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Apprenticeships & Dogtorate

CDTA Apprenticeships are classes where you can advance your training skils, your dog will learn different lifeskills and participate in dog sports. We will teach you to engage with your dog and become a team to achieve desired behaviours in a positive way. Complete your class and your dog will earn a rosette and you, a certificate and credits towards your Dogtorate.

You earn a CDTA Dogtorate by earning your 6 credits by completing classes. This certificate & rosette is presented to handlers who have grown their knowledge of dog training, improved their communication & relationship with their dog through our classes and 1to1 training.


We strive to create a positive, inclusive and respectful dog training atmosphere for everyone in our classes.
We are women owned and are LGBTQ+ allies. Well behaved children are welcome to join our classes, if they are accompanied by at least 1 adult.
 

All of our classes are available as 1to1 training - Click here to book private tutoring

Puppy Class

Work with highly rated, experienced dog trainers, Edee and Alessia. They will be running the classes and be on hand to answer your questions. Train and enhance your relationship with your puppy using scientifically endorsed, positive reinforcement training methods. You will learn all the basics of how to train up a puppy and will be able to ask for advice about your specific puppy needs/concerns.

We designed each class to be 6 stand alone modules.
List of modules we will be doing: Obedience / Lead Manners / Recall / Engagement / Social / Discovery.

We strive to create an inclusive and respectful atmosphere in our classes and are LGBTQ+ friendly. Children are welcome to join if they are accompanied by at least 1 adult.

Suitable for puppies up to 6 months old

Benefit from small class size and 1to1 feedback from your trainer

Earn a certificate for yourself and for your puppy, their first rosette.

You will also get a free Puppy Training Class e-book (valued at £20)

All 6 modules is included in the price, you just need to chose the first Monday you would like to start your classes.

Puppy Class  Cardiff Dog Training Academy
Barkchelors Dog Training Desensitization

Apprenticeship in Lifeskills

Work with highly rated, experienced dog trainers, Edee and Alessia. They will be on hand to give you demonstrations, guidance and advice. We encourage people asking questions about anything dog and training related and we are happy to share our dog knowledge with you.  This is the perfect class for the unruly teenager or recent rescue.

Learn how to set boundaries, advance your training skills and learn to control and bond with your dog using scientifically endorsed, positive reinforcement training methods. We designed 6 modules: Obedience / Lead Manners / Recall / Engagement / Social / Discovery that will give you the tools you need to train your dog to perform commands reliably and engage with you positively under all sorts of distractions.

Earn a certificate for yourself and for your dog a rosette
You will also get a free Lifeskills Training Class e-book (valued at £20)

Suitable for dogs 7 months old+

All 6 modules is included in the price, you just need to chose the first day you would like to start your first class.

Apprenticeship in Hoopers

Hoopers is a fun, fast, low-impact sport. Dogs navigate a course of hoops, barrels and tunnels with the same pace and excitement as agility but the course is flat to be inclusive of all ages and abilities.

What are the benefits of hoopers?
- Create confidence and independence in your dog
- Learn to work your dog at a distance
- Teach them to focus when moving through distractions
- Dogs will gain agility and learn how to avoid objects with their tails and feet (proprioception)
- Build a bond with your dog
- Socialise with other dog and dog enthusiasts

CDTA abides by Canine Hoopers World goals to protect the long term well-being of the dog by maintaining flowing courses of low impact obstacles and aims to be an inclusive dog sport making sure that this sport is accessible to all dogs and handlers.

Canine Hoopers World Instructors promote only force free modern training techniques and we are accredited through the training and assessment and of the Accredited Canine Hoopers World Instructor scheme.


https://www.caninehoopersworld.com/

Our 6 classes are 1 hour each and we have 6 different levels your dog will progress through.
 

We offer this class in the spring/summer only - Register your interest so you can be the first to know when our first class of 2024 will start

E
arn 2 credit towards your CDTA Dogtorate

Hoopers Class
Scentwork Dog Training Class

Apprenticeship in Scentwork

CDTA's scentwork dog training class is designed to help you build up your dog's ability to sniff out and target a particular scent and give you a clear indication on it. During our class, we want to give you the tools to work your dog to find a scent in different context and distractions.

The part of a dog's brain that is devoted to analyzing smells is about 40 times greater than ours and humans have been harnessing this super power for millenias and is many breeds' primary work purpose. Many dogs love to find purpose in scentwork and it's a low impact activity. Work's your dog's brain instead of their brawn!

All ages and abilities are welcome! Wether it's your first time doing scentwork or if your dog is a searching machine.

Our
6 classes are 1 hour each and we have 6 different levels your dog will progress through. We also offer a 2 hour Scentwork Introduction class if you want to test your dog's desire to do scentwork.


Earn 2 credit towards your CDTA Dogtorate

Reactive Dog Masterclass

This is a series of 4 x 1 hour classes so you can learn how to get your reactive dog to respond in a more positive way to the presence of other dogs. This is the perfect for people who are struggling with nuissance behaviour like jumping up, pulling, barking, lunging, biting and obsessing about other dogs.

By assessing your dog's personality and behaviour, your trainers will give you tailor made advice on why the behaviour is occuring, tools and exercises to manage it and how to enrich your dog's life to turn bad habits into good ones. We will set up the class based on each of your dog's needs and abilities so that everyone remains safe and get the most out of each class.

Our expert trainers have successfully guided many spicy dogs into learning proper communication, boundaries and coping skills. Through our experience in owning and operating a successful dog walking company, WalkWagPlay Ltd, we have helped many solo only dogs make dog friends and be integrated into groups. We use an ethical, no aversive approach to training and want to help you spot your dog's body language cues so you can assess their emotions and train them to offer behaviours that are positive and helpful. We employ behavioural adjustment training (BAT training) and Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive (LIMA) training techniques to help you achieve positive and long lasting results.

Each of the 4 total session is 1 hour each. You simply need to book your first class and you will automatically have your spot reserved for all 4 classes. There is only 4 dogs per class and you will benefit from having 2 instructors on hand to give you 1to1 advice for each exercise.

Social Club
Reactive Dog
Muzzle Training

Muzzle Training

​Muzzles are a great management tool because dogs have pointy teeth and bite-force that can cause injury to others. It is our responsibility as dog owners to prioritise safety for everyone and muzzles are a great management tool. Muzzle training using positive emotions can mean happiness, comfort and freedom to your dog.

Dogs might wear muzzles because:
- They cannot understand that eating rubbish, poop or half a tennis ball can cause expensive surgery or life-threatening illnesses
- Local laws require dogs to be muzzled when engaging in public
- The dog is a bite risk or ‘mouthy’
- Poor bite inhibition, especially when playing with friends
- Useful as a visual marker to signify that your dog needs some space
- Use during grooming or medical procedures

The most important part of muzzling your dog is to desensitise them to wearing it. Basket muzzles are the safest type. When fitted properly, baskets will allow your dog to pant, drink water and take treats, but not bite.

A muzzled dog is not a bad dog, it’s a safe dog

2 hour workshop

Earn 2 credit towards your Dogtorate

Recall
& Emergency Stop

Get reliable recall by doing exercises and playing games in addition to learning the steps to train your dog with an emergecy stop command in our 2 hours class.

A reliable recall is required for our dogs to have the freedom to be off lead. Dogs should be given the training to be able to experience the freedom to explore, interract, communicate and play off off lead. Learn how to improve your dog's recall and increase distance, learn how to proof against distractions and shorten the duration of your recall with our recall dog training class.

We will also learn an Emergency Stop obedience command which comes in handy when you need to stop your dog in their tracks. This is a great skill to train so you can stop your dog in their tracks before they get into trouble.

This class is a total of 2 hours and will have a maximum of 6 dogs and benefits from having 2 instructors on hand to assist you in controlling your dog as you increase your reliability and confidence in your recall and emergency stop. You will also be able to get answers to questions and have 1to1 feedback on your progress throughout the class.

 

Earn 2 credits towards your CDTA Dogtorate

Recall Class Beginner
Leash Manners dog training fix pulling on the lead

Apprenticeship
Leash Manners

Leash Manners class is designed to help you get the basics of loose lead in under an hour. Get your dog to focus on you and walk on a loose lead. We will do various exercises on heelwork, focus and adding an automatic sit to achieve the best possible leash manners.

Benefits:

- Learn how to engage your dog
- Get your dog to ignore distractions
- No more dog pulling every which way- Stop your dog constantly switching sides
- Move through tight spaces and crowds with control and confidence
- Introduce an automatic sit to your heel
-  Build a bond with your dog on walks 

Earn a certificate and rosette

This class is approximately 2 hours

Earn 2 credit towards your CDTA Dogtorate

Clicker Trick Training

CDTA’s Clicker Trick Training Class: Learn with your dog how and when to use your clicker to achieve the best possible results in training. Click your way to positively rewarding your dog into doing spins, ring a bell or even file their own nails on command.

Benefits:

- Refines the use of the clicker as a marker in your training
- Discover new fun activities to do with your dog  
- Show off how clever your dog is to your family and friends by training tricks  
- Build a bond of trust with your dog

All ages and abilities are welcome!

Earn a certificate and rosette


This class is approximately 2 hours

Earn 2 credit towards your CDTA Dogtorate

Trick Training Class
Fear Free Grooming and Handling

Fear Free Grooming and Handling

The aim of these classes is to increase the trust between you and your dog and give you the knowledge and the tools to be the best care giver you can be.

Increase your capacity to take care of them and to handle them safely. Put your dog's welfare first and transform grooming to be fear and stress free and create moments of bonding with your dog.

 

Benefits:

- Get your pet ready for daily grooming and handling tasks

- Learn how to handle your dog kindly and safely

- Receive advice on what equipment you need to groom your dog

- Prepare your dog to visit the vet and groomers

- Observe and keep track in your dog's health

 

Desensitising your dog to being handled and groomed is one of the kindest things you can do as a dog owner and invaluable for their health and wellbeing.

 

This is a series of 4 x 1 hour classes, booked individually based on your requirements.

 

There is a maximum of 4 dogs per class so our professional dog trainer and professional dog groomer can spend time with you 1to1 for each exercise and give you individual advice based on your dog's individual needs and challenges.

2023 - CDTA - Cardiff Dog Training Academy

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