Grade Four

Grade Four
4-Week Program | 45-Minute Classes
Prerequisite: Passed Grade Three Exam (Life Skills II graduates are also encouraged to take this course)

Grade Four is designed to help your dog apply learned skills with confidence across a variety of people, places, and situations. Your dog will strengthen calm engagement, polite manners, and adaptability in everyday life while practicing skills in increasingly dynamic environments. “Place” exercises support independent calm, and interactive practice builds focus, poise, and self-regulation even amid distractions. By the end of this course, your dog will feel secure, confident, and ready to handle new experiences with reliability and composure.

Core Learning Outcomes:
By the end of Grade Four, your dog will be able to:

• Generalize polite greetings and calm engagement across different people and settings.
• Maintain focus and reliability in moderately distracting environments.
• Demonstrate self-control during walks, handling, and interactive activities.
• Extend duration and precision in sit, down, and stand positions.
• Participate confidently in games and exercises that build decision-making and cooperation.
• Reinforce independent calm and self-regulation through “place” exercises.

Exit Exam & Policies
At the conclusion of Grade Four, dogs participate in an exit exam to determine readiness for Grade Five. This assessment is not pass/fail; it simply ensures each dog advances at a pace appropriate for their learning, reinforcing confidence and mastery. If a dog is not quite ready to move on, repeating a grade is completely normal and encouraged, allowing them to strengthen skills and build confidence before advancing.

Administrative & Attendance Policies:

• Dogs must be up to date with vaccinations, including the Bordetella vaccine.
• All cancellations and refunds are subject to a $35 administration fee.
• Cancellations made less than two weeks prior to the start date will not be refunded, so please plan carefully.
• If you miss a class, you will receive credit for a class review session during office hours.
• Class review sessions must be booked in advance and expire 4 months from the missed class.