Description of Classes Offered

The club offers four class sessions per year, beginning in January, April, July and October. Classes are held at the club, 3800 Bethania Station Road, near historic Bethabara Park in Winston-Salem. Most classes meet in the evenings, but daytime classes are also available. All classes meet once a week for eight weeks.

Class schedules are finalized approximately six weeks before the new class session begins. If you've requested class information by leaving a message on the club's answering machine, we will automatically mail you a copy of the schedule, along with a registration form. Please note the specific "Registration Policies" discussed later.

Students sign up for their dog's first class based on the dog's age at the time classes begin.

If your dog will be 8 to 14 weeks old the first week of classes, our Puppy Class is for you.

If your puppy will be 15-24 weeks old the first week of classes, our Senior Puppy Class is for you.

If your dog is 5 1/2 months old or older, our Beginner's Class is probably the best choice for you.

Please read the class descriptions that follow.

The Puppy Class is for puppies 8 to 14 weeks old the first week of class. The Senior Puppy Class is for puppies 15 - 24 weeks old the first week of class. You'll learn the basics of how to get your young, developing puppy off to a good start as a well-behaved companion. You'll learn how to teach your puppy basic life skills, as well as how to avoid common problems before they start. Some of the topics covered include:

Walking on a loose leash
House-breaking
Health and grooming
Socialization
Handling problem behaviors

The class setting also gives your puppy a great chance to develop social skills by interacting with other people and dogs. Puppy and Senior Puppy Class graduates usually continue their training by enrolling in Beginner's Class.

Beginner's Class is for Puppy Class graduates and any dogs at least six months old that have not taken a class at the Club. In Beginner's Class, you'll learn the fundamentals of control and obedience at home, stressing areas such as:

Walking on a loose leash
Coming when called
Staying on command
Sit
Down
Stand

Beginner I Class is a prerequisite for the Beginner II Class.

NEW    Family Dog     NEW

 
A class for families ( 1-3 children ages 6-12, and a parent or guardian per dog) to help the family be consistent with commands and behaviors around the dog.
 
Pre-requisite: 

      Parent must have successfully completed Puppy or Beginner 1 at WSDTC with dog.

Walking on a loose leash
Coming when called by any member of the family
Sit
Down
Self control at doors
Food manners

In Beginner II Class, you continue to learn the fundamentals of control and obedience at home, stressing areas such as:

Walking on a loose leash
Coming when called
Staying on command
Sit
Down
Stand

Canine Good Citizen Class is structured around the requirements for the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen title, available to purebred and mixed-breed dogs who pass a ten-step test. CGC Tests are conducted regularly at the club between class sessions. In Canine Good Citizen Class, you'll learn the fundamentals of control and obedience for the well-behaved dog, stressing areas such as:

Accepting a friendly stranger and a friendly dog
Walking on a loose leash and through crowds
Sit and down on command
Staying on command
Coming when called
Handling brief separations from you

Competition I and II Classes, which must be taken in sequence, are primarily designed to provide you and your dog with a solid foundation for serious obedience competition. The exercises taught in the classes will also help you improve your control over your dog at home and in public settings. Topics covered in Competition I and II include:

Stationary attention
Heeling with attention
Fronts and finishes
Stands and stays
Footwork and basic handling skills
Improving speed and accuracy
Building teamwork between you and your dog

Advanced performance training classes teach the skills necessary to acquire titles in obedience, agility, rally, and flyball.

Advanced obedience classes require the completion of Competition I and II Classes. The classes offered are: Novice Class - to prepare for the Companion Dog title; Open Class - to prepare for the Companion Dog Excellent title; and Utility Class - to prepare for the Utility Dog title.

Agility, and Flyball Classes require that your dog complete Canine Good Citizen Class and Introduction to Performance Sports Class. Upon completion of those requirements, you may enroll in Beginning Agility Class or Flyball Class. Upon completion of Beginning Agility Class, you may enroll in Intermediate Agility Class.

If you and your dog have taken formal classes with other training organizations and you feel that you may be ready for an advanced class at the club, please leave a message for our Training Committee on the club's answering machine.

The fee for the first eight week session you take with your dog is $85.

After you complete your first class, you will receive a discount on any additional classes you take with that dog. The second and subsequent class fee for one dog is $75.

Class fees help pay for the Club's training facility, fund operating costs, and support obedience, tracking, agility, rally, flyball, and support community service and education.

To simplify the registration process and minimize confusion on the first night of class, the club has established a registration deadline and policies.

If you are a first-time student, your veterinarian must complete a portion of the registration form certifying that your dog has current vaccinations appropriate for its age before you can bring your dog to class.

We cannot register you for a class by telephone. We need the completed registration form and your check before we can hold a space for you in class.

The deadline for registration is noted on the Class Schedule.

The Club reserves the right to ban from the class any dog considered by an instructor or member of the Training Committee to be dangerous to other dogs or people.

We will return incomplete forms, forms without vaccination certification, forms without checks, and forms received after registration has closed.

Classes at the Winston-Salem Dog Training Club are designed to help typical owners and obedience competitors learn to train their dogs. We are not able to deal with serious behavior problems in the class setting.

If you think your dog has serious behavior problems, please leave a message for the Training Committee so we can help you assess the severity of the problem and possibly recommend other sources of help.

We encourage prospective students to observe a class at the Club. Observers may not bring their dogs. The best time to see a class in action is early evening Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

If you have questions or need more information, please leave a message on the Club's answering machine (336) 924-4211 so we can have the appropriate member return your call. You may also submit inquiries via email to WSDTC1@gmail.com.