DogBasics Introduction Course 2008

Your training at DogBasics starts off with an Introduction Course, where you will learn about dog behaviour and how dogs learn. The Introduction Course is £35.

What is included in the Introduction Course?

IC-P A private consultation where your dog gets to familiarise himself/herself with the training area and we get a chance to assess which socialisation and lesson group he/she belongs in. You pick the date/time for this lesson, so please give us a few suggestions of times/dates that suit you, when you fill in the Contact Us form to book for the course. 10 minutes long. Outdoors.

IC-DL A theory lesson in group without the dogs, where you will learn about dog language, what dogs really are saying with their behaviour and how you should behave to get the most out of your canine relationship. 1-1,5 hour long. Indoors.

IC-1 A practical lesson in group with other dogs where you'll learn how to teach your dog to Sit, Down, Stay and Not jumping up. 1 hour long. Outdoors.

IC-2 A practical lesson in group with other dogs where we'll go through Recall, Focus, Walking on lead without pulling and Leave. 1 hour long. Outdoors.

Free socialisation sessions. Each session is 30 minutes long. There are 3 different socialisation groups - Small (for small breeds, the youngest puppies and very submissive dogs), Medium (medium sized puppies of good confidence) and XL for the older dog (and larger, confident puppies).

Where is the training done?

All our lessons are held in Great Offley, Hertfordshire, UK. Great Offley is a little village situated between Hitchin (Hertfordshire) and Luton (Bedfordshire), click here for a map.

The Dog Language theory and First Aid lessons are held at our house, without the dogs, so you can concentrate. The practical lessons are held in our secure garden or during walks in different areas of Offley.

How many dogs will there be in each class?

There will be max 5 dogs in the practical lessons, except for the Lead Focus lesson, where you can find up to 8 dogs. You don't bring your dog to the theory lessons.

Can more than 1 person come to the lessons?

To the Dog Language and the First Aid lesson we ask that you and your partner come alone, but to the practical lessons you can bring the family with you.

The theory lessons (Dog Language and First Aid) are few and far between, so we need to make room for as many dog owners as possible. That is why we only allow 2 people from each dogs family to come to the theory lessons.

To the practical lessons you are welcome to bring your whole family (however, if there are more than 5 of you, please make the trainer aware of this!).

Vaccinations, etc.

Your dog has to be fully vaccinated, wormed and flea treated to join the lessons.

Choosing your lesson

You can choose all your lessons from the schedule below, just scroll down on this page. The lessons that start with IC are part of the Introduction Course. You don't have to pick all the lessons now, you can wait and see what other dates come up (new dates will be added to the page regularly). Just email me which lessons you would like to book.

What happens after the Introduction Course?

Once you have taken the Introduction Course, you can pick lessons that interest you, from the schedule below. For these further lessons, you can pay on the day, £5 per lesson or buy a book of 4 lessons for £16.

How to book To book an Introduction Course for your dog, please fill out our Contact Us form and submit it, so we know who you are. In the Extra Info section you can add the dates of your IC lessons and which dates/times suit you best for the IC-P, if you have already found some suitable ones. After that, please choose your method of payment. These are your payment options: Credit and Debit card payment To pay by debit/credit card, please use the button to the right. Cash Payment You can pay cash at the IC-P and at the First Aid lessons, but you can NOT pay cash if your first lesson is a group lesson (IC-DL, IC-1, IC-2 and all other practical lessons). Internet Banking You can also use internet banking. Just ask for our bank details. Cheque Payment Sorry, we no longer accept cheque payments.

Paying £35 for your IC course, use the button below!

Can I bring my other dog to the lessons?

You can bring more than 1 dog to the IC-1, IC-2 and other practical lessons, providing they live with your family and you have another family member with you to handle the additional dog/s. You need to notify me in advance and you need to bring the vaccination card for your other dog and pay the same fee for them as you pay for your other dog (£5/lesson or they can share a book of 4 lessons for £16).

If you'd like to socialise an additional dog/puppy, you will have to pay a one off fee of £10 per additional dog for the socialising sessions.

Which lessons should you choose?

If the lesson has a marking as Beginner, then we'll be going through the exercises in the class from scratch. The instructor will show you how to teach the dog the exercise.

If the class has a marking of Advanced, then you are expected to know the exercise without instructions from the dog trainer. These classes are for those of you who want to tidy up your dogs execution of the exercises.

If the lesson is unmarked, then it is open to everyone, but you are expected to have been shown the exercises before (in a Beginner class, IC-1 or IC-2). Purpose: practicing the exercises in groups with other dogs and distractions.

What type of lessons are on offer?

Socialisation (Small, Medium (Puppy), XL) - 30 minutes off lead play, no training, free of charge. SMALL for the youngest puppies and small breeds and nervous dogs. MEDIUM for puppies and XL for larger puppies and adult dogs.
Basics - we work on sit, down, stay, walking on lead and other basics. We play games and have fun with the training.
Search / Stay - we work on stay, search, retrieve and relinquish.
Agility - assault course for dogs - jumping, going through tunnels and balancing.
Tricks & Clicker training - a mix of exercises and tricks taught using a clicker.
Walk - we will take a walk around local footpaths to work on your lead skills, recall and stays. In the more experienced groups we'll also work with search exercises. You'll be notified where we'll meet, when you sign up for the lesson.
Lead Focus - larger group training walking the dogs on lead, training the dogs to focus on the owner when meeting dogs, people, bicycles, etc.
First Aid - vet nurse Philippa Jackson-Cox talks about general health issues with your dog and will show you how to bandage your dogs paw. Claw cutting will also be demonstrated.

Please book your lessons well in advance!

Once you've taken the Introduction Course and if you want to come for more lesson, you can use the button to the right, to buy a book of 4 lessons, at the discounted price of £16: (This is NOT payment for the Introduction Course!)

Please note!

We are cutting down on the number of classes and socialisation sessions offered during the winter months. We'll start up more weekday lessons and more variety in spring 2008!

If you want to book in for agility during the winter months, but you've never done agility before, please book a regular Agility lesson, as there wont be any Beginnner Agility lessons available until spring.

To see the lesson dates, please click here!