PLEASE NOTE: ALL OF OUR CLASSES MEET ON THE SAME DAY AND TIME EACH WEEK.
When you register, you will see a list of start dates. These are the dates of the first class of each session; the remaining classes will happen on the following weeks at the same time each week. Due to our small class size, we cannot allow students to switch between class times from week to week. 

To see upcoming class start dates or to register for a class, please use our online registration system. 

Manners Classes
Outdoor Manners Classes
Reactive Dog Classes
Fun & Games Classes
Good Dog Social Skills Class

Workshops

Audit a Class: Some people learn better by watching rather than trying to listen and work their dog at the same time. Auditing allows you to watch the class and then take what you learn home and apply it to your training. To audit a class, please create an account in our registration system, then send an email to info@animalalliances.com letting us know which class you'd like to audit. 

Manners Classes

Puppy Starter Kit (for all puppies under 16 weeks)

                                                                                                                                                   

1. Basic Doggie Decorum

This class is the starting place for all dogs over 16 weeks of age, or as a follow-up to our Puppy Starter Kit class. This class focuses on improving your relationship with your dog through effective communication. You will learn why dogs do what they do and how best to train them. Your dog will learn the important basic skills that will help him/her to be a well-behaved member of the family. The whole family is encouraged to attend, including children over 6 years of age. This class is a prerequisite for our higher-level manners classes, even if you've taught your dog basic behaviors at home. 

Length: 5 weeks, 1 hour per week. First week is orientation for humans only. 
Cost: $175
See Upcoming Start Dates & Register Online                                                                   

2. Intermediate Manners (for basic class graduates) 

3. Advanced Manners (for Intermediate Manners graduates)

This class takes distraction to the next level. The dogs will learn to work in close proximity to each other, come away from enticing distractions, walk past food, dogs, humans and other temptations, go lie down on their mats, and wait politely at doors.

Prerequisites: Intermediate Manners or the equivalent at another dog training school. Dog should be able to do good loose-leash walking past stationary distractions; stay while handler walks 5 steps away and drops a toy or treat on the ground; come past distractions on the floor; ignore a treat placed or dropped on the floor. 

Length: 5 weeks, 1 hour per week. Dogs attend all 5 weeks. 
Cost: $175
See Upcoming Start Dates & Register Online

Good Dog Social Skills

It is crucial for dogs to practice their social skills with other dogs, especially in the first 1-2 years of their life, but it's difficult to find opportunities for your dog to interact with others in a safe, structured way that helps them develop better social skills.  Good Dog Social Skills is the answer!

Good Dog Social Skills classes are social skills practice sessions for dog-friendly and human-friendly dogs who have taken at least 1 Manners class (including Puppy Starter Kit) at Animal Alliances. It's an excellent class for young puppies and adolescents who are still developing their social skills. This is not an appropriate class for dogs who are reactive to other dogs, including dogs who are too excited around other dogs to eat treats or hear you call their names. For those dogs, try our Remedial Social Skills class! 

In Good Dog Social Skills class, we help the dogs learn to be calm and focused around other dogs and people. We practice polite leash walking past other dogs. When the dogs are ready, we practice polite on-leash greetings and then disengaging and moving away from the other dog. For dogs who are ready and interested, we will practice off-leash social skills as well. Dogs who want to play can play (although we will help them learn to ask politely and to read other dogs' social cues in response), and dogs who want to just hang out and watch can do so. Just being around other dogs and observing will help your dog build social skills and confidence around other dogs. We will make sure the dogs take breaks from play to keep them from getting over-aroused. Humans are encouraged to ask questions about dog play and body language!  

Prerequisite: At least one Manners class at Animal Alliances.

Length: 5 weeks, 1 hour per week.
Cost: $175
See Upcoming Start Dates & Register Online

Outdoor Etiquette Level 1 (for Basic Doggie Decorum graduates)

This is an outdoor class held at Childs Park in Northampton. During the class, your dog will work on all the basic commands (sit, down, stay, and come) in the distracting environment of the outdoor world. We will also work on polite greetings of people and dogs, walking on a loose leash, coming when called, and leave it (coming away from things on the ground you don't want your dog to pick up). 

Outdoor Etiquette Level 2

Has your dog mastered the skills in Outdoor Etiquette Level 1? This class will continue to improve your dog's skills at leash walking, leave it, and coming when called and add in some new behaviors that are useful when taking your dog out in the world. We will work 

Prerequisites: Outdoor Etiquette Level 1. 

 Length: 4 weeks, 1 hour per week. Dogs come to all 4 sessions. 
Cost: $140
Location: Childs Park, Northampton

Reactive Dog Classes

Remedial Social Skills 1

Does your dog bare her teeth, growl, bark, snap, or lunge when she sees other dogs or humans? Or does she hide behind you or cower? 

This class is for dogs who are "reactive", or have an inappropriate reaction to dogs, people, cars, bicycles, or other things in the world. We will work on skills for helping your dog look at their triggers calmly, check in with (look at) you automatically when they see their triggers, and walk past their triggers without reacting.  We'll gradually work on getting closer to other dogs as each dog is ready. We'll also practice strategies for keeping your dog under threshold when you encounter another dog. 

Prerequisites: None.

Remedial Social Skills 2: Practice Setups

Have you taken Remedial Social Skills I and want a way to keep practicing your dog's new-found skills at looking at other dogs (or humans) calmly? The best way to do that is through practice setups, where the dog's triggers are at a controlled distance and intensity level to prevent them from going over threshold and to build their confidence and trust that they are safe. 

Since it's often hard to find opportunities to practice, we offer Remedial Social Skills II. In this class, we will do lots of setups, increasing the challenge as your dog is ready. Student dogs will practice looking at triggers, automatically checking in with their humans when they see triggers, performing known behaviors (touch, sit, down, etc) near their triggers, walking while their trigger is in sight, and walking away from triggers. 

Prerequisite: Remedial Social Skills 1 (or permission of instructor)

Length: 5 weeks, 1 hour per week. Dogs attend all 5 weeks. 
Cost: $175
See Upcoming Start Dates & Register Online

Remedial Social Skills 3: Outdoor Practice Setups

Have you and your dog mastered the Pattern Games we use in RSS1 and can now confidently play them while a stressor (dog, human, etc) is present in the classroom? It's time to take your skills into the wider world! We offer RSS3 classes at Child's Park in Northampton. We use outdoor screens to give each dog a "safe space" to relax in, and work on each dog's ability to be calm and focused in an outdoor setting and then to notice triggers calmly outdoors. 

Prerequisite: Remedial Social Skills 2 (or permission of instructor)

Length: 5 weeks, 1 hour per week. Dogs attend all 5 weeks. 
Cost: $175
See Upcoming Start Dates & Register Online

Fun & Games Classes

Beginner Fun Agility

Agility is a fun sport that provides your dog with mental and physical exercise. It also improves relationships because Agility is all about teamwork. This class will get your dog started with this fun sport.

There is no pre-requisite for the Beginner Agility class.  Kids over 12 years are welcome to join and work their dog in class.