RELATIONSHIP BUILDING WORKSHOPS — THE CONNECTED DOG SERIES
IMPROVING OBEDIENCE RELIABILITY
A cohesive 3-day weekend designed to help dogs and handlers rediscover clarity, communication, and confidence when working together. Each day builds on the one before, blending practical obedience with the art of engagement.
Nov 7-9, 2025 at pups R us →
3068 Mt Gilead Church Rd, Pittsboro, NC 27312
Friday, Nov 7 — “Practicing Presence”
Before reliability, there must be a relationship; and before the relationship, there must be awareness.
This day focuses on rebuilding the conversation between dog and handler at the most fundamental level. We’ll explore how subtle shifts in our own intention, movement, and timing can dramatically improve clarity and confidence in communication.
Saturday, Nov 8 — “Practicing Movement”
Where precision meets play and finding flow in the work.
True reliability grows not only from the number of repetitions, but also from the quality and the clarity within each rep. On Day 2, we focus on movement as communication. We’ll practice how to bring awareness and precision to our body language, leash handling, and timing so obedience work becomes a more fluent, shared rhythm between handler and dog.
Sunday, Nov 9 — “The Connected Team”
CGC skills and real-life applications.
On Day 3, we bring the relationship and mechanics developed over the weekend into practical application. The focus is on maintaining consistency and connection under mild pressure — learning to support our dogs (and ourselves) when environments, people, or expectations add stress. The Canine Good Citizen framework will give us a chance to practice obedience, handler awareness, and teamwork in real-world settings.
When clarity and movement come together,
teamwork feels easier and more natural.
For more details and to sign up for either a working spot* ($150 per day) or an audit ($50), please TEXT Baptist Knaven (owner/trainer of pups R us) at 919-710-4380.
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All three workshops are focused on improving communication and timing, handling skills, and strengthening the connection between us and our dogs by working together as a team. Working spots will also receive constructive feedback and individualized training advice based on their dog’s temperament and training goals (e.g., having a well-rounded, balanced companion dog, specific dog sports, etc).
While they do cover different topics, the workshops complement each other well. It is not necessary to take all of them, but having a good understanding of clarity and engagement and the skills to bring them from theory into practice (which would be primarily covered on Day 1) would be very useful for both “Practicing Movement” and “The Connected Team” workshops. If your schedule allows it, sign up for two, or all three — but that is not a requirement, and each workshop is structured to stand on its own, so all teams can follow and participate regardless of prior experience or knowledge.
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* Working Spot Requirement: Dog must be at least 12 weeks of age, vaccinated (core DHPP), and comfortable around other dogs and humans. If the dog is fearful, displays aggression towards other dogs or humans, or is excessively vocal, s/he must be evaluated by an approved trainer prior to signing up for any of the workshops. If your dog is not an ideal candidate for a working spot, you may opt to audit and follow up with Baptist or Roxana during a private lesson.
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