About A Click Above LLC

What it is

A Click Above is a dog sport facility rather than a pet-manners school, though it teaches both. The site describes it as "the premier dog performance training facility on the east coast", running group classes year-round "for responsible pet owners to handlers competing at the highest levels of agility, obedience, and rally". It has been women-owned for over 25 years and its copyright line runs from 2000.

How they train

Positive reinforcement and operant methods, with the clicker as the through-line: clicker training "is at the heart of this philosophy and enables us to teach everything from basic manners to tricks to complex handling." Most classes carry multiple instructors so each handler gets attention.

Three routes in

The site organizes itself around three paths. Family Pet, for owners who want good manners and basic skills and have no competitive ambitions. Obedience, running from basics through to Utility, with Rally classes preparing handlers for every level. And Agility, which starts with foundation work and continues into competition.

The facility

Described in detail: one indoor building with sprint turf measuring 100 by 125 feet, divisible into two concurrent classes with room left for crating, heated in winter and air conditioned in summer. Two outdoor grass rings, the front one lit for evening training. Equipment for AKC, UKI and USDAA agility plus AKC Obedience and Rally-O, and the site says it can also accommodate nose work, flyball and freestyle. The building is rented to clubs and dog businesses from Friday to Sunday.

Instructors

Several are named with their own competition records – among them a partner training dogs and handlers since 1996 with titles in tracking, obedience, herding and agility; an instructor who has bred, trained and shown German Shorthaired Pointers since 1977; and an instructor with more than 30 years working Bernese Mountain Dogs and Golden Retrievers in obedience. A founding partner, now retired, is listed as a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

How to enrol

Registration happens online six times a year at a set date and time, so timing matters. Every dog new to the facility must be tested before registering, except puppies enrolling in Puppy Kindergarten.

Before you book

Ask about class prices before registration opens, and whether the facility takes behavior or aggression cases.