Dog trainers
Private lessons and family classes, with materials that keep kids busy while you talk to the parents.
Dog Training Activity Guides and Cards for Kids
$29.99
This downloadable pack of twelve multi-page activity guides and sixty dog training exercise cards was designed for children ages 5-12, and corresponds to our Good Dog in a box online dog training program. These activity guides can be used by reward based dog trainers interested in engaging families with kids into your own training programs. Download, print out, and get kids involved with the family dog. Our guides incorporate learning about your good dog, loving your good dog, teaching your good dog, “I can” empowerment statements, reward based dog training, dog safety, and dog bite prevention.
12 guides · 60 training cardsKids want to be part of the training. The hard part is keeping them busy and useful while you talk to the
parents. This downloadable kit gives you twelve multi-page activity guides and sixty dog training exercise cards,
written for children ages 5–12, that you can print and hand out in your own lessons and classes.
parents. This downloadable kit gives you twelve multi-page activity guides and sixty dog training exercise cards,
written for children ages 5–12, that you can print and hand out in your own lessons and classes.
- 12 multi-page activity guides
- 60 exercise cards — 5 per guide
- Printable PDFs
How trainers use these
Private lessons
Most of these exercises you already teach. The difference is that now the child has a card for each one and a
guide to work through, so the lesson is family-focused and the practice carries on between your visits.
Family classes
One kit runs one to two hour-long sessions. Use it alongside your own material or on its own. The guides keep
the kids occupied while you take the parents through the harder concepts, and the cards and guides go home with
the family to keep practice going between classes. Pair it with the
Dog Smart Card Game
(sold separately) for the bite prevention part of a class.
What each guide teaches
- Guide 1
Your dog’s name · getting their attention
- Guide 2
Sit
- Guide 3
Come when called · down
- Guide 4
Down · walking together indoors
- Guide 5
Leave it · walking together outdoors
- Guide 6
Stay · leave it · down
- Guide 7
Go to your mat · down · leave it
- Guide 8
Go to your mat · down · tricks
- Guide 9
Drop it · tricks · come
- Guide 10
Stay · target · front door behavior
- Guide 11
Wait · nose work · the doorbell
- Guide 12
Tricks · meet and greet · nose work
What’s behind it
All of it is positive reinforcement, with Tellington TTouch mixed in — no choke chains, no shock collars.
Three themes run through every guide: learning about your good dog, loving your good dog and
teaching your good dog. “I can” statements are built in throughout, so a child finishes a guide
more confident about how to be around a dog, not just more informed. Dog safety and bite prevention are taught the
same way — through games, woven into the training rather than bolted on at the end.
The curriculum was written by Good Dog cofounder Jenn Merritt, a former CPDT-KA reward-based dog trainer with
more than thirteen years of professional experience, together with her sister and cofounder Kim, who brought eight
years of homeschooling her own kids to the job. It’s why the material reads like a lesson plan rather than a
handout.
This is a download. Your files are available right after checkout and stay in your account, so you can print as
many copies as your own lessons and classes need.
Print and use these with your own clients, classes and programs. They aren’t licensed for reselling, or for
passing the files on outside your own practice —
get in touch if you need something broader.
The Dog Smart Card Game referenced in the guides is a separate product.
Available onlineStart the day you buy
Built by working prosNot by marketers
Reward-basedNo punishment or fear
Made for your practiceUse it with clients
For dog professionals
Made for the people who work with dogs for a living
Good Dog started with two sisters — one a reward-based dog trainer, the other a homeschool mom who built corporate training online. Between them they kept needing materials that didn’t exist yet. Everything here came out of real lessons, real living rooms and real client conversations, and it’s built so you can put it to work rather than rewrite it first.
- Written by people who do this work — trainers, educators and end-of-life specialists
- Reward-based throughout: no choke chains, no shock collars, no dominance
- Built to use with clients, classes and staff, not just to read once
- Delivered online, so you can start the same day you buy
- Several carry continuing education credits — the details are on each product above
Who this is for
Wherever you meet dogs and the people who love them
Shelters & rescues
Adoption counselling, community outreach and the conversations that keep dogs in their homes.
Vet teams & groomers
Client conversations that are hard to have, from bite risk to end of life.
Humane educators
Classroom and after-school sessions, scripted so anyone on your team can present them.
Worth knowing
Two things that come up a lot
Continuing education credits
Where a product has been approved for CE, the organizations and credit hours are listed in its details above.
Something to hand your clients
Our free guide covers twenty everyday ways to keep kids and dogs safe together. Print it, email it, or put it in your welcome pack — it’s yours to share.
Reviews
What shelters and trainers tell us
It is easy to use, easy to teach with, and easy to understand. The kids enjoy the graphics and have great discussions. All of the info is great!!
Reach & Teach Humane Education Program
I really like the engaging aspect of this training and the ability to integrate it into our reach and teach project here at the shelter.
Reach & Teach Humane Education Program
Yes, simple for children to understand, practice, and implement.
SAFE Dog Bite Prevention Program
I plan to run a course at our local library and then again at a local shelter.
SAFE Dog Bite Prevention Program
As seen in
FAQ
Questions professionals ask us
How do I get access after I buy?
For the courses and the webinar pass, we email you an invitation to create a password and log in to our online learning system. For downloadable materials, your files are available right after checkout and stay in your account.
Do these carry continuing education credits?
Some do. Where a product carries CE credit, the approving organizations and the number of hours are listed in the product details above. If none are listed, that product doesn’t carry CE credit.
Are the webinars live sessions?
No. They are recordings from the 2018 and 2019 Dog Bite Prevention Summits, available on demand. Watch them in any order, as many times as you like.
What format are the downloads?
Printable PDFs. Print as many copies as your own classes and clients need.
Can I use this material with my own clients?
Yes — that’s what it’s for. Use it in your lessons, classes and programs. It isn’t licensed for reselling or for passing the files on outside your own practice.
Do you offer pricing for an organization or a team?
Yes. Get in touch and tell us how many people need access, and we’ll put together a quote.
