Dog Training Classes

*Due to the known and unknown risks associated with COVID-19, our Dog Training Classes have been suspended until further notice. You may still choose to fill the registration form below so we can have your information on file. A staff member will be in touch once we are ready to resume classes again. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

North Country Animal League is pleased to offer the following positive-reinforcement
based training classes. All classes take place at NCAL in Morrisville, VT.

Puppy Kindergarten:

This 6-week course is designed for puppies to get a head start on their basic manners, training basics, and socialization. This is a golden age for puppies in terms of learning new behaviors and becoming a well-adjusted, social adult. The emphasis will be on fun, positive training in a relaxed setting. Get your puppy used to walking on a leash, being handled for grooming and vet visits, and the basics of sit, down, stay, and come when called. Puppy topics such as house-training, chewing, nipping and crating will also be addressed. Short training sessions will be staggered among puppy socialization and play.

• Limited to puppies 10 weeks to 20 weeks old at the start of class.
• Class limited to 8 students.
• Cost per course: $160 (NCAL adoptees are $130)
• *Please note that dogs do NOT attend the first class of Puppy Kindergarten or Good Dog! Manners and More.

Good Dog! – Manners and More:

This 6-week course is for dogs 6 months and older. There is no UPPER age limit, since it is NEVER too late to have a good dog. We will teach you how to have a polite dog at home with you, when guests arrive and in public. We stress good manners, safety and appropriate interactions with children, adults and other dogs. We will teach (or re-teach) you and your dog new vocabulary such as Come When Called, Stay, Leave It, Down, Stand, and Let’s Go. All this in a fun, positive training environment. Class is held once a week at NCAL.

• Class limited to 8 students.
• Cost per course: $160 (NCAL adoptees are $130)
• *Please note that dogs do NOT attend the first class of Puppy Kindergarten or Good Dog! Manners and More.

Upcoming Session Dates 2020 (for both Puppy Kindergarten and Good Dog! Manners and More)

Thursday Classes:

• Session 1: January 9-February 13
• Session 2: February 27-April 2

Saturday Classes:

• Session 3: July 18-August 22
• Session 4: September 19-October 24
• Session 5: November 7-December 12

REGISTER HERE!

Meet our Trainer

With a degree in Psychology and Field Biology, Shelby Schwartz originally moved to Vermont to teach snowboarding. That being said, she has worked with animals her whole life, from rats to horses, and even great apes! Eventually however, she discovered her true calling with dogs and started her canine career in 2009 with doggy daycares, organizing play groups and doing informal training with the regulars. Shelby has also worked with a team of Siberian huskies giving dog sled tours which made her an obvious choice for NCAL’s Canine Supervisor. Now as the Canine Behaviorist and Trainer, she helps NCAL’s rescue dogs increase socialization skills and manners during their time in the shelter environment. With three rescue dogs of her own (one being from NCAL), her love and passion for dogs could not be more evident!

A natural dog whisperer, Shelby believes that with time, patience and practice, anyone can understand canine behavior and learn to work with it. In the Positive Reinforcement Training classes she provides, she has seen first-hand how the method can strengthen the bond between owner and dog. Positive Reinforcement Training uses praise and or treats to reward your dog for doing something you want him/her to do because the reward makes your dog more likely to repeat the behavior.