About Top Notch Dog Training

Top Notch Dog Training – trading as Top Notch Dogs, LLC at 939 Route 376, Wappingers Falls – is the group-class school of this metro, and the only business in it that publishes a full timetable. It calls itself "The Hudson Valley's Premier Dog Trainers" and opens with a very plain statement of who the classes are for: "If you are the average dog owner, you just want a well behaved dog that doesn't jump, walks nicely on a leash and behaves in your home."

The class ladder

The published sequence starts with Puppy Headstart, gated by date of birth rather than a vague age band, and a Puppy K Summer School the school describes as "a MUST for new puppy owners and great for socializing ALL puppies," including basic commands, manners and a training booklet. Basic Obedience & Manners is "for any dog over 18 weeks of age that needs basic training (That's every dog!)" and covers manners, impulse control, leash walking and stays. Beyond Basics follows it, by prerequisite and instructor approval, focusing on leash walking, stays, no-jump greetings and coming when called. There is a separate three-week mini course aimed squarely at "the constant battle of pulling on leash."

Sport, titles and testing

Above the pet classes the school runs AKC Rally across all levels, an AKC Canine Good Citizen class with the test included in the price, a Canine Good Citizen Advanced class, and competition obedience in two streams – Starter/Beginner Novice to Novice on Friday evenings, and Novice through Utility on Monday mornings, both instructor-approved. Working Thru Distractions is a limited-enrollment class for competition students: "Learn how to keep your dog's focus even in a distracting environment." K9 Nosework and AKC Scentwork run at beginner and advanced levels and the school says those classes fill quickly. Breed Handling and a five-week Potpourri of Dog Sports appear on the timetable when there is demand.

How it runs

Every class requires pre-registration, several are limited enrollment, and the advanced tiers need instructor approval – the school publishes a downloadable PDF per class rather than a generic booking form. There are named instructors (Stefanie and Cheryl are two of them), morning, afternoon and evening sections, and a "Meet the Trainers" page.

Where it draws the line

This is the clearest example in the metro of a school saying what it will not take on. Under "Need Help With Aggression, Reactivity or Resource Guarding?" the answer is not a program: "Our recommendation is to contact a Veterinary Behaviorist for help with these issues," with a link to the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists directory. A reader with a biting or lunging dog should take that at face value and start elsewhere.

What to ask

Ask about prices and who owns the school.