Whole Dog Institute

Whole Dog Institute Positive training for both dog and handler. Build a focused relationship built on kindness and mutua Contact us today for more information!

Whole Dog Institute is a local dog training business serving clients in the Durham-Chapel Hill-Hillsborough area. We help our students understand how to communicate more effectively with their dogs and how to solve basic behavioral challenges, as well as teaching dogs what we want from them. We offer private lessons and group classes in obedience (puppy, teen and adult dog classes), Therapy Dog prep, Reactive Dog classes (for leash reactivity), K9 Nose Work®, and agility for fun.

Here is the course that is set in RIng 2 this week.
06/01/2026

Here is the course that is set in RIng 2 this week.

05/17/2026

Thank you to Jessica Miller for setting fabulous hides this weekend. Another huge thanks to Heather Kane and Andrea Fiumefreddo for VC/Hospitality/Host for the Trial this weekend. It allowed me(Beth) to play with Deacon. Our judges, Mimi Harrington and Julie Gaunt were so positive all weekend. Thanks to all of our students for volunteering and it was fun to watch you work your dogs. Thanks to the competitors for braving the absurd heat wave and staying positive. Thanks to Sue McKinney for saving our found baby hawk yesterday and congrats to her with Mack for their third place finish! Deacon also did well for himself missing 1 hide and placing second overall. We could not do this without a village and I really appreciate all the help!!

Don't miss out on our Foundation Games for agility and sport that starts tomorrow night. This is the pre-requisite clas...
04/27/2026

Don't miss out on our Foundation Games for agility and sport that starts tomorrow night. This is the pre-requisite class for all of our agility classes. Here is the class description: In this class you and your dog will be introduced to foundation level agility skills! You’ll build confidence on agility obstacles and learn handling basics. These skills will present your dog with physical and mental challenges that are a fun way to exercise and stimulate your dog. Recall games will be incorporated weekly. Some dogs and handlers may be encouraged to repeat this class prior to moving on to the next class. We want both you and your dog to be confident and have a solid foundation before progressing.

All dogs are required to have taken a group obedience class. Dogs participating in this class must be safe and comfortable working with other people and dogs nearby. The first class will be a temperament evaluation. Dogs that do not pass are not eligible for a refund. If you are concerned that your dog may not be appropriate for this class, you can have an evaluation with one of the instructors for $20.

The weather is beautiful. This class is designed for both competitive agility people as well as pet people just wanting to do something else with their dogs.

Here is this week's course in Ring 2. Thanks to Malinda and Lisa for setting it up!!
04/27/2026

Here is this week's course in Ring 2. Thanks to Malinda and Lisa for setting it up!!

Ia your pup trying to sign themselves up for more classes? Are they too busy to commit to a 6 week class with their summ...
04/22/2026

Ia your pup trying to sign themselves up for more classes? Are they too busy to commit to a 6 week class with their summer travel schedule? Join us for Puppy playtime: Engagement, exploration, and enrichment
Unique class designed for young puppies – not your typical puppy class!
Your young puppy is in a critical window of opportunity typically called the “critical socialization period.” This is the time when your puppy needs to learn that the world is SAFE. When a puppy is very young (up to about 14 weeks), the puppy brain is particularly receptive to forming lasting emotional associations with new experiences.
• New experiences are absorbed quickly
• Emotional responses form rapidly
• Both positive and negative experiences stay with the puppy
After this time frame, learning doesn’t stop but it goes slower and requires more repetition. So early exposure is important but it has to be done correctly!
Taking a puppy everywhere, can be overwhelming and counterproductive. Playing with other puppies without proper oversight can lead to overexcitement when seeing another dog or even reactivity. Greeting every person they meet can lead to over enthusiastic greetings of all people, low impulse control, frustration when they cannot say “hi!”
Appropriate socialization focuses on calm observation, settling near activity, choosing to disengage. We are trying to help build confident, calm puppies and this class can help you understand how to do that.
The class design allows students to bring their puppies once, twice, or several times. The class is designed for the young puppy who is about to enter a 6-week puppy class. This class better prepares you and your puppy to be able to handle the chaos of puppy class with more clarity and focus.

Here is the course we have set in Ring 2 this week for rentals.
04/21/2026

Here is the course we have set in Ring 2 this week for rentals.

Do you need your puppy to look like this? Then join us for the puppy playtime: engagement, enrichment and exploration o...
04/14/2026

Do you need your puppy to look like this? Then join us for the puppy playtime: engagement, enrichment and exploration on Sunday or our upcoming puppy relationship building class that starts on 5/6.

Everyone likes a tired puppy! Come join us for our puppy relationship building classes or our relationship building fun...
04/08/2026

Everyone likes a tired puppy! Come join us for our puppy relationship building classes or our relationship building fundamentals. We also have a rare spot open in our K9 nose work 1 class. Our outdoor classes, competition nose work classes and therapy dog classes will all be starting again soon as well.

https://wholedoginstitute.com/classes/

This is the course in Ring 2 this week. You can sign up to rent the space on our website.
04/06/2026

This is the course in Ring 2 this week. You can sign up to rent the space on our website.

Did you want a re-do on the 1-TDC Pentathlon agility 2? This is the course set up in ring 2 for rental. The 9 jump is a...
03/30/2026

Did you want a re-do on the 1-TDC Pentathlon agility 2? This is the course set up in ring 2 for rental. The 9 jump is a double instead of a broad.

Address

5922 US Highway 70
Durham, NC
27705

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 9:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 9:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 9:30pm
Thursday 10am - 9:30pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+19194523764

Website

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