Dog Training
At Von Waldberg, we offer a variety of training options to help you achieve your goals. Whether you need advice on a specific issue or need help to maximize your dog’s potential, our team is here to guide you every step of the way. We know every dog and handler team progresses at different speeds. We have developed a variety of different training programs, all designed with your dog’s success in mind.
Our Training Philosophy
We practice a balanced and comprehensive approach to training and communicating with our dogs, mimicking the way they would communicate with each other. This approach leads to consistent results, the ability to work through rough spots, and the happy, healthy, loving relationships all dogs and owners want.
Balanced
If you watch dogs communicate with each other, they use a combination of positive and negative feedback, coupled with tone of voice and body language. Balance does not mean a 50/50 split of reward and correction. The vast majority of your dog’s feedback will be positive. But no species can flourish under a purely positive system. We teach appropriate rewards, how to establish boundaries, and how to deliver an appropriate correction when needed.
Comprehensive
Training is not only having a dog that will obey a command. Training includes manners (at home and in public), appropriate social behavior, confidence, consistency, a solid and trusting relationship between owner and dog, and building the dog’s desire to work for and please their owner. These elements will foster a relationship where your dog will want to obey because doing so enhances your relationship.
Communication
Our training program will give you the skills to communicate with your dog in the language they understand. The ability to communicate is essential, but dogs will never learn to speak to humans. Humans can learn to speak to dogs. You can use your voice and body language to emulate a happy, excited dog. You can also use those same tools to be the leader in your relationship and teach your dog what is and is not acceptable behavior.
Consistent
Training is a lifelong endeavor. You will be successful if you take the skills and tools we teach you and apply them to every interaction between you and your dog. This does not mean you have to practice what we teach 24/7. Rather, we will help you turn training into a habit or reflex. Once you and your dog become partners, consistency will naturally follow.
Our Training Mission Statement
Building a stronger bond with each sit, stay, and play.
Our Obedience Classes
A 5-week rotating class open to puppies of all breeds under 6 months. Each class will include socialization and appropriate group interactions, a specific topic, and time for questions. $125/5 weeks or included with the purchase of a puppy. Puppies may start at any time, classes are not sequential.
- Week 1: How dogs learn and how to motivate your puppy: The Marker system
- Week 2: Puppy socialization and manners
- Week 3: Potty & crate training, preventing resource guarding
- Week 4: Safe and appropriate handling techniques and play
- Week 5: Puppy Confidence, Pack Structure & Problem Behaviors
$125 / 5 Weeks
Open to puppies of all breeds who have graduated puppy preschool or are over 16 weeks. This is a 10-week course designed to build handler skills and knowledge while teaching puppies the building blocks of obedience training. Besides obedience, we will focus on manners and appropriate dog and human interactions. There will be an exam at the end of the class to pass.
$350 / 10 Weeks
Open to puppies of all breeds who have graduated from Obedience 101 or are over 6 months old. Builds on the skills taught in 101 with an emphasis on precision. Puppies will also learn how to be neutral around other dogs, and handlers will learn techniques to use when puppies test boundaries. There will be an exam at the end of the class to pass.
$350 / 10 Weeks
Open to dogs of all breeds who have graduated from Obedience 201 or are older than 9 months and have instructor approval. Builds on skills taught in 201. Introduces off-leash and long-distance work. Dogs will begin to work through distractions on a leash. There will be an exam at the end of the class to pass.
$350 / 10 Weeks
Open to dogs of all breeds who have graduated Obedience 301 or are over 12 months and have instructor approval. Refines the skills learned in 301 with more emphasis on off-leash and long-distance work. There will be an exam at the end of the class to pass.
$350 / 10 Weeks
Our Hobby and Sports Classes
Rally & Agility
Rally and Agility are a fun way to refine your obedience skills while engaging in a sport with your dog. Rally is a mixture of classical obedience and agility training. Agility introduces larger obstacles. Rally is appropriate for dogs over 6 months and is recommended prior to agility. Agility is suggested for dogs over 12 months. Agility has two levels. Registration is based on skill level.
- 350
- 10 Weeks
Competition Obedience
As a handler, you will learn to direct your dog through a series of highly stylized behaviors that demonstrate control, accuracy, and precision.
- 35
- Offerd as Drop-in
Remote Training
Open to dogs 9 months and older who have completed Obedience 201 or with instructor approval. Requires purchase of Instructor approved e-collar.
- 300
- 10 Weeks
Canine Good Citizen
Open to all breeds over 6 months. Teaches the skills necessary for your dog to be certified as a CGC. Does not include actual certification.
- 350
- 10 Weeks
Reserve Your Spot Today!
Board and Train
We offer custom board and train programs. A trainer will evaluate your dog and speak with you about your goals and expectations. During the Board & Train, your dog will be worked with daily, and at pick up, a private one-hour lesson is included.
- We recommend a minimum of one week. Shorter Board & Trains are available to dogs currently enrolled in class
- Open to all breeds and ages
- Your dog will be worked several times each day and handled by different members of our staff
- A bath and nail trim is included
- For Board & Trains over 3 weeks, a private training session is included for each week over 2.
- These can take place during your dog’s stay or after as a follow-up.
- $150/night
Private Training
If a one-on-one session is best for your schedule and goals, we offer private lessons. In-home and virtual sessions are available on a case-by-case basis.
$100/hour
Minimum of 1 hour
Enrichment Seminars
Once a month, we offer a First Aid/Dog Health seminar led by an ER vet tech with 20+ years of experience. We cover basic first aid, what is and is not an emergency, training tips to make any trip to the vet more comfortable, and season-specific hazards. $150/3 hour seminar.
$150
3 hour seminar
Our Training Facility
Rain or shine, day or night, we have one of the best training facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Our 7,200 SF training facility can handle everything from large puppy classes to nighttime off-leash recall work, all while keeping you and your dog nice and dry. Our dedicated indoor training facility is one of the largest in the state. It is heated, well lit and equipped with full rubber floor mats to protect your dog’s paws and joints while training and exercising.
We also have agility equipment, raised dog beds, wall tie-offs, and so much more. When the weather is nice enough for outside training, we have a wide-open 100’ x 150’ training field that has professional stadium lighting. This field is great for group classes, long-leash training, off-leash work, and private training. We have a designated outdoor obstacle course complete with custom A-Frame, ramps, jumps, window frames, and so many great training tools. Regardless of the weather, or your dog’s needs, we have the training facility to make your dog’s training experience great.
Equipment We Use
We believe most training equipment designed for dogs can be extremely beneficial when used appropriately. As you and your dog progress, we will introduce training tools and equipment such as slip leads, flat collars, long lines, e-collars, pinch collars and more. We introduce these tools at the appropriate time for each dog and handler, our staff is trained to use these tools and we will teach you how to use them properly. When used incorrectly, these items can be detrimental to the success of your dog, but you will leave our training program with an understanding of not only how to use a tool, but why.
