Classes

When weather is inclement, your class may be held on a Zoom call or rescheduled to a later date.

Our in person classes meet as follows:

Generally, our classes meet for six weeks, one-hour each week (a “class” meets on the same day and time for all six weeks – these are not “drop in” classes). Classes range from $185-225 (for all six weeks), time and cost of specialty classes vary. We have new sessions starting every other month. Sometimes, depending on demand, we add obedience classes in between sessions. If you don’t see a class when you want it, just ask and we will let you know if we can add another. If we have enough requests, we often do.

Our classes are small with 5-6 dogs in each class. Our instructors are kind and fun and believe in educating you, the owner, so you can continue training your dog AFTER the class is over. Don’t hesitate to contact either Beth Grooms or Liz Turpin,  owners of Whole Dog Institute with any questions you may have.

For all in person classes:

1. Some of our classes will be taught in the backyard of the training building or in one of our agility fields (nose work and therapy dog classes are exceptions to this generalization).
   NOTE: When the weather is rainy, the fields get wet and sometimes they get muddy. That means that you should wear comfortable clothing that can get dirty/muddy when the weather has been wet. If you don’t want to spend an hour outside (we meet unless there is pouring rain or snow/ice), consider private lessons (or semi-private if you have a friend), we can teach one to two students inside our building.
2. We will allow two handlers per dog (children are allowed with permission only – contact info@wholedoginstitute.com).
3. Students will supply their own chairs, water and water bowls, and treats.
4. If a student cannot control their dog (this means the dog pulls towards other dogs/people and the handler cannot stop the dog), WDI will sell you a harness lead for $25. This is not optional. We cannot have out of control dogs in class as it simply isn’t safe for other students and the instructor.

Enrollment in our classes and seminars is limited and your participation is important to us. Once you have begun the registration process, we are counting on you to attend. If WDI cancels a class, you will receive a full refund. Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing.

A student wishing to withdraw from a class that has not been cancelled by WDI must provide a written request at least one week before the scheduled start of the class. We will offer a full refund minus a $20 administrative processing fee per student per class. Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing. Within the week prior to the start of a class or after the class has begun, refunds will not be given. In the case of verified medical/hardships a credit may be given.

Any credit you receive from WDI will be valid for one year from the date you notify us and must be used by someone on the same account as the original student. WDI will not extend credit for occasional missed classes due to illness or other circumstances.

PLEASE NOTE: WDI will not refund class fees if the student/dog is asked to withdraw from the class due to behavior of the dog. We are happy to evaluate a dog (at no charge) prior to registration to determine if the dog can handle the classroom environment.

Make-up Lessons

If a student misses a class and wishes to attend a make-up, one will be offered at the instructor’s discretion. The cost will be 50% the cost of a private lesson. Generally, a make-up lesson will be half the time of a normal class session (e.g., 30-minute make-up time for one missed hour long class).

Weather

Outdoor classes will be held in all weather conditions except in unsafe weather conditions as determined by the instructor (e.g., thunder and lightening). Indoor classes will be held unless road conditions are dangerous. Students will be notified via email one to two hours before the start of class, if classes will be cancelled. Please email or call your instructor if you are unsure if class will be held.

If unable to hold a class due to weather (or other unforeseen circumstances), a make-up class will be scheduled. Make-up classes will be offered during the two-week break between regularly scheduled sessions. Every effort will be made to hold the make-up class on the same day and time as the original class, however, if weather or other circumstances preclude the instructor from holding class on that day and time, the class will be scheduled for another day and time.

Privacy Statement

Whole Dog Institute is committed to protecting your privacy. We will not collect any personal information that you do not volunteer and we are the sole owner of all information collected on this site. We do not sell, share, or rent this information to others in any way that we have not mentioned in this statement.

Questions?

Info@wholedoginstitute.com for more information.