News: Shelter dogs being trained!

Published Mon May 30, 2022

Our class of CLASS dogs

Our dogs have CLASS at Osceola County Animal Services!

CLASS dog training logoCanine Life and Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.) is a program developed by the Association of Professional Dog Trainers to benefit pet owners, dogs of all ages, and everyone in the community! Dogs earn their B.A. or even a PhD in doggie social skills throughout the program. Osceola County Animal Services is using this program to help more dogs find their forever homes.

How does it work?

Each dog in the program advances through levels of training. To enter the program, our team assesses each dog both medically and behaviorally. We also look at how they interact with not only us but their doggie friends. We give them opportunities to play with other dogs and we learn more about them as they play. We learn if they are shy, if they are energetic, and we learn how they choose to interact with other dogs. (How each dog interacts with other dogs is always one of the top questions we receive from potential adopters)!

 

 

 

Once in the program, each dog advances through levels of training. The focus is always first on life and social skills. Questions are answered such as: What toys do they like to play with? How do they like to play? What is their exercise and energy level? What type of treats do they love? Can they settle in a crate? Are they potty trained? And many more! As they advance in the program, they begin to learn basic skills such as watch me, sit, down, and walking on a leash.

At Osceola County Animal Services, our team is trained to help each dog reach their potential in a positive way. This style of training program creates a better stay at the shelter for the dog and most importantly gives the dogs the skills they need for their future forever home!

If you are looking to add a new furry family member to your home, we hope you not only choose to adopt but will choose our dogs with CLASS! You can request more information on CLASS dogs by emailing us at petadoption@osceola.org. We would love to talk to you about our dogs and whether adoption or fostering to adopt may be a great option for you and your family!

All adoptable pets