Hollywood Dog Obedience Club

Hollywood Dog Obedience Club offers a variety of group training classes held weekly in Griffith Park. Novice Obedience classes run for eight weeks, covering heel, sits, downs, stay, group behavior, stand for examination, and recalls. Attendance at the first class, Orientation, is required.

Puppy Development is a seven-week open enrollment program focusing on positive, treat-based training, leash and collar familiarization, basic sits and downs, puppy come, socialization, and exposure to distractions. Puppies must have received their first two rounds of vaccinations.

Advanced Novice is an eight-week class offered once per quarter, focusing on stabilization of dog behavior, improved trainer handling, off-leash training, drop on recall, and preparation for competitive Novice ring. Rally Class is a drop-in program for learning and practicing AKC Rally.

Additional classes offered occasionally include Therapy Dog, which focuses on distractions a therapy dog might meet and handler expectations, requiring participants to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test or equivalent. Tracking classes teach competitive training such as tracking excellent, urban tracking, variable surface tracking, and earthdog. Open & Utility classes cover advanced competitive obedience skills like dumbbell retrieval, jumps, and directional hand signals. HDOC also partners for Agility classes.

Pricing Summary

Novice Obedience costs $140 for an eight-week session. Puppy Development is $95 for seven weeks. Advanced Novice is $120 for eight weeks. The AKC Canine Good Citizen test costs $15, with an additional $10 for the rosette. Cash or checks are accepted, payable to specific trainers. Members of HDOC receive a discount on training classes. Rally Class welcomes drop-ins, but no price is listed.

Policies

Attendance of the first class, the Orientation, is required for Novice Obedience. Puppies must have received their first two rounds of vaccinations for Puppy Development. The therapy dog trainer cannot evaluate any dog they have helped train or that has been through their classes. Membership is not required to participate in training classes. Classes run consecutively throughout the year, postponed only for holidays and inclement weather.

Hollywood Dog Obedience Club (HDOC) is a non-profit dog training organization founded in 1949, dedicated to improving the lives of dogs and their relationships with their owners. For over 75 years, HDOC, a fully licensed member of the American Kennel Club (AKC), has provided training in basic and AKC obedience, puppy socialization, rally, and therapy dog training.

Based in Los Angeles’ historic Griffith Park, HDOC offers group classes for Novice Obedience, Advanced Novice, Puppy Development, and Rally. They also provide occasional specialized classes for Therapy Dog, Tracking, Open & Utility, and partner for Agility. Additionally, HDOC regularly conducts AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) testing.

The club focuses on creating happy and stable partnerships between dogs and their owners, emphasizing a fun and engaging learning experience for both handler and dog. They also list private behavior trainers who can address specific in-home issues.

Accomplishments

Founded in 1949, Hollywood Dog Obedience Club has been training dogs for over 75 years and is a fully licensed member of the American Kennel Club (AKC). They hold annual AKC Obedience, Rally, and Tracking Trials.

Individual trainers have notable accomplishments: Linda Greco has been training professionally since 1975, studied with police dog trainers, and shows her own dogs in conformation. Sherron Corner has earned CD, CDX, UD, Rally, and Agility titles, and the Well Judy Award multiple times, with her West Highland White Terriers achieving top rankings. Karen Saunders has earned various obedience titles, raised guide dog puppies, and has had multiple dogs registered with Therapy Dogs International; she is an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator and a Therapy Dog International evaluator.

Bill Marquardt received an L.A. Magazine award for Best Puppy Class in L.A. in 2014. Pia is an AKC tracking judge qualified for various tracking titles, and her Lakeland Terrier was the first of its breed to earn the Champion Tracker title. Susan has trained her Beagle to earn Tracking Dog and Tracking Dog Excellent titles and has helped many other dogs achieve tracking titles. Sandy Driscoll has been training dogs in private homes for 35 years, and her Doberman enjoyed a long career as a Therapy Dog.

How to Get Started!

For Novice Obedience, pre-registration is preferred, and attendance at the first class (Orientation) is required. Registration forms are available online. For Puppy Development, it’s open enrollment, and you can start any Saturday; registration forms can be completed online or onsite. Remember to bring a six-foot leash, collar/harness, high-value treats, water, and a happy hungry pup to the first class. For Advanced Novice, register your interest online. For Rally Class, drop-ins are welcomed. For Therapy Dog, Tracking, and Open & Utility classes, contact the trainers directly via email or phone for more details. For general inquiries about training, membership, and events, contact via phone or email.