FirstBarkBest decision ever! Before coming here I almost lost hope with my dog, now he is a joy to be around. I owe Becky and Lana everything I learned about my dog and teaching him everything he knows
Paw & Hand Obedience
Muncy, Pennsylvania
About Paw & Hand Obedience
Small obedience school in north central Pennsylvania offering small group classes and private lessons at all levels of obedience. We offer pet/manners, puppy, basic, the entire AKC Canine Good Citizen series, and all levels of competition obedience, beginner novice through utility. The weekly schedule of 12 to 15 classes each week has both daytime and evening classes to suit more lifestyles. We teach you how to train your dog while focusing on building and maintaining your relationship with your dog. We consider ourselves balanced trainers, and our methods include lots of calming techniques, impulse control, motivational play, and treats. Good relationships include trust and cooperation, so we always try to build on those.
Training & services
Training goals
- Canine Good Citizen preparation
Program details
For graduates of Basic. Beyond prepares dog & handler teams to pass the AKC's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test. Test is held the last night of class at no additional cost to the student. · Listed price: [object Object]
- Obedience training
Program details
For dogs too old for STAR Puppy with no previous formal training. Also the next step for puppies. Covers and expands on the basic skills and makes them more reliable. · Listed price: [object Object]
We offer both pet/basic/manners obedience and competition obedience, which includes rally. We teach the foundation exercises the same way to all of our students. Attention and focus is important in both training programs.
Specific short rally courses are randomly offered, usually on weekends. Rally skills are largely included in our competition obedience training. When you do competition obedience with us, in order to trial in rally, you just need to learn the rules and the signs!
- Puppy training Customer-reported
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- Recall training
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Behavior support
- Aggression training
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- Fear and confidence
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- Reactivity training
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How training happens
- Group classes
Program details
Our pet/basic/manners classes are held to approximately 6 students per instructor. If we have 7 or more students in a class we have an assistant. Competition classes may have up to 8 or 10 students per 1 instructor, but these are generally more advanced classes with more experienced handlers.
- Private training
Program details
Private Lessons are one-on-one training sessions, scheduled independently and held at our building. Currently Lana and Becky offer private lessons at various times. Contact the training director or the instructor directly to schedule a lesson.
Dog age
- Puppies
Program details
Confidence-building first group experience for young puppies. Introduces basics such as sit, down, stay, coming when called, walking nicely on a leash, wait/stay, leave it, and greeting strangers. We use a lot of calming techniques in our classes and spend a lot of time on walking and leash skills. · Listed price: [object Object]
- Senior dogs
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Training level
- Advanced obedience
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- Advanced training
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- Beginner training
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Class options
- Evening classes
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- Small classes
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Assistance and working dogs
- Therapy dog training
Program details
Taught by experts with decades of experience working in medical facilities and doing therapy work. Dogs must have AKC's CGC and CGCA to enroll. Course focuses on exposure to medical equipment, infection control, and dealing with therapy-specific situations teams could encounter during their work. · Listed price: [object Object]
Dog sports
- Agility
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- Rally obedience
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Other listed services
View 15 additional details
- Advanced Basic (CGCA)
Program details
Advanced Basic is for graduates of Beyond Basic. Advanced prepares dog & handler teams to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen Advanced (CGCA, aka Community Dog) test. Part of at least one class one class will be spent in the local community at a local store or business. · Listed price: [object Object]
- Attention & Handling L1 & L2
Program details
One of the best/most popular classes we offer! Teaches dogs to pay attention to the handler, and teaches the handler how to best help their dog do their job! Teaches attention in heel position, while heeling, and at a distance, as in a recall. Always offered but L1 & L2 must be taken sequentially. · Listed price: [object Object]
- Dog's Physical
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- Drop Ins
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- Evening AND Daytime Classes offered
Program details
Check our schedules! Our core classes are offered in both evening and daytime hours to accommodate different schedules. STAR Puppy, Basic, and Beyond Basic. For competition students, Novice, Open and Utility or Beginning Utility are all offered both daytimes and evenings.
- Impulse Control Training
Program details
- Novice/Beginner Novice
Program details
Competition Obed. Focuses on exercises/skills needed in the Novice/Beg Nov competition ring (and to pass therapy dog certification tests). Attention to the handler, heeling, waits & stays, back drop down, kick back stand, stands for exam, recalls, fronts & finishes, and intro to dumbbell covered. · Listed price: [object Object]
- Online Classes
Program details
Online classes have been in the planning stages since the beginning of the pandemic. Reopening and running in-person classes has kept us very busy, so none have been completed yet. But some free intro-topic courses are planned as well as some single-topic short courses. Check the website!
- Ring Rental
Program details
- Tricks
Program details
Variety of tricks will be taught. AKC Tricks titles can be awarded at the end of class: Novice (TKN), Intermediate (TKI), Advanced (TKA). Prerequisite: Basic. · Listed price: [object Object]
- Tricks Classes
Program details
- Urban Dog (CGCU)
Program details
This class is held mostly out in various situations the community. To pass the test dogs must exhibit calm obedient behavior negotiating common conditions in public buildings, on town/city sidewalks, and their normal mode of transportation. Not always offered: check schedules or express interest. · Listed price: [object Object]
- Utility/Grad Open
Program details
Maintains Open skills and teaches scent articles, signals, moving stand, glove retrieves, go outs and directed jumping. Usually a 90-min class. · Listed price: [object Object]
- Virtual Consult
Program details
Offered via Zoom. We can view you/your dog, and we can demo from our end. See online store at pawandhandobedience.square.site for pricing. Ideal for when advice, management, routine or household changes are needed, or when travel to our building is difficult. I both give and take lessons via Zoom!
- Workshops & Seminars
Program details
Confirm current programs and availability directly.
Customer reviews
Google listing4.6
33 Google reviews
Mentioned in reviews
- patience 3
- compassionate 2
- helpful information 2
- kindness 2
- lesson 2
- obedience school 2
All 8 topics
- private lesson 2
- training 2
Google review topics, not confirmed services.
Very postive results for my dog lacking in socialization. Patient, kind and encouraging.
within one lesson we were already seeing progress with our dog finley! rebecca is patient and kind. she doesnt talk down to you and makes sure you understand how to better your dogs behavior. she seems very knowledgeable and has been awesome!
If I had to do Puppy Class over, I would start before 5 months. Enjoying the classes.
Becky DeWire is committed and compassionate about dog training. She empowers pet owners to control their animals with kindness and positive reinforcement. Becky has worked with us and our Brittany to set realistic expectations. We and our dog, Gus, look forward to our weekly obedience classses.
Original customer experiences from the collected Google data. Ratings without comments follow written reviews.