Club Information
Member Community
Volunteer Items
All Breed Training Club of Akron
Teaching you to teach your dog since 1949
ABTCA Obedience Classes
This is where your journey begins. You will find that with patience, focus, trust, and love, you will form a bond with your pup that will last a lifetime. With time, effort, and consistency, the learning process will be fun and rewarding for both of you as you learn together. We work strictly with positive reinforcement in our classes. In obedience, there is a series of 4 sessions. Each session usually consists of 6 one hour classes. Although it is not needed you take all the classes, the more you attend,
the stronger and closer your relationship becomes. However, if your goal is to continue into dog sports, it is recommended you complete the series. Below you will find a description of the classes we offer. Please note that all training classes now require a club membership. For more information see Membership FAQs.
​
Puppy I
Puppy I: 6 week session for puppies between 10 and 16-weeks-old. This is just the beginning. Here your pup will learn to socialize with other pups and people. This is a crucial step in their development. Puppy manners will teach activities such as learning their name, sit, down, mat training, and wait just to name a few. Your will use food lures to teach your pup visual cues then verbal cues followed by positive reinforcement.
Homework is assigned and encouraged to be worked on during classes. The more time you spend working with your dog the quicker you will see results. S.T.A.R. puppy is something you can work towards during the puppy classes. It is similar to Canine Good Citizen. It requires setting up with your instructor prior to beginning the session.
​
​
Puppy II
Puppy II: For puppies 4 months to 1 year. This class reinforces the need for the dog to focus more on the handler. This will continue to strengthen the bond of confidence and trust between the two of you. You will both continue to work and improve the fundamentals learned in Puppy I. Here you will begin to work on the 3 Ds. Distraction, distance, and duration while performing the skills already learned.
See upcoming events for class schedules.
​
​
Obedience I & II
Obedience 1: For dogs 8 months and older. During this class, while the focus remains on previous skills learned, we increase the 3 Ds. For those looking to go into sports, by now the basics should be on point. Up until now, it’s primarily been either distance, duration or a distraction. It becomes a challenge for the dog now since they will be challenged with 2 or all 3. It could be treats, toys, people, or another dog. It will be up to the dog how they handle the situation. This will tell you a lot about how well they are focused.
​
Obedience 2: OK, this is it! Here we will find who your dog really is. Learning the basics are over. Your dog should be able to follow a visual or verbal cue. Should be able to do it without a treat every time. Basic skills should be mastered and done perfectly every time. If they wish to move on to competition you should tell instructor. There will be more to learn.
See upcoming events for class schedules.
​
Obedience III
​
The Competition Obedience class is geared to those who have mastered basic obedience skills and wish to move toward competing in obedience or rally trials. Emphasis is on strategies to help the dog be successful in the ring. Class will focus on Novice Obedience exercises, building each week from heeling to sit and down stays to perfecting recall. Rally signs and advanced commands will be included. Teams may practice off-leash work to prepare for ring readiness.
​
Pre-requisite: OB2 or comparable experience.
See upcoming events for class schedules.
​
​
CGC & Therapy Dog Prep
​
Canine Good Citizen is designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community. The program stresses responsible pet ownership and good manners for dogs. This program lays a foundation for other activities and is good preparation for Therapy Dog Certification.
​
Therapy Dog Prep is intended to prepare handlers and dogs who are planning to become certified as a therapy team. Test exercises are intended to be similar to situations that you may encounter on therapy visits
See upcoming events for class schedules.
Trick Class
Teaching tricks establishes a pattern of learning, teaches skills and focus, is a positive method of training, and promotes a bond between dog and human. In this class you will learn tricks like crawl, take a bow, high five, roll over and many more. Dogs that have an AKC, PAL or AKC Canine Partners ID number are eligible to earn a title via the American Kennel Club.
​
See upcoming events for class schedules.
Pawsitive Reactions
Do you worry about taking your dog for a walk because they bark and lunge at other dogs or people? Do you wish that your dog was more closely interacting with you instead of scanning the environment? Do you want to build a better relationship with your dog when out in the world together?
​
This positive reinforcement-based training class will teach dogs new responses to triggers in their environment and will enhance the bond between you and your dog.
​
See upcoming events for class schedules.