Small Group Training Classes

Who This Class Is For: Puppies 8 weeks to 6 months old and their families who want to give their pups a strong foundation for lifelong success.

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What Puppy Foundations Is:
Puppy Foundations is all about supporting healthy development, not just teaching commands. This ongoing, open-attendance program focuses on helping puppies navigate new experiences, develop social skills, and build emotional resilience - all during their most important growth period.

Think of it like preventive care for your puppy’s behavior and emotional health: just as vaccines and vet visits protect their body, early developmental support protects their confidence, coping skills, and ability to handle everyday stressors.

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Why Early Development Matters:
During these first months, puppies are learning how to:

• Recover from excitement or fear

• Handle stress and new situations

• Tolerate touch, handling, and restraint

• Interact safely with people and other dogs

The experiences they have now strongly influence how they respond later to: veterinary visits, grooming, novel environments, and everyday challenges.

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What Puppies Gain:

• Confidence in new environments

• Calm recovery after stress or excitement

• Comfort with cooperative handling and care

• Safe, positive interactions with people and other dogs

• Focus, problem-solving, and self-regulation

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How This Program Is Different:

• Not an obedience or command-focused class

• Not a “push-through” or flooding approach

• Focused on emotional safety, learning, and long-term resilience

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Cooperative Care & Veterinary Readiness:
Puppies gently practice handling, positioning, and calm responses during routine care activities. This helps them:

• Reduce stress during vet visits

• Become safer and easier to handle for owners and staff

• Build trust in new people and environments

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Support for Owners:
Families receive real-time coaching so you can:

• Recognize signs of stress or comfort

• Support your puppy’s calm recovery

• Strengthen your bond without pressure
  Education happens naturally in each session, with activities designed to be practical, meaningful, and fun.

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Next Steps as Puppies Grow:
After completing Puppy Foundations, families may transition into:

• Adolescent or teen-focused training programs

• Continued enrichment and socialization groups

• Individual training sessions, if needed

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Puppies who go through Puppy Foundations are often more confident, easier to handle, and better prepared for lifelong learning - giving families a strong head start on success.

📅 Details:

📍 Drop-In | Ongoing | Small Group

$30 per session, value packages available​

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Dogs may attend as often or as little as needed.

Senior Paws Club is a low-impact, enrichment-based group designed specifically for aging dogs who benefit from gentle movement, mental engagement, and a supportive environment. This is not obedience.
This is not high-energy training. This is comfort, connection, and quality of life.

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• Gentle mobility & balance activities
• Light strength-building appropriate for senior bodies
• Cognitive enrichment & problem-solving games
• Senior-focused cooperative care practice
• Calm parallel social time (no pressure to interact)
• Plenty of rest breaks

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All activities are optional and adapted to each dog’s comfort level.

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🧠 Designed to Support:

• Ongoing mobility
• Body awareness & coordination
• Mental engagement
• Confidence in the senior years
• Safe, supportive outings.

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📍 Drop-In | Ongoing | Small Group

$20 per session | Dannebrog, Ne

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Dogs may attend as often or as little as needed.

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COMING SOON!

A structured group for teaching dogs safe play, calm observation, and social regulation.

These would not be daycare or free-for-all playgroups.

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The focus would be:
•Learning appropriate social behavior.

•Reading dog-to-dog communication.

•Play skills when appropriate
•Regulation, pauses, and disengagement.

•Safety-first, coached interactions.

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Play is optional. Learning is the goal.

Helping dogs 7 months and older grow confident, calm, and reliable!

This 6-week group program is designed for teenage dogs (7–12 months) and adult dogs (12 months and older) who missed early learning opportunities, need a refresher, or are struggling with impulse control, focus, or real-life manners.

Through fun, structured sessions, dogs and families will work on:
✔️ Leash skills and focus in real-world situations
✔️ Reliable recall and impulse control (leave it, stay, wait)
✔️ Polite greetings and jump prevention
✔️ Cooperative care and handling
✔️ Emotional regulation and calm decision-making
✔️ Structured social skills with other dogs
✔️ Enrichment to challenge and engage teen and adult dogs
✔️ Preventing long-term behavior challenges

Families will also learn how your dog’s brain is developing and practical strategies to support growth, calmness, and confidence at home.

🐶 This class is a good fit for dogs who:
✔️ Are 7 months and older
✔️ Struggle with impulse control, focus, or over-arousal
✔️ Need help with leash skills, greetings, or social manners
✔️ Benefit from a structured, supportive group environment

🚫 This class is NOT the right fit for dogs who:
❌ Have a recent bite history
❌ Display severe aggression toward people or dogs
❌ Cannot stay under threshold in a group setting

📅 Details:

• 6-week group program

• 60-minute sessions

• $200 total or $40 per class

• Spots limited for a calm, supportive environment

• Located at Central Nebraska Humane Society

A Group Class for Reactive, Fearful, and Under-Socialized Dogs
Calm & Confident Canines is a 6-week group program designed for dogs who struggle with reactivity, fear, or confidence in the world around them.
When people hear “reactive dog class,” they often picture barking, lunging, or out-of-control behavior. While this class can support those dogs, it is also thoughtfully designed for dogs who may be struggling more quietly.

This class is a great fit for:
• Fear-based reactive dogs
• Shy, timid, or under-socialized dogs
• Dogs who shut down or avoid rather than act out
• Dogs who struggle to feel safe or confident in new environments
• Dogs showing mild reactivity or early-stage aggressive behaviors rooted in fear or uncertainty.

What Makes This Class Different
This is not a chaotic group setting or a “throw them in and hope for the best” environment. Dogs are carefully matched with others who have similar needs
Exposure is low, controlled, and intentional
Dogs work at their own pace, no forced interactions. Progress is built through safety, predictability, and trust.

We focus on helping dogs learn how to:
• Remain calm around other dogs and people
• Exist in shared spaces without pressure to engage
• Build confidence through safe, structured experiences
• Develop real-life skills for home and small, successful outings.

Our Approach
This class is not about quick fixes or checking boxes.
It’s about:
Nervous system regulation
Trust-building
Creating a foundation for long-term behavior change
Every dog deserves the chance to feel safe, understood, and successful - especially those who have been rushed, misunderstood, or overlooked.

Program Details
• 6-week program (45-minute sessions)
• Maximum of 4 dogs per class (small group for individualized support)
• Structured, supportive environment designed for safety and success
• Weekly practice plans to guide progress at home
If you’re not sure whether this class is the right fit for your dog, I’m always happy to talk it through with you.

📅 Details:

• 6-week group program

• 60-minute sessions

• $300 total or $60 per class

• Spots limited for a calm, supportive environment

• Located at Dannebrog & Grand Island

As our classes continue to grow, we plan to introduce seperate Foundations Groups for adolescents and adult dogs - allowing us to better support each dog's learning style, energy level, and stage of development.