About Manners Matter Canine Training Academy

Manners Matter Canine Training Academy works out of a facility on State Route NY-34 in Waverly, on the New York side of the Waverly-Sayre line. It is run by Jody, who describes the business as a way to combine a lifelong love of dogs with a background in caregiving and education. The academy sells both one-to-one sessions and group classes, and it publishes its prices openly, which is unusual enough in this corner of the Southern Tier to be worth saying.

Method

The stated approach is reward-based. The site's banner line is "What gets reinforced, gets repeated," and the service descriptions follow through on it: behavior work is described as modifying unacceptable behaviors using positive reinforcement and owner education, and obedience work as using reward and consistency to form a trusting bond of understanding between dog and handler. Jody frames the work as a team effort with the family rather than something done to the dog, writing that the most rewarding part is watching the relationship, understanding, and trust grow between owner and dog.

Behavior training

Behavior work is sold as one-to-one sessions, tailored to the individual dog's issues and the family's needs. The academy states that it builds a behavior plan with the owner so there is consistent follow-through between sessions. These sessions are offered in two settings: in the client's home, and in the academy's own space.

Obedience and classes

Obedience is offered both one-to-one and as group classes, covering leash walking, waiting at doorways, sit and down, and recall. Puppy socialization runs as a group class. Two AKC programs sit on top of that ladder: AKC STAR Puppy, described as a starting certification for puppies aged 18 weeks to one year over six weeks, and AKC Canine Good Citizen, described as an advanced obedience and socialization class with the AKC certification exam as its final, with previous class experience recommended and a minimum age of 19 weeks. Puppies of 16 weeks or younger are asked to contact the academy directly rather than book online.

Setting and pricing

The academy describes its own training space as a wide open enclosed area with limited distractions. Pricing is published on the site: a single academy session is listed at $70, with four-session and eight-session packages at $245 and $490; a single in-home session is listed at $100, with packages of four and eight at $350 and $700. Booking runs through the site.