02/23/2026
OMG, It's an Ethos: Dog Training Class as a Third Place
Once upon a time, we existed in harmony with the world, and everything made sense – maybe. All day, we saw people we knew personally, and we felt a sense of community where we lived. People talked and laughed together. We did not need an app on our phone to remind us to do something like exercise, drink water, or do chores. Dogs slept outside with bellies full of our food scraps, and they fought issues out without killing each other. Things made sense – or something.
Nowadays? Some of us wake up and immediately clock into work from home, squinting with bleary eyes at the Slack mobile app while still lying in bed. We strap our doggies to a tight leash to walk outside and make them beeline towards each other with puffed chests. They lunge and scramble to get in a few confused "last words" as we hurry past. We may choose to say nothing to our neighbor and continue to go hours and hours without speaking aloud to someone.
The simple fact of the matter is that, for many of us, combatting that haunting feeling of loneliness and disconnection is no longer as natural as breathing. And if you're an adult who has moved to a new city, you can put three exclamation points after that sentiment.
So where do you GO, besides home – and if you're maybe lucky or unlucky, work?
"The phrase “third places” came up more than 2,500 times over the last 12 months in academic and professional publications across disciplines... [It] was coined by the urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his 1989 book, “The Great Good Place.” It refers to spaces outside of home and work (one’s first and second places) where friends and strangers can gather unrushed — like cafes, bars, hair salons, dog parks and gyms. In some conceptions, the term refers to places where you don’t have to buy anything to hang out... Mr. Oldenburg’s coinage filled a linguistic gap — the value of public gathering spaces was well known but there was no term for it." (Where Have All the ‘Third Places’ Gone? By Ephrat Livni)
I often think about the fact that I will be a dog trainer for the rest of my life. A couple of years ago, I started to fantasize that if I were not training dogs, I would be organizing some kind of community center. And then I realized, "Wait a second. I'm already starting to do that, too."
I'm not going to tell you now that doggy group class will solve all of you and your dog's problems. But, as my Training Club Membership rounds its 2-year anniversary, a certain warm feeling has been blossoming for all of the familiar faces I see both human and canine alike – sometimes multiple times per week. It is soul-nourishing to watch everyone laugh and play with their dogs, challenge them to handle more distraction than they ever thought they could – and hell, even do doggy freestyle dance to the song "YMCA."
COME TRAIN WITH US! https://www.venusandmarsk9.com/classes
