DogBoy's Dog BlogDog boarding, training, daycare and wellness in the Austin area

Yep, we even teach kiddos about dogs.

Good behavior comes more easily to some dogs than others. Some just seem to get that they shouldn’t jump up; they walk beautifully on leash; they don’t bark and will sit, stay, and maybe even come on command with just a little work. If you have such a dog, consider yourself blessed. You’ve won the doggie lottery! But you can still benefit from taking a class at DogBoy’s with one of our outstanding training staff.

It’s easy not to think much about training unless you have a specific issue or set of issues you want to work on with your dog. But any human-dog duo can benefit from taking a training class. “In training classes, they don’t so much teach the dog but teach the human to teach the dog, and always with a 100% positive-training method. On numerous occasions, staff have stayed long after class to help us with individual issues we’ve had,” says Jon Campbell, whose dogs Ali and now Guinness have been long-time regulars at DogBoy’s.

If you’ve never taken a class from DogBoy’s before, the place to start will be with a Level 1 obedience class. Even if you’ve taken a basic class before or if you feel your dog has a good grasp of beginning commands like “sit,” we cover so much more. Such as: how you set up your household; how you communicate with your dog, even if you don’t realize you are; dynamics of a multiple dog household and so much more. It is the foundation for all the more advanced classes we offer. And we offer many advanced classes.

Do you want your dog to be a therapy dog? There’s a class for that. A visit from a sweet, friendly dog brightens the day of many people in nursing homes and long-term medical care. Therapy dog programs usually require passing the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen program as a prerequisite, and our CGC class is focused on preparing you and your dog to take the Canine Good Citizen test at the end of the class.

Do you want to do a fun activity with your dog that will get you both some exercise? There’s a class for that. Agility and Rally Obedience are human-dog sports that will really get you and your dog moving while deepening that bond and really improving your communication skill with your pooch. Our classes don’t emphasize competition, but if you decide you’d like to compete in Rally or Agility with your dog you’ll have a good head start. Kari Trecker, who has taken Agility with her dog Freida, talked about another benefit of taking Agility or any other class with your pup—confidence building. In a review posted on Yelp!, Kari says “She [Freida] was so happy when she completed an obstacle!”

Do you want to help your children learn to handle your family dog and learn how to be safe with strange dogs? There’s a class for that. Family Dynamics, which has evolved from our former “Kids and Dogs” class, is geared toward children ages six to twelve with an eye towards helping them be respectful toward their own and other dogs.

Do you have a new puppy? There’s a class for that, too! Our Totally Puppy! class is for dogs ages 8 to 16 weeks (dogs must be able to finish the class by age 20 weeks). It is a constantly rotating four-week class with no set beginning or ending date. You can start any time and attend for four consecutive weeks. There is a golden window of opportunity at that age for your pup to gain maximum benefit from exposure to new dogs, people and places. Best of all, our Puppy Class helps you start off on the right paw with your family’s newest member.

Our mission at DogBoy’s is to help you have the happiest, healthiest, most well-adjusted dog possible, and our training classes are a big part of that mission. Our Certified Professional Dog Trainers will even arrange private lessons if you want to work on a specific issue with your dog. Please visit our website or call us for more information. Remember: training isn’t just for “bad” dogs!