All Classes

Puppy Kindergarten

Teach obedience commands (come, sit, down, stay, basic controlled walking) and socialize your puppy (puppies get to play with each other during class, how many weeks depends on the makeup of each class) Discussion topics include spaying and neutering, how to handle children and puppies, multi pet households and solving chewing, housebreaking and jumping problems. Please check with your vet as some vets recommend the young puppies to have had the second in the series of distemper vaccinations before attending a group training class but some are fine with them attending after the initial vaccine depending on age, breed and other factors. There is a limit of 2 people per puppy and children need to be 10 to come to the class without a dedicated adult. If you have more then 2 people wanting to come please contact us at info@northfielddogtraining.com to see if we might have space/room in the class you are attending...

Prerequisites

Puppy must be between 10 weeks and 4 months old when the class begins. If you have a larger breed puppy the younger you can start the better! Please email info@northfielddogtraining.com with questions.

Jumpstart Obedience/Evening

Teach obedience commands (come, sit, down, stay, basic controlled walking). Class focuses on basic control needed for everyday life with your dog and on basic problem solving. This session of Jump Start is held for a shorter period of time for each class and is taught by Terry Jacobus and is held in the smaller training building.

Prerequisites

For these sessions of Jump Start obedience the puppy/dog can be any age. There is no play time for the dogs in this class.

Fundamentals

This class is geared towards handlers interested in training for the obedience trial ring. Learn how to: properly use conditioned reinforcers; teach an exercise; use fair corrections. The dogs learn attention, heeling with distractions, quick position changes (sit, down, stand), backing up, and recall games. NOTE: Do not bring your dog the first week.

Prerequisites

Puppy Kindergarten or Jumpstart class or something equivalent, and a desire to improve your training skills beyond the basic level.

Advanced Jumpstart

This class will build on the foundation covered in basic obedience or Puppy Kindergarten class. Continued work on the basic commands, loose leash walking, stays with distractions. learning to pass other dogs politely, polite greetings of people.

Prerequisites

Our Jump Start or Puppy Kindergarten class or any basic household obedience class or 6 week puppy training class elsewhere.

Maneuvers

Continue work on attention, hop, quick position changes. Teach steering commands for improved body awareness (forward, backward, side-step right and left), scoot sits, play running, spins, rhythm heeling and marking. Begin proofing of sit stays.

Prerequisites

Fundamentals or prior approval via screening.

Beginner Scent

Stimulate your dog and their brain with the wonderful world of nose work. Our classes will introduce you to scent for competition or as an enjoyable activity with your dog. Either way it is always fun! In Beginner Scent you will learn the basics of why dogs are such amazing scent detectors. You will also learn how to imprint your dog on a specific scent or scents. You will train a formal indication and begin partnering with your dog on simple searches. Finally, you will begin learning the basics of how scent moves in the environment. Dogs need to be comfortable in crate during the class when it is not their turn to be working.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are a dog that is safe with people and dogs and having a recall is preferred. If your dog is mildly reactive to people, dogs, new things we recommend an evaluation with the instructor.

Come and Stay

Build on and proof the formal obedience stays: sit stay, down stay, and stand stay. Teach fronts and finishes for formal recalls. You will learn a variety of recall (come command) exercises. Build on heel position maneuvers and Rhythm heeling learned in Maneuvers.

Prerequisites

Maneuvers

Beginner Trick Dog

This class will be geared towards handlers who have completed a basic obedience class at Northfield Dog Training or its equivalent. The class will focus on teaching you and your dog many of the tricks from the new AKC Trick Dog titling program. If interested there will an opportunity to earn one or more AKC trick Titles the last night of class...

Prerequisites

Completion of Puppy Kindergarten and/or Jumpstart Obedience or their equivalent. Your dog must be under control and understand how to pay attention to you during class.

Canine Good Citizen

This class runs for 6 weeks, the first 5 weeks outline the 10 exercises for the AKC Canine Good Citizen program and practice these exercises. The last night the CGC evaluation is given. The CGC consists of 10 exercises the illustrate that your dog can be polite in public around other people and dogs. These exercises can be found on the AKC website at www.akc.org.

Prerequisites

We recommend dogs have taken a basic obedience or puppy kindergarten class prior to taking the CGC class.

Adv Beginner Scent

In Advanced Beginner Scent1 you will develop search strategies and learn how best to work more complex scent problems.

Prerequisites

Beginner Scent, here or at another facility. Please contact us with any questions regarding skill level of class.

Heeling

Learn the remaining components of heeling for the ring, including circles, figure 8s, pace changes, halts, and turns. Handler footwork is also an important component.

Prerequisites

Come and Stay

Intermediate Scent

Prerequisites

Instructor Approval

Rally Practice

There will potentially be class every week Adele is in town. She will set up a nested course with levels appropriate for those in attendance for a given week. This is not an introductory type of course, but for those trainers with at least some rally experience who want a chance to practice courses with coaching. Typically, I follow each person through the course on the first run, offering suggestions for how to better perform a station (or more correctly). Because of the set up involved, I need a commitment each week from at LEAST 3 people for me to hold a class in a given week. In order to communicate with potential attendees, I have set up a Facebook group where we can communicate about attendance. If you are interested in attending and would like to be added to the Facebook group, or If you are not on Facebook but are interested in attending, please email me privately. abyunck@gmail.com

Prerequisites

Knowledge of the AKC rally signs at the level of course you are interested in.

Open and Utility Proofing

We proof several of the advanced (Open/Utility) obedience exercises each week. Utility beginners can get some guidance each week.

Prerequisites

$20/week drop-in fee. You may buy a 4-week card for $60. You may buy an 8-week card for $100. You do not have to use the weeks consecutively.

Agility 2

We continue to work on the obedience control needed for agility and build on the foundation work started in Intro to Agility. We will introduce the various ways to change sides (including front and rear crosses), start to build the number of obstacles in a sequence, introduce different jump sequences, build on contact obstacle performance, still at lowered heights, and build on weave pole performance, with gradually narrowing channel weaves and 2x2s for reliable entrances. Students are expected to have weave poles at home with which to practice.
Equipment: 4-6 ft cloth or leather leash, flat collar, treat bag, lots of small soft treats, toy that does not roll or squeak, and sensible shoes in which handler can run.

Prerequisites

Intro to Agility or instructor approval. Screening required if you have not trained at Northfield before.

Agility 2

We continue to work on the obedience control needed for agility and build on the foundation work started in Intro to Agility. We will introduce the various ways to change sides (including front and rear crosses), start to build the number of obstacles in a sequence, introduce different jump sequences, build on contact obstacle performance, still at lowered heights, and build on weave pole performance, with gradually narrowing channel weaves and 2x2s for reliable entrances. Students are expected to have weave poles at home with which to practice.
Equipment: 4-6 ft cloth or leather leash, flat collar, treat bag, lots of small soft treats, toy that does not roll or squeak, and sensible shoes in which handler can run.

Prerequisites

Intro to Agility or instructor approval. Screening required if you have not trained at Northfield before.

Agility 4

We continue to build on the skills learned in Intro to Agility, Agility 2 and Agility 3. We will expand on the number of obstacles in sequences (8-10 with side changes), build contacts to full height for the dogs that are > 12 months old, strengthen contact obstacle performance, and continue to build on weave pole performance, with the goal of completely closed weaves and independent entries. Students are expected to have weave poles at home with which to practice.
Equipment: 4-6 ft cloth or leather leash, flat collar, treat bag, lots of small soft treats, toy that does not roll or squeak, and sensible shoes in which handler can run.

Prerequisites

Agility 3 or instructor approval. Screening required if you have not trained at Northfield before.

Agility Skills

This class focuses on handling skills, building weaving skills, and building contact obstacle sills with emphasis on two-on-two-off contact performance. We build to working a full course of 13-15 obstacles. This is a great course for the 1st-time handler.

Prerequisites

Knowledge of all agility obstacles; comfortable on full height contact equipment; ability to perform short obstacle sequences consistently; working at least 6 weave poles.

Novice Agility Ring Prep

This is a competition class for teams preparing to, or competing at the Novice level for any venue (AKC, CPE, NADAC,USDAA). This class focuses on the team. Handler-Dog teams will be given course challenges each week based on a certain skill and course feature. This class works on how to best maneuver a course and its challenges as a team. Each week will be a different challenge. We will discus all options for running the course, which is most efficient, and which is best for the team. Dogs are expected to be able to safely and consistently perform all agility obstacles and be able to weave 12 weave poles.
Limit of 6 dogs and handlers. Bring toys, treats, and a pill bottle with a lid that fits in your hand.

Prerequisites

Must have completed Novice Agility Handling or Agility 4, or have instructor approval.

Open/Excellent Agility Problem Solving & Proofing

Competition class ONLY. Must be competing at the Open/Excellent Level. Are you having problems with contacts, start lines, wide turns, motivation, attention, etc? This is a combination class offering problem solving and proofing. This class will also include back side jumps, learning how to set line for jumping sequences and more advanced distance work. Course walk-through work and course analysis is an important component of he class. We will discus all options for running the course, which is most efficient, and which is best for the team. Limit of 6 dogs and handlers. Bring toys, treats, and a pill bottle with a lid that fits in your hand.

Prerequisites

Competing at the Open or Excellent level. Instructor approval required.