Earn a Canine Good Citizen certificate and build on the skills learned in Basic Obedience 1 while learning commands that require more concentration for your dog. These lessons include how to accept a friendly stranger, sit politely for petting, walking through crowds, react to other dogs, and so much more. Prerequisite: Basic Obedience 1 or equivalent. This course consists of six one-hour classes and will meet once a week unless otherwise noted. Capacity: 9 Dogs. Fee: $95

Saturday Courses

If you are interested in joining our Pet Therapy Program, you must first register for our Pet Therapy Training Course. The Pet Therapy Training Course will prepare you and your dog to be an HSSC Pet Therapy Team. The course covers the essential skills for therapy animals and handlers (attention, leash walking, ignoring distractions, reactivity, etc.). In addition, the course provides an overview of the roles and expectations of HSSC Pet Therapy Volunteers, and an overview of HSSC in general since Pet Therapy Volunteers are considered ambassadors for HSSC. The final class is the evaluation. Passing the evaluation results in acceptance into the Pet Therapy Program. Those who do not pass the evaluation will be provided options for further training. This course consists of four one-hour classes and will meet once a week unless otherwise noted. Capacity: 10 Dogs. Fee: $60.

2022 Pet Therapy Class Dates

Once you and your dog complete the course and pass the evaluation, you will be charged an additional $50 fee, which covers our cost to issue your Pet Therapy polo, dog bandana, name badge, and liability insurance for one year. Thereafter, you will be charged an annual fee of $40 to maintain your insurance and membership in the program. You will be granted access to our volunteer management system, VolunteerHub, upon paying your fee.