training services

Metro Dogs training classes cater to a wide range of dogs, from puppies to adolescents, adults, and seniors. Regardless of age or breed, our classes are designed to benefit every dog. Get ready to embark on a rewarding journey of canine education with Metro Dogs!​ Classes are held at Metro Dogs in North Loop Minneapolis AND at Dog Days Capitol in St Paul!

Metro Dogs University uses positive reinforcement methodology throughout our dog training classes to teach you and your pup useful skills. Positive reinforcement means that we emphasize what we want our dogs to be doing, managing and reducing the behaviors we don’t want to see, and we never use force or intimidation. We follow AVSAB, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, approved methods. You can learn more about their position statement HERE.

Positive does not mean permissive – our dog training techniques certainly emphasize your dog’s wellbeing but that doesn’t mean they get to do whatever they want. Instead, we teach you how to address unwanted behaviors in a way that gives your dog an alternate, preferable behavior. Training should be fun for both of you!

Make Up Policy:

As we are a small training facility, we often only run one or two courses each quarter, meaning we may not be able to offer a make up class if you are unable to attend one classroom session during a course. If you know you are unable to attend one session, reach out to your trainer to discuss possible options to make up the missing date.

Inclement Weather Policy:

If the weather is too hazardous for travel and Metro Dogs cancels classes you will be notified via email and text. If this occurs, the trainers will reach out to you to reschedule the class session within 3 days.

Course List

How do I get started?

You can reserve a dog training class through our client portal and easily access more details about each class, such as the instructor, and select a class that suits your schedule. Simply log in to your account, click on “New Booking,” and choose “Training Classes” from the Booking Category options. If you need further guidance, please watch our instructional video below for step-by-step assistance.​

Meet our Trainers!

Training Associations & FAQ

Metro Dogs training classes cater to a wide range of dogs, from puppies to adolescents, adults, and seniors. Regardless of age or breed, our classes are designed to benefit every dog. Get ready to embark on a rewarding journey of canine education with Metro Dogs!​ Classes are held at Metro Dogs in North Loop Minneapolis AND at Dog Days Capitol in St Paul!

Metro Dogs University uses positive reinforcement methodology throughout our dog training classes to teach you and your pup useful skills. Positive reinforcement means that we emphasize what we want our dogs to be doing, managing and reducing the behaviors we don’t want to see, and we never use force or intimidation. We follow AVSAB, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, approved methods. You can learn more about their position statement HERE.

Positive does not mean permissive – our dog training techniques certainly emphasize your dog’s wellbeing but that doesn’t mean they get to do whatever they want. Instead, we teach you how to address unwanted behaviors in a way that gives your dog an alternate, preferable behavior. Training should be fun for both of you!

Requirements:

 ❑ Dogs must be current with age appropriate vaccines

➩ Under 16 weeks, DHPP, Bordatella and Influenza*

➩ Over 16 weeks Rabies, DHPP, Bordatella and Influenza*

➩ *When Influenza vaccine is available at your veterinarian!!

   ❑ Dogs must be in collar and/or harness & 6ft non-retractable leash.

➩ *Aversive tools (e-collars, prong collars, chokers) are not allowed!!

   ❑ Bring a treat pouch filled with tasty treats and a clicker if you use one.

   ❑ Optional: Bring a mat for your dog to relax on during instructional moments (yoga mat, bath mat, thin bed).

Cancellation Policy:

Our facility offers small class sizes as to provide the pups and their owners with the best possible learning experience. If you are no longer able to attend the course after registering you may be eligible for a refund. The refund policy is as follows:

If you cancel….

• 7+ days prior to first day of class: Full Refund
• 2+ days prior to first day of class: 50% Refund
• Less than 48 hrs prior to first day of class: No Refund

Make Up Policy:

As we are a small training facility, we often only run one course each quarter, meaning we may not be able to offer a make up class if you are unable to attend one classroom session during a course. If you know you are unable to attend one session, reach out to your trainer to discuss possible options to make up the missing date.

Inclement Weather Policy:

If the weather is too hazardous for travel and Metro Dogs cancels classes you will be notified via email and text. If this occurs, the trainers will reach out to you to reschedule the class session within 3 days.

Course List

Managing Reactivity [3 Weeks, $96]

Reactive Rover… Ferocious Fluffy… Cautious Canine?! Reactivity is RUFF. But what is reactivity exactly? Why does your very friendly and playful pup blow up at certain dogs in the neighborhood? Or why can your dog run free at the dog park and play nicely but get growly the moment you clip on the leash? Or behind the fenced yard they lose their marbles barking at your neighbor but when your neighbor stops by they go say hi and get a cookie? And most importantly WHAT DO WE DO?!!? This course will be the beginning steps for managing your reactive pup — we’ll get you on the path to recovering reactivity. Our first session will be PEOPLE ONLY, NO DOGS.

Class Schedule:

• Sunday April 7th at 12:15p to 1:15pm at Metro Dogs – FULL
• Sunday April 28th at 11am at Metro Dogs
• Monday April 29th at 8:10pm at Metro Dogs
• Thursday May 2nd at 8:10pm at Metro Dogs
• Sunday May 5th at 1:30pm at Metro Dogs
• Sunday May 26th at 1:15pm at Metro Dogs

Courteous Canines: Lessons in etiquette & manners [3 Weeks, $96]

This 3-week masterclass covers all things ‘manners’, with a curriculum that specifically focuses on setting your dog up to be a well-behaved and polite member of society! This is a hybrid class that will cover subjects such as; basic doggy etiquette, obedience, and impulse control. Dogs of all ages are welcome!

Specific topics include:

• Greeting etiquette: Dogs will learn how to greet people and other dogs politely without jumping up. We will also cover different management techniques for overexcitement during greetings.
• Leash manners: Walking politely on leash, without pulling or lunging. Loose-leash walking when encountering distractions.
• Impulse control: Each week, we’ll incorporate different exercises to help your dog practice self-control and patience, especially when working through moments of excessive excitability. We’ll cover behaviors like ‘settle’, ‘stay’, ‘leave it’, and any other behaviors to help improve impulse control.
• Miscellaneous: Demand barking, boredom behaviors (chewing, digging, scratching), different ways to exercise your pup, physically and mentally.

This class welcomes dogs of all ages!

Class Schedule:

• Sunday April 14th at 3:30pm at Metro Dogs
• Monday April 28th at 7:15pm at Metro Dogs

Metro Pups 101: AKC Puppy STAR Class [6 Weeks, $150]

This is the CRASH COURSE for puppy owners! Metro Pups 101 is open to puppies anywhere from 8 weeks to 6 months old. We cover obedience skills, confidence building, relationship strengthening, socialization to novel stimulus and cooperative care techniques for veterinary and groomer visits.

The course also emphasizes the AKC STAR Puppy requirements — meaning your puppy is being shaped into a Canine Good Citizen! In order to graduate as an AKC STAR Puppy you must attend all 6 weeks.

Graduates of Metro Pups 101 are eligible to begin Metro Pups 202!

Class Schedule:

• Sunday April 7th through May 12th at 10am at Metro Dogs
• Sunday May 5th at 3:45pm at Metro Dogs
• Saturday May 25th at 12:30pm at Dog Days Capitol

Metro Pups 201: Foundation Obedience [6 Weeks, $150]

This course is for puppies and dogs over 6 months of age that have not had any formal training class! This class is perfect for newly acquired pups and rescue dogs! We use science based methodology to teach you and your dog the basic skills needed to live peacefully! Plus, we use fun games and training techniques that are sure to build a positive and trusting relationship.

Class Schedule:

• Saturday April 20th at 10:30am at Dog Days Capitol  (SKIP 5/18 session)

Metro Pups 202: Intermediate Obedience [6 Weeks, $150]

Already completed basic obedience with us through our STAR Puppy class or graduated from Metro Pups 201? This is the place for you! Metro Pups 202 is an intermediate obedience course designed to further build the skills you’ve learned with your pups in your previous courses through positive reinforcement-based methodologies. We’ll walk you through how to advance your dog’s behaviors and learn some new tricks to add to your toolkit, too!

Class Schedule:

• Sunday May 5th at 2:45pm at Metro Dogs

Metro Pups 203: Canine Good Citizen and Test [4 Weeks, $96]

Is your pup ready to become a Canine Good Citizen!? Metro Pups 203 is the Canine Good Citizen preparation course. You and your pup will learn the skills needed to become an AKC Canine Good Citizen! AKC Canine Good Citizens are dogs of any breed and age that learn how to behave nicely in many different scenarios! We learn things like how to be approached by a friendly stranger, loose leash walking, stay/recall, and more!

Class Schedule:

• Saturday April 20th at 11:30am at Dog Days Capitol

Brewery Manners [3 Weeks, $96]

Inbound BrewCo and Metro Dogs are teaming up to bring you a fabulous class to help you and your dog become brewery besties! <3 What’s better than a beer with friends? A beer with doggo friends!! We’ll guide you through some important and useful skills to develop your dog into a Brewery Boss — including real life training sessions at Inbound BrewCo! Class will be hybrid, meaning that some portions will be taught at Metro Dogs (with few distractions) and some at Inbound Brew Co (to practice in the real world!)

Class Schedule:

• Sunday April 7th through 21st at 11am at Metro Dogs
• Sunday May 19th at 11am at Metro Dogs

Come When Called [3 Weeks, $96]

“Fenton! Fennntonnn! FEN-TONNNNN!”

If this is you — we can help. Using fun, easy techniques, we help build your dog’s recall skills so that you’re not that guy at the park. We’ll discuss why recall is a challenging behavior, what sort of techniques can we apply to prevent the “I’m-not-listening” pup, and how we can make recall really freakin’ fun.

Class Schedule:

• Sunday April 28th at 12:15pm at Metro Dogs

Teenage Chaos Control: Manners in the Making [4 Weeks, $100]

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness….” But mostly, it was the age of foolishness, and sometimes, it feels like the worst of times. Teenage dogs come with their own set of challenges — even harder than potty training, sometimes! If you’re ever feeling like you’re once angelic puppy is now terrorizing you, forgetting commands they once knew, yelling at the neighbor they used to love, or even just becoming the typical moody teenager, you’re NOT alone. We are here to help.

Class Schedule:

• Sunday April 7th through 28th at 2:30pm to 3:15pm at Metro Dogs
• Thursday May 2nd at 7:15pm at Metro Dogs
• Sunday May 19th at 12:15pm at Metro Dogs

Trick Training Class [4 Weeks, $84]

Teaching your pup tricks is the perfect way to provide mental and physical stimulation while building the bond between you and your dog. Tricks are great to work on during inclement weather or when you don’t have time to give them their usual exercise. Trick Training is also perfect for dogs that participate in Therapy work or spend time with children! The tricks your pup can learn in this class are endless! Bring your own ideas to the table. If you’d like to earn a Trick Dog title through the AKC, learn more HERE.

Class Schedule:

• Saturday April 20th at 11:30am at Dog Days Capitol

Senior School [3 Weeks, $84]

We will help owners of older dogs work on different games, body conditioning, and fun training tricks for the “seniors.”

In this context, ‘senior’ means any dog over the age of 8 years old, but in the dog world, age is really a number!! An 8 year old chihuahua is middle age, but an 8 year old great dane is senior age!! Regardless, once your dog has reached 8, they are arguably the Best Dog Ever™, and don’t “need” training anymore!

This class is sure to reinvigorate your canine companion in a way that is appropriate for their age!

Next class begins:

• Sunday May 19th at 10am at Metro Dogs

How do I get started?

You can reserve a dog training class through our client portal and easily access more details about each class, such as the instructor, and select a class that suits your schedule. Simply log in to your account, click on “New Booking,” and choose “Training Classes” from the Booking Category options. If you need further guidance, please watch our instructional video below for step-by-step assistance.​

Meet our Trainers!

Trainer Associations & FAQ