The Humane Society of the Treasure Coast offers a multitude of classes to help your dog become the best version of itself! Unless otherwise noted in the class description, all classes are:
For questions regarding classes, please contact Heidi Fischer, Animal Trainer & Behavior Specialist, at (772) 600-3207 or hfischer@hstc1.org.
For questions regarding the registration process, please contact Tracy Steffen by phone at (772) 600-3236 or by email at tsteffen@hstc1.org
*Puppies must have their first set of shots (DHLPP) and a negative fecal exam in order to participate in this class.
Puppies’ natural curiosity and abundant energy are harnessed to introduce them to the fun sport of agility! This class will focus on some fundamentals of agility, using puppy games that
will utilize targeting, wobble boards, focus and basic obedience skills. Puppies will be introduced to new sights, sounds, and techniques that are helpful toward building confidence without
stress on baby joints. This class will also help build confidence while strengthening the pup-to-parent bond and partnership.
* Puppies must have recently completed Puppy S.T.A.R.
Learn how to "listen to your dog" as your dog learns to "listen to you." During Basic obedience, your dog will learn how to sit, lay down, stay, come when called, wait patiently at a doorway, and how to walk nicely on a leash. Basic Obedience is a pre-requisite for Pet Therapy Class.
Intermediate Obedience is for students who have successfully achieved a solid foundation of basic obedience skills from one of our Basic Obedience classes. This class will fine tune and improve upon your previous training by incorporating the 3 D's-Distance, Duration, and Distraction.
Interested in improving your dog’s obedience skills? Join our Prep class for AKC Beginner Novice/Novice titles and learn the specific skills that will prepare you
& your dog to compete in those titles, as well as fun activities that will introduce you to more complex obedience exercises! On the last day of each class series, your dog's new skills
will be put to a test with a mock Beginner Novice or Novice Competition.
We recommend this class for dogs that have recently completed a Rally-O or Advanced Obedience class. We can also accommodate puppies who have recently completed the Puppy S.T.A.R. class and
has demonstrated proficiency in coming when called, walking by your left side and the ability to stay in a sit or down position.
This class is taught by Kathie Kryla who has been teaching competitive obedience for over 20 years and competing for 35 years!
Focus Proofing class strengthens dogs’ obedience skills while introducing them to the outdoor environment. This class teaches dogs to stay obedient even around other dogs and distractions. Part of each session is allocated to introducing the agility equipment to the dogs to gain confidence.
*Must first have completed the pre-requisite Basic Obedience course.
Give back to our community while spending time with your dog! This advanced course prepares dogs and their handlers for a multitude of situations that will occur during Pet Therapy programs, and will also prepare you for the three part evaluation done by a therapy dog organization. Dogs will also be evaluated on the Canine Good Citizens exam as well as begin the evaluation process on the last class. This Pet Therapy class is required by those who wish to volunteer with Misty’s Pals at HSTC (link to hstc1.org/pettherapy).
*Must first have completed the pre-requisite Basic Obedience course.
Brain Games is a class all about having fun with your dog. We will work on mentally stimulating games and tricks such as- The Find It game, Teach Your Dog to Talk with Buttons, and more. What you will need for this class is a hungry dog, high value treats, and a special toy. *This is a 2 week class and costs $50.
Continue to challenge your dog in the fun game of Nose Work with Nose Work 2 class. Dogs will be presented with buried hides and vehicle searches. With more distractions and more odors to the game, your dog will love these new challenges.
This course helps pet owners fine-tune some specific behavior-related issues a dog might be having. Common issues include jumping on people, lunging at other dogs while out on walks, pulling on the leash, etc. This course will work on whatever individual problems its participants are struggling with.
*This 4-week class costs $80
*Must first have completed the pre-requisite Basic Obedience course
This American Kennel Club class is fun for dogs and their parents as participants set out to learn new tricks. This course strengthens communication and bonding between pet and parent. AKC Trick Dog concludes with an opportunity for the dogs to earn another AKC title.
*This 3-week class costs $60
Loose Leash & Reliable Recall Class is an abbreviated course that will help develop appropriate leash manners and will make your dog's recall solid, even with distractions.
This is a 3 week class and costs $60.
Rally Obedience (Rally-O) is a team sport for both dog and handler, requiring each team to navigate a circuit course with 10-20 different signs, each indicating a different obedience skill to complete. This introductory class focuses on teaching participants the basic positions, equipment, and signs to create a solid foundation to learning this fun sport. Rally-O is a fun and effective way to continue enhancing your dog's obedience skills while also strengthening the bond between you and your four-legged friend.
*Must first have completed the pre-requisite Basic Obedience and Intro to Rally-O courses
The Humane Society of the Treasure Coast offers a variety of agility classes for the dog at every level. Handler teams must have at taken Basic Obedience & Focus Proofing classes to participate in Agility. If you have previous agility experience, please call Heidi Fischer at (772) 600-3207 to see which class would be the right fit for your dog!
Agility Club memberships are open to all handler teams who have successfully completed at least six (6) weeks of agility classes and have a basic understanding of the use of the equipment. Joining the HSTC Agility Club will allow you to practice at HSTC on your own schedule, whenever there isn't an HSTC-scheduled class or event!
A completed membership application, with check payable to HSTC in the amount of $150, should be returned to the shelter or emailed to jclifford@hstc1.org. Upon completion of the application and acceptance by the Humane Society, the member will receive the gate code.
The Humane Society of the Treasure Coast is home to three highly-skilled and multi-talented obedience and agility trainers. We are so grateful to have them as part of our obedience and agility team!
Animal Behavior & Training Specialist
Heidi Fischer, the Animal Trainer and Behavioral Specialist at the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast, has been involved with the organization for 14 years. She also has been with the HSTC’s pet therapy group, Misty’s Pals. She has titles in AKC, Agility, Rally USDA and CPE and she has made successful champions with the pack of dogs that she rescued. Her rescue dog, Diesel, was ranked #3 in the country for AKC agility at the Invitational Eukanuba in Orlando. She has attended many seminars with top international handlers to keep her skills up to date for her students. Heidi also has attended outside dog training and behavioral seminars, and she is an AKC evaluator for CGC testing. Heidi's training method is always positive for dogs and owners to help them develop their training skills to grow and have confidence — whether it’s to compete or just want to have a fun, social time in her classes.
Agility Trainer
Sonya Cerron fell in love with agility years ago. She had seen it on TV and decided she wanted her cattle dogs and herself to at least try the new sport. She loves all of the training that went into it as well as watching her dogs catch on to each new lesson. Primarily, Sonya enjoys being around others who share her love for dogs and the sport, and she also loves teaching agility, watching her students succeed at each level and learning to be in touch with their dogs. She finds it soothes her soul just to be out at the field. As an instructor, she makes a point to keep up with all the changes in agility and new techniques and handling. With more than 16 years of agility experience, she has witnessed many changes to the sport. She tries and trains with Pike, her 7-year-old border collie, and Albe, a 3-year-old border collie. Both compete at the master’s level in AKC. Sonya’s history with animals is as a dog groomer in Dayton Ohio, obedience instructor and animal warden in Marathon, Florida, and as an agility instructor since 1999.
Agility Trainer
Bill Becker has been training dogs for more than 15 years and through the mentorship of Sonya Cerron, has been an instructor at The Humane Society of the Treasure Coast since 2010. He has been playing, training and competing in AKC Agility since 2005, earning many agility titles, including five Master Agility Champion (MACh) titles and was nationally ranked annually with his rat terrier, Maggie Mae, now at the Rainbow Bridge. He continues to compete in agility and enjoys teaching the Competition Agility Class at our facility. Bill was instrumental in organizing the HSTC’s first team to go to the Dog Agility Competition of Florida (DACOF) in 2012, has helped organize the teams each year since, and has become president of DACOF for the third year in a row. Bill believes his strengths are helping handlers evaluate courses, identifying off-course potentials and proper paths, while helping the handlers “Align their Cues” to help the handler/dog teams be successful and to have as much fun as possible. Bill’s philosophies are “It’s all about making it fun for your dog,” “If you’re not training your dog, it’s training you,” and “The best trainer in the world is the one whose dog is having the most fun.”
Kristi Jackson fell into training through working with a great Llama named Inky who taught her that positive training was the way to a Llama's heart. She has been training for 20 years with a variety of breeds, but her true love is herding dogs. She has trained all levels of obedience from Puppy Class to Utility as well as Agility Foundations. She has earned both Rally and Obedience titles on a Shetland Sheepdog and two Collies. Her Shetland Sheepdog, Lorelei, was a rescue with no hearing but loved the game of agility. She was master's level when she passed away. She has trained and evaluated many dogs for pet therapy and is an AKC evaluator for CGC testing. She has also attended outside dog training and behavior seminar. Kristi loves watching those light bulb moments for owners as they build a bond with their dogs. It's all about having fun with your partner!
Humane Society of the Treasure Coast
4100 SW Leighton Farm Ave
Palm City, Florida 34990
Main Line: (772) 223-8822
Fax: (772) 220-3610
admin@hstc1.org
Central Thrift Store:
2585 SE Federal Hwy., Stuart, FL 34994
(772) 286-6909
North Thrift Store:
1099 NW 21st St., Stuart, FL 34994
(772) 232-4887
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