Meet our Dog Trainers
Ashley Hofius is a Perham native and graduate. She received her Associates in Science degree from Central Lakes College in Brainerd MN, and went on to graduate from the University of MN Twin Cities with a Bachelor's degree in Evolution, Ecology and Animal behavior. With an intense interest in the animal behavior aspect she began working with dogs at Metro Dogs Daycare and Boarding in Minneapolis MN in 2012. By 2013 she was the Director of Operations for the company. In 2014 she was inspired by her dog training mentor to apply to the Jean Donaldson Academy for Dog Trainers. Upon being accepted into this intense two-year program she thrived in the atmosphere of fear-free dog training and graduated with her CTC (Certification in Training and Counseling) in August of 2016. Ashley went on to start her own business, PAW Dog Training where she did private dog training and boarding until October of 2019 when she moved back to Perham to start her family. In November of 2023 she joined the Backyard team as an employee and trainer. In January of 2024 she became manager of the Backyard Playcare and Boarding as well as continuing dog training classes. Ashley resides in Perham with her two young children and four dogs of her own.
Bobby Jo Steeke was raised in Frazee and graduated from Frazee High School. She went on to NDSU and eventually Boston University with degrees in Microbiology and Computer Information Systems respectively. After living and working in Biotech for over 20 years, in California both in San Diego and the Bay Area, she moved to Colorado in 2016 where she started training dogs professionally. She specializes in training and socializing puppies with a goal of having well rounded, confident, curious, and adventurous puppies that love to try new things. She loves learning and is currently enrolled in the Academy for Dog Trainers where she plans to graduate mid-2024. She is a fear free, science-based trainer and loves the relationships that can be built with a dog using a positive reinforcement training program. She’s excited to be on the team at The Backyard and can’t wait to get started loving on all of your dogs. She has four dogs and plays agility and a few other dogs sports with them.
Orientation - FREE / Required.
Class Length: One, 30 minute class.
Orientation - Orientation is designed to allow you to come into our facility and see where you will be training. There will be a short presentation from our instructor as to how classes are set up, what to bring to class, what is allowed in class, the rules about bringing your dogs into the classroom, etc. The orientation is required to be attended by the human(s) that will be coming to class with their dogs. No dogs are allowed in orientation.
Pre-requisites: None. Required for admission into your first class. All subsequent classes you register for do not require an additional orientation.
What to bring to class: The human that is going to be attending class with their dog. Do not bring your dog. If you do bring your dog, you will be asked to leave it in the car.
*Your spot is NOT secured until we have the following*
1) Backyard Training Contract
2) Backyard Training Dog Registration Forms
3) Up to Date Vaccines on hand
4) Payment in full.
Email -
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All Training classes require the owner(s) to take all of the information they acquired through our classes, and work with their dogs at home. This will help make you get the most out of your training and ensure your dog has the best chances to succeed.
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All Training classes are non-refundable and non-transferable.
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Payment is due in full at the time of booking.
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Must fill out Training form and contract before any classes are attended.
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Instructors will hand out homework and reminder emails for every weekly class.
Paperwork that will need to be filled out prior to training!
This is a must!
Training Classes that we offer!
Beginner Puppy
Puppies (8-16 weeks old with first round of shots).
Class Length: 5 week course with 1 hour classes each week.
In this class we will teach general attention and impulse control skills as well as sit, down, stay, come when called, leave-it, targeting, and leash walking.
General Life Skills
All Dogs (17 Weeks of Age and older).
Class Length: 5 Weeks of Classes, 1 Hour Class per week.
In this class we go over the basic skills of sit, down, stay, leave-it, recall, loose-leash walking, impulse control, targeting and socialization. As your dog solidifies these skills we will start testing them with distance, distractions, and duration.
Continuing Life Skills
All Dogs (17 Weeks of Age and older).
Class Length: 5 Weeks of Classes, 1 Hour Class per week.
An Intermediate class between our Beginner Life Skills and Advanced Life Skills. Proofing our skills of Stay, Leave-it, recall, leash walking, hand targeting and impulse control.
Novice Trick Dog
All Dogs (17 Weeks of Age and older).
Class Length: 5 Weeks of Classes, 1 Hour Class per week.
Novice Trick Dog is a five week course intended for dogs that have been through the Beginner Puppy or General Skills courses, or dogs that love training, and are eager to learn new things. We will learn 10 tricks in the first four weeks and in the fifth week we will video each dog’s 10 tricks so that you can submit the video to AKC for a Novice Trick Dog Title! Some examples of the tricks we will learn are balance beam, crawl, find it, get on something, get in something, high five, kiss, shake hands, spin, and kennel up.
Scent Work
All Dogs (17 Weeks of Age and older).
Class Length: 6 Weeks of Classes, 1 Hour Class per week.
Fascinating fact: Dogs have a sense of smell that’s between 10,000 and 100,000 times more acute than ours! The sport of Scent Work celebrates the joy of sniffing, and asks a dog to sniff to their heart’s content; turning your dog’s favorite activity into a rewarding game. It is a terrific sport for all kinds of dogs, and is a wonderful way to build confidence in a shy dog. In Scent Work, dogs search for cotton swabs saturated with the essential oils of Birch, Anise, Clove, and Cypress. The cotton swabs are hidden out of sight in a predetermined search area, and the dog has to find them. Scent work is a 6 week class which can be taken multiple times as we work through advanced hides and advanced searches.
Intro to Therapy Dog
All Dogs (17 Weeks of Age and older).
Class Length: 5 Weeks of Classes, 1 Hour Class per week.
We will explore assisted living and nursing home situations. We will train you to notice any signs of discomfort or anxiety in your dog. We will also explore all the different sights, sounds, smells, and equipment that your dog may encounter during these visits to ensure their comfort and success in these facilities. Your dog will be allowed to meet some pet friendly residents that would love a visit from your furry friend.