Group Classes

In alignment with Mindful Partners’ intention to support the community through service, I teach the Life Skills group classes as a volunteer instructor with the Greater Lafayette Kennel Club (GLKC). One hundred percent of all registration fees are received by GLKC.

Life Skills for you and your dog

Life Skills 1:
Connection and Foundation Skills

For: Puppies and dogs 16 weeks and older
Time: 5:30 PM or 7:00 PM
Dates: 7 week class, Tuesdays, beginning June 2 - July 14
Fees: $140 (non GLKC member), $105 (GLKC member)
Prerequisite: Please complete the Group Class Intake Questionnaireto help determine if this class is the best fit for you and your dog. Life Skills 1 orientation is required.

Life can feel hectic and unpredictable—for us and our dogs. Life Skills I offers a slower, supportive learning environment where teams can build trust, confidence, and calm while developing practical, everyday skills.

This is not a fast-paced or high-pressure class. Emphasis is placed on connection, clear communication, and helping both dogs and handlers settle, focus, and learn together. While dogs are learning foundational skills, handlers are also learning how to slow down, notice, and respond with greater ease—skills that naturally support calm behavior on both ends of the leash.

You will learn:

• How to read and respond to your dog’s body language

• Foundational skills such as recall, leash walking, and settle

• Tools to support calm behavior at home and in public

• How to become a more confident, connected handler

Life Skills classes are offered in a group setting and may not be appropriate for all teams. The Group Class Intake Questionnaire helps ensure this class will set both you and your dog up for success.

→ Complete the Group Class Intake Questionnaire

Life Skills 2:
Life Skills and the Real World

For: Dog and their people who have previously taken Life Skills 1.
Time: Coming Fall 2026
Dates: 6 week class
Fees: $120 (non GLKC member), $95 (GLKC member)
Prerequisite: You and your dog have attended Life Skills 1 or have been given permission by the instructor to attend Life Skills 2. You must have previously attended the Life Skills 1 Orientation.

For: Dogs and their people who have previously completed Life Skills 1
Time: Coming Fall 2026
Dates: 6-week class
Fees: $120 (non-GLKC member), $95 (GLKC member)
Prerequisite: You and your dog have attended Life Skills 1 — or have received permission from the instructor to join. Previously attending the Life Skills 1 Orientation is required.

In Life Skills 2, we deepen and expand the skills learned in Life Skills 1 — moving with greater intention, meeting real-world distractions with calm, and discovering just how far you and your dog have come together.

At least two sessions are field trips out in the community, where the real world becomes our classroom. We'll generalize our skills, move mindfully through everyday environments, and continue to deepen the connection — with our dogs, with ourselves, and with each other.

This class also helps prepare teams who are drawn toward Canine Good Citizen (CGC) testing or therapy dog training — a beautiful next step for teams ready to share their presence with others.

Questions or next steps?
Email Julie Shaw at julie@mindfulpartners.org