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Reactive Dog Training
Professional Oxford, CT Dog Training For Reactive DogsMeet the “Big Feelings Club”
Make Walks More Enjoyable
If your dog barks, lunges, freezes, or fixates on other dogs, people, bikes, or anything else on your walks, you’re not alone, and you’re in the right place. The Big Feelings Club is Where Sit Happens’ force-free program built specifically for reactive dogs and the humans walking them.
This isn’t a one-size-fits-all class. It’s a small group program that starts with one-on-one attention, builds your dog’s skills through video lessons you can watch on your own time, and brings it all together in weekly in-person practice, right here in Oxford, CT.
What Is Dog Reactivity?
Reactivity typically shows up as barking, lunging, growling, or fixating, usually at a specific trigger like other dogs, strangers, bikes, or cars. It’s not the same as aggression, and it’s not a reflection of bad training or a “bad dog.” Most reactive dogs are simply overwhelmed and haven’t yet learned another way to handle what they’re feeling. If that sounds like your walks, the Big Feelings Club was built for you.
How the Big Feelings Club Works
We start with a private intake so your trainer can meet your dog, get a real read on what’s going on, and put together a plan built around your dog specifically, not a generic curriculum.
Here’s what’s included:
- A 40-minute private intake with your trainer, one-on-one, before group classes begin
- A custom management plan to set you up for success
- 5 weekly small group classes, held in person at our Oxford, CT facility, capped at 4-5 dogs with an assistant on site
- Access to the Big Feelings Club resource library so you can revisit lessons, skills, and upload videos for feedback any time
- Support between sessions
- The option to add private or semi-private sessions at a discounted rate if you want extra one-on-one help along the way
Small group really does mean small. With an assistant on site, your dog’s ratio is 2 dogs:1 human so every dog and handler team recieves the support they need, every class.
What You Will Learn
Foundations: Management, reading body language, understanding threshold, and the training mechanics that make everything else click.
Skills: Counterconditioning and desensitization, pattern games, emergency cues, muzzle conditioning, and more.
Real Life: Enrichment, handling reactivity in different environments (walks, the car, and beyond), and how to track real progress over time.
Is the Big Feelings Club Right for My Dog?
If your dog reacts to things on leash and you’re tired of white-knuckling every walk, this program was built with you in mind. Every dog and handler is different though, which is why we start with a private intake instead of dropping you straight into a group. If your trainer thinks your dog needs more one-on-one support before joining a group setting, we’ll talk through a private training path instead. No hard sell, just an honest read on what will actually help.
As always, everything we do is force-free in order to address the root cause and emotion behind the behavior. No prong collars, no choke chains, no e-collars – no exceptions.
Investment
The cost of Big Feelings Club program is $599 + tax. This can be paid with a 50% deposit with the remaining 50% due at your private intake or 10 days before the first group class (whichever is earlier).
Piper’s mom says…
“After six sessions with Jess, I can safely say we feel comfortable bringing Piper around with us anywhere! She gave us the tools to help Piper feel confident, and also gave US the confidence that we can handle Piper when she has a reaction.“
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the Big Feelings Club a private class or a group class?
A: Both! You’ll start with a private one-on-one intake, then join a small group (capped at 4-5 dogs) for weekly in-person classes.
Q: What if my dog is too reactive for a group class?
A: That’s exactly what the private intake is for. If your trainer thinks a group setting isn’t the right starting point, we’ll talk through private sessions instead.
Q: Do you use prong collars, e-collars, or other aversive tools?
A: Never. Where Sit Happens is a force-free training facility based on recommendations from experts like The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. It is our goal to identify and modify the root cause of reactivity whereas punitive based methodlogy focus on supression.
Q: Where are classes held?
A: Group classes meet in person at our Oxford, CT facility. Our address is 340 Center Rock Green Oxford, CT 06478.
Q: What happens after the program ends?
A: Big Feelings Club graduates can keep practicing in our ongoing drop-in classes and keep access to the resource library and community. This program is designed to be the start of ongoing support, not a one-time six weeks.
Q: How do I get started?
A: Submit an intake form and we’ll personally review it to make sure the Big Feelings Club is the right fit for you and your dog before we schedule anything.
Q: Do I need to be a member?
A: Nope! The Big Feelings Club is a stand alone-program.
Q: When is the next class?
A: You can see upcoming cohort dates here!
Questions? Ready to get started?
Reactive walks don’t have to be your normal. Submit your intake form below and we’ll personally review it, dog by dog, to make sure the Big Feelings Club is the right fit before we schedule your intake.