Best Friends Dog Obedience
Nice Manners for the Family Pet

Voted Best of Baltimore 2001
by Baltimore Magazine



*** Our next Basic Manners classes will begin in on June 9, 2012. Please e-mail Janet@bestfriendsdogobedience.com for an application for these RPCS classes. Pet Depot classes are full, and a new session will start in September.

Puppy Preschool is held at 8:45 a.m. (11:00 a.m. January-March!) every Saturday at RPCS, weather permitting, holidays and selected weeks off (please see detail below).


BECOME A FAN OF BEST FRIENDS DOG OBEDIENCE!
We now have a Facebook Page! Visit us for up to date news and photos!





****************************************************

We currently offer group classes in Baltimore, at Roland Park Country School on Saturday mornings, and at Pet Depot on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Puppy Preschool and Beyond Basic meet at 8:45/9:00 a.m. and Basic Manners meets at 10 a.m. on Saturdays, 6:00, 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. for Pet Depot on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Please see detail below for registration requirements. Our next Basic Manners start dates are June 9, 2012 (RPCS) September TBD 2012 (Pet Depot).
****************************************************

We now have *3* instructors available for in-home behavior consultations and private training. Janet, Lorrie and Heather are able to offer a variety of scheduling options to suit your time frame. See information below for what areas each trainer covers, as well as availability!

****************************************************

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!



A registration fee of $90 covers unlimited attendance plus online access to a puppy handbook that includes detailed advice on the most common behavioral problems and information on selecting equipment, crate training, and feeding your puppy.



Puppy Preschool stresses socialization and problem prevention. We will introduce basic commands (SIT, DOWN, COME, as well as other skills) and help you learn how to communicate with your puppy!
We introduce puppy-appropriate agility equipment to help your puppy gain confidence, learn physical and behavioral skills, and give them some mental exercise along with the physical!



Since a portion of our class involves free play and close contact with the other puppies, we require that all vaccinations be on schedule for the puppy's age. Please bring a copy of your veterinary record that we can keep on file. Please do NOT bring a "flexi" (retracting) leash!



This class is a lot of fun and starts the family off on the right "paw"!


Register with your puppy at Roland Park Country School 5204 Roland Ave Baltimore (playgrounds - outdoor!), [almost] any Saturday morning at 8:45 a.m.


No pre-registration -- (scheduled "off" dates are 5/26, 6/30) Each class is 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cash or check only, no credit cards. PLEASE READ OUR WEATHER POLICY! There is no space limit for this class - always room for one more!

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 7-8 week sessions year round on Saturdays, Mondays and Tuesdays.

New classes begin every other month (except for November and December due to holidays), but may fill months in advance. Spaces fill on a first come-first served basis. Registration is via e-mail/snail mail and in person on the day of class (space permitting). Please e-mail Janet@bestfriendsdogobedience.com for an application, information and instructions for the RPCS class that starts June 9, 2012. Pet Depot classes are starting are off for the Summer, and resume in September.

A $140 registration fee includes
the full 7 weeks of 1 hour classes for RPCS (outdoors), $140 for 8 weeks at Pet Depot (indoors)

  NOTE:
No dogs attend Week One.

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 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 $10 per week, and discount coupon books are available. Please contact Lorrie@bestfriendsdogobedience.com about these classes.
Please remember to bring water for your dogs (and yourselves!) as we do not have on-site water access.
The proposed Beyond Basic schedule May and June is as follows:
May 5 - 9am on the RPCS parking lot. We are still practicing trick training using food or toys, so please bring a motivational snack or toy for your dog for this portion of the class
May 12 - 9am on the RPCS parking lot. Trick training continues...
May 19 - 9am on the RPCS parking lot. We will wrap up this trick training segment by showing off what our dogs taught us! :-D
May 26 - No BFDO classes - Memorial Day Weekend
June 2 - 9am on the RPCS parking lot.
June 9 - 9am on the RPCS parking lot. This month we'll focus on Recalls, Stays, and Drops.
June 16 - 9am on the RPCS parking lot.
June 23 - 9am on the RPCS parking lot. Class picnic! Bring a chair or blanket to sit on, some food for yourself, some food for your dog, enough to share if you like! We'll work on nice manners in a "park" setting with food, dogs, and toys as our distractions.
Please remember our warm weather cancellation policy - class will be automatically canceled for rain and/or for temperatures in excess of 90 F at 9am.
For those of you who just love this class and want to attend almost every week, the next 4-month session is starting in June. Pay a flat fee of $75 and attend class as often as you like through the end of September! If you attend 8 or more classes your per-class fee will drop below the standard $10. Hey! That's a good deal! :-) And even better - if you are a member of the Baltimore Food Co-op show your membership card for $5 off! Sign-ups for the 4-month session will be accepted through June 16.

E-mail Janet@bestfriendsdogobedience.com for an application for Basic Manners classes, specifying the start date. Cash or check only, no credit cards. Please e-mail Janet if you have any registration questions.

Start Dates:
Saturdays - Roland Park Country School (10:00 a.m. 7 weeks):
6/9/2012
Mondays - Pet Depot (6:00, 7:00 p.m. 8 weeks)
9/tbd/2012 - Register beginning August 1
ADVANCED BASIC - Pet Depot - Mondays at 8:00 p.m. beginning 9/tbd/12

Private 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. A travel fee may be charged outside a counselor's area.

Contact Janet for Puppy Preschool and Basic Manners registration questions or concerns, and Private Behavior Counseling and Training.
Janet lives in Ellicott City and teaches the Puppy Preschool class as well as some Saturday and all Monday and Tuesday Basic Manners sessions and offers in-home behavior counseling in Howard, Southern Carroll, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Dorchester and Talbot counties, as well as Baltimore City. Janet is available during weekday daytimes only.
or
Contact Lorrie for information on Beyond Basic, and Private Behavior Counseling and Training.
Lorrie lives in Baltimore City and instructs some 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.

Heather Farrell (Heather@bestfriendsdogobedience.com) offers limited Private Behavior Counseling and Training in your home, in the Bethesda area.

When Contacting a trainer about Private Behavior Counseling and Training in your home, please specify your available days and hours, your location, and the nature of any problems your dog may be having.

NOTE: If the weather makes class unsafe for dogs or people, class will not be held.

Our RPCS classes are OUTDOORS! Temperature over 90 degrees or BELOW 32 degrees at the time of class, rain, or any snow policy in effect, will cause us to cancel class. We will reschedule any canceled classes to ensure that we complete the full 7 week BASIC Manners course.

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. (9:00 a.m. January-March)


RPCS
Enter starting street address:

City, State or Zipcode:

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 2 dogs, Marcie, a Flatcoated Retriever who is a speed demon and has achieved her FM (Flyball Master 5000+ points), Rudy, a Golden Retriever who has earned his WC (Working Certificate in hunt training) and FDCh-Gold (Flyball Dog Champion 2500+ points). Janet is also owned by a cat - 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 the Basic Manners classes at Pet Depot, 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 very 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 Besides teaching here at RPCS, 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

Heather Farrell has been teaching with Best Friends Dog Obedience for 8 years, and instructs at both Roland Park Country School and Pet Depot locations. Heather has two dogs, a mixed breed adopted from Recycled Love, named Clover, and a Pug/Beagle mix from the MD SPCA name Saki. Much loved cats Roxy and Fiona are their companions.  Contact Heather

Kelsey Louthan Kelsey started with Best Friends in the spring of 2007 and is a big part of our Puppy Preschool training team. Kelsey is a veterinary technician. She has a Sugar Glider named Rupert, and still counts cats Carla, Fiona and Jack, Murphy, a Border Collie/Setter mix and Pete, an Australian Shepherd as her companions, even though they all live with her parents.  

Contact US
Janet@BestFriendsDogObedience.com    Lorrie@BestFriendsDogObedience.com

Best Friends Dog Obedience
P.O. Box 710
Ellicott City, MD 21041
410-908-3640

1 Counter Dog Training Baltimore Metro!