More Sports & Fun

Sports Prep

Are you interested in pursuing a dog sport such as agility, disc dog, rally, competition obedience, or nose work / scent work? This class will prepare you for the teamwork involved and will cover: shaping, working off leash, building teamwork, preparing for the ring, controlling those impulses, and other topics. The primary focus will be to have your team working in an off-leash environment.

Prerequisite: Basic Canine manners or the equivalent.

AKC Fit Dog Skills

Prerequisite: Basic Canine manners or the equivalent.

Canine Freestyle

Tricks 101

Duration Hold/Retrieve (Virtual)

Want a strong, motivated retrieve of the dumbbell and a good foundation for utility exercises? Do you want a dog who enjoys playing tug & fetch, where they actually bring the toy back to you and release it? Do you want to be able to teach your dog intermediate, advanced, & even elite tricks that involve your dog holding something in their mouth? Join me as I teach you how to create a firm hold, the end skill in the complex retrieve chain. Our basic goal is a dog who thinks that the holding skill is the best part of the whole thing, and hurries to get there when we ask for a retrieve.

Dogs are expected to be strongly motivated by either food or to have the basic toy skills (bringing back to drop or tug, and dropping toy on ground as well as shaping within the toy game concepts) if the handler wants to use toy skills as a reinforcement.

We will spend some time on refining both food and toy reinforcements, figuring out what is the most exciting for teaching this hard behavior.

Other skills we will practice:

• chin rest
• fronts-or almost a front, sit on or off a platform.
• Nose Target

Teaching Approach:
Lecture and real time practice sessions. Written homework will be sent after each class.

You will need:

• A laptop, computer that can be manipulated, or ipad to join via zoom video
• A small quiet area for working, away from other household pets

Recommended for dogs who have taken at least Basic Canine Manners

Rally Skills

This class is geared towards anyone with zero or some experience with Rally; it will teach the skills needed to perform the Rally signs while offering a chance to start and/or perfect with more coursework. Students who have prior Rally experience are also invited to this class; it will teach the Novice and Intermediate/Advanced level, tailoring it to each student in the class. The small-size of this class will allow the instructor to tailor the class to the skill level of the students.
 

Advanced Rally Skills

Competition Obedience – the Novice Level

Using a positive training approach, this class will focus on competition obedience, the novice level for AKC and CDSP Obedience. The class incorporates a lot of game training techniques, making the experience fun for both the dog and handler! Aspects of the other obedience levels will be introduced including retrieving and directed targeting.

Prerequisite: Advanced Canine Manners or Sports Prep Class or the equivalent of either class.

Disc Dog

Parkour

Mind Games

Therapy Dog Prep

For information about Alliance of Therapy Dogs visit: Join Alliance of Therapy Dogs - Alliance of Therapy Dogs Inc.

Prerequisites: Advanced Canine Manners or the equivalent. Having taken the AKC Citizen Good Citizenship is helpful but not a requirement.

Conformation Handling

The goal of our ongoing Show Handling Class is to help you and your dog become a skilled, confident and happy team, ready to make a polished presentation to Conformation judges. Dog/handler teams practice either floor or table stacking for judges’ examination. Various gaiting patterns are executed so that you and your dog can move fluidly in whatever pattern you encounter. In addition, dogs get lots of experience being touched, existing comfortably with different breeds, and developing a relaxed and positive attitude. Individual guidance is offered in breed specific presentation as well as presenting your dog’s best assets to a judge, while downplaying minor imperfections. Class often includes grooming advice as well as trouble-shooting for dogs who have encountered show ring hiccups. We emphasize a positive experience for the dog/handler team.

Register for the whole session or pay per class. Per class rate is $27.50 for members, $36 for non-members.

Please email Winnie for more information or if you plan to drop in.