So you landed on this website and thinking about registering your dog for a class but you aren’t sure…. Will my dog pull my arm off and bark at other dogs and not listen and jump on the instructor and poop in the middle of the ring? The answer to your fears is yup, probably will happen. But that’s OK!! You know why? Because you have a dog!!! Dogs bark, and pull, and poop. They get busy sniffing something and can’t even hear you. They aren’t machines. And the truth is, here at High Fidelity, we like dogs a little naughty.

The only thing that every dog has to do is be able to respond to a favorite trick like sit or even looking at you when you call their name when in a big room with other dogs and people. If you think your dog might need five or ten minutes to get comfortable, that is perfectly fine. We also have an office and ways to block sight for dogs that are dealing with arousal issues around motion. Your dog must be able to eat treats or play with a toy. If you have a dog that will eat through an entire 20 pound bag of kibble and ask for more, it may be hard to imagine there are dogs who can’t eat the most delicious morsel of steak if they are not comfortable. But it’s true, and those are the dogs that may not be suitable for a group class. If you have a tug or ball fanatic, no problem! Bring a few of your dog’s favorite toys and we can leverage that love of playing into a great sport dog.

Have you been told your dog would be great for agility or that agility would help your dog? Let’s think about that for a second. If your dog is shy, nervous, or uncomfortable with dogs or people then let’s help your dog acclimate to a class environment with less of a circus atmosphere. Scent Work is terrific for dogs that are sensitive to changes in the environment or can get nervous with people. Plus, it gives you a great game you can practice at home and you can burn off energy anywhere.

Aggressive dogs are not allowed in group classes but they can have a ton of fun in private classes.

Beginner 1 Agility class is suitable for all sorts of dogs. No obedience skills are required. Young dogs and puppies are good candidates because we modify jumping to take care of young joints and growing bodies. Exercises can also be modified for older dogs. Dogs need to be able to be comfortable with other dogs and people moving around in the same room.

Intro to Scent Work is the best place to start off any dog. No obedience skills are required. In fact, obedience isn’t allowed while searching! Let your dog do the work instead. Dogs work one at a time while all the other dogs are on leash or crated. Dogs need to be able to be comfortable with other dogs and people moving around in the same room. Scent Work is a great place to start for prospective sport dogs because it instills a love for working/playing with a high rate of reinforcement with very little handler pressure on the dog in a variety of locations. It’s also awesome to keep older dogs sharp and gives everyone a great game to play with almost no equipment needed.