San Bruno Dog Obedience School

SBDOS offers a variety of classes including Puppy, Beginning Adult, Intermediate Adult (Levels 1 and 2), Advanced, Attitudes, Non-Competitive Agility, Competition, Canine Good Citizen, and Therapy Dog. Puppy classes are for puppies 3-6 months old and meet for 7 weeks, with the first class being an orientation without puppies. Beginning Adult classes are for dogs six months and older with little to no training, meeting for 8 weeks and covering basic obedience and manners.

Intermediate Adult classes (Levels 1 and 2) are ongoing drop-in classes that build on basic obedience, introduce Canine Good Citizen requirements, and work on impulse control and off-leash handling. Advanced classes are also ongoing drop-in, focusing on advanced obedience techniques, off-leash handling, tailored exercises, and tricks. Competition classes offer obedience run-throughs for Novice, Open, and Utility levels on the first and third Saturdays of the month.

Pricing Summary

Advanced and Intermediate Adult classes cost $15 per class and are paid at the front desk on the day of the class. Beginning Adult and Puppy classes cost $160 for the full series. They accept cash and checks; credit cards are not accepted.

Policies

Pro-rated refunds are provided up until the end of the second class or if SBDOS cancels a class. If a student misses a class in a puppy or beginning adult series, the instructor will provide the content and an overview at the next class. If multiple classes are missed, the instructor may recommend transitioning to a later series. Students cannot be accepted into a series that has already begun; attendance at the first class is mandatory. For rainy days, students should check the home page for class cancellation notifications.

San Bruno Dog Obedience School (SBDOS) is a non-profit 501c7 organization that has been providing obedience training classes to the community for over 45 years. Founded by Mal Lightfoot, SBDOS aims to help people achieve a rewarding relationship with their dogs and develop well-mannered companions, whether for a first-time family pet or an obedience champion.

The trainers at SBDOS have over 40 years of experience training pet, competition, and therapy dogs. They use a variety of positive, operant conditioning, cognitive, and relationship-based training methods to help handlers better understand their dogs.

Classes are held on Saturday mornings at the College of San Mateo in Parking Lot X. Family members are encouraged to attend and watch classes, but children under 10 must be supervised by an adult other than the person training the dog. SBDOS also sells leashes, harnesses, and collars.

Accomplishments

San Bruno Dog Obedience School (SBDOS) is a non-profit 501c7 organization founded by Mal Lightfoot. It has been offering classes for over 45 years. The trainers at SBDOS collectively have more than 40 years of experience training pet, competition, and therapy dogs.

How to Get Started!

For Beginning Adult and Puppy classes, upcoming sessions are listed online with registration links. For Advanced and Intermediate Adult classes, no online registration is available; payment is made at the front desk on the day of the class. For Competition run-throughs, email Linda Whisler at lindawhisler@att.net to reserve a 20-minute time slot at least two days prior. For general questions or help determining the best class, contact SBDOS via phone or email with information about your dog and training goals.