What is CLASS?

At its core, CLASS is an educational tool, providing resources that promote understanding in dog training methods that focus on using positive reinforcement. Canine Life And Social Skills is not just about training dogs; it is about training people, too. Education is essential, as dog behavior is often misunderstood, and myths have been perpetuated regarding their behavior. Dogs should be studied and understood as a distinct individuals.

Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement training is not based on using only food as a reward—it is about understanding the science behind positive reinforcement. It is a simple rule that behaviors resulting in pleasant consequences will be repeated, and behaviors with no payoff will decrease. Positive consequences can be anything from massages and belly rubs, to going for a walk, to sitting next to you, to playing games.

Build a Better Understanding

Effective communication is essential to any relationship. Training is communicating to help a dog learn what we want them to do without forcing them to do it. Dogs and humans are born speaking different languages. When a dog is brought into a human household, it is up to the human to communicate in a way the dog understands. Similarly, dogs have an expressive and well-developed system of body language for communication. If we expect the dog to listen to us, we should listen to what the dog is telling us.

Build Stronger Bonds

Promotes healthy relationship-based training, training in which the communication is two-way, the mutual trust is strong, and the student (i.e. dog owner) gets to know the dog as an individual to help them reach their full potential. We spend quality time with the dog, resulting in the dog learning so that they have the social skills to spend more time with people. Dogs are living, emotional beings who thrive on social interaction; they require human attention to be well-adjusted, not to mention to learn appropriate social behavior.