Training
Training Both Ends of the Leash For Over 25 Years
Our Life Skills Program
Building Strong Relationships & Creating Life-Long Bonds
Our Life Skills classes are a six week foundational skills program set to train both pets and owners at their own pace. This ensures that your dog’s confidence builds and you’re having fun while doing it! Our skilled dog trainers can maximize individual attention to provide skill development with only six students and pets per class. All Dog Adventures offers classes during the day and evenings Tuesday through Saturday. We utilize a ring side crate as a training tool throughout Life Skills classes for impulse control and to build value into the crate.
Group Class Schedule
Current Training Classes
Tuesday - July 23rd
- Obedience 101- 12PM-1PM- Serena
- Puppy Pre School - 5PM-5:45PM- Serena
- Agility Foundations –5PM-6PM- James
- Agility Contacts – 6:15pm-7:15- James
- Life Skills 1 –6PM-7PM-Michelle
- Life Skills ⅔ –7:15PM- Michelle
Wednesday - July 24th
- Enrichment- 6PM-7PM- Michelle- Switching to 3 week
- Hoopers 7:15PM-8:15PM- Michelle
Thursday - July 25th
- Intermediate Agility- 11AM-12PM - James
- Handling Agility- 6PM-7PM - James
- Obedience 101- 5PM-6PM- Serena
- Tricks 6:15PM-7:15PM - Michelle
- CGC- 7:30PM-8:30PM- Michelle
Saturday - July 27th
- Obedience 101- 8:30AM-9:30AM - Serena
- Puppy Life Skills- 9:45AM-10:30AM- Serena
- Life Skills 1- 10:00AM-11:00 AM- Michelle
- Life Skills ⅔- 11:15AM-12:15PM - Michelle
- Puppy Pre School- 12:30PM-1:15PM - Michelle
- AKC STAR Puppy 1:30PM-2:30PM -Michelle
Saturday, August 3rd
- Confidence Building Seminar. Taught by Michelle, $60 for one time. Non reactive dogs only, 6 months and up. 3PM-4:30PM
Our Obedience 101 Program
Giving you and your dog a crash course on Obedience!
A 6 week course aimed at giving you and your dog a run down on basic obedience- We will go over things like sit, down, stay, door manners, loose leash walking, polite greetings with humans and more! This course is aimed at dogs aged 8 months of age and older and their humans. Our skilled dog trainers can maximize individual attention to provide skill development with only six students and pets per class. All Dog Adventures offers classes during the day and evenings Tuesday through Saturday. We utilize a ring side crate as a training tool throughout Obedience classes for impulse control and to build value into the crate.
We include a free day of Doggy Daycare with the purchase of a Life Skills or Obedience Program!
Our Class Levels
Full refunds are only available one week prior to classes beginning. Refund requests after this time will be given as a store credit.
NEW! Obedience 101
A 6 week course aimed at giving you and your dog a run down on basic obedience- We will go over things like sit, down, stay, door manners, loose leash walking, polite greetings with humans and more! This course is aimed at dogs aged 8 months of age and older who are non-reactive/non-aggressive and their humans. Please be sure to bring yummy treats and a hungry dog!
NEW! Puppy Life Skills
$160
Puppy Life Skills is a great way to start to train and bond with your puppy. Accepting dogs from 5 to 10 months old, this program is designed to move at your own pace to build your puppies confidence. We'll help cover the early stages of training, how to build a strong foundation of your relationship with your puppy, and start to learn things like Wait at Doors, Stay, etc. Once you have completed Puppy Life Skills you will be on your way and ready to enroll in LifeSkills 1.
Level 1: Life Skills Training
$180
In this class we set up the foundation for obedience training, build your dog’s ability to navigate real world scenarios and help you grow your bond with your dog. We will learn about everything from sit to crate manners to heel. This is a great head start for having a dog who follows your leadership and guidance. We will also be building up your dog’s ability to socialize with others.
Level 2: Life Skills Training
$180
In this class, we expand upon things like recall, impulse control, focusing with distractions, and loose leash walking. We will build up your dog’s ability to work around distractions and hold commands for a longer duration. We will also do things like having on-leash greetings with other dogs and people.
Level 3: Life Skills Training
$180
This class is geared towards our more advanced students, and focuses on obedience from a distance, loose leash walking around distractions, and regaining attention from your dog when they’re heavily distracted. We will also be working on your dog’s ability to follow multiple cues with only one reward.
Explore Our Advanced Classes
Does your pet have a solid foundation and are eager to learn more? Once your pet graduates from the Life Skills or Obedience Program, we offer a wide range of classes to keep them mentally and physically stimulated. Whether it is competitive canine sports or agility lessons, our team of dedicated trainers will help transform your dog into a star!
We offer a variety of classes, including:
- Agility
- Tricks/Stunt Dog
- Enrichment Classes
- CGC/Therapy Dog
Our Advanced Classes
NEW! CGC Prep Class
The AKC Canine Good Citizen ™ (CGC) program provides a perfect framework for training your dog to become a polite member of society. CGC class will help you and your dog learn the 10 skills in the program.
NEW! Puppy S.T.A.R Prep Class
Open to puppies ages 5-12 months old , the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy program is all about starting your relationship with your new puppy on the right foot. The S.T.A.R. stands for Socialization, Training, Activity, and a Responsible owner – the pillars of good puppy ownership. The program covers all the steps you should be taking to meet your puppy’s needs and to prepare your new pet for a happy and well-mannered adulthood. Your puppy will also get the chance to do the AKC S.T.A.R. puppy test at the end of this class.
NEW! Out and About Class
Prerequisite: Life Skills 3, CGC, or Evaluation
In this class you will learn how to live in public with your dog. We will train in the midst of the distractions of everyday life. We will work on skills such as loading and unloading into a car safely, entering and exiting stores, staying calm and keeping your dog's attention in public.
Hoopers Foundations (previously Hoopers)
Prerequisite: Life Skills 3, equivalent, or Evaluation.
Learn the foundation skills for Hoopers, an agility style sport that includes hoops, barrels, and tunnels. Introduction to equipment, build independence in your dog, work on distance handling mechanics. Dogs must be reliable off leash around other dogs, be responsive to handler, and have a duration stay.
All Level Tricks
Prerequisite: Lifeskills 2, equivalent, or Evaluation.
Teach your dog to perform tricks to entertain you and your friends. Tricks are a great way to encourage creativity and builds on the skills your dog already knows giving them that WOW factor. Flexible class syllabus to suit the interests of the students. Tracks include general trick titles, specialty trick titles, stunt dog (competitive tricks), functional tricks for cooperative care and everyday life, various training techniques like shaping, luring, capturing, and mimicking. If you are looking for high-energy and flashy or thoughtful and precise this class has something for every dog and handler team.
Agility Foundations
Prerequisites: Level three life skills, equivalent, or Evalutation. The dog must be able to sit, stay, and have a solid recall. Must be able to be crated.
This class introduces the basic agility concepts, such as crosses, and simple sequences of three or four obstacles and tunnels. The handler and the dog begin to learn to work together as a team.
Agility Intermediate
Prerequisites: Agility foundations, equivalent, or Evalutation.
Handler and dog continue to work as a team running sequences of up to 10 obstacles. The table and A-frame contact obstacles are introduced.
Agility Contacts and Weaves
Prerequisite: Intermediate agility, equivalent or Evalutation
The teeter and the dog walk are introduced, and weave training begins. Courses may be from 10 to 18 obstacles.
Agility Handling
Prerequisite: Contacts and weaves, equivalent, or Evalutation. Handler and dog must be able to manage all the obstacles and be proficient in 6 weaves.
Focusing on 12 to 20 obstacles will be standard. Preparation for competition, if desired, begins.
We're now Offering some NEW Mini Courses!
These mini-courses will be 3 weeks long for $100.
Adventures in Alternative Dog Training and Enrichment
Prerequisites: Life Skills 2, equivalent or Evaluation.
Is your dog bored and finding inappropriate ways to make their own fun during the day? Tired of training the same old skills? Need ideas to keep your dog busy and happy? Does your dog have an instinct that you need to find an outlet for? Want to add fitness to improve your dog’s overall mental and physical wellbeing? This is the class for you. We will approach the dog as a whole and provide training ideas that address all the senses and supports their physical, mental, and social needs. Topics could include fitness, brain games and problem solving, movement puzzles, alternative training techniques, DIY enrichment puzzles, scent games, cooperative care, useful tricks for everyday living, and the list goes on.
Puppy Preschool
Puppy Preschool is a great way to begin your dog's socialization and training. Accepting dogs from 10 weeks to 16 weeks, this program is designed to help you and your dog build confidence in one another. We'll help cover the basics of what you should be doing at home, early stages of training, and exposing your dog to new experiences in a controlled environment.
Once you have completed Puppy Preschool you will be on your way and ready to enroll in Puppy Life Skills!
Evaluations
Evaluations can be used for potential new family dogs, life skills, agility, daycare, apartments, etc. Bring your dog in for 20 minutes and we can help you evaluate your scenario and the class or private lesson option that’s best for you.
Strengthening Relationships Between Pets & Owners
At All Dog Adventures, we teach both owners and dogs foundational and advanced skills. Serving Richmond, VA, and surrounding communities, our dog training experts strive to provide you and your canine companion the tools and skills necessary to have an excellent relationship built on trust. Whether you want a competing dog or just foundational skills, All Dog Adventures has a training program perfectly suited for you and your four-legged friend.
Start Your Registration Login & Book Online!
Book boarding, day care and training online or through our new mobile app today! To sign up, please Use All Dog Adventures code: 846142
Have questions? Give us a call!
Teach Your Pets Life Skills With Our Supplemental Video Program!
With the purchase of the Life Skills Program, you’ll also have exclusive access to at-home training videos from our experienced trainers. Not only is this a great tool to use as a refresher on previous lessons, but it also provides the opportunity to practice more at home with your dog!
Testimonial from one of our training clients!
I am writing to you to introduce you to one of the dogs in your program and let you know what a huge difference All Dog Adventures training has made in my dogs life. I have a 11 month old French Bulldog named Martin. While it is somewhat unusual to have a French bulldog with a “job” – Martin has a very important job – he comes with me to work in an Addiction Medicine clinic. Each day he sees patients with me. He offers snuggles (and asks everyone for a belly rub) and acts as a bit of an ice breaker when they are nervous and is a soothing presence when they are anxious or upset. While it is fun to have a young puppy in the office I knew Martin would need top level training to be successful in the long run. I asked several friends who all recommended All Dog Adventures.
I started training with Julie in August 2022 with the goal of having him obtain his CGC and Therapy Dog certification. I was immediately impressed by her organization and ability to help me design a plan for Martin’s training and her insight into what would help Martin to be even better and more successful in clinic. She has also helped me to teach him “tricks” and both Martin and the patients love this (for example, he shakes hands with them when they come into my office and walks nicely next to them to the front desk to check out and then waves "bye"). Julie is on time and organized every session and always explains the reasoning behind the exercises we are doing which helps me to be a better handler. As someone in the medical field, I really appreciate that she has researched the different styles of dog training and can back her teaching with current information. I love not just learning a “trick” or command for my dog but the rationale behind it. (For example, teaching the “Middle” command so that if I need to call him for safety reasons such as if a wheelchair is in the way or we had an ambulance crew in the hallway, he would not be in the way). She helps me recognize subtle signals in Martin’s body language and know when adjust accordingly if he is becoming stressed. Julie teaches not only to Martin but also to me which is fantastic.
Julie also recommended group training so that Martin could learn skills with other dogs and we are now in Level 2 class with Melanie. Melanie also does a great job in helping Martin to become successful and he often gets to be the example for class. Martin loves going to his group class and I enjoy it as well. We recently passed our level 2 class and have signed up to start with Level 3 in January.
I don’t know if you offer employee recognition at your organization but if you do, I would like to recommend Julie for a “shout out” as I feel she has made an incredible difference in my dogs life. I look forward to continuing to train at All Dog Adventures and wanted to let you know how impressed I am with your instructors.
FAQ
How do I get started in Life Skills?
The first step to getting started in Life Skills is filling out our registration form. Once we receive your registration form, our team will call, and we’ll work together to schedule your time with us. From there, we require you to watch and participate in our orientation video that is included in the training package. We offer six-week training sessions for you and your four-legged friends! Contact Us if you have any further questions!
Why are there prerequisites for advanced classes?
Our dogs and we need to learn how to walk before running. Our advanced classes have different prerequisites depending on the course because they require a foundation of skills to build upon. Prerequisites give you and your dog the experience you’ll need to succeed in our advanced classes.
I have taken basic obedience classes elsewhere. Why should I start in Level 1 Life Skills?
You have nothing to lose! You can fill the gaps in your foundation while you and your dog move through the program at your speed. If you start Level 1 with strong foundational skills, you will graduate quickly and move on to more challenging classes. Also, our Life Skills classes foundation will serve you well should you decide to take Advanced Classes with us.