About Molly the Dog Trainer

Where the classes are

Molly the Dog Trainer teaches in the training ring at PetSmart, 1671 East Market Street, Harrisonburg, on the commercial east side of town. This is the most straightforward group-class option in the catchment: a published curriculum, a fixed price, and a store schedule you can book against rather than a quote after a consultation.

The class ladder

Six-week group courses run at $129, alongside private instruction. The courses are "Puppy (10 weeks to five months); Beginner (five months to old as the hills); Intermediate, Advanced, Brain Games, Trick, and Therapy Dog", and they are designed to stack: "Each class builds upon the skills learned in the previous class until you have the best dog possible". Puppy and Beginner both cover "basic manners, safety commands, proper socialization, and problem prevention"; Intermediate adds complexity and distraction work; Advanced "refines the polite-in-public skills, adds even more difficult situations, and prepares your dog for the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification." Trick class requires Beginner or Puppy first, and Therapy Dog requires solid manners.

Testing

Two testing routes are offered locally. The trainer provides "training and testing for the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) titles and the STAR Puppy certification", and is "a Tester/Observer for the Alliance of Therapy Dogs", so therapy-dog teams can be tested here. Testing itself is free, but it requires four tests done at a care facility plus a background check.

Worth knowing

The trainer came to this after retiring from business, and names deaf-dog experience specifically. Private appointments are booked about three weeks out, so plan ahead. The most current class calendar lives on the PetSmart site under the Harrisonburg, VA schedule rather than on this trainer's own pages.