this three-part course continues to work on skills designed to help your dog be welcome anywhere! Full of more games that teach but are fun for you and your dog, your pup will become an expert at staying in the car until released, loose leash walking—even past other dogs, coming when called—even leaving someone with a treat when asked, settling quietly when you’re chatting with a friend, going in and out of doors with distractions on the other side, and so much more. The Master’s level is a prerequisite for C.L.A.S.S.–PhD.
Rally Obedience
Prerequisites: completion of Courteous Canines Course
Rally Obedience can be done just for fun or as a competitive sport for you and your dog. AKC Rally is all about teamwork, and you and your dog will walk a course of 10-20 signs, stop at each one and perform the task listed on the sign. The course and tasks change every time! Aside from just being fun, training in Rally helps your dog with loose leash walking and attention skills, and you will learn some cool moves to show off to friends. Dogs will be introduced to all the AKC Novice Rally signs.
Agility For Fun
Prerequisites: completion of Courteous Canines Course and approval of instructor
One of the most popular dog sports in the country, this class introduces you and your dog to Agility at a beginner’s level. The focus of this class is on running your dog through the agility obstacles for fun and uses much of the same equipment that is used in agility competition. This is a great class for very active dogs who need something to keep their mind and body busy! It is also a great class for helping dogs become more self-confident. Dogs must have taken a prior class at Redfern and be able to work under control off-leash.
Obedience Competition Level 1 (Beginner Novice exercises)
Prerequisites: completion of Courteous Canines Course
An introduction to traditional obedience, this course teaches the individual exercises used in obedience competition trials. The course includes teaching each of the individual exercises–Heel on Leash, Figure Eight, Sit for Exam, and Sit Stay. The course also includes discussing what a judge looks for, how to enter a trial, and what works, and what will get you into trouble!
AKC Fit Dog—Bronze Level
Prerequisites: completion of Courteous Canines Course
The AKC Fit Dog program is a series of 3 levels of courses designed to help keep your dog in top condition. The first level (Bronze) is a six-week class designed to increase your dog’s strength and flexibility through exercises that help prevent injuries. These exercises are excellent for keeping any dog healthy through paying attention to correct posture, balance, increasing core body strength, and flexibility. It is also designed to encourage you to be active with your pup through Redfern Canine’s Fit Dog Club walks and other activities.
LEVEL 5 COURSES
C.L.A.S.S. –PhD (Canine Life And Social Skills)
Prerequisites: completion of C.L.A.S.S.–PhD
The third level of the three-part C.L.A.S.S. course (PhD) is designed to help your dog be welcome anywhere! Your pup will become an expert at loose leash walking and backing up (even if you are carrying a cup of coffee), greeting strangers politely, coming when called while leaving distracting items (even food), settling quietly when you’re chatting with a friend and eating a meal or snack, and paying attention to you no matter what is happening around them. This course will guarantee that you will have one of the best-trained dogs in the neighborhood!
Parkour
Prerequisite: Courteous Canines and Redfern’s Agility for Fun or Instructor approval
Originally a sport for humans, Dog Parkour is often called Urban Agility. With its roots in military obstacle course training, Dog Parkour teaches dogs and their humans how to safely navigate environmental features such as logs, benches, narrow spaces, rocks, etc. After teaching the basics (2 feet up, get on/4 feet up, get in, go through, go around, go under, back up, go over, and wait), the class will go on the road to try out their skills in everyday situations! This will be a good confidence builder for worried pups or dogs.
Rally II
Prerequisite: Rally I
Rally II builds on the skills learned in Rally I, plus introduces all the Advanced Rally signs and skills. This course will prepare you and your pup for Novice Rally competition while increasing your team spirit and having fun!
Agility II
Prerequisite: Agility I
Agility II builds on the skills learned in Agility I while introducing the teeter and focusing on sequencing the obstacles. Dogs will run a full agility course each week while increasing their skills and having fun!
NOSEWORK/SCENT COURSES
Introduction to Nose Work I
Prerequisite: Dogs should be at least 6 months old at start of class
Nose Work is a fun dog sport that any dog can do. All your dog needs is a nose! In this course your dog will learn to find hidden treats, which sounds easy – but it gets harder as the course goes on! The course is fun for the dogs AND builds self-confidence as your dog masters the challenges each week. It is also a course that increases your dog’s self-control as they work to find the hidden treats. Most dogs love Nose Work and it is easy to practice and enjoy at home for years to come. We guarantee your dog will be tired by the end of class but will have had a blast!
Nose Work II/Introduction to Odor
Prerequisite: NoseWork I for NoseWork II. At least 3 NoseWork Courses at Redfern for Introduction to Odor
This 4-week course is a split-level course designed both as a follow-up to NoseWork I and as a course to introduce dogs to searching for oil of birch. The focus of this course is to teach dogs to search an interior area for a specific odor.
In the NoseWork II level, dogs will find harder and harder hides and will learn about blocked odor, raised odor, and converging odors all while searching for food.
In the Introduction to Odor level, dogs will search for the same hides as in the NoseWork II level but will begin looking for oil of birch rather than only food. The oil of birch will be paired with food initially so that the dog learns to search for something other than food. Students of this level will receive a starter kit of oil of birch odor for use at home.
Nose Work–Exteriors
Prerequisite: NoseWork II
The exterior NoseWork 4-week course introduces the dogs to searching outside. Focus will be on air currents, surface variations, and challenging distractions. Dogs can be either searching for food or introduced to odor in this course.
Nose Work—Buried/Vehicles
Prerequisite: NoseWork II
This 4-week NoseWork course introduces the dogs to searching vehicles and for buried odor. Weather permitting, each class will do both types of searches. Dogs can be either searching for food or introduced to odor in this course.
Drop-in Nose Work
Prerequisite: NoseWork II or Instructor approval
This course provides practice in all elements of NoseWork searches—containers, interiors, exteriors, vehicles, and buried—and will mimic NoseWork trial conditions. Classes are normally held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. For more information, contact Redfern Canines.
SPECIALTY COURSES
Kidz ‘n K9s Day Camp
Prerequisite: None
Redfern offers a week-long, summer program for children and teens ages 7 and up. Campers may bring their own well-adjusted dogs or borrow a Redfern dog. Activities and topics covered include dog safety, training techniques, agility, NoseWork, basic obedience, rally obedience, and teaching tricks in addition to craft activities.
Reactive Rover
Prerequisite: Instructor approval after evaluation of each dog. NOT suitable for dogs aggressive towards humans or with any bite history.
Reactive Rover (RR) is a program for dogs who react inappropriately to other dogs when they are on leash in public or in controlled settings like a class. It is not a program for dogs who are reactive or aggressive to humans. It is not for dogs who have bitten or attacked other dogs.
The course consists of an individual evaluation of each dog, an Introduction to Training Reactive Dogs seminar, and 8 weekly one-hour classes.
The intent of RR is to introduce specific foundation skills to you and your dog that will help you to better manage your dog’s behavior when in the presence of other dogs, improve your dog’s impulse control and focus, and modify your dog’s reaction to other dogs when on leash in public.
Greyhounds 101/Beginners I
Prerequisite: Instructor approval
Greyhounds 101/Beginners I is designed for retired racing greyhounds or sighthounds from similar situations to help them transition from kennel to couch. The course includes an Introduction to Training seminar and 6 weekly sessions. It focuses on basic skills like focused attention, down, come, loose leash walking, and no jumping. This course, taught by Lee Livingood, author of Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies, will help retired greyhounds and sighthounds from similar situations adapt to their new world. In addition, adopters will be able to socialize their dogs, build a positive relationship with them, and learn how to teach basic skills.