Life Skills Class

Flexible drop-in style training focused on creating calm, easy-to-live-with family dogs.
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The class is designed for social puppies and dogs of all ages. Puppies will focus on socialization, confidence building, handling, and life skills, while older dogs work on developing reliable manners and practical skills for everyday life. Dogs over 6 months of age need to start with a private foundational session prior to enrolling to ensure the basics of handling and attention are understood.

Learn foundational skills that are helpful in all areas of life:
  • Handling, grooming, and veterinary care training to make these experiences fear-free
  • Puppy socialization and confidence-building exercises
  • Home manners and dog bite prevention
  • Out-and-about manners and how to be safe and successful in public
  • Focus and control in any environment
  • How dogs learn and practical training techniques for real-world success
  • Enrichment activities and relationship-building games

Skills Covered:
  • Sit & down
  • Stay & recall
  • Polite greetings
  • Settle work
  • Impulse control
  • Real-life manners
  • Enrichment and relationship building
Program Details:
  • 6 classes included
  • 1 online orientation required before attending
  • Flexible scheduling once orientation is complete
  • After orientation is complete, reserve your 6 sessions on whatever day works best for you.
  • ​All classes expire after 8 weeks and are non-refundable.

Class Options:
  • Thursdays – 6:00 PM @ The Family Fido
  • Saturdays – 10:30 AM @ The Family Fido

Life Skills

$300.00
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Life Skills - Rescue Discount

$250.00
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Leash Confidence Lab

For dogs who struggle with pulling, reactivity, over-arousal, distraction, or confidence on leash.  This class is designed to make walks easy and enjoyable for both ends of the leash! 
  • This class begins with an online orientation session. After completing the online portion, handlers will submit a video demonstrating the foundation skills practiced at home with their dog.
  • Once the handler and dog successfully demonstrate these initial behaviors, they will move on to Checkpoint 1 of the in-person program.
  • The course includes 5 structured checkpoints completed at the farm, with each session gradually incorporating the dog’s triggers in a controlled and supportive way. Progression through the checkpoints is individualized based on each dog’s comfort level, skill development, and emotional regulation.
  • Some teams may complete all 5 checkpoints within the 5-week program, while others may benefit from additional farm sessions for continued practice and confidence building.
  • To provide personalized coaching and hands-on guidance, each class is limited to 2 dogs per instructor.

Program Goals:
  • Understand individual temperament, preferences, tolerances, motives 
  • How dogs learn, emotion VS behavior - when to train and when to counter condition
  • The use of training, reward strategies, and when to use management 

Program Skills: 
  • Leash handling, safety, and control 
  • Attention/Auto Check-ins to assess arousal level
  • Patterns for success
  • Relaxation in presence of dogs or people 
Class Options: 
Various days and times. We want to accommodate different schedules. Please reach out to us. We would love to discuss how we can arrange a session that works for you.

Includes:
  • 6 in person sessions
  • 1 virtual sessions
  • Video submission required prior to in-person training
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Program Details:  Two teams per time slot

Leash Confidence Lab

$500.00
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Leash Confidence Lab - Rescue Discount

$450.00
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Therapy Dog Prep Class

Prepare your dog for real-world therapy work through confidence building, manners, public access skills, handler teamwork, and how to know if your dog is ready to be a therapy dog. 
  • This class is designed for dogs with foundational skills such as sit, down, loose leash walking, and attention to handler 
  • Majority of the locations with be at The Family Fido but alternate locations may be added depending on readiness of the group.

Program Goals: 
  • Understand individual temperament, preferences, tolerances, motives 
  • Build on foundational skills by adding distractions and prepare for environments they may work in
  • What it takes to be an amazing therapy dog team that motivates and spreads joy to stranger 
  • Understanding how dogs communicate to ensure safety while working as a therapy dog team
  • Learn new skills helpful for visiting in multiple environments
    • Calm greeting/greeting on cue VS ignoring 
    • Settling skills
    • Loose leash walking 
    • Ignoring food and other novel distractions 
  • How to prepare for the test and identify areas to volunteer  ​
Program Details: 
  • This class is held on Wednesday's at 12:00.  
  • The first session is a pre-requisite class done at the farm before starting sessions in and about the Rochester area.

​Cost: Is for 5 sessions at local businesses & 1 prerequisite session at the farm

Therapy Dog Class

$200.00
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