Best Friends Dog Obedience
Nice Manners for the Family Pet
Voted Best of Baltimore 2001
by Baltimore Magazine
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| Our
Puppy Preschool
Program Puppy Preschool is for puppies as young as 8 weeks of age up to 5 months (puppies currently in Puppy Preschool may continue until the age of 6 months) . Classes are held on an on-going basis - you can start any week and attend as many or as few sessions as you wish!
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Our
Basic Manners Classes
Basic Manners classes are for dogs at least 5-6 months of age (no upper age limit!) and are scheduled in 7 week sessions year round on Saturdays (evening classes may be offered during Summer months). New classes begin every other month (except for November and December due to holidays), but may fill months in advance. Our next available classes begin on Saturday, June 7, 2008 (Baltimore at Roland Park Country School) and Monday, June 9th (Frederick, at Two Paws Up) and Tuesday June 17th (Woods Church Severna Park). Spaces fill on a first come-first served basis. Registration for the Baltimore classes is via e-mail. Please e-mail Janet@bestfriendsdogobedience.com for an application and instructions. Frederick registration is in-person only at Two Paws Up during their normal business hours. (301)668-7704 www.twopawsup.biz
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$125
registration fee includes Basic Manners will teach you to teach your dog: SIT, DOWN, STAY, HEEL, COME Each exercise will be strengthened with increased challenges each week, such as: changes of pace while Heeling; increased distances for Come and Stay; and extension of time for Stays. We will also introduce some real-life temptations to help your dog learn to listen to you while distracted. This class also includes solutions for common problems such as jumping, barking, digging, and chewing.
We offer "Beyond Basic"
sessions in Baltimore only (look for that to change!) to our former BASIC MANNERS students on a pay-as-you-go basis. Beyond Basic will automatically be canceled for rain, snow, temperature below FREEZING or other weather conditions that may impede outdoor work. Fee is $9 per week, and $70 coupon books are available for 10 classes (must be used within a 6 month time frame). Please contact Lorrie@bestfriendsdogobedience.com about these classes.
Register in person at Two Paws Up location, or e-mail Janet@bestfriendsdogobedience.com for an application for the Baltimore and Severna Park classes. Cash or check only, no credit
cards. Please e-mail Janet if you have any registration questions. |
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Behavior Counseling
and Training We also offer private training and behavior consultations in your home. The fee for in home training is $100 per hour, with the initial session generally running 1.5 hours.
Contact Janet
for Puppy Preschool and Basic Manners registration questions or concerns, and Private Behavior Counseling and Training.
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| Class Schedules |
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NOTE: If the weather makes class unsafe for dogs or people, class will not be held. Temperature over 90 degrees or BELOW 32 degrees at the time of class, or any snow policy in effect, will cause us to cancel class. Class may also be cancelled if very severe rain or other conditions exist. We will reschedule any cancelled classes to ensure that we complete the full 7 week BASIC Manners course. Puppy Preschool may be held indoors in lieu of cancellation. Please CALL to verify if class is being held or not! Call 410-908-3640
for cancellation information. If the "normal"
message is on the voicemail, class IS being held. Voicemail will ONLY be changed if class is canceled. Do not leave a message or request a call-back for weather cancellation questions - we will not be able to answer the phone if we are conducting classes. On Saturdays, call as early as
8:00 a.m.; for evening classes, call as early as 5:30 p.m. |
MD SPCA
TWO PAWS UP
WHO is Best Friends?
Janet Boss began her dog training involvement in 1974. Adopting a "second hand" dog with some behavior issues, she enrolled in an obedience class and still thinks of Charlie (the dog!) as one of her most valuable teachers. Nothing like living with (and through) a challenging dog to encourage one to have the skill-set to deal with them! Charlie was in Janet's life for 15.5 years, so he had a huge influence on every dog Janet has ever been involved with. Besides instructing obedience classes, she also served on the Board of Directors of the MD SPCA for 10 years, and is the former chair of the Vicious Dog Hearing Board for Baltimore City, as well as served as Intake Coordinator and evaluator for Goldheart Golden Retriever Rescue (www.goldheart.org). Her goal is to keep all dogs in permanent homes. She owns 3 dogs, Rudy, a Golden Retriever (a foster failure!) and Lucy (ONYX), a Lab mix who was adopted from the MD SPCA. Rudy is in training for "Flyball" (Lucy is retired), where he goes crazy for tennis balls and wears Janet out! Flat-coated Retriever puppy Marcie joined the household in late November of 2007. Janet is also owned by 2 cats - Carey, a tortoiseshell, and Skipjack, a blue tabby with cute white feet, who "claimed" Janet at the SPCA in early 2002! Janet lives in Ellicott City and teaches the Puppy Preschool class as well as some of the Basic Manners classes, and offers in-home behavior counseling in Howard, Carroll, Frederick, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, as well as Baltimore City. Janet is mostly available during weekday daytimes, with limited evening and weekend time and day availability. Janet is a member of IACP - International Association of Canine Professionals (www.dogpro.org) Contact Janet
Lorrie Krebs is busy too! Besides teaching here at the SPCA, she is a former training director at Oriole Dog Training Club, and is also an instructor for the Baltimore County 4H Obedience program. She currently owns two dogs, an SPCA adoptee named Prudence - a Saint Bernard mix, and a rescued Greyhound named Gryff, who joined the household in August of 2007. Lorrie's previous best friends have been lucky to have a second chance at great lives with her, and have come from shelters, Greyhound Rescue, and breed rescues. As you can see, second-hand dogs are second-nature for Lorrie, and she brings this understanding to her students. Lorrie manages to fit in a full time job as a Ph.D. scientist and college Chemistry professor, but always has time for dogs! Lorrie lives in Baltimore City and instructs some of the Saturday Basic Manners classes as well as Beyond Basic, and offers in-home counseling in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, with flexible time and day availability Contact Lorrie
Amy Bauer has been teaching for Best Friends Dog Obedience for 4 years. Amy is co-instructor with Heather for some of the Basic Manners sessions (Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings), and assists and substitute teaches for Puppy Preschool. Amy has 3 dogs - Harley, a lab/chessie mix (he's black), Abby, a lab (she's chocolate) and a new addition - Nellie, also a lab (she's yellow!).! Contact Amy
Heather Farrell has been teaching with Best Friends Dog Obedience for 3 years. She is co-instructor with Amy for Tuesday and some Saturday Basic Manners, and assists and substitutes for Puppy Preschool. Heather had a major instructing role with the 4-H program during the summer of 2004. Heather has one dog, a mixed breed adopted from Recycled Love, named Clover. Much loved cats Roxy and Fiona are her companions. Contact Heather
Emma Louthan is off at college! After 3 years of assisting, we hope she's back to help us out in the summer. When Emma is home on break, she lives with her parents and sister Kelsey, and a menagerie of pets listed below.
Kelsey Louthan is our newest assistant, taking over for sister Emma. Kelsey started helping us out in the spring of 2007 and she's ready for the big time. Kelsey is a freshman at Mercy High School and excels in the sciences. She lives with her parents (and Emma when she's home) as well as cats Carla and Fiona, a rabbit named Trix, Murphy, a Border Collie/Setter mix and Pete, an Australian Shepherd.
Contact
US
Janet@BestFriendsDogObedience.com
Lorrie@BestFriendsDogObedience.com
Best Friends Dog Obedience
P.O.
Box 710
Ellicott City, MD 21041
410-908-3640
