Tallahassee Dog Obedience Club

The Tallahassee Dog Obedience Club offers training classes to the community, held either at the Sue McCollum Community Center at Lafayette Park or at the North Florida Fairgrounds. Classes are six weeks long and are open to all dogs, purebred or mixed, three months of age or older. The goal of these classes is to help owners better understand their dogs and teach them simple skills such as walking on leash, sit, down, stay, stand, and come, along with good manners. Owners learn how to engage their dogs and keep them motivated.

Puppy Class is designed for dogs under nine months of age and is part of the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy program. Its primary focus is socialization with strangers, other dogs, and different situations. Puppies are introduced to basic skills like sit, down, stay, come, and stand. Topics such as health and hygiene, housebreaking, basic grooming, puppy behavior, and how puppies learn are also covered.

Basic Manners is a popular class for dogs of all ages and is more structured than Puppy Class, as the dogs are developmentally more ready for structured lessons. In this class, owners and dogs work on refining basic skills and learning additional skills while keeping the dogs happy and focused. Basic Manners is a prerequisite for the Manners & More class. In Manners & More, teamwork is emphasized, attention and focus skills are enhanced, and owners improve their timing and communication. Teams learn the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Test (CGC) elements, and the CGC test is offered to all dogs and handler teams at the end of the class session.

Rally is a fun and flexible alternative to standard obedience competition, testing communication and teamwork between handlers and their dogs. Rally involves navigating a course with 10 to 20 different signs, each displaying a skill for the team to perform, such as 270-degree turns, heeling through cones, fronts, and finishes. Handlers can speak to their dog, praise them, and use body language throughout the course. Novice Rally is always on-leash. Completion of the Manners & More class is a prerequisite for Rally Novice, and Rally Novice is a prerequisite for Rally Intermediate. Novice, Open, and Utility classes are also offered for individuals interested in training their dogs for obedience competition.

TDOC does not offer agility classes, but many members actively train and compete in agility and can help new members get started in the sport. The Tallahassee Dog Obedience Club also offers several Barn Hunt trials each year.

Pricing Summary

A six-week class session costs $175.00. Classes are filled on a first-come basis upon receipt of completed paperwork and payment.

Founded in 1960, the Tallahassee Dog Obedience Club (TDOC) is a licensed club of the American Kennel Club. One of TDOC’s primary missions is to teach obedience classes to the public, helping dog owners in the community enhance their relationships with their dogs. TDOC offers a wide range of classes including Puppy (part of the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy program), Basic Manners, Trick Dog, and Manners & More (which covers the AKC Canine Good Citizen course).

TDOC is qualified to hold AKC sanctioned matches and trials for obedience, rally, and agility. Their obedience and rally trials are held in February and June, and their annual agility trial is held the last week of July. TDOC also offers Barn Hunt trials.

Classes are six weeks long and are open to all dogs, purebred or mixed, three months of age or older. The goal of these classes is to help owners better understand their dogs and teach them simple skills like walking on leash, sit, down, stay, stand, and come, along with good manners. Owners learn how to engage their dogs and keep them motivated.

At the conclusion of the Manners & More class, students have the opportunity to take the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test. At the end of the Tricks & More class, students are evaluated for an AKC Trick Dog title.

Accomplishments

The Tallahassee Dog Obedience Club (TDOC) was founded in 1960 and is a licensed club of the American Kennel Club. TDOC is qualified to hold AKC sanctioned matches and trials for obedience, rally, and agility.

Their training programs prepare dogs for various AKC titles, including the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy program, the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test, and the AKC Trick Dog title. Dogs trained through TDOC’s competition obedience classes can earn titles such as Companion Dog (CD) in Novice, Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) in Open, and Utility Dog (UD) in Utility. Rally titles can also be earned in Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Excellent, Master, and Championship levels.

How to Get Started!

To register for a class, individuals should call 850-562-4421 on or after their designated registration date. Pre-registration is available for club members and students enrolled in the previous class session, while the general public has a separate registration date. Callers should leave their name, telephone number, and the age and breed of their dog. The TDOC registrar will return the call to provide additional information about the classes and the registration process. Classes are filled on a first-come basis, based on the receipt of completed paperwork and payment. An orientation video is available for students.