At BARC, training is about more than teaching cues — it’s about building clarity, confidence, and lasting communication between you and your dog. Our structured, positive programs are designed to create reliable behavior that carries into everyday life.
Thoughtful Training. Real-Life Results.
Pet Dog Training
Puppy Obedience (AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy)
Our Puppy Pet Obedience (AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy) Classes are the perfect start for your puppy’s training journey! These structured sessions are designed to help your pup learn essential commands, good manners, and proper behavior. We'll focus on foundational skills like sit, stay, come, heel, and down, while also addressing common challenges such as housebreaking, chewing, and socialization with other dogs and people.
Pet Obedience
Our Obedience classes for pet dogs focus on building reliable skills and clear communication between you and your dog. Using positive, reward-based methods, we teach essential cues such as sit, stay, come, and heel while addressing common challenges like jumping, leash pulling, and excessive barking. This structured 6-week course provides supportive, personalized instruction to help dogs of all ages become confident, well-mannered companions — making everyday life smoother and more enjoyable.
Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
The Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program is a nationally recognized certification that highlights good manners and reliable obedience in real-world settings. This 6-week course prepares dogs and handlers to successfully complete the 10 CGC test skills, including polite leash walking, calm greetings, stays, and working through distractions. Through structured, supportive instruction, we help build confident, well-mannered dogs who are ready to shine at home and in the community.
Reactive Dog
Does your dog go from 0 to 100 the moment they see another dog or person? This class is designed to help bring your dog back into balance — teaching them how to “put it in neutral” and remain calm in stimulating situations.
This class is ideal for dogs who struggle with:
Reactivity — barking, lunging, or growling at other dogs or people
Over-arousal — whining, pulling, or jumping out of excitement
Difficulty focusing in busy or distracting environments
This foundation-level, on-leash class focuses on building calm behavior, improving focus, and developing better coping skills around triggers. Structured exercises and safety protocols create a controlled environment where dogs and handlers can safely work toward progress together.
Sport Dog Training
Agility
Agility is a fast-paced, teamwork-driven sport where dogs navigate obstacle courses featuring jumps, tunnels, weave poles, and more. This structured 6-week program builds speed, focus, coordination, and handler communication while strengthening confidence and responsiveness under distraction. Whether you’re training for competition or simply looking for an engaging outlet for your dog’s energy, Agility offers a fun and rewarding challenge for both ends of the leash.
Brains to Bronze
Brains to Bronze is a 6-week introductory ‘sampler’ class designed for dog owners who want to explore different training disciplines giving you the opportunity to experience a variety of skills and activities with your dog.
This unique class offers 2 weeks each of:
Obedience
Rally
Fit Dog training
Breed Handling (Drop-Ins)
Our Breed Handling drop-in classes are perfect for those looking to refine their skills in showing and handling their dog in a competitive environment. These casual, yet focused sessions allow you to work directly with your dog and receive expert guidance on proper techniques, presentation, and ring etiquette. Whether you’re preparing for a show or just looking to improve your handling, these drop-in classes provide valuable practice in a supportive setting. No commitment required.
Competition Obedience
Our Competitive Obedience classes are designed for teams ready to refine precision, focus, and advanced skill work. This 6-week program emphasizes timing, consistency, intricate heeling patterns, and ring-ready performance — helping handlers and dogs build the teamwork and reliability needed for trial success. Through structured, positive reinforcement and expert guidance, we support serious competitors in reaching the next level.
Nosework
Nosework is a fun, scent-based training activity that taps into your dog’s natural ability to sniff and search. Dogs learn to identify and locate specific scents in a variety of environments, building focus, confidence, and problem-solving skills along the way. Suitable for all ages and breeds, this mentally enriching 6-week course provides structured, personalized instruction to help each team make meaningful, lasting progress.
Rally
Rally is an engaging sport that blends obedience and teamwork as dogs and handlers navigate a course of skill-based stations together. Combining focus, movement, and communication, Rally builds precision, responsiveness, and confidence in a fun, supportive environment. This structured 6-week course helps teams strengthen heelwork, stays, and advanced skills while improving reliability under distraction. Weekly Rally Run-Thrus are also available for continued practice.
Happy Ratters
Happy Ratters introduces dogs to the exciting sport of barn hunt-style scent work, where they learn to safely locate hidden rats (securely housed in protective tubes) using their natural hunting instincts. This engaging class builds confidence, focus, and problem-solving skills while channeling energy in a structured, rewarding way. Suitable for a variety of breeds and experience levels, Happy Ratters provides a fun outlet for instinct-driven enrichment in a supportive environment.
Specialty Training
BARC Academy
BARC Academy is a structured day-training program filled with purposeful training, exercises, and enrichment activities. In this camp-like environment, dogs spend the day learning new skills while engaging their minds and bodies through guided activities designed to build confidence, focus, and good habits.
Our goal is to help dogs channel their energy productively while reinforcing positive behaviors in a supportive, supervised setting. Each day includes a balance of training, movement, enrichment, and rest to support both mental and physical well-being.
Space is limited to ensure every dog receives individualized attention and a safe, positive experience.
Therapy Dog Preparation
Our Therapy Dog Preparation class helps dogs and handlers build the calm, reliable skills needed for therapy work in the community. Teams practice polite greetings, loose-leash walking, and maintaining focus around distractions while developing the steady temperament expected of a therapy dog. Certification workshops are conducted through Dog B.O.N.E.S. Therapy Dogs of Massachusetts, an affiliate of the Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD).