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TRAINING & OBEDIENCE CLASSES

Stream Valley Veterinary Hospital offers obedience training for dogs of all sizes and ages. Your pet can work one-on-one during Doggie Daycare sessions with our kennel staff, or you can enroll in our Puppy Primer or Basic Obedience Classes!

Obedience Class Syllabi
*Puppy Primer is BACK! Please stay tuned for Basic Obedience. Thank you!*

Puppy Primer 

  • For dogs 8 weeks to under 6 months of age

  • 4-week curriculum

  • Introduction to socialization with people and other dogs in safe, controlled interactions

  • House manners and child-dog interaction

  • Positive reinforcement technique emphasized

  • Basic commands: come, sit, down, wait, leave it, take it, settle

  • Going to the vet or groomer

  • Enrichment activities

  • Behavioral issues: house-training, jumping up, destructive chewing, excessive barking, leash-pulling, puppy biting, etc.

This course is free for our clients, or $98 for non-clients!

Basic Obedience

  • For dogs aged 6 months and up

  • 6-week curriculum

  • Puppy class is not a prerequisite for this class

  • Socialization with people and other dogs in safe, controlled interactions

  • Positive reinforcement technique emphasized

  • Curriculum may parallel Puppy Primer Classes, with the additions of stay, heel, and further behavior topics 

This class is just $124 for the entire 6 week course!

NEW: AKC Canine Good Citizen 

We're introducing the Canine Good Citizen Program to Stream Valley! CGC is a 7-week program for all dogs, purebred or mixed breed, that focuses on teaching good manners and obedience while strengthening the bond between you and your dog. Please note: Basic Obedience training is a prerequisite for this class. Proof of completion is required. 

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Your pet will learn: 

Accepting a friendly stranger

Sitting politely for petting

Loose lead walks

Walking through a crowd

Sitting down on command and sitting in place

Coming when called

Polite reaction to another dog and more! 

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SIGN UP TODAY

It's just $150 for the entire course!

After completing the Canine Good Citizen Program, you can check out more advanced training such as: therapy training, agility, and rally obedience. Some homeowner's insurance programs might offer a discount for CGC-certified dogs, and even some rental properties are seeing the certification as a bonus for becoming a resident. Call us at (703) 723-1017 to reserve a spot! 

Victory Visits

Victory Visits are meant to reduce the amount of fear and stress in an animal when they come into a veterinary office and ensure they feel comfortable in an exam room. 

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Recommendations for your pet vary upon doctor's behavioral examination. Each session of a Victory Visit will be 30 minutes in length.

 

The location and costs of visits include: 

Office visit: $35.70 OR During daycare visit: $35 (with daycare discounted to $25)

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Your pet can benefit from a Victory Visit for the following reasons: 

- Exam room management (medical services, weight, vitals, etc)

- Fear free handling

- Desensitization (grooming, nail care, hygiene, etc)

- Behavior training

  • Sit (to increase focus on handler and/or owner)

  • Stay (to allow handling, physical examination)

  • Hold paw (exam, nail trim, hygiene)

  • Hold paw with rubbing paw (for blood draw, nail trim, hygiene, exam, catheter placement)

  • Step up (weigh scale, exam table)

  • Lay down (exam, medication, vitals, grooming)

  • Lay down with belly rubs (exam, vitals, blood draws, medication, grooming)

  • Full body rub down (exam, grooming, medication/vaccinations)

  • Lifting lips (hygiene, dental care, exam, medication)

  • Lifting lips with rubbing gums (hygiene, dental care, exam, medication)

  • Rubbing ears (exam, hygiene, medication)

  • Leave it (avoidance of unsafe foreign objects)

For further information or to schedule your Victory Visit, please contact our office at 703-723-1017!

Meet our Trainer

Melanie Friedman has been training dogs for over 15 years. In that time, she has helped countless families build happy relationships and have fun with their dogs by applying modern positive reinforcement science-based training methods. Training makes your life easier by teaching good manners and living within the rules and structure of family life. 

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Melanie Friedman
 CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, CTDI, SDJ, AACE, CCFC, CHWI, AKC-CGC Evaluator

Training classes are a wonderful way to build your relationship with your pet. Did you know the number one reason pets are relinquished to local shelters is behavioral issues? With Melanie's positive reinforcement techniques, we can help you address basic behavioral problems, manners, and obedience to keep your dog a happy, well-adjusted member of your family.

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For upcoming class schedules, check our event calendar, our information board in our lobby, watch for announcements via email, or email us at trainersvvh@gmail.com

 You can also give us a call at our office at (703) 723-1017 with any questions or to register for a class.  (Please note: we generally check our training email about once per week.)

If you have questions about our classes or you are interested in signing up, you can contact our training coordinator by email at trainersvvh@gmail.com.

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