The waiting list for this group has now begun. To join the waiting list, contact Bette at (617) 966-4240 or email bette@betteyip.com.THE EARLIER YOU SIGN UP, THE MORE YOU SAVE (and the more time you'll have to complete your pre-lesson-one homework.) Enroll and pay online for this course by 1/25 to save 5% off regular tuition of $227. Discounted rate will appear in your shopping cart. Discounts will decrease as the start date of this course approaches. (These discounts may not be combined with other
discounts, coupons or special offers.)
This group will be led by Bette Yip. To learn more about each of our instructors, click here!
PLEASE NOTE LOCATION: This group will meet at Pawwtopia's Doggy Daycamp located at 5 Forest St. in Arlington. We are no longer in Arlington Center--please pass the word!
This group will meet for a total of 6 lessons on Saturdays at 4:30 pm starting Jan. 28, 2012. There will be no class on 2/18 (President's Day long weekend) Graduation is scheduled for 3/10 (assuming an on time start and no winter weather postponements.)
Please note: the start date of this course may be delayed by one or two weeks depending on demand. Please also see our COLOR="#EAE3E3">winter weather postponement policy. Enrolled students will be notified via email if the start date does get postponed, or if there is a weather related
postponement. Weather related postponements will also be announced in our outgoing voicemail message, so feel free to call (617) 966-4240 if in doubt.
More about Doggy DoRight for Beginners of All Ages
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This entry level dog training course is open to beginners of all ages. Any adult dogs enrolling in this course must be friendly towards humans and other dogs. Please refer to vaccination
requirements below. (If your dog is nervous around new people or dogs, please contact Bette to discuss whether private training may be a better starting place for your dog.)
Lessons will be held at Pawwtopia's Doggy Daycamp, located at 5 Forest St. in Arlington, MA. Please note that tuition fees are non-refundable, but that a transfer to a different group may be
arranged if needed (additional charge may apply).
To sign up online for this course, hit the "Add to My Cart" button at the top of this page, then click "View My Cart" and proceed to the "Checkout" at the bottom of that page. You may pay your tuition
online with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. If paying by check or gift certificate, or if redeeming a coupon, click "other" as your payment method and contact Bette with details prior
to the start date of your course. Enrollment is not finalized until tuition payment is received. Within 24 business hours, you should receive your "Welcome" email which will help you prepare for your
course, and will contain your links to written and video homework supplements.
Please note that only the start dates of weekly group courses are listed on our calendar. These groups run for a total of six lessons always on the same day and in the same timeslot, but are usually
postponed around holidays and holiday weekends, and sometimes in case of severe weather. Please contact Bette for details about your specific group's schedule if you have any questions.
What you'll learn during this course:
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This group covers the basics of dog training, including safety cues ("watch me" as attention cue, sit, down, freeze, come, drop it, touch) & manners (walking nicely on leash and not jumping on
people). Emphasis in group lessons is also placed on recognizing canine body language in order to promote safe interactions among dogs as well as dogs and humans. Written course materials
will introduce you to basic canine learning theory and tips for prevention/modification of common "problem behaviors." (If additional problem solving help is needed with goals such as housetraining,
nipping, chewing, barking, counter surfing...and so on, you may wish to supplement your course with a private session or two with Bette Yip.)
Students who enroll in this group will receive access to the written version of Preschool and the Level 1 Study Guide online at no charge. Also included in your group dog training course tuition is the
video version of Bette Yip's Level 1 Orientation and Practice Guide. Be sure to sign up well in advance to allow time for delivery of course material links and completion of pre-lesson-one homework
for best results.
NOTE on pre-lesson-one homework: ALL students should read at least the Orientation chapter of the Level 1 Study Guide and/or watch the video version of Orientation (Presentation 1 of the
videos) prior to lesson one. In order to squeeze more hands-on dog training work into our lessons, we no longer present this material in lecture format during your course. Completing this
homework prior to your first lesson will help you understand much of the "why" behind the way we do things. If you don't get a chance to do this pre-lesson-one homework, you'll just have to trust us
at your first lesson, and know that it will all make more sense as you review this material afterwards.
Feel free to contact Bette at (617) 966-4240 or send us a message through this site with any questions you may have about our programs.
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FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT GROUP DOG TRAINING LESSONS:
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Picture Perfect Pets offers you a truly unique dog training system that sets you up for maximum success at training your dog. As part of your Level 1 for All Dogs, Puppy Perfect or Doggy DoRight
dog training course, you'll receive online access to Bette Yip's Level 1 Study Guide, which reviews in detail all material that will be covered during your lessons. As an additional supplement, you will
also receive access to the video version of Bette Yip's Level 1 Study Guide to help you get the most out of your course. If you'll need to miss a lesson, or if some family members won't be able to
make it to all of the lessons, these materials along with your course outline and homework pages will help keep you on track.
To preview your course outline as well as recommended reading and video watching homework assignments,
click here.
We realize that different people have different learning styles! Some people learn well by reading, others by watching and listening. One system that seems to have worked well for our students is
to preview course material in the written study guide and on the DVDs before the material is presented in class. Then, in lessons, you can take better advantage of individual coaching and guidance
from your instructor as you practice your dog training around an environment of controlled distractions. (Come to PAC Drop In Classes for additional practice time and socialization!) After your
lesson, you can refer back to your written study guide and DVDs again at home as you practice material learned in lessons.
If a student needs to miss a lesson, these materials will allow them to keep up with the group until they can attend a make up lesson with another group covering the missed material. There is no
charge to attend another group for a make up lesson (but this usually means completing lessons out of sequence.) If a private session is needed as a make up lesson, regular private training rates
apply.
Please note:
Tuition Fees are non-refundable, but a pro-rated balance may be transferred to private lesson tuition or enrollment in a different group or private training with Bette Yip. Additional fees may apply.
Please contact Bette for details.
Lessons may occasionally run a little longer than the usual hour. Please allow a ten minute cushion in your schedule, just in case.
Group dog training classes meet weekly at the same day & time aside from any weather or holiday postponements, which will be announced for each individual group. If you will need to miss a
lesson due to severe weather (or a holiday or school vacation), please contact Bette at (617) 966-4240 as soon as you have made that decision. If several students call to say they'll be missing class
on the same day, we may opt to postpone that day's lesson. In the event of a postponement, the course will be extended an additonal week to make up for it.
Please do feel free to remind us of any holiday weeks, school vacations or major events you'd vote to postpone class for, or if you have a situation for which you'd prefer classes not be postponed if
at all possible!
You may bring friends / family to class --the more the merrier, and the more consistent your dog's training will be.
Please be on time for entry level dog training lessons because. . . In beginner group classes, dogs have not yet learned to spin off distractions-they are here to learn basic manners and skills in an
environment of carefully controlled distractions. Arriving on time is important to all members. Allowing dogs to greet briefly without letting leashes get tangled before the class officially starts helps
dogs focus better in class. While Puppy Perfect groups also sometimes get play sessions, these may not always be at the start of class. Every time a late dog enters the room, the others begin to
lose focus in their excitement, and each team loses momentum as they try to rebuild focus. By arriving on time, you set yourself and all your class mates up for success!
If you will often need to arrive after the start time of group classes, please consider private dog training as an option instead.
If a student's repeated lateness causes undue disruption to a group, Picture Perfect Pets reserves the right to require the student to either transfer to a group on a more appropriate day/time so that
they can be on time for lessons (transfer fee may apply), or to apply the unused balance of their tuition towards in-studio private dog training sessions to finish out their course. Thank you so much
for understanding!
The book, The Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson is recommended supplemental reading for all Picture Perfect Pets dog training students. There is so much information we wish we could just
transfer to our students instantly! But reading this book as you begin your training is a good start. The author is really tough on humans, but if you can get past the tone, the information on canine
behavior and preventative training in terms of behaviors likely to develop without prevention is excellent. It isn't a book readily available at many bookstores these days, but the Bookrack at 13
Medford St. in Arlington, MA is stocking it for us. You can also order through www.amazon.com or www.dogwise.com .
Also consider ordering the DVD, "Calming Signals," by Turid Rugaas to help you learn to read canine body language better. We often mention body language as we see it come up in group classes,
but this is the sort of thing for which having video footage to rewind as you begin to learn about it can be very useful. This DVD is also available at www.dogwise.com .
WHAT TO BRING TO CLASS:
Your dog on a regular collar or harness and 6 foot leash. . . we get to work right from the first week! Choke collars and prong collars are not used in classes. If you need help choosing an appropriate
pull-management device, please talk to your instructor.
Training rewards of varying values (high, medium, low).
A favorite toy may sometimes be useful in class as a pacifier during lecture portions of the lessons, or as a reward for good work.
Poop pickup bags, just in case. . . please be courteous to our neighbors.
Your enrollment form, vaccine proofs and tuition payment should have been submitted prior to your first lesson.