Motivating Us to Play, Seek Adventure & Be Loyal.

Interested in learning games to play with your dog? How about an introduction into Nose Work? Or just simply interested in working with your dog outside of the Basic Manners classes? We’re here for you!

We understand that variety is the spice of life and as much as we love building skills with our dogs, sometimes, we need to have a little more fun or focus in on a specific skill.

We offer an array of classes for owners for whichever facet they choose, from Fun & Games, Nose Work, Loose Leash Walking, and Outdoor Distractions.

Find your perfect fit by checking out our Class Guide and Registering you and your pup today!

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    Class Guide
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    Who Should Attend? Owners who want to improve handling and having fun with your dog.

    Pre-Requisites? Successfully complete Puppy 1.

    Class Objectives: For dogs to play obedience games, cognitive games, or practice agility-style skills.

    Who Should Attend? Owners interested in learning more about the nose work sport.

    Pre-Requisites? No pre-requisite, but dogs must be comfortable in a class environment and friendly with other dogs and people.

    Class Objectives: To introduce owners and dogs to the nosework sport. Nose work is one of the best ways to tire out a smart and energetic dog!

    Offered in Spring – early Fall

    Who Should Attend? Owners who want to become comfortable with walking your dog in different settings.

    Pre-Requisites? Dogs must be friendly with people and other dogs. If not a prior client of NPAB, instructor approval is required.

    Class Objectives: For your dog to walk politely on a loose leash in a variety of settings.

    Offered in Spring – early Fall

    A client favorite! Held in several local parks, the dogs focus on their owners and offering calm behaviors in close proximity to other dogs while in the company of squirrels, bikers, hikers and new sights & smells.

    Who Should Attend? Owners whose dog struggles with focusing on you while on walks or in public.

    Pre-Requisites? Dogs must be friendly with people and other dogs. If not a prior client of NPAB, instructor approval is required.

    Class Objectives: To improve the focus of your dog while outside with distraction, such as other dogs, wildlife, traffic, etc.

    Our Humans Say It Best

    “Beth is incredibly knowledgeable and patient. She brings a huge depth of experience that enables her to suggest multiple approaches to address the problems you may face with your dog. Most importantly, she is able to help you improve your dog’s behavior and manners, while enhance your dog’s confidence and the bond you share. She is great about coming from a judgment-free place, focusing on the positive and not the negative. I would (and regularly do!) highly recommend her to anyone.”

    Stephanie, Sarvard

    “I hired Beth for my stubborn, fearful, aggressive beagle mix Buster. After many failed attempts with other trainers, Beth gave so many insightful tips to get Buster to relax and to respond to training. Not only is she knowledgeable but she sincerely cares about the animals she trains. I have seen more progress in Buster in the last few weeks after her training than ever before! Beth equipped me for success and I am well on my way to having a well behaved boy. I couldn’t be more thrilled with her service. I highly recommend her!”

    Angela, Kennedy Township

    “Beth is a wonderful trainer, and truly cares about every dog she comes in contact with. She was able to help us to take our shy, timid puppy Duke and turn him into a loving, affectionate pup! We are still working on the obedience part, but he has come so far because of her two puppy courses. Her training techniques always worked out, and she seemed to have a vast knowledge of all different breeds! I would highly recommend her services to anyone looking for a wonderful and caring trainer!”

    Melissa, Gibsonia

    “I cannot recommend Beth highly enough. Our very wild and out of control labrador had been to 3 other trainers. From my first conversation with her on the phone, Beth put me at ease. It was immediately clear that she knew her stuff. While I previously considered other trainers as a waste of money, Beth was worth every penny and then some. She replied to me promptly when I had questions about working with Bella and even called a few weeks later to check on her. She was the most kind animal professional I’ve ever worked with, and the success we have seen with our Bella is unbelievable. I would never consider another trainer.”

    Linda, Wexford

    “The quality of training Beth did with our rescue dog in such short time was incredible. I have recommended her to everyone I know. She was great with our new dog and our children. She made the process very easy and was extremely affordable.”

    Bill & Jeannie, Cranberry Twp
    More Wagging Testimonials

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Find below some of our most frequently asked questions. If your question is not here, please email Beth!

    Beth’s classes focus on reward-based training. She considers herself a “force-free” trainer; meaning that physical force and harmful equipment is not used in her training. As a certified professional dog trainer, Beth believes in science-based techniques which encourage the dog to repeat good behavior. Rewards such as food, praise, play, and interaction with other dogs and people are used to reinforce good choices. There is no use of aversive equipment such as choke chains or shock collars in class. Our classes are family friendly and our techniques can be practiced easily by everyone in the home.

    Class sizes are limited to 8 dogs per class for Puppy 1. All other classes are limited to a maximum of 6 dogs. Specialty classes, such as dog social skills and loose leash walking are limited to 4 dogs. Limiting the class size allows for plenty of one-on-one time with the instructor.

    We pride ourselves on our small class sizes & individual attention on each dog. Our average class size is 6 dogs. This means we get to know you, your pup, your goals and unique challenges.

    Beth really takes pride in finding the best solution for every dog. Some dogs may need a “head start” with private instruction before being in a class with many distractions.

    As a general rule, I find many dogs start out best in a basic obedience class. This is a 7 week class that focuses on the basics and introduces many skills at a base level to give you and your dog a nice working foundation.

    If your dog has basic skills, but you’d like to increase the difficulty or reliability, our levels classes may be a nice choice for your dog. Here, we work on attentiveness to the owner, speed of commands, duration of positions, increased distractions, working at a distance, and off leash reliability.

    Private sessions are best suited for owners who cannot commit to a class and need more flexibility with scheduling, or dogs who have human or dog aggression issues, or behavioral issues in and around the home.

    The large majority of training the dog occurs when you are working with the dog in between classes or private lessons. Your results will vary depending on your commitment level to the program, the dog’s natural learning abilities (we can’t all be border collies!), and the severity of the problem behavior. All dogs (and their humans) are treated as individuals and our programs are easily worked into even the most packed schedule. Remember that practice makes perfect, and patience and hard work always prevail!

    Because there are so many components of behavior, guarantees are never offered. (And you should be skeptical of any trainer that IS offering a guarantee!) Behavior in general is very complex and even small adjustments can lead to a backslide in behavior. While we can’t guarantee your dog will never bite the UPS man or steal pizza from the counter, we can promise to guide you on the right path with your dog so that you have a great life together.

    (And yes, we can tell if you’ve been practicing or not!)

    Hopefully! We have had a zero death count in classes over the last 10 years.

    More seriously, distractions are a huge component of training and a great benefit to smaller classes. By keeping our classes small, your dog has minimal distractions compared to classes with 20-30 dogs. We put a huge emphasis on attention to the owner, and we do occasionally use greeting other dogs in class as a reward, if appropriate.

    Yes, your dog may be barking and excited to see the other dogs. I really enjoy seeing their friendly spirit. We will tone them down and have them greet other dogs appropriately while allowing them to be the social animals that they are.

    While many big box stores provide classes that are positive reinforcement based, they are typically not conducted by dog trainers who are nationally certified. These trainers are typically well versed in basic commands, but are not qualified to give behavioral advice.

    Beth has made it her life’s work to commit to the BEST and most effective training techniques available and is a certified professional dog trainer. (For more info on that, go to ccpdt.org!) Beth spends thousands every year attending conferences to keep up to date on the best methods available, and is required to have 36 continuing education credits every 3 years. In the last 10 years, Beth has worked with at least 20,000 dog & handler teams and has seen tremendous results.

    We accept cash, personal checks, credit cards and PayPal. Payment is due in full upon signing up for a class. You can reserve your spot in a class and pay in full here!

    We do not offer refunds for classes once they begin. Your tuition holds the spot for you in class, and we cannot fill that spot once class has started. Under extenuating circumstances, we may offer you a place in another class at our discretion.

    We do provide refunds to unused private sessions to clients whose dogs we recommend rehoming.

    All phone calls are returned within 2 business days.

    If you have any other questions, please contact us!

    Email Beth