Sandy Meadow Farm Obedience School

Sandy Meadow Farm Obedience School offers a comprehensive range of dog training programs. Puppy Kindergarten is a 6-week course for puppies aged 9-16 weeks, covering basic commands like sit, down, stay, come, and leave it, along with addressing common puppy behaviors such as play biting, jumping, housebreaking, and socialization. The Basic Companion and Manners class, also 6 weeks, is for adolescent dogs over 4 months or puppies graduating kindergarten, teaching core obedience commands and valuable home skills like loose leash walking, attention, and managing problem behaviors.

Upper-level classes include Intermediate, which continues basic training with emphasis on formal heeling, off-lead work, and distraction training, and Better Manners, a 6-week outdoor course focusing on distraction reliability and social manners. The Canine Good Citizen – Advanced Manners class prepares dogs for the CGC test over 6 weeks. Drop-in Advance Training Classes are available for ongoing skill improvement.

Specialty 4-week mini-classes cover specific topics like Polite Pooch for on-leash behavior, Courageous Canine for fearful dogs, and Household Helpers for at-home skills. Other specialized programs include Shaping Skills for clicker training, CGC Brush Up, Dancing With Your Dog for choreographed routines, Rally Obedience for dog sports, and Sniffer Skills for scent detection.

For behavioral challenges, the Social Strugglers class (Level 1 & 2) is a semi-private, 4-week course designed to address over-arousal and reactivity. Therapy Dog Training is offered over 5 weeks to prepare teams for community service, with a specialization in pediatric work. Private lessons and behavior modification programs are also available for individualized training needs.

Pricing Summary

Most 6-week group classes, including Puppy Kindergarten, Basic Manners, Better Manners, Intermediate, CGC, Sniffer Skills, and Social Strugglers, cost $180.00. Four-week mini-classes, Rally Obedience, and Tricks Can Be Fun are priced at $125.00. Therapy Dog Training is $150.00 for 5 weeks. Advance Training drop-in classes are $15.00 per class. Private lessons have an initial consultation fee of $150.00 (typically 1.5 hours), with additional lessons at $85.00 per hour. Payments are accepted in cash, check, or electronically prior to class.

Policies

All classes require preregistration due to limited enrollment, with class sizes typically limited to 6 dogs/handler teams to ensure maximum assistance. For severe inclement weather, classes may meet via Zoom. Dogs must be current on veterinarian-approved vaccinations (distemper/parvo, bordatella, rabies) with proof required at the first class. Class spots are not reserved until the registration form is received by the school. Dogs over 18 months of age must undergo an evaluation prior to attending classes. Specific classes, such as Better Manners, CGC, and Rally Obedience, have prerequisites of successful completion of prior basic manners courses. The Social Strugglers class requires a necessary evaluation. For Sniffer Skills, dogs must be able to be safely crated or left in a vehicle while classmates are working. Completing the Pediatric Training Course does not guarantee entrance into the K-9’s for Kids unit, and existing therapy-certified teams wishing to visit their service locations must attend a pediatric training class and pass the K-9’s for Kids Test.

Sandy Meadow Farm Obedience School is a dog training business founded in 1993 by head trainer Melissa Kielbasa. They offer a wide variety of informative and helpful classes designed to improve communication and build a relationship based on respect and trust between owners and their dogs. Their training style focuses on fair, friendly exercises that are user-friendly and easily applied to everyday family situations.

The school specializes in small group classes, originally up to 10 dogs, now limited to 6 dog/handler teams, to ensure maximum individual attention and assistance. Trainers provide detailed step-by-step instructions and guidance to eliminate problem behaviors while encouraging good habits. They promote family involvement throughout the training process.

Classes are held on-site at their facility in Western Massachusetts, which was built in 1995 and is both heated and air-conditioned for year-round comfort. The facility is designed to accommodate one class at a time to minimize distractions. Virtual lessons are also available as a training option for at-home learning.

The staff brings diverse dog-related backgrounds, including breed handling, competition obedience, service dog training, dock diving, freestyle dancing, agility, therapy training, grooming, boarding, herding, and trick training. Beyond regular classes, Sandy Meadow Farm is involved with the K-9’s for Kids Pediatric Therapy Dog Unit, a non-profit volunteer organization, and the Westfield Woofers Dog Dance team.

Accomplishments

Melissa Kielbasa (Missy), the founder and head trainer, holds a BS in animal science and is a CPDT-KA. She worked as a certified veterinary technician and has been training professionally since 1988, opening her school in 1993. Missy is a certified evaluator for AKC’s Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog Programs. Her dogs have achieved numerous competition obedience titles, therapy dog certifications, functional farm herding, conformation titles, and participated in AKC school ambassador programs and public demonstrations. She has been featured on Animal Planet’s ‘Dogs 101’ and local TV shows ‘Mass Appeal’ and ‘Making It Here’. Missy leads the K-9’s for Kids Pediatric Therapy Dog Unit and choreographs the Westfield Woofers dog dance team. She received a Hometown Heroes award from the American Red Cross and a Governor’s Citation in 2009, and was nominated Volunteer of the Year by the City of Westfield in 2013.

Elizabeth Depin, CPDT-KA, developed and runs the Social Struggler and Courageous Canine Classes. Anne Crouss has trained numerous dogs certified and working in the K-9’s for Kids Pediatric Unit and trains to competition obedience skill level. Jill Haley Rose, CPDT-KA, was the Training Programs Coordinator and canine behavior specialist for the Dakin Humane Society, evaluating thousands of dogs. She is also a licensed presenter for the Dogs & Storks workshop. Jim Helems, owner of Dog Pals Sports Camp, teaches Pet First Aid and CPR, Dog Parkour, Agility, and Scent Work, and developed a Search and Rescue Obstacle Course.

How to Get Started!

To get started, all classes require preregistration due to limited enrollment. Registration forms are available on the REGISTRATION tab of their website and can be copied/pasted into an email, or printed and sent via mail or fax. If submitting the form via email, clients should contact the school to confirm receipt, as a confirmation email is always sent. Working classroom spots are not reserved until the registration form is received by the school. Dogs over 18 months of age must be evaluated prior to attending class. For the Social Strugglers class, clients need to contact the school to set up a necessary evaluation. For Therapy Dog Training, clients should contact the school directly for more information, requirements, and available class space. Private lessons also require contacting the school for details.