RATES & SERVICES

Dogs, like self-respecting humans, like to know what their progress has been. That's why at Pawsitive Dog Solutions we use a hierarchy similar to the belt system used in martial arts.

• Tests are given after class sessions for those who think they are ready to advance. 
• A color-coded collar will be issued to all participants meeting the requirements of the belt.  
• There will also be a "Best of Class" award  

The skills required for each belt are listed below.

WHITE BELT: All dogs beginning the Pawsitive Dog Solutions program are white belts.  The white belt is characterized by an eagerness to learn and much boisterous dogness such as chewing, digging, jumping, nipping and pulling on the leash.

YELLOW BELT: To attain the Pawsitive Dog Solutions YELLOW BELT, a dog must be house-broken 80% of the time.  In a low-distraction environment, the dog must respond to the following commands the first time the command is given and with the use of a treat: sit, down, off, give, come (from a short distance) and go to your bed.  Assuming the owner has trained ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes at night, most graduates of Puppy Kindergarten II will attain this level.

GREEN BELT:  Any problems with nipping and chewing on inappropriate objects must be mild.  The dog must be house-broken. In a medium-distraction environment such as a quiet sidewalk or a quiet park, with the help of a corrective collar the dog must respond to the following commands the first time given without a treat: sit, down, off, give, come (from a short distance and on-leash), heel (from a short distance and on-leash) and sit-stay (for 30 seconds with the owner at the end of the leash). The dog must not pull on the leash when walking with the owner or trainer.  With consistent training on the owner's part, most dogs will attain this level after 3 weeks on the Pawsitive Dog Solutions program.

RED BELT:  The dog must be house-broken and any nipping, chewing or jumping up on people must be minimal. In an intermediate-distraction environment such as a moderately busy sidewalk or park, the dog must respond to the following commands 70% of the time without correction or treat: sit, down, off, give, come (from a distance of ten feet and on-leash), heel (from a distance of ten feet and on-leash), down-stay for 2 minutes (owner must be able to drop the leash and walk around the dog in circles), wait (at the door) and go to your bed.  The dog does not pull on the leash and walks on a heel unless "released".  With consistent training on the owner's part, most dogs will attain this level after 6 weeks on the Pawsitive Dog Solutions program, after graduation from Basic Obedience.

BROWN BELT:  The dog must be house-broken and not have any other significant problems such as jumping up on strangers or chewing on shoes or furniture.  In a high-distraction environment such as a sidewalk busy with dog traffic, the dog must respond to the following commands 85% of the time without correction or treat: sit, down, off, give, down-stay for 10 minutes or until "released", sit-stay (in the car even though the door is wide open), wait (at the door) and heel. The dog does not pull on the leash and does not step in front of the owner unless "released."  The dog must come when called from a distance of 30 feet off-leash.  With consistent training on the owner's part, most dogs will attain this level after reaching the age of one year and with 3-4 months of consistent training after graduation from Advanced Obedience.

BLACK BELT:The dog must be house-broken and have no bad manners such as jumping up on strangers, chewing shoes or furniture, or nipping. In ANY environment (including at the dog park, on the board walk, in front of six garbage trucks while tempted by cats), the dog must respond to the following commands 95% of the time without correction or treat: sit, down, off, give, sit-stay (in the car even though the door is wide open), wait (at the door) and heel.  The dog must go to its bed when directed from any room in the house.  The dog must be able to do a 30 minute down-stay.  The dog must come when called from a distance of 50 feet off-leash.  The dog does not pull on the leash and does not step in front of the owner unless "released."  Many black belts know some tricks but tricks are optional.  With consistent training, an adult dog would attain this level after 8-12 months, with sessions thereafter to refresh the training every few months.