Training

UNIVERSITY OF BARKANSAS
Obedience Training Programs

Dog Party USA offers several training programs for all age ranges & needs. Denise Holmes and Karen Valle bring their lifelong love of animals & proven training techniques together for classes that are fun & rewarding for both you & your dog. With a combined 40 years experience in pet behavior consulting & training, they create the perfect environment & teaching style to mold your dog into the perfect companion.

Training Rates & Services:

Pre-Agility Class - 4 week course $60.00 + tax

This class is for dogs younger than 9 months old, and/or dogs who need more obedience work. We will use smaller equipment, and covers the very basics of agility. In addition to building obstacle confidence, your dog will learn some obedience commands.

"Funtastic" Class - Intermediate Training / 5 week course $80.00 + tax

Using fun games and group interactions such as musical chairs, tic-tac-toe and team relays, we will practice all our manners. No orientation necessary - this is 5 weeks of FUN!

Beginner Agility Class - 6 week course $90.00 + tax

This class is for dogs who know basic obedience commands (sit, stay, come.) We lay an excellent foundation of learning to maintain a dog's confidence on the obstacles. Dogs must be at least nine months old to take this class.

Pawsitive Connection - Therapy Dog Training Course / 8 week course $100.00 + tax

For those pets and parents who see a future in helping others, this class will prepare you for your therapy dog evaluation or Canine Good Citizen test. Focusing on therapy dog interactions, we will introduce wheelchairs and walkers, as well as situations encountered during the evaluation or in a real facility. We will talk with volunteers and practitioners, and offer the option of scheduling a shadow visit.

Manners, Please - Basic Training / 7 week course $105.00 + tax

This class will introduce positive reinforcement and the basics of clicker training as a way to teach your dog good manners. We will cover skills such as sit, down and stay, as well as loose leash walking and coming when called. We will also help you solve simple behavior problems with commands such as ‘off’ ‘drop it’ and ‘leave it.’ This is the perfect class for any age dog at the beginning stages of learning, and perfect for parents wishing to get great results without punishment-based solutions (i.e. pinch/chain collars, yelling, leash corrections). First class is for people only.

To sign up for Obedience Training
at Dog Party USA call:
479-306-4660
For specific training questions for the trainer, please call Denise @ 479-790-6977.

About Our Trainer

Denise Holmes is a Pet Behavior Consultant with over 25 years animal training experience. She specializes in behavior modification using positive reinforcement & works with a variety of animals. She has a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from the University of Arkansas, as well as a minor in psychology, & she has applied this knowledge to furthering the health & well being of both people & animals.

As a consultant for Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Denise helped bring about their very first animal-assisted therapy visits, as well as develop the TAILS (therapeutic animals interventions lift spirits) program. She has been published by the Child Life Council in Bulletin & was a contributor to Delta Society’s first book educating visiting animal teams on interactions with hospitalized children. She became a Pet Partner visiting animl team over 10 years ago, is a licensed site assessor, & a trained animal evaluator.

Denise has served the NWA community by helping to develop visiting animal programs at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital, Seven Hills Homeless Shelter & many other facilities. She developed Sit. Stay. Read!, the first animal-enhanced reading program at the Fayetteville Public Library, and BARK (Behavior and Respect through K-9’s) at the Washington County Juvenile Detention Center; for her work on the BARK project, she was awarded the Arkansas Juvenile Detention Center Association’s volunteer of the year award. She served over five years on the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue Team as both a dog handler & a field searcher & is certified by the National Association of Search & Rescue as a search & rescue technician (SAR Tech II).

About our Agility Instructor

The Agility Instructor is named Karen Valle. Karen recently moved to our area from the Northeast where she was a 10 year member of an agility club. She has been an active agility competitor in several organizations since 1995. She has taught obedience classes for nearly 20 years and agility classes for over 10 years. Karen uses positive reinforcement methods, which helps increase the bond between dog and handler.

In her spare time, she fosters dogs for a local rescue organization. She is also the founder of Up & Running, a local agility club that is open to all dogs, regardless of breeding.