The German Shepherd Dog Club of Minneapolis and St. Paul

Training

The German Shepherd Dog Club of Mpls. and St. Paul operates a training facility for German Shepherds only. Our training location is at the Animal Inn in Lake Elmo, click here for directions. Classes are held every Friday night starting at 7pm, see calendar or links below for details.

We offer a complete training program that includes puppy socialization classes, conformation classes and beginners to advanced obedience classes. Our qualified trainers are German Shepherd owners themselves, and use methods suited for our breed. We train you to train your dog.

*Children under 8 years of age must be leashed at all times.
 

Obedience and Rally   
Sign Up Forms
The German Shepherd Dog Club of Minneapolis and St. Paul offers beginning and advanced obedience classes as well as rally for German Shepherd Dogs. The goal of the obedience classes is to form a leadership role in team work between human and their canine companion using positive motivation Dogs naturally want to please their owners, and through training, learn to respect and understand what their owner wants. Obedience training teaches the owner how to communicate with their companion animal to gain that respect. A trained dog should walk quietly at their owner’s side on walks, behave at the vet’s office, and in general be a good canine citizen that the owner can be proud of wherever they go. Rally is a relatively new sport in which the human/canine team negotiate a course performing various obedience exercises as they pass signs along a set path. It is a challenge and fun for both dog and owner. Teamwork is emphasized and communication between handler and dog is highly encouraged. Come join our classes with your German Shepherd Dog.

Conformation
Sign Up Forms
The German Shepherd Dog Club of Minneapolis and St. Paul offers puppy, novice, and advanced conformation classes for German Shepherd Dogs. The puppy conformation class is for puppies 3 months and up. This class aims to make the conformation ring fun for puppies. The instructor will help you train your puppy to gait around the ring, learn to stack and accept the judges examination. We encourage the puppies to be confident and have fun! This will allow your puppy to know what is expected of them when shown in the conformation ring. The novice class welcomes those GSD owners with little or no experience in the conformation ring. The instructor will teach you how to stack and gait your dog. They will also explain the loose lead temperament test, coming and going, baiting and general ring procedure. This is great for someone new to the conformation ring. The advanced conformation class is for dogs with basic breed ring control and handlers with a working knowledge of stacking, gaiting, baiting and ring procedure. In this class handlers are fine tuning their dogs and can ask the instructor to help work on specific problems they need help with. Most handlers in the advanced class have exhibited German Shepherd Dogs in a dog show. Please bring your German Shepherd Dog, a show collar, a lead (4-6 foot, leather preferred), bait (treats to reward your dog), and wear comfortable clothing and shoes (no heels!), as you will be running with your dog. Please keep your dog on leash at all times. Come join our classes with your German Shepherd Dog.

S.t.a.r. Puppy Course
Sign Up Forms
Socialization, training, and owner education is important for every dog, but is even more critical in the development of a German Shepherd Dog. That is why the German Shepherd Dog Club of Minneapolis and St. Paul is offering a Puppy Foundation Class. The class is taught not only by a GSD owner, but one who is also a certified dog trainer and expert in ca-nine and human behavior. Core components of the class are: socialization, basic manners training, and educating owners on how to properly develop a young GSD into a confident, well adjusted adult. Each week the dogs are involved in structured socialization and are introduced to new and unique stimuli. All this while the owners are being educated about their pups unique personality and how they can make the most of it. Owners are encouraged to develop a plan for their dogs that not only takes them into adulthood but also into a rewarding and satisfying life. We believe this makes them better companions and canine citizens. A key benefit to this class is that the owners are surrounded by other GSD owners. This provides a wealth of information from all areas whether you want a companion dog, a show dog, a performance dog, a therapy dog, or anything else one may have in mind for this multi-talented breed. This is an ideal supplement to a traditional puppy kindergarten class.

The Beginning Obedience course is designed for dogs and puppies at least 6 months of age. It comprises 10 weekly lessons focused on teaching the handler/dog team the basic Companion Dog exercises of heel, sit, down, stay, come, and stand for examination. No previous training is required to participate in this class, but previous puppy socialization and basic leash training is desirable. Unused sessions may not be transferred to any other course or dog.

This course is designed for dogs and puppies at least 6 months of age who have completed a basic 8-10 week obedience course. It comprises blocks of 10 weekly lessons focused on the basic pre-Novice exercises of heel, sit, down, stay, come, and stand for examination. It is intended to be a transition from the beginners obedience to the new AKC pre-novice level.

This course is designed for dogs whom have completed at least 16-20 weeks of basic obedience training and have approval of the trainers. It will be offered if 4 or more students have active blocks.

The Rally Obedience course is designed for puppies at least 6 months of age. It focusess on teaching the moves, rules, and scoring of Rally Obedience, and providing experience on practice courses. A basic 8-10 week beginner's obedience class or trainer approval is required to participate in the class.