Meet Benjamin Bennink

Benjamin Bennink

GoodDoggySaratoga.com/Group-Classes

info@gooddoggysaratoga.com

About Me:

Ben has been a Certified Professional Dog Trainer since 2012 and a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant since 2018. These certifications require demonstrated expertise in the field and dedication to continued education. He is also a professional premium member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) and a volunteer in the APDT's Education Committee. He is committed to excellence in training and utilizes the most up-to-date methods in the industry to provide clients with convenient and effective solutions to create a more harmonious home with their dogs.

A Personal Touch. Good Doggy Saratoga is committed to personalized and custom training, and we took that commitment into the creation of our group classes. Small class size with a maximum student to teacher ratio of 3:1 (six total dogs with two instructors) ensure plenty of personal attention for everyone. Our unique group class seminars offer flexible scheduling and content options so you get everything you want and nothing you don't.

Group classes are for friendly dogs to learn better behaviors. The group class seminars we offer are designed for friendly, confident dogs of all ability levels and training histories. Dogs with aggression, fear, or anxiety issues that aren't comfortable in a group environment should go through a private option such as day training or private coaching.

Unique style in stand alone seminars. Each class is designed as a stand-alone seminar to build a set of themed skills. Students are able to take the same class multiple times as they improve their skills, allowing for more flexibility in scheduling and offering focused advancement at the skillset involved. If you're only interested in improving the skills in a single seminar, take just that seminar as many times as you like to continue improving. You're not locked in to a strict curriculum of skills you're not interested in practicing. Different sized packages allow additional customization and choices to allow you to work towards your exact goals.

Classes:

Tails on the Trails

For those that like to hike with their dogs. These classes are designed with people who like to hike the trails with their dogs in mind, but the skills learned are good for a variety of environments. Polite leash walking and strong recalls are the central focus and the primary skills enhanced during Tails on the Trails seminars.

Polite leash walking. Your dog will learn to walk near you both on and off leash while allowing them freedom to explore their environment. Our goal is to allow dogs to sniff freely and relax while walking without pulling on the leash or tying up their human through mindless wandering. The skills you'll learn in class will always be practiced on leash during class work for safety purposes, but can be practiced at home off leash and used in safe areas that allow off leash dogs.

Recall is the ability to call your dog to you. When out and about with your dog it's important to be able to get them to come to you no matter what, and that's exactly what you'll learn to practice in Tails on the Trails.

Relaxed Rover

Help your dog learn to relax. Whether you want a dog that can calm down while you and your family watch a movie in the living room, or the ability to sit at a coffee shop's outside patio with your dog comfortable and chill at your feet, this seminar is for you.Relaxation Exercises. In Relaxed Rover these exercises are taught alongside a few basic obedience cues including "down" and "go to spot." A down cue gets your dog to lay with both rear end and elbows touching the ground. Go to spot can be used in several different environments to get your dog to lay in their bed while you eat dinner, go to a kennel during a car ride, or move out of the entryway of your home while guests arrive. The limits are up to your imagination.

The skills in Relaxed Rover work on their own, but also pair well with those learned in Downtown Doggy and Impulse Control, depending on your personal goals.

Downtown Doggy

For walking your dogs where it's busy. The Downtown Doggy seminars focus on skills used while walking your dog in distracting areas such as Broadway or Congress park during track season. The skills learned are a focused heel and greeting strangers politely.

Heel is a prolonged focus activity in which the dog holds their attention on the handler and walks very close to them. You'll learn to have your dog stay at your side while you walk near other people and dogs, and to hold your dog's attention while walking past fun things like trash cans or restaurants.

Polite Greetings. You'll learn will to reduce how often your dog jumps on strangers and replace jumping with a polite sit behavior to ask for attention.

Impulse Control

Impulse control is the ability to delay gratification. The skills we use to teach your dog impulse control are stay, wait, and leave-it.

Stay is an important behavior that can save lives. It is a strict "hold this position until I say otherwise" that can be used in a variety of instances, including dangerous situations like if your dog gets across the street from you off leash. Wait is an informal version of stay that lets the dog change position and generally just means "chill here until I give you something else to do."



Leave-it teaches the dog what they're never allowed to have. Whether it's socks and shoes, or countertops and tables, leave-it can be used to keep your dog away from it.

Cost

Classes beginning at $65. Please visit Good Doggy Saratoga to sign up for classes!