Booking Page

Your course

Each of our group courses are designed with particular goals in mind for certain dogs and their needs. If you are unsure at all about whether a particular course suits your dog or not please get in touch. We want to ensure that you and your classmates get the most out of the classes. This means that even though we have specific things to cover we change how they are taught and delivered depending on the group in front of us which makes it very difficult to accommodate transfer between courses. Because of this we only allow transfers in cases where the dog or handlers have been sick for more than one session or female dogs have gone into season during the course.  

Sessions

Please arrive on time for your sessions as it is disruptive for your dog and the other dogs in the group. Throughout, the more of the assigned homework you can do each week the further we can get in each class. However if you are having difficulties during the week between classes please let us know and we will be more than happy to help get you moving before the next session. 

For the first week of the course, please do not let your dog over to say hello to another dog as we want to get to know each dog's boundaries and personality first to avoid any of them having a bad experience. 

Please bring poo bags and pick up after your dog. For courses in the park there are bins throughout that you can put your dog's poo in before or after class. In our training field in Prosperous, there are bins nearby to use also. 

Please always arrive to class with your dog on leash. Kildare is an on-leash county and we fully respect all of the local laws and requirements. Our training field is a private space however we also require dogs to be on leash arriving to class. We have a very busy schedule with groups and one to ones coming and going and while we leave safe time between sessions for dogs to come and go there can be some overlap. To keep everyone safe and ensure a good experience for all, we require dogs on leash at all times unless otherwise stated by your trainer. 

Weather

We train outdoors for the most part so please come to classes dressed for the weather. Primarily we train on grassy surfaces so please dress accordingly and bring towels for you and your dog if necessary.

We train in all weather where appropriate for your dog. For the younger groups we may postpone for heavier rain or excessive heat if we feel the group will not get the benefit from the class or be able to do much work in it. For this we will give as much notice as possible. This notice is given via text message and email. 

For yellow rain warnings we will check the local conditions the morning of your class and make a judgement call as to whether it is safe or suitable to hold class. For any warnings above a yellow we will automatically postpone the class for everyone's safety. 

Typically if the temperature goes below 0 degrees or above 21 degrees for the class itself we will postpone as there is very little useful work that our dogs will do in these ranges, particularly the younger puppies. 

Please note that most dogs get more hyper and excitable in strong winds. While we don't typically cancel classes for this weather type, we do use it as a distraction to work against. This means that we may go backwards slightly in the class content to re-work something in this weather type as needed. 

Your dog

Every dog is an individual and so will engage in the group, the coursework and the environment differently. Every dog is coming to the group class for a different reason and from a different starting point. As difficult as it can be, please do not judge yourself or your dog against the others in the group and please be mindful of what journey your classmates may be going through with their dogs knowing they may not progress as quickly as you. 

General classes

Our general obedience and majority group classes are not suitable for dog- or people-reactive dogs unless specified that it is for them. This means that dogs who bark, lunge, snap at, or attempt to bite people or dogs have other coursework that is more suitable to them for their point in their journey. If you are unsure, please get in touch and will be happy to guide you. 

We do not use punitive or aversive techniques when we train and so we will ask you not to yell at, hit or smack your dog, or use leash corrections throughout sessions. If you are struggling with anything please let us know so that we can help you. 

Reactive dog classes

We have a number of group classes suitable for dog- and people-reactive dogs. These are not available directly to book as they require your dog to go through a consultation process first and potentially some one to one work depending on the case so that they are in a position to engage with the group safely and positively. 

For reactive dog classes, please park in the designated spots. Your trainer will invite you from the car when suitable. This is so that we can set up the spaces so that the dogs all have a positive experience. 

Please arrive on time for these sessions. While we ask this of any class, it is particularly important for the reactive dogs as we have set up the environment, the other dogs, and any helpers specifically for the dogs involved in the group.  

Yourself

 You and your family are a huge part of your dog's training and behaviour modification journey. Each dog-handler team are unique and it is important to look at your collective strengths and needs as we go through your training. 

Details

Please ensure you give us all the contact details when you book your course. This includes both phone number and email address so that we can get your notes to you but also contact you in the case of a session being postponed. 

Please ensure that you upload a copy of your dog's vaccination form rather than just tick the boxes for the vaccines. If you omit this upload this is extra workload on the team here to chase that up and you may lose your spot to someone who has uploaded theirs first. 

Course payment is due in full no later than one week before your course begins. This ensures that we know exactly who is in each group and enables our training team to prep for the specific group properly.  

Contact

 The quickest way to get in touch with us is via email: jenny@thedogtreanor.com

On the day of your course if you need to get in touch due to running late or other issues please note that your trainer is in classes all day so the best way to get in touch with them is via a text message rather than a voice message.