Howdy Hounds teaches you and your dog the essential building blocks of clear communication and real-world manners. Through fun, reward-based exercises, you’ll learn how to strengthen engagement, build trust, and introduce core skills like name recognition, sit, recall, polite leash walking, and calm settling.

This class sets the groundwork for a lifetime of teamwork and confident behavior.

Howdy Hounds is perfect for:

• Puppies beginning their training journey

• Adolescent dogs needing structure and guidance

• Newly adopted dogs learning how to settle into their new home

• Handlers who want a positive, reward based training method

• Anyone seeking better communication, connection, and consistency with their dog

If you’re ready for a supportive class that celebrates small wins and builds strong bonds, this is for you.

In Howdy Hounds, you can expect a calm, welcoming environment where you and your dog learn through short, engaging activities.

Each session includes:

• Clear demonstrations and hands-on coaching

• Games that build confidence and communication

• Space for your dog to feel comfortable and safe

• Practical skills you can use immediately at home

• A focus on teamwork, trust, and progress over perfection

Every week builds on the last, helping you grow your skills without pressure and with plenty of encouragement.

By the end of the course, you and your dog will have practiced:

• Marker training & communication basics

• Engagement and name recognition

• Polite greetings and impulse control

• Sit, down, and beginning stay

• Loose-leash walking foundations

• Recall building (“come when called”)

• Calm settling on a mat

• Confidence-building games for real-world readiness

Each Howdy Hounds course includes:

• 6 weeks of training (60 minutes per session)

• Small class sizes for personalized coaching

• Force-free, science-based methods

• Weekly homework to help you stay consistent

• Progressive learning — every skill builds on the last

• Support between sessions if you need guidance

Every Howdy Hounds class follows a calm, predictable structure to help dogs feel safe, confident, and ready to learn. Each session includes:

• Warm-Up Walk:
  A gentle, guided walk around the space to help dogs settle, explore, and adjust to the environment.

• Relationship-Strengthening Exercise:
  A quick game or activity designed to build connection and communication between handler and dog (e.g., check-ins, hand-targeting, treat & retreat).

• Weekly Focus Skills:
  A series of short, hands-on exercises that build the core skill of the week—such as engagement, leash walking, recall foundations, or settling on a mat.

• Mid-Class Decompression Walk:
  A reset break where dogs can decompress, sniff, move freely on a leash, and return to a calm state before continuing.

• Second Skill Block:
  Additional practice, pattern games, or confidence-building activities that reinforce the week’s focus and help dogs generalize the skills.

• Q&A + Homework Overview:
  Time for questions, individualized guidance, and a simple homework plan to carry the week’s progress forward at home.

To help you and your dog get the most out of each session, please bring:

• High-Value Treats
  Soft, smelly, easy-to-eat rewards your dog loves. Examples: chicken, cheese, soft training bites. Bring more than you think you’ll need!

• Treat Pouch or Easy-Access Bag
  Something you can reach quickly so you can mark and reward right when your dog gets it right.

• A Tug Toy
  A soft, safe tug toy your dog enjoys. Great for engagement work, building confidence, and channeling enthusiasm during breaks or specific exercises.

• 4–6 Foot Leash
  A standard leash is best for training. (No retractable leashes, please — they make communication harder and can be unsafe in a group setting.)

• Harness or Flat Collar
  Comfortable, secure equipment that allows your dog to move freely. Front-clip harnesses are welcome.

• A Small Mat or Blanket
  Perfect for teaching calm settling, giving your dog a familiar “home base,” and helping them decompress during class.

• Water & A Portable Bowl
  Especially helpful in warm months or for dogs who get thirsty when learning.

• Waste Bags
  Because accidents and bathroom breaks happen!

• A Favorite Chew
  Something safe and low-distraction (like a stuffed Kong or chew stick) for settling work or a quick brain break. Please do not bring if your dog resource guards, we can come up with a different solution.