Dog Training

You want our Puppy Stars class! Puppy Stars focuses on foundation skills, social skills, how dogs learn, but also helps track socialization milestones that are so crucial for puppies during their socialization window (5wks – 16wks). Puppies will have the option to interact with one another at times during class, and require at least 2 Da2PP vaccinations before the start date to attend.

You want our East Bay Canine College classes! Canine College is designed to give dogs and their humans a strong training foundation. There are 4 EBCC classes; Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior. Freshman and Sophomore cover basic skills, the “upper divisions” teach intermediate to advanced behaviors focused on making day to day life with your dog a pleasure. Each week and each class will build on skills from the previous class, to create stronger and more reliable behaviors. Unlike Puppy Stars, it does not focus on puppy socialization and does not include dog-to-dog meet and greets. A completed Da2PP vaccination series and an up to date Rabies vaccination are required.

You likely want to consider a private training session! Group classes are focused on more general training skills and less on working on fixing a specific issue you are having with your dog. Private training offers one on one time with a trainer where they can help you create an individualized plan based on the behaviors you want to work on, which wouldn’t be possible in a group class environment.

You either want to explore private training (as above), OR our specialty reactivity class “Calm Cool and Collected!” Our CCC group classes are specifically designed for dogs who exhibit reactive behavior, and managing and training that specific behavior is the focus of the class.

We offer these specialty classes on a rotating basis depending on what instructors are available. If you don’t currently see what you are looking for, please email training@eastbayspca.org and ask to be placed on the wait list for the class you are interested in. That way when the class goes live, you will be the first to know!

Class Cancellations & Date Changes

We require at least a minimum number of people per class. If that minimum is not met 72 hours before the class, the class may be canceled or the start date pushed back one week.

We will contact you 24-48 hours before the class start date to notify you if the class has been canceled or the start date changed to accommodate low registration numbers. You will have the option of enrolling in an alternative class, receiving credit toward a future class, or receiving a full refund if the class is canceled or the new dates do not work for your schedule.

Refund & Transfer Policy

We will refund your class fee or transfer you to a new class if you cancel in writing at least 3 days before the class starts. If you enroll within 3 days of the class, you are not eligible for refunds or transfers for any reason. We are unable to offer any refunds or transfers after the class begins. If you adopt from us and return the dog, your fees are not refundable for any reason.

Families with Dogs

Because having and training a dog is a family affair, we encourage family members and kids to come to class with the handler. However, it is important that some guidelines be followed regarding children.

Children must be non-disruptive under parental control at all times. Please explain to your children that not all dogs are friendly towards children and therefore they should obtain the owner’s permission before approaching another dog. Handlers must be at least 13 years of age. Parents must attend class with their children except in the case that the child is at least 16 years old. For our Calm, Cool, and Collected class, handlers must be at least 18 years old and more stringent restrictions on child attendance may apply for safety reasons.

Behavioral Appropriateness

Not all dogs are behaviorally appropriate for the group class environment. If your dog does not get along with other dogs and/or barks incessantly at the sight of other dogs, s/he may not do well in the group class environment. Excessively fearful dogs may also have trouble in group classes. If you’re unsure if your dog is behaviorally appropriate for class, please contact us in advance at training@eastbayspca.org. If your dog is too disruptive or not behaviorally appropriate for class, your instructor may suggest training alternatives.

Wait List Policy

If you are registered on the wait list for a class, a member of our staff will contact you if there are openings for enrollment.

Vaccinations

We are dedicated to the safety of all the dogs that attend classes, therefore we ask you to have at least 2 DH2PP vaccines before coming into any class. This shot should include Distemper and Parvo. We encourage a Bordetella shot for puppies, but it is not a requirement. For adult dogs we also ask that your rabies vaccination be up to date. Please bring in your vaccination papers to your first class.

We do strongly recommend that you vaccinate your canine companion against the Canine Influenza Virus (CIV). For more information on CIV talk with your veterinarian or visit our Canine Influenza Virus information page.

Additional Information

• We prefer dogs that are spayed or neutered when attending our dog training classes, except for puppies under 6 months. If you have questions regarding this, please contact us at training@eastbayspca.org. We have two low cost Spay/Neuter Centers located in Oakland and Dublin.
• We use reward based, force free training methods and do not allow prong collars or choke collars in our dog training classes.
• Unfortunately, we do not offer make-up classes. If you need to miss a class, please let your instructor know and they will send you the class homework/information.

A clicker is a device that marks the behavior the dog has done correctly. For example if you were reinforcing a sit, the click would happen when the dog’s bum hits the floor followed by a treat. It lets the dog know what he or she is being reinforced for and acts as a promise that the reinforcer, ie.treat is coming! We highly recommend using it since it is a fast way to communicate to the dog exactly what behavior you are looking for. Class students receive a clicker at the first session of each class.

If you know your dog does not get along with other dogs and barks incessantly at the sight of other dogs, then either our Calm, Cool, and Collected or a private training setting would be more appropriate.

If your dog is often too nervous in a public setting to be able to focus on you or care about treats, some classes may be too overwhelming and thus prevent your dog from learning. Private training is recommended.

Many of our courses offer a special Adopter Price, allowing you to register with a $25 discount if you adopted your pet from a non-profit animal welfare organization. Please check the course entry to see if the discounted price is available. This is our way of thanking you for choosing the adoption option!

If the training you need for your pet is cost-prohibitive, we have a scholarship program to offer financial assistance with helplines, private trainings, and group classes. Scholarships are available for both feline and canine training. If you are interested in applying for financial assistance with a behavior program, please fill out our Scholarship Application.

We are dedicated to the safety of all the dogs that attend classes, therefore we ask your dog to have received at least 2 DH2PP vaccines before coming into any class. This shot should include Distemper and Parvo. We encourage a Bordetella vaccination, but it is not a requirement. For dogs 4months old, we also ask that your rabies vaccination be up to date. Please bring in your vaccination papers to your first class.

We do strongly recommend that you vaccinate your canine companion against the Canine Influenza Virus (CIV). For more information on CIV talk with your veterinarian or visit our Canine Influenza Virus information page.

If you are missing a class that you know about in advance please let your instructor know so you can get the scoop on what you will be missing. If you have to miss a class due to unexpected circumstances, you can contact your instructor via email to see what you have missed before the next class. Unfortunately we are unable to offer make up sessions.

We definitely encourage family members to be involved in the training process for your four legged family member. However, class may not be appropriate for very young children. Please review our Class Policies.

For most of our basic skills classes, if your child is at least 13 years of age and excited to be the primary trainer for your family dog, absolutely! Parents must attend class with their children, except in the case that the child is at least 16-years old For our Calm, Cool, and Collected class, handlers must be 18 years old.

You will receive a confirmation email after registration with instructions on what to bring to class. Most classes ask you to bring:

• A copy of your dog’s vaccination records (first class only)
• Standard, flat collar or harness (no choke or prong collars)
• A non-retractable nylon, leather, or biothane leash
• Lots of yummy treats
• Kong, Bully Stick or Greenie or other enrichment item– these will give your dog something appropriate to do during the many times in class when you wish to encourage quiet behavior
• A dish for water
• Dog’s mat

Food is a primary reinforcer, meaning it’s naturally motivating since it’s associated with basic survival needs. We want to make training fun and exciting to the dog, so we want to use food that is “high value” or particularly appealing to the dog we’re working with. The more enticing the motivator the more inclined the dog will be to perform the behavior.

We use LOTS of food in the beginning of training to communicate what exactly we want. If the desired behavior is reinforced many times with good things for the dog the behavior is more likely to happen again. If you were to go to work and get a raise for doing a great job in the office you would be more inclined to keep it up. That is the way we can look at food as a motivator to increase wanted behavior. Eventually once your dog “gets” the behavior, you can start learning how to increase duration for certain behaviors, how to chain different behaviors together, or what kinds of alternative reinforcers we can leverage to keep desired behaviors strong.

The best kind of food as a reinforcer is soft, small, easy to chew bits so the dog can eat it fast and you can continue training. Examples of high value treats are Natural Balance food logs, meat, meat-based baby food, and cheese.

Classes are a great way to build confidence in the presence of other people and dogs! The classes offered by East Bay SPCA focus on individual training between you and your dog. Classes are arranged so there is space between each dog to minimize the distractions. If you have specific concerns regarding your dog’s behavior around other dogs, but still want to take a class, contact us for recommendations.

East Bay SPCA does not test or certify dogs to be service dogs. A Service Dog is “any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.” Service dogs that perform these necessary functions are required by law to be permitted in all public places. There are organizations that train and certify the dog, specific for the disability (such as Guide Dogs for the Blind in Santa Rosa trains guide dogs, Canine Companions train dogs for people who use wheelchairs, etc).

A Therapy Dog is different in that a dog visits rest homes, hospitals, etc. simply for companionship and socializing. This process could be first started with our Canine Good Citizen course, which includes testing on the last day. Therapy Dogs are not required to be allowed in public places.

For a more thorough overview of the differences between Service Dogs, ESAs and Therapy dogs, you can check out our educational handout!