Positive reinforcement techniques are used to teach your puppy basic obedience skills. You will learn how to teach your dog "attention", which requires your dog to focus on you. This skill is a prerequisite to every other behavior in obedience training such as controlled walking, sit, down, recall, stand, and stay. Leadership is very important. You will learn training skills to establish yourself as the leader while motivating your puppy and ensuring your dog's respect.
Trainers will demonstrate how to redirect undesirable behaviors such as jumping and food or toy aggression. Exercises such as wait, handling your dog, and leave it create a well-mannered companion. Positive interactions with other teams will prevent your dog from developing fear or dominance issues.
The focus of this class is to teach your dog to become a well-behaved, polite companion. Attention, controlled walking on a leash, sit, down, stay, stand, and recall (come) are taught in a fun manner using positive reinforcement techniques. Interacting with unfamiliar people and dogs in a safe environment creates a well-socialized companion. We teach you how to train your dog to sit politely next to you while strangers approach.
Leadership philosophy for owners promote a healthy, balanced relationship with your dog encouraging a well-mannered and obedient pet.
In Beginner Obedience II, we further develop and hone the basic skills you learned in previous classes. Attention amongst distractions, more formal heeling, straight sits & downs, and longer stays are practiced. We teach you how to become a better handler and trainer. By keeping your dog motivated while asking more from them, you develop a sense of teamwork and assert your leadership role.
A rally course includes 10 to 20 obedience-based stations, depending on the level. Scoring is not as rigorous as competitive obedience. Communication between handler and dog is encouraged and perfect heel position is not required, but there should be a sense of teamwork between the dog and handler. The main objective of rally is to produce dogs that have been trained to behave in the home, in public places, and in the presence of other dogs, in a manner that will reflect positively on the sport of rally at all times and under all conditions.
This class teaches tricks and skills that will build your bond with your pet, as well as set your future rally, obedience, or agility dog up for success. We will introduce shaping with a clicker for several tricks listed. This class is suitable for dogs who have successfully completed obedience through Adult Obedience II, or by instructor's approval. Your dog should be food motivated and be able to work in a group setting without bothering other dogs.
Topics to be covered: Pivot in a disc (circus dog!), back up, going around a cone, jumping, beginning scent discrimination, sending to a target, beginning retrieve (oops! I dropped my sock, can you get that?), front and finish, and additional tricks as they arise.
Some simple props will be needed:
- A “place” board- wide/long enough for your dog to sit on it (This can be the colored kid foam squares cut to fit or any homemade object with wood/carpet. Samples can be sent to those who sign up for class.)
- Phone book/upside down non slip bowl (The black rubber feed bowls from fleet farm work excellent!)
- Cones/jumps (These will be supplied to use IN CLASS ONLY at MCKC, but you will want to buy or make something to use at home. Jumps can be two laundry baskets with a pole between. You can purchase cones at amazon or even use something like a clean/new toilet plunger!)
Class Schedule
