About Ithaca Dog Training

The Ithaca Dog Training Club, listed on Google simply as Ithaca Dog Training, runs group dog classes out of a rented training space at The Shops at Ithaca Mall. Its motto, given on its own site, is "We train you, to train them!" – an accurate description of the format, which is handler instruction in a class rather than training done to the dog.

Classes open to the public

Beginner obedience is open to anyone, not only members. The published progression is AKC STAR Puppy for the youngest dogs, then Beginner 1 – split into an adolescent track for dogs of six to eleven months and an adult track – then Beginner 2, Beginner 3, and Canine Good Citizen. Sessions start roughly every two months, run seven weeks, and are usually an hour a week with eight dog-and-handler teams in a class. The published fee for non-members is $125 per session. Members pay less, and the site gives its membership rates openly.

What the beginner classes cover

The stated curriculum is attention, sit, down, recall, stay, waiting at a door, and greeting someone politely, along with loose-leash walking and the handling skills behind them. The STAR Puppy class follows the AKC curriculum and covers socialization, training, activity, and responsibility; dogs who pass the evaluation and attend enough sessions can earn the certification.

Classes for members

Past the beginner ladder, the club offers competition obedience, rally, and agility, all of which the site restricts to members, along with occasional classes it describes as the fun ones – nose work, also called scent work, FitDog, Happy Ratters, CGC-A, obedience and attention games, and an introduction to dog sports. There is also a Cornell Companions therapy dog class. Agility classes carry their own prerequisites: the site requires a dog to crate quietly, enter and leave the ring under control, and hold a stay and an off-leash recall in an exciting environment.

Who it is not for

The club states this itself, and it is worth repeating because it is unusually clear: "IDTC is unable to accept aggressive or reactive dogs in our classes." Owners in that position are directed to ask their vet for a referral to a certified animal behaviorist. Anyone with a dog that cannot work near other dogs should start elsewhere.

How it runs

Instruction is by volunteers, organized through a training committee, and the club runs evaluations six to eight times a year for handlers unsure which class to join. Registration opens about a month before each session and classes fill in order of application, with members given a short priority window.