Each group obedience class consists of six hour-long sessions which meet once a week.
To enroll your dog in a group class, please click the button under the description of the class you wish to enroll in. The schedule below gives the starting date for the next available series of classes.
Martina focuses on individual training, while group classes are taught by Maria Eguren or Tasha Suda. Both Maria and Tasha have worked and trained with Martina, and use the same principles and training techniques that Martina teaches. Click either name for a short bio of each trainer.
Maria Eguren
Maria Eguren has an advanced degree in biology from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a specialization in animal behavior. She has also been certified as an Animal Behavior Consultant by IAABC (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants).
During her 20+ years in the animal behavior field, she has focused on ethology, enrichment programs, training, and consulting for wild animals in captivity and pets. She worked on behavior research projects for several zoos in Argentina and the U.S.A. Among the species she has worked with are apes, Rheas, and Red pandas. For the last 18 years, Maria has been overseeing and teaching training classes for dogs, as well as consultations for people whose pets present challenging behavior issues. She has taught special classes for children, expectant parents, senior citizens, and her own version of DOGA (yoga with dogs).
Maria created and taught some of the first dog training classes in Spanish in the Bay Area. She has written articles for local papers and publications; and participated of several documentaries locally and internationally addressing issues such as dog safety, responsible pet ownership, and the relationship between humans and their pets.
Maria, a native Spanish speaker, has always enjoyed languages. She is proficient in English and Spanish; her love of languages got Maria to also study French and German—but we will leave the German to Martina! Having worked with human and animal behavior during her entire professional life, Maria loves being able to help families enjoy a better relationship with their pets.
Tasha Suda
Growing up with dogs her whole life Tasha became active in training and behavior in 2000 when she started volunteering at the Peninsula Humane Society. She has a background in grooming, working as a groomer in Half Moon Bay for 6 years. In 2006 she graduated Trish King’s Canine Behavior Academy. In 2013 she passed the Association of Professional Dog Trainers testing requirements to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA). She is certified through the American Kennel Club as a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. Tasha currently teaches a wide range of classes to the public at PHS/SPCA and conducts private 1:1 behavior consultation.
Tasha currently resides with her cat ‘Ember’ that was found in a back alley and her forever puppy ‘Baloo’ a great pyrnesse cattle dog mix. She most recently shared her home with her deaf border collie mix ‘Grayson’ who was her inspiration, passing in 2017 and her border collie ‘Pheobe’ who was her teacher, passing in 2020.
Tasha’s passion is dogs, she enjoys working with the shy, fearful, or reactive dog and has a soft spot for the special needs dog, whether it is a physical or behavior issue. She enjoys the challenge that comes with these dogs. She has extensive experience working with herding breeds and deaf dogs. Her approach to training is to build the bond between the human and dog for a lasting relationship. She finds the true reward of teaching is being able to witness the positive change take place in the owner and dog
Beginning
This class is for puppies (12 weeks and older) and young adults who have had little to no training. Basic skills are introduced, including proper leash walking, sit, down, stay, come, leave it, and drop it. Polite manners with other animals and humans in general are practiced.
Register for class: Beginning
Intermediate
This is a continuation of the beginning class. We built up the “stay” and “come” skills with much higher distraction levels. Much of the class will be done off leash if possible. Hand signals, wait command, stand-for-grooming and handling is included. This class prepares dogs for the Canine Good Citizen test.
Register for class: Intermediate
Agility
In dog agility, the dog and owner work together to complete complicated obstacle courses and they are scored for both time and accuracy. This course introduces the basics of agility training. It's a great way to improve a dog’s confidence, and it’s the funnest class out there. You and your dog must have completed a beginning class in order to enroll in this class.
Register for class: Agility
Upcoming class schedule
| Class | Day/Time | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning | Sunday Aug 15, 9:00 am | Aug 15 - Sep 19 |
| Beginning | Sunday Aug 15, 11:30 am | Aug 15 - Sep 19 |
| Intermediate | Sunday Aug 15, 10:15 am | Aug 15 - Sep 19 |