Business Details
31 Years
experience
Trusted Dog Obedience Training in Westfield, MA
At Sandy Meadow Farm, we have developed a training style that builds a relationship based on respect and trust between you and your dog. Our trainers come from diverse dog-related backgrounds, including competition obedience, service dog training, agility, and therapy training, resulting in a user-friendly program easily applied by everyday families. We offer small group classes limited to 6 dogs, ensuring maximum individual attention and assistance.Our facility, built in 1995 and located on a working farm in Western Massachusetts, provides a comfortable, distraction-free environment with year-round climate control. We specialize in helping owners train confident, reliable pets through fair, friendly exercises tailored for home companion dogs, with options for virtual lessons and specialized behavior courses.
Services
Puppy Kindergarten
Basic Manners
Canine Good Citizen
Virtual Lessons
Therapy Dog Training
Advanced Obedience
Trick Training
Behavior Modification
Rally Obedience
Sniffer Skills
Details
- Year established: 1995
Highlights and features
- We offer small group classes limited to 6 dogs for personalized attention.
- Our trainers have expertise in competition obedience, therapy training, and behavior modification.
- We provide virtual lessons for flexible at-home training options.
- Specialized courses address social struggles and confidence-building in dogs.
- Our climate-controlled facility ensures year-round comfort for handlers and dogs.
What people say
Amazing trainers
Improved leash manners
Patient and compassionate
Structured classes
Positive reinforcement
Services
Puppy Kindergarten
A 6-week course for puppies aged 916 weeks. Teaches sit, down, stay, and come commands using positive reinforcement. Addresses socialization, housebreaking, and common puppy behaviors. Limited to 6 puppies per class with vaccination requirements.
Basic Manners
A 6-week program for adolescent or adult dogs. Focuses on commands like sit, down, stay, and loose leash walking. Covers behavior topics including energy management and recall training. Classes limited to 6 dogs with vaccination proof required.
Canine Good Citizen
Prepares dogs for the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. Teaches socialization, handling, and obedience skills. Includes a final test session. Designed for dogs with basic command knowledge. Limited to 5 dogs per class.
Virtual Lessons
Remote private sessions via Zoom. Trainers provide real-time feedback on techniques and demonstrations. Requires camera-enabled devices. Ideal for at-home training with personalized guidance and support.
Social Strugglers
Specialized courses for reactive or fearful dogs. Focuses on reducing stress, building focus, and managing reactivity. Semi-private classes with 34 dogs. Includes Level 1 and Level 2 options for progressive training.
People
Missy Kielbasa
Owner/Trainer
With decades of experience in dog training, Missy specializes in obedience, therapy training, and behavior modification. She has trained multiple award-winning dogs and focuses on positive reinforcement techniques.
Elizabeth Nally
CPDT Trainer
Certified Professional Dog Trainer with expertise in behavior modification. Offers specialized Social Strugglers classes to address reactivity and confidence issues in dogs.
Jill Haley Rose
Trainer
Experienced in obedience and virtual training. Demonstrates techniques for relaxed restraint and handling. Participates in community education events and workshops.
Questions
What class sizes do you offer?
Most classes are limited to 6 dogs to ensure personalized attention and effective training.
Do you offer virtual training options?
Yes, we provide Zoom-based virtual lessons for flexible at-home training with real-time feedback.
What vaccination requirements exist for classes?
Puppies need distemper, bordatella (if recommended), and rabies (if applicable) proof. Adult dogs require similar vaccination records.
Are private lessons available?
Private sessions are offered for behavior modification or personalized training at $85/hour.
Do you prepare dogs for therapy work?
Yes, we offer specialized classes for adult and pediatric therapy dog certification with practical training.
What facilities do you have?
Our climate-controlled facility includes indoor and outdoor spaces with stadium lighting for evening classes.
Reviews (4)
Mattia Di Ubaldo
Jun 07, 2022
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Very basic, borderline wild camping experience. Uncut grass and not very easy to level the camper. But then, if you like an extremely uncomplicated and no frills camping experience, this is the place for you. A but pricey for what it offers, however.
Marisa Wates
Oct 08, 2021
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Fantastic campsite, fantastic people and can't wait to return. Arrived on the off chance after we had problems with my car at 11pm at night and couldn't make the whole journey to my family and everyone was so accommodating even though we hadn't booked. They let us pitch up and then even had someone to help look over the car and fix it for us! They was always making sure everyone was happy and catered for with wood for fire, they let me move a bench for my mum to sit on when she came for a birthday bbq, they lent us a proper bbq, asking if needed anything from the shop when they went, helping to move camping stuff if wanted to move area, kids loved the animals and the ride in the golf buggy they did for them, it was fab! Loved this place, was chilled and relaxed a little like wild camping but with the added essentials of toilets and showers. Can't wait to go back and see everyone very soon. Thank you to all the staff, you was amazing and nothing was too much, you all went out of your way to help us and we are so glad to have met you.
Beth Mumford
Sep 27, 2021
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First of all, we were "greeted" by an incredibly rude man telling us we were late arriving at around 7:30pm, when our booking said to arrive by 9:30pm - even if we had been late, that rudeness would have still been uncalled for! secondly, the campsite appeared very disorganised, the man didn't even know if we had paid and how much we owed, and would only take cash. additionally, the toilets were dingy, there wasn't even any light! also the only water was freezing and there were no means of drying your hands. it is a very wet campsite too, and very noisy at night and in the morning - noisy neighbours and noisy dogs. we did not attempt to use the other facilities given the awful experience with the toilets. also if there is "free wifi", it was not accessible where we were told to camp. overall, if you are looking for the absolute basics, it's okay, but equally, wouldn't you rather not put up with the rude service provided and some means of seeing when you use the toilets?
Kelly Stephens
Jul 26, 2021
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My husband and I stayed here for one night as we were visiting family and then moving onto Wales. It is an idealic location very quiet surround by woodland and plenty of space to pitch your caravan or tent. It seem to be dog friendly. The only down fall was the shower facilities, they definately need a revamp and rethink. If they could improve the shower facilities it would be the perfect place to stay and would become a 5 star.
We did use our tiny sink and toilet area to wash in our caravan so we managed. Because it was such an idealic area to stay we would go back and make the best we can for washing. Still would recommend for a peaceful stay and nights sleep .
We did use our tiny sink and toilet area to wash in our caravan so we managed. Because it was such an idealic area to stay we would go back and make the best we can for washing. Still would recommend for a peaceful stay and nights sleep .