Step 2: Choosing Your Path – Taking the Next Step In Your Reactive Training Journey
Congratulations! You’ve completed Online Foundations Class!
Your next steps is either:
- Indoor Reactive Class, which is held in Ferndale at our facility for dogs who can settle in and focus on their handler and training tasks with some help and support or
- Outdoor Reactive, held in various locations for dogs needing much more space than the building can provide comfortably for them.
Alternatively, if you’re here for fun, you can pop into one of our drop-ins - Reactive Enrichment Club or Reactive Friendly events, if you would like to try a class out!
So let’s dive in more below and help you decide what’s next for you and your dog!
Congratulations on completing Online Foundations! You’ve taken an important first step in understanding reactivity and building essential management skills. Now it’s time to choose the right environment for your hands-on training journey.
We offer two specialized programs – Indoor Reactive and Outdoor Reactive – each designed to meet different dogs’ needs and learning styles.
Please consider the below and help us help you decide where you dog is best suited to go next:
Ferndale: Indoor Reactive
What is the Indoor Program? Our Ferndale-based program combines essential reactive dog skills with enrichment breaks and pattern games, creating an engaging learning environment where dogs can build confidence while having fun. Using strategic barriers and controlled spaces, we help dogs learn to remain calm and focused even with other dogs nearby.
Perfect For:
- Dogs with mild to moderate reactivity
- Dogs who can settle and work in closer quarters over time
- Puppies just starting to show reactive behaviors
- Dogs who do better with visual barriers
- Teams building initial confidence
- Dogs who need a more structured environment
Program Features:
- Maximum 3-4 dogs per class
- 6-week program
- Strategic use of visual barriers
- Enrichment breaks between training
- Focus on engagement and basic reactive dog skills
- Combines training with confidence-building activities
What You’ll Learn:
- Essential cues (touch, let’s go, find it)
- Leash handling skills
- Engagement techniques
- Pattern games for focus
- Management strategies
- How to read your dog’s body language
Outdoor Reactive Program: Building Skills (Various Locations)
What is the Outdoor Program? Our Outdoor Reactive program utilizes natural space and distance to help dogs build confidence and skills. Working in a real-world environment with plenty of space, dogs learn to navigate triggers while staying connected with their handlers.
Perfect For:
- Dogs with higher levels of reactivity, needing more space
- Dogs who need more space to process and learn
- Dogs who get overwhelmed by close quarters and are mostly unable to settle or learn
- Dogs who do better with distance than barriers
- Handlers wanting to build outdoor walking skills
Program Features:
- Maximum 3-4 dogs per class
- 6-week program
- Natural barriers and ample space
- Real-world environmental elements
- Gradual distance work
- Focus on practical application
What You’ll Learn:
- Distance management skills
- Environmental awareness
- Trigger stacking prevention
- Real-world handling techniques
- How to use natural barriers
- Reading environmental cues
Reactive Enrichment Club
What is Reactive Enrichment Club? A unique program that combines confidence-building activities with controlled exposure work.
Regular Club Sessions | $59 each
- 45-minute sessions
- Maximum 3 dogs per session
- Individual working stations
- Combination of physical and mental exercises
- Strategic use of barriers
- Focus on positive experiences through enrichment
Perfect For:
- Dogs who need to build confidence gradually
- Teams unsure about group class readiness
- Dogs who benefit from barriers and structure
- Those wanting to try our facility in a low-pressure way
- Dogs who learn better through play and enrichment
- Teams looking for a more relaxed training environment
