PAWS TO PLAY! Group Classes

Group Obedience Classes are held on Saturday mornings at PAWS TO PLAY, 7312 E. Thomas Rd, Scottsdale AZ 85251; CALL (480) 966-9267 for current class times and scheduling. (IF YOUR BUDGET AND SCHEDULE ALLOW, WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND ENROLLING IN BOTH GROUP LESSONS AND PRIVATE LESSONS AT THE SAME TIME. NOT EVERYONE CAN AFFORD TO DO THIS, BUT IF YOU CAN, YOU WILL GET EXTREMELY EXCELLENT RESULTS IN THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TIME.)

Classes at our Canine Behavioral Center are held on Saturday mornings or Wednesday nights. Lessons are one hour each, and we start and end classes on time. Bring your dog, a 5 foot leash, some treats, a small note pad and pen, plastic bags in case your dog poops, and whatever collar you are currently using.

BEGINNING DOG GROUP CLASS: In this class, we introduce proper leash handling, basic behavior modification and problem solving, giving commands, using treats for training, and doing commands without treats. We are laying the foundation for later off leash control. This class is extremely important in order to have a truly obedient dog. FRIENDLY DOGS ONLY. The person doing the training should either be an adult or competent teenager. These classes are held at 8 am on Saturdays.

INTERMEDIATE I DOG GROUP CLASS: In this class, we master all the stationary commands on leash: Sit, Down, Stand, Sit-Stay, Down-Stay, Stand-Stay, Sit-out-of-motion, Down-out-of-motion, Stand-out-of-motion; plus, we review all the skills of the beginning class. This class brings a great deal of focus and control from your dog. These classes lay the foundation for the next class. The person doing the training should either be an adult or competent teenager. These classes are held at 9 am on Saturdays.

INTERMEDIATE II DOG GROUP CLASS: In this class, we master on leash heeling and coming when called. We will work on mastering all the proper heeling skills, including turns, automatic Sit, and the Finish. We will also work on mastering all the coming-when-called skills, focusing on speed, position, attention, distractions, distance and attitude. The person doing the training should either be an adult or competent teenager. These classes will be held at 10 am on Saturdays, beginning after January 1, 2006. Graduates from this class will then enter the Advanced Off Leash Dog Group Classes.

PROBLEM DOG CLASS: This is a special class for dogs which aren't good (dangerous) with other dogs or people. You will first be required to take 2 private lessons before you enroll in the group class. The first private lesson shows you proper handling skills. The second class tells you techniques on how to control your dog in an aggressive situation. THEN, you will begin training in a group environment with other dogs and people. The cost of the class is $155 for the private sessions and $150 for the group class (for the first 8 group lessons), plus you will be required to purchase $50 worth of supplies from us and a muzzle. The price for the group sessions will increase to $199 on October 1, 2006. The person doing the training must be an adult; for their safety, minors are not allowed to participate in these classes. These group classes are held at 10 am on Saturdays; after January 1, 2007, these classes will be held at 11 am on Saturdays.

Our group classes differ SIGNIFICANTLY from those that you have seen other trainers offer.

Group classes are appropriate for the following situations:


a.) To train your friendly dog to obey in distracting environments, especially around other dogs and strangers. We are there to work, and you'll see immediate results even after the first lesson. We drill through the exercises every week, and I watch your progress. We are wanting you to succeed, and Sam Basso wants to see a good result. Sam Basso will watch each dog and handler and give you tips on how to improve every aspect of your handling, we will go over behavioral problems each lesson, and I'm going to help you get your goals with your dog.

b.) To supplement your private lessons, so you get additional ways to practice your homework. About half of our customers sign up for both private and group lessons. Every customer who has signed up for both group and private lessons has immediately seen the improvements in their dog. Plus, private lessons offer certain benefits to the dog and owner, and group classes offer other benefits. By signing up for both types of classes, you will get the most for your time and money.

c.) For behavior modification purposes. Sam Basso will take a limited number of "problem" dogs into the group classes (most need to be in private lessons instead). When Sam was writing up this description, he was working with a 2 year old dog that was fearful of both dogs and people. The dog had bitten several people. After less than 10 days time, this dog was no longer biting people. The dog wasn't yet finished after just 10 days, but the dog had come a very long way from where it was when he started. We can use the group classes as part of a behavior modification program. In these cases, the customer will be doing specialized homework with their dog in the midst of the other students, and you will usually see excellent progress.

With most group classes, you don't get trained, and your dog never gets trained properly. THIS ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN IF YOU TRAIN YOUR DOG WITH US. The instructors those other group classes are poor quality, the programs aren't very useful in the real world, and you waste a lot of time and money. Just think: do you really want to train your dog in a "grocery store" environment, or with a "ham and egg" kind of trainer, or would you rather work with an experienced professional trainer? Those other classes you are thinking of taking at most other facilities, or at your local pet store or public park, are worthless. Do you really think a trainer at those places is very good? They aren't, and you know it! When veterinarians need to refer their customers to a trainer, who do you think they call? Them or Sam Basso? Sam Basso is oftentimes the difference between whether a dog is given away (or put to sleep) or is turned around and kept in the home.

In our classes, we will cover all the same information that we do in Basic Dog Obedience I & II private lessons, except we are meeting in a group setting. The difference between private lessons and group classes is that we can train your dog faster in private lessons (and some dogs are too dangerous to start out in a group setting), because we are dealing with just one dog and one owner, instead of a group, and in private lessons we meet daily instead of weekly. Thus, it will take about a month to get your dog through Basic Dog Obedience I with private lessons, whereas it will take over a year with group classes. The quality of the group classes will be as good as the private lessons. The advantages of the group classes are (a.) you can spread the cost out over time, (b.) you can work your dog around other dogs and groups of people on a weekly basis, and (c.) some people can't do daily lessons because they have a busy schedule. In the end, you will pay a similar amount for the group classes or the private lessons, to get the same end result.

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