DirtRoadDanes

Dirt Road Danes offers various dog training classes and a walking club designed to help dogs become well-behaved family members and integrate into society.

The S.T.A.R. Puppy program is a 6-week class for dogs under one year, teaching basic commands like sit, down, stay, and leash walking. This program prepares puppies for CGC or Basic Obedience.

Basic Obedience is a 6-week course with no age restrictions, covering sit, down, stay, come, heel on leash, leave it, and touch. Upon completion, dogs can progress to intermediate obedience or Canine Good Citizen Urban training. Canine Good Citizen (CGC) is a 6-week course with no age restrictions, focusing on public manners. It culminates in a 10-skill pass/fail test for the AKC CGC title, with options for Urban and Advanced CGC.

Private lessons are available as a 6-week one-on-one novice obedience course covering the same basic commands, or a 4-week course for behavior modifications. The DirtRoadDogs is a year-round club with no age restrictions, offering monthly walks, hikes, or fetch activities at various dog-friendly locations, including local charity walks, carnivals, and street fairs.

Pricing Summary

Puppies range from $1500 to $2200 depending on the litter and year. A $200 fee is required to join the waitlist, with an additional $300 to reserve a specific puppy, and the remaining balance is due by the go-home date. Training services include private lessons starting from $160 for 30 minutes, group classes like Basic Obedience and CGC for $130-$150, and STAR Puppy training for $90. The DirtRoad DOGS walking group costs $10.

Heather and Craig are the owners of Dirt Road Danes, a family breeding business based in Southern Indiana. They breed AKC Great Danes with friendly dispositions and outstanding personalities to fit seamlessly as incredible family pets. Heather has a background in 4-H dog club, where she was a leader/trainer and gained AKC titles.

They focus on temperament testing puppies and screening families to ensure a perfect match, aiming to create a strong bond between the new owners and their future Dane from the start. They provide pictures and videos, call puppies by their chosen names, and offer extensive conversation time to ease the transition from their home to the new family’s. All their Danes are family members, not kennel dogs, ensuring they are raised with love, care, and attention.

Dirt Road Danes has collaborated with a rescue, New Life Animal Haven, to offer various training courses, educational classes, and fun activities. They also partner with Baxter & Bella to provide discounted lifetime memberships for their online dog training program, which includes step-by-step guidance and live help from professional trainers. Additionally, they recommend and offer discounts for Wash ‘n Zip Pet Beds and Kindly Cozy Knits for handmade pet beds and blankets. They have partnered with Trupanion to provide 30 days of pet insurance coverage for new puppies.

Accomplishments

Heather was active in 4-H dog club, becoming a leader/trainer and gaining a couple of AKC titles. Dirt Road Danes prides itself on a “top notch puppy rearing program” and dedicates significant time to each litter, spending 8-16 hours a day for 10 weeks, totaling over 560 hours minimum per litter. They also spend two years raising and scrutinizing the structure of their Dams and Sires, including color testing, before health testing and breeding.

How to Get Started!

To get started with a puppy, prospective owners must fill out a screening application. After submission, Dirt Road Danes will contact them for a more in-depth conversation. For training services, clients can directly explore and sign up for available classes or private lessons.