OBEDIENCE &
SOCIAL SKILLS (Class size is limited to 8 dog/handler teams. Classes meet once
a week for six weeks for
one hour. Cost is $120 - except as
noted.)
Beginning
I OR Small Breed Beginning I Obedience (the small
breed class is restricted to dogs under 30 lbs, all others should register for Beginning I. Small Breed Beginning I
is only offered occasionally. Small breeds ARE welcome in the regular Beginning I class). These classes are designed for dogs 6 months or
older and are the first level foundation class.
No prerequisite.
·
Leash Handling
·
Attention/Focus
·
Sit
·
Leave It
·
Loose Leash Walking (and how it differs from
Heel)
·
Recall
·
Wait & Moving Waits
·
Stay
·
Controlled Greetings
Proofing BI Obedience
- focuses on proofing skills learned in
Beginning I through increased distractions. Strong emphasis on Attention, Loose Leash Walking, Leash Handling Skills and increased
distractions on sit/down stays. Prerequisite: Beginning I or Small
Breed Beginning I Obedience.
Beginning
II Obedience - continues skills from Beginning I or
Puppy II and adds additional skills listed below. Prerequisite: Beginning I
Obedience level or
skills to that level.
·
Heel
·
Automatic Sits
·
Finishes (Around/Swing)
·
Stand
·
Stay
·
Circles/Turns
·
Figure 8
·
Drop on
Recall
Proofing BII Obedience
- focuses on proofing skills learned in
Beginning II with increased distractions. Strong emphasis on Attention, Heel, Stay and Leash Handling Skills. Good preparation
class for those
wanting to continue in to competition rally/obedience sports. Prerequisite:
Beginning II obedience.
Canine Good Citizen - 5 weeks of instruction with the test
being held in week 6. This class is
designed to ready dog/handler teams for the Canine Good Citizen certificate
test which involves the following 10 tests.
No prerequisites for this class, although dogs with a Beginning I level will
have a better foundation of skills to help them successfully pass the CGC
tests.
Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger
Test 2: Sitting politely for petting
Test 3: Appearance and grooming
Test 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
Test 5: Walking through a crowd
Test 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place
Test 7: Coming when called
Test 8: Reaction to another dog
Test 9: Reaction to distraction
Test 10: Supervised separation
Canine Games - A
fun, 4 week class, designed to proof obedience
skills in an active, fun, learning format.
Cost is $80. Prerequisite:
Beginning II Obedience or skills to that level.
Attention & Leash Handling (Class
size is limited to 8 dog/handler teams. Classes meet once a week for three weeks. Cost
is $75)
Reliable Recall (Class size is limited
to 6 dog/handler teams. Classes meet once a week for three weeks. Cost is $75)
PUPPY CLASSES (Class
size is limited to 8 dog/handler teams; classes meet once a week for six weeks for one hour at a cost of $120 - unless
otherwise noted)
Puppy
I - for puppies under 6 months of age. If 6 months or older, see Beginning
I
Obedience.
·
Leash Handling
·
Attention/Focus
·
Sit
·
Leave It
·
Drop / Release / Give
·
Loose Leash Walking (versus Heel)
·
Recall
·
Wait & Stay
·
Controlled Greetings
·
Down
·
Optional Settle
Puppy II - continues
skills from Puppy II and adds additional
skills listed below with strong focus on increasing skills from Puppy I.
·
Continues Puppy I skills: attention/focus, sit,
leave it, drop/release, loose leash walking, recall, wait, down, controlled
greetings
·
Adds: Heel,
Stand, Stay
Puppy Primer - two
1 hour sessions with family members only
(no dogs attend). Cost $50 (includes both sessions). Discussion/lecture/
Q&A
style class to cover the following issues.
·
Housebreaking / Potty Training
·
Crate Training
·
Puppy Biting
·
Puppy Proofing Your Home
·
Preventing Jumping Up
·
Leave It / Drop It
·
Controlling Resources (doorways, food, toys,
objects)
·
Games: Playing Appropriately vs Inappropriately
·
Proper Puppy Socialization (to other dogs,
people, sights, sounds, objects)
·
Body Handling / Home Health Care
PERFORMANCE/SPORT
CLASSES (Class size is limited to 8 dog/handler teams. Classes meet once a week
for six weeks for
one hour. Cost is $120)
v
DOG SHOW
HANDLING
·
Dog Show Handling
·
Novice Handling (for newcomers to the sport)
v
FREESTYLE
DANCE - prerequisite Proofing Beginning I or equivalent skills
·
Freestyle Dance Intro
·
Freestyle Dance - Level 2
v
OBEDIENCE
COMPETITION LEVEL CLASSES
·
Intro to Beginner Novice Obedience
·
Beginner Novice Prep (competition level skills
prep)
·
Intro to Novice Obedience
·
Novice Obedience Prep (competition level skills
prep)
·
Intro to Open Obedience
·
Open Obedience Prep (competition level skills
prep)
v
RALLY
·
Intro to Rally (learning Rally basics and Novice
thru Excellent signs/exercises)
·
Rally Skills Building (this class focuses on
building dog's attention/focus, performance of individual exercises and handler
skills)
·
Rally Trial Prep (competition level skills prep)
v
AGILITY (Class
size is limited to 6 dog/handler
teams. Classes meet once a week for six
weeks for one hour. Cost is $120
Agility I
The
purpose of Agility I is to introduce basic knowledge of
agility to students. All obstacles will be introduced at low heights with an
emphasis on dog/handler safety and correct approach and skill in navigating.
Dogs are to learn to work on both sides of handler and to work with handler. Agility
handling skills (the skills of the handler, as opposed to the dog) will be very
basic at this level. Prerequisite: Dogs should be approximately 10 months or
older, be able to demonstrate good self control, have basic obedience skills
and the ability to work off leash without leaving the handler. Must be able
to work in close proximity to
other dog/handler teams.
IMPORTANT
NOTE: It is
important for the health and safety of young dogs to not over extend themselves
in jumping and quick turns associated with agility, hence the age requirement
and minimizing of actual agility speed and obstacle heights for many dogs in
our classes. Please read the following
excerpts, taken in part from http://www.alldoghealth.com/when-do-dogs-stop-growing/
Growth plates: Actually,
a dog’s body can grow at different rates in different parts of the body. The
dog has what are called “growth plates” or epiphyseal plates. The growth
plates are the dog’s bones, but there are soft areas in the bones that keep
growing. While the dog is growing these soft areas are filling in with
minerals and calcium to harden them. Eventually the soft areas become
filled in and hardened. This means that the bone has stopped growing and
that particular growth plate is closed. But the dog’s body is filled with such
growth plates.
While the growth plates are still soft,
they are very easy
to injure or break. Much more so than the more mature, hardened bone.
This is why it’s important for you not to let your puppy jump off high places
or go jogging on concrete or do other things that could cause an injury to the
developing bone. You should postpone more strenuous activities with your
puppy until the bones are hardened and your puppy’s bones have stopped growing.
Don't
let your
puppy overdo things: Most medium size dogs, weighing 25
to 95 dogs, will have most of their growth plates closed by the time they are
about 14 months of age. It would be safe to let your dog enjoy normal
activities at this time, and let him run and jump and play without too much
worry. Smaller dogs, which might mature to be about 25 pounds, would
probably have most of their growth plates closed by the time they are about
nine months of age. If you have a much larger dog that might weigh 100
pounds or more, you should wait until your dog is 18 months of age, or older,
before letting him take part in more serious exercise.
Remember that while the growth plates
are still growing,
your puppy’s bones are more prone to injury and fractures, so don’t let your
puppy go too wild. Normal play should be fine but it’s best not to
let them do anything dangerous or to engage in activities that put stress on
their bones.
Agility
II
This
is a continuation class from Agility I. During this class the dog and
handler team will continue to focus on learning the equipment as it is raised
to higher levels, beginning sequencing and handling, and perfecting form on
contact obstacles. Prerequisite: Agility I or permission of instructor.
Agility
III
During
this class the dog and handler team will continue learning all obstacles with
contact heights being raised to, or near, full height. Beginning handling
skills are added along with short sequencing of obstacles. By the end of the
class dog/handler teams should have the skills necessary to run a short course.
Teeter and weaves will likely need more practice. Prerequisite: Agility II or
permission of instructor.
Agility
IV
The
purpose of Agility IV is to perfect navigation and performance on all obstacles
and to increase the skills of the handler. Complex handling skills are
introduced. Sequences are used frequently. By the end of the class students
should be able to run a 12+ obstacle course with contacts at competition
height.
In Agility IV courses are set up and teams run the numbered obstacles similar
to a novice agility course in competition. Students are encouraged to try
different approaches and skills to discover what works best for their team.
Students and instructor will provide suggestions and feedback to each other. By
the end of the class students should be able to run a novice course in AKC or
NADAC. Prerequisites: Agility III or permission of instructor.
Agility
Run-Thrus
This
class consists of more complex and longer courses than in
Agility IV. It is mostly used for a method of practicing and honing skills. Prerequisite:
Agility IV or permission of instructor.
Agility Jumpers
This
class is to introduce dogs to beginning agility jumping. Early agility
handling is included to help handlers learn the best methods of directing their
dogs over different jump combinations. Various types
of crosses, serpentines, wraps are learned. Prerequisite: Dogs should be approximately
10 months or
older, be able to demonstrate good self control, have basic obedience skills
and the ability to work off leash without leaving the handler. Must be able
to work in close proximity to
other dog/handler teams.
v
NOSE WORK
(Class size is limited to 6 dog/handler teams.
Classes meet once a week for six weeks for one and one-half hours. Cost
is $120)
Nose Work 100 Series
·
101 (Intro to Nose Work)
·
102 (Intro to Birch Odor)
·
103 (Practice & Refinement of dog/handler
skills)
·
104 (Trial Preparation for those trialing for
Nose Work I titles)
Nose Work 200 Series
·
201 (Intro to Anise - also includes continuation
of Birch)
·
202 (Continuation of Anise - including Birch)
·
203 (Practice & Refinement of dog/handler
skills using both Birch/Anise)
·
204 (Trial Preparation for those trialing for
Nose Work II titles)
Nose Work 300 Series
·
301 (Intro to Clove - also includes continuation
of Birch/Anise)
·
302 (Continuation of Clove - including
Birch/Anise)
·
303 (Practice & Refinement of dog/handler
skills using all 3 odors)
·
304 (Trial Preparation for those trialing for
Nose Work III titles)
WORKSHOPS (3 or 4
Weeks in Length)
SMALL GROUP CLASSES
(for reactive dogs)
Nervous Nellie
(Class is for dogs that are nervous and anxious
with people and/or things, i.e. sounds, objects, etc., other than their
handlers. Class size is limited to 6 dog/handler teams. Classes meet once a
week for six weeks. Cost is $185)
Reactive Rover
(Class is for dogs that are reactive, i.e. bark,
growl, lunge, at other dogs. Class size
is limited to 4 dog/handler teams. Classes meet once a week for six weeks. Cost
is $185)
