Pawprints Training Academy helps you and your pet to build a partnership based on trust and communication through a variety of different training programs.
We provide the foundation of obedience training with our “Puppy Kindergarten”.
Once you begin to establish a bond with your dog “Beyond Puppy” allows you to graduate to more challenging skills.
If you desire more physical interaction in your training then “Agility” can be your answer.
Training can be a rewarding journey you and your dog experience together. Let us at Pawprints Training Academy facilitate that journey.
For information about private or group classes, contact Pawprints at pawprints@pawprints-vb.com or (772) 567-2121. Please stop by or call to discuss training packages and schedules.
Puppies need the opportunity to interact with other dogs as part of their exposure to the world we live in. When puppies are socialized early they tend to be more relaxed around other dogs. The ideal age for dog-to-dog socialization is 12 to 18 weeks. However, the primary reason for puppies to play with other puppies is to develop bite inhibition. Puppies learn how to use their mouths by playing with and “biting” other dogs. Good bite inhibition does not guarantee your dog will not bite, but it does mean the likelihood of a severe bite is minimal. Good bite inhibition is a crucial component of creating a trustworthy canine companion. *Puppies must be between 11 to 15 weeks of age with at least 2 rounds of vaccinations.
This is our introduction to obedience for dogs up to six months of age. The goal of this class is to teach owners and their dogs how to communicate with each other. We use positive reinforcement training techniques to identify and strengthen desired behaviors. Participants will learn fundamental obedience commands such as sit, stay, down, come and loose-leash walking. Creating a foundation for your dog’s learning that will last them a lifetime.
This class is designed for dogs six months and older with little or no formal training. If you participated in an obedience class but your dog still has problems following simple commands when distracted this is the class for you. We review all of the basic obedience skills and practice them in real-life situations, teach your dog how to meet strangers, sit for pets and walk nicely through a group of people.
AKC Rally is any team sport: You and your dog navigate a course, side-by-side, as you complete the skills detailed on 10-20 different signs. Each of these signs provides instructions regarding the next skill that is to be performed. Although each performance is timed, having a good race time is not the goal; it’s all about working as a team while performing the skills, with the dog under control.
In this class, the participants go from “on-leash” to “off-leash”. Dogs will be taught to perform all the basic commands off-leash with distractions. Your dog will be able to respond to commands whether you are inside or outside. You will learn to verbal commands or hand signals interchangeably with reliable responses from your dog. Owners and their dogs will learn new commands such as “place”, which will allow your dog limited freedom while maintaining manners and self-control in a designated area. Classes will be held on-site and off-site including a down-and-dine for graduation.
Prepare your dog for their Therapy Dog Certification by reviewing the temperament and obedience skills necessary for the evaluation. In this class, we will rehearse the actual components of the certification test, including human and canine interactions and navigating through congested areas.
This is a six-week course designed for beginning agility students. Our goal is to teach the dogs and their owners how to negotiate all of the obstacles used in agility trials. Prospective students should have some basic obedience skills and be reasonably fit. At the conclusion of this course, participants should be capable of competing as novices in a sanctioned agility trial. In addition to the weekly class, students will have access to the agility field at Pawprints in order to practice their new skills.
In intermediate agility, we will guide you on a step-by-step to better performance on the agility course. You will learn how to use obedience and directional commands to sequence smoothly and efficiently from one obstacle to the next, through turns and winding pathways. This course will help you develop a consistent set of cues for communicating with your dog on the agility course by introducing clicker training. As a result, your dog will understand your directives and you will be able to achieve the ultimate in teamwork.
Now that your dog has learned the basics of agility it is time to progress to hand signals and directional commands to increase your dog’s performance. Move from on-leash commands to off-leash reliability in this one-day seminar. Whether you are considering competition with your pet or you wish to add a new skill set to your dog’s repertoire this class can help you get there together.
One of the most effective ways to reward your dog is play and when you combine play with training the result is reliable behavior. All too often training becomes regimented and repetitive, when we introduce games to learning both dog and owner become excited about class. You will be surprised, by incorporating fun and a little competition to training, how much your dog will learn.
One of the most requested skills dog owners want for their pets is a reliable recall or come command. Getting your dog to arrive promptly without delay can be achieved when owner and dog both understand their roles. The dog must be attentive and responsive to the recall and the owner must be consistent and acknowledge the dog return every time. Although there will always be a large number of factors determining how well your dog comes when called, we can teach dog owners what a good recall command is and how to get their dogs to do one.
A dog’s nose is an amazing tool it has the ability to identify countless number scents. When trained properly dogs use their noses to assist custom agents in uncovering contraband, police in finding explosives, and rescue workers in locating lost or missing people. We can help you harness your dog’s innate ability to identify different odors, locate hidden items by their smell, and track a scent through an open field. Interact with your dog in an entirely different way as you work as a team to sniff out fun together.
Elizabeth has her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and started working with animals as an elephant trainer. After 11 years with elephants and having two kiddos she was given the opportunity to switch from elephants to dogs. Elizabeth started at Pawprints in the Fall of 2017. She has apprenticed under Sean; learning dog behavior, psychology, and teaching methods for both dogs and humans. Elizabeth now teaches group classes, works with daycare dogs that need or want training, and one on one training with clients. She got her CPDT-KA certificate in May 2022 and is excited to continue her education.
