In this 30-minute group session, we’ll conduct a brief evaluation which will help determine the best starting point for your dog. We’ll also give you a few tips to get you started with your training and ready to have a great first class! Watch the video below to see what happens in a Class Readiness Evaluation.
Answer these two questions to decide if your dog is ready to be evaluated for entry into a group class:
- Will your dog be relatively calm (not barking, growling or hiding) in a large room with 4 – 6 strange dogs and people?
- Will you be able to get your dog’s attention with strange dogs and people nearby?
If you answered “yes” to both, go right ahead and book your Class Readiness Evaluation. If your answer is “no” to one or both of these questions, we’d like to get you started off with a Private lesson, either in our facility or virtually. In private lesson(s), we’ll give you the tools and strategies you’ll need to progress to group classes. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to get you set up for a private lesson.
Puppies under 16 weeks should attend Puppy Preschool sessions, instead of a Class Readiness Evaluation. At the end of each Puppy Preschool session, there will be an opportunity for pups to be evaluated for their readiness for Manners 1 class.
- You are able to answer “yes” to both questions listed above
- Dogs must be current on vaccination
- Please complete the Dog Profile form asap. After signing up, your confirmation email will include a link to it.
- Your Class Readiness Evaluation must be completed at least one week prior to your class start date, but no more than 1 month prior to class start date
- Note: Pups 16 weeks and younger may evaluate at the end of any Puppy Preschool session
- Review the Be Ready For Your Group Readiness Evaluation page prior to signing up.
- Free (no charge for the evaluation)
Have questions or need help getting signed up? Call us at 214-297-3000.
Your Instructors
Joy Hampton
Joy joined WAGD as a pet trainer in 2026. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in clinical psychology. Before graduating with her master’s she realized that animal training would be a better career/personality fit than counseling.
She has always been an avid animal lover and became a vegetarian at 12-years of age. Even in high school and college when she didn’t know her life would lead her to a career with animals, she volunteered at Roger’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, worked a summer job at a veterinary clinic and another summer job in college with the education department at the Abilene Zoo. She attended her first animal training convention with the American Zoological Association in 2010. From there she trained to be a dog trainer at PetSmart, where she continued for about 16 years.
Joy loves helping dogs be the best family members that they can be, and helping families understand and care for their dogs.
Matt Henry
Matt first joined the What a Great Dog! Team in March of 2022. He completed the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Foundations course in the fall of 2022, and finished the WAGD Trainer Education Program in 2023. He teaches Pet Manners classes and does WOW In-home Training Sessions.
As a child, Matt dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. Although he didn’t follow that path, his love of animals has always been strong. While an undergraduate student, he worked part-time jobs at a veterinary clinic and at local pet stores, and over the years he has provided a loving home to a variety of rescued cats and dogs.
Matt was raised in upstate New York, but he has called Texas home since 1997. He holds a master’s degree in English and a doctorate in Humanities and is currently a faculty member at Dallas College, where he teaches courses in composition and literature. His experience as an instructor has prepared him well for teaching at WAGD and helping clients learn how to build stronger relationships with their beloved dogs. Clients tell us that they love his approachable style and clear instructions during class.
Matt has served as a foster for the Golden Retriever Rescue of North Texas, and he adopted his current dog, Bella, from GRRNT in April of 2022.
Stephanie Schwanke
Stephanie joined What a Great Dog! in August of 2020. She is a shift manager and Pet Manners trainer in our Frisco location. If you have visited our retail store you may know her as “Aunt Stephanie”. All the pups know she’s always ready to give some extra love and treats, for good behavior of course.
Before joining What a Great Dog!, Stephanie managed a pet boarding, daycare and grooming facility in McKinney for 12 years. She has shown her dogs in conformation and obedience for over 25 years. Stephanie and her dog, Brooke, took manners and CGC classes from Maureen in her barn in Prosper 13 years ago. She was taught and loved the positive reinforcement training that Maureen coached her and all of us on since she has started.
Since Stephanie has been active in working with dogs, she has had Siberian Huskies, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and German Shepherds. Currently she and her husband share their home with Stella, a 3-year-old German Shepherd rescue that they adopted just weeks before the Covid lockdown. She is her “work in progress”.
Stephanie hopes with her experience to provide our WAGD families with helpful advice and guidance to assist them in having lifelong GREAT DOG family members.
Victoria Johnson
Victoria is a trainer for Manners classes, Puppy Preschool, Barn Hunt and private lessons. After joining the WAGD team in 2020, she completed WAGD’s Trainer Education Program and the Karen Pryor Academy Foundations course. Absolute Dogs’ Pro Dog Trainer and Pro Dog Trainer Geek programs were completed in 2021 and she is enrolled in their ongoing Training Academy and PDT Club focusing on positive games-based concept training.
Victoria discovered WAGD in 2017, where she worked her rescue Chi/Terrier, Audrey, through Manners, Agility, and Tricks classes and attained several tricks titles. She currently works with Audrey and her other Chi/Terrier rescue, River, in Barn Hunt, Tricks, and Freestyle. River, too, has earned multiple Tricks titles.
Exposure and hands-on experience in dog conformation, breeding, and training of Standard Schnauzers during her early years kicked off her love of working with animals. Numerous dogs (rescues, mixed breeds, and purebreds) have been owned, trained, and cared for. In over a decade of equine riding, training, and competing, Victoria developed an affinity for working with “hard case” horses using natural horsemanship methods. This desire to work with animals who have challenges naturally spilled over to dogs.
While completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech—Language Pathology and Audiology at UT-Dallas, she worked at a doggie daycare/boarding facility that also assisted in temporary fostering for a rescue group. She had many opportunities to observe dog behaviors in group settings and help dogs overcome struggles they were facing such as fear and anxiety. Through both formal and informal studying and experiences, Victoria has acquired a particular fondness for working to build confidence and optimism in dogs through utilizing rewards-based methods within a concept framework to build solid relationships between owners, their dogs, and the world around them.