Description & Location

You cannot undo the first 5 months of your puppy’s life. These months are the most critical time for shaping your dog's behavior habits. All puppies need puppy class!

You will learn helpful housebreaking information and obedience training tips. Your puppy will get socialization with other dogs & people as well as exposure to strange sights, sounds, and touches - and a million other skills needed to live in the world!

The AKC STAR puppy test is administered in the last class.

For puppies who have not reached five months of age by the start of class.

The class meets 7 times.

Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes

The first class is without dogs!

TOTAL cost for the 7 weeks: $175

This class is offered each session

Also available as an online class

[What comes next? Basic Beginner]

This class is for dogs who completed Elissa’s puppy class and any dog over 5 months old. Do not register a puppy under 5 months old in this class.

You will learn to teach your dog basic commands including: sit, down, stay, come, and stand. You will also get lots of tips for behavior modification.

The class meets 6 times.

Duration: 1 hour

The first class is without dogs!

TOTAL cost for the 6 weeks: $160

This class is offered each session

Also available as an online class

[What comes next? Heel]

This is the next class after Basic Beginner.

This class is also a prerequisite for the Introduction to Off-Leash class.

Teaching your dog to heel is one of the hardest things you will teach your dog. For this reason, this skill is taught in a separate class.

Prerequisites: It is strongly recommended that you take the Basic Beginner class before enrolling in this class. Your dog must have a solid sit/stay and down/stay. This means your dog can do a 3–5-minute sit or down stay with various distractions going on with you across the room.

The class meets 6 times.

Duration: 1 hour

TOTAL cost for the 6 weeks: $160

This class is offered each session

Also available as an online class

[What comes next? Advanced Beginner/CGC or, for those interested in obedience competition, Introduction to Novice Competition.]

This class refines what you have been taught in the Basic Beginners and the Heel classes, putting it all together, and making for a well-mannered dog. At the end of the session, Elissa will offer the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test at no extra charge.

Prerequisites: While not required, it is strongly recommended that you take both the Basic Beginner class and the Heel class (or the equivalent) before enrolling in this class. Your dog must have a solid sit/stay and down/stay. This means your dog can do a 3-5 minute sit or down stay with various distractions going on with you across the room. He must be able to walk on a leash (without a choke chain!) and not pull. He should also have a reliable recall.

This class meets 6 times.

Duration: 1 hour

TOTAL cost for the 6 weeks: $160

This class is NOT offered every session

This class is for both the seasoned obedience person with a young dog just starting out and for the person who has never done competition obedience before.

All dogs must have basic skills (sit, down, stay, come, heel). They don't have to be perfect. This class is designed to work on these skills, not teach them.

Novice competition is very heavy on heeling so it is highly recommended that you have already taken Elissa's heel class.

This class meets 6 times.

Duration: 1 hour

TOTAL cost for the 6 weeks: $160

This class is NOT offered every session

Tricks are more than just fun. They are a great way to bond with your dog by keeping your training positive. Tricks increase your dog’s learning ability. You get more focus from your dog which will give you more off-leash control. Teaching your dog to do tricks will make you a better trainer as you figure out how to get your dog to do what you want.

There are no set tricks for the class. You get to train what you want within parameters.

This class meets 6 times.

Duration: 1 hour

TOTAL cost for the 6 weeks: $160

This class is NOT offered each session

Impulse Control / Four on the Floor - A Humans Only Class!

Does your dog jump on guests, grab food, bark for attention, or struggle to settle down? These are all impulse control challenges—and the good news is that they can be improved with the right training approach. In this class, you will learn practical strategies that help dogs learn patience, self-control, and thoughtful responses instead of impulsive reactions.

Why No Dogs?
It can feel strange to attend a dog training class without your dog, but there’s a big advantage. Without dogs in the room, you can focus completely on learning—how dogs think, how training works, and how to practice the timing and mechanics that make training effective. You will watch demonstrations, break down common problem situations, and practice the skills you need before working with your dog at home. Without the distractions and management challenges that come with a room full of impulsive dogs, everyone can concentrate, ask questions, and really understand the training process.

Class Format
The class meets every other week for four sessions, giving you time between sessions to practice the exercises with your dog at home. Each session builds on the previous one, and the time between classes allows you to try the games and strategies, observe your dog’s progress, and come back with questions for discussion and troubleshooting.

This class meets 4 times.

Duration: 1 hour

TOTAL cost for the 4 weeks: $140

This class is NOT offered every session.

The Introduction to Off-Leash class is a two-week class offered immediately following the Impulse Control class.

Both the Impulse Control class and the Heel class must be completed before taking this class.

This class introduces working with your dog off-leash. Dogs will not be outside and off-leash at any time during the class.

This class meets 2 times.

Duration: 1 hour

TOTAL cost for the 2 weeks: $50

This class is NOT offered each session