Beginner Obedience 2 Pre-requisite Beginner Obedience I or Advanced Puppy Obedience. In this class we will continue to work on the relationship between you and your dog. We will also improve your dog's ability to sit, down, come, stay, heel on a loose leash, etc. We will begin to ask your dog to perform these behaviors under increasingly distracting circumstances. Dog-handler teams develop skills needed to progress to other classes such as CGC, Rally, Competition Obedience, and Agility WEEK 1: Introductions: Instructors and Students (Be sure to ask if they have any physical limits and if you do not use chairs in your class, ask if they need one) **ASK IF ANYONE HAS A NEW MEMBER APPLICATION TO BE SIGNED. WELCOME THEM AND SIGN THEIR APPLICATION** **ASK IF ANYONE HAS NEW SHOT RECORDS TO TURN IN OR MONEY TO PAY FOR THE CLASS** Rules: Come early, walk your dog, and clean up after your dog. Please park in gravel areas. Always know where your dog s head is AND what he is looking at. Don t allow your dog to stare at another dog. Do not let your dog sniff an occupied dog crate. Your dog is here to learn to focus on you and work with you. Give him 100% of your attention. By attending at least 4 of 6 classes, you will earn a certificate of completion. Review equipment: collar & leash Discuss: Treats, treat bag, shoes, feeding before class, potty breaks, and water Also discuss: NO Harsh Corrections (this includes kneeing a dog that jumps up!), verbal praise, release word, and consistency Review: Name Game Loose Leash Heeling Yes Word Side Stepping Using Yes Word and reward Set up Lure dog into position next to handler.
WEEK 2: Recall to end of building Review name game. Do a recall to the end of the building on a long line. Walk back feeding dog on left side. Walk Length of Building using name game and watch me (Review name game) Right Turns Introduce footwork. Touch Sits and Downs at a distance Leave it and Watch Me WEEK 3: Hind end Awareness exercises Take it Ladder Work Recall to end of building with distractions Stand Heeling consistent footwork Left/Right Turns WEEK 4: Right Side Heeling Watch me Review weeks 1-3 skills Drops from standing position WEEK 5: Review weeks 1-4 and catchup Leave it when heeling Come Front WEEK 6: Heeling Box Pattern Assess weeks 1-5 skills heeling (left and right) setting up turns (left and right) ask for sits, downs, stands and drops ask for a sit and have them step in front of their dog and back, anything else you can think of Work on anything that seems most pressing Backing up Set up chairs again. do the exercise as they did last week then put owner in the chairs in front of the dog if time, use buckets, instead of chairs and put owner to the side of the dog Fronts Use buckets. start with dog in a wait in front of owner keep moving the dog further and further to the left and ask for the front if time, begin fading the buckets to cones Heeling in the Tellington Maze Hands off leash
WEEK 1. Homework 1. Loose leash walking. Work on walking with your dog the length of your driveway, if possible. If the distractions are too great, work on loose leash walking inside. I want you and your dog to be successful! If you are not being successful with your dog, make the exercise easier! 2. Place/Set up. With your treat held along your pant seam, work on having your dog line up on your left side when you ask him to place or set up. 3. Side Step. Keep working on having your dog side step while you sit on a bucket or stool. Also, keep working on having your dog back up. 4. Sits/Downs/Stays. Work on having your dog maintain a sit and/or a down while you move to the end of your leash. WEEK 2. Homework 1. Recalls. Retractable leashes are a good tool to use with recalls when you are outside. You can gently encourage your dog to return if she is more interested in other matters. When she starts coming, praise highly and give her a lot of treats when she gets to you. 2. Right Turns and about turns. Use a treat in your right hand to encourage your dog to go from your left side to your right side. Remember to use a word like around or hurry, and use consistent footwork and body language. 3. Side Step. Keep working on having your dog side step while you sit on a bucket or stool. 4. Set up or place. Hold a treat at your left pant seam. When your dog gets into position, give him several treats (at least 5!) one at a time. This is known as jackpotting. It s a useful way to reinforce to your dog that being at your left pant seam is a great place to be! 5. Put it all together! In a relatively quiet place, begin to put the pieces together. Use the name game and your watch me command to get your dog s attention, use your place or set up command to get your dog into position, take a few steps with your dog by your side and do an about turn around a bucket or chair. 6. Bonus work. If you have time, work on your stays by asking your dog to sit or to down and to maintain that position for 15-20 seconds. 7. Extra bonus work. Work on your leave it command. Put a treat on the floor and be ready to cover it with your hand if your dog lunges for it. When she turns away from the treat, use your yes word and give her the treat. WEEK 3. Homework 1. Recalls. Continue to work on recalls in distracting environments. However, if the situation becomes too difficult for your dog to be successful, back off and make the recall easier. For example, if you are too far away, get closer. If there are too many distractions, wait until you are in a less distracting environment and try again. Don t forget to feed lavishly when your dog gets to you! We want rock solid recalls. 2. Right Turns and Left Turns. Work on your footwork for your right turns. For example, when you are in the grocery store, make all your right turns with consistent footwork. For your left turns,
continue to work with your dogs sidestepping around a stool or bucket and also while you are standing. 3. Left turns. Sit in chair with your dog in front of you. Work on getting your dog to move a couple of steps to the right or left. Only do one direction at a time! 4. Set up or Place. Hold a treat at your left pant seam. Give your cue and wait for your dog to get into place. If your dog can t make it on his own yet, lure him into position, but try to fade the luring. 5. Heeling. Begin to incorporate turns into your heeling work. A driveway or a hallway are a great place to work, although if you are outside, please take into account the fact that there are many, many more distractions, and you will need to reward more than you would if you were inside. 6. Leave it. Put food on a plate on a chair or bucket, and try to heel past it. When your dog lunges, say leave it ONCE! Do not let your dog get the treat. Be patient, just like you were when you were first working on leave it. The moment your dog turns, say your yes word and give your dog a treat. Immediately give your dog something else to do. Keep heeling. Play touch hands. Watch me. Anything. The command leave it means, turn your head away, but once your dog has done that, YOU NEED TO GIVE YOUR DOG ANOTHER JOB. If you do not, it s your fault if/when your dog immediately turns back to that interesting treat. WEEK 4. Homework 1. Turns. Practice making turns around a chair. 2. Backing up. Continue to practice backing up with your dog between chairs or buckets or something similar. 3. Right Side Heeling. Try walking short distances with your dog on your right side. Be patient. This work is akin to you trying to use your weak hand to write. 4. Try heeling in your house without a leash. How does your dog do? Does your dog understand that she should be next to you and maintaining her position there as you move? If not, use more treats and/or attach a leash to you with a carabiner in order to make the exercise easier. 5. Practice having your dog maintain sits and downs when there is a distraction. For example, have your dog sit and hold it for 10 seconds before you give him his breakfast or dinner. Have your dog down in front of an open door. Be creative. By the way, maintaining a down or sit for several seconds is also known as a stay so if your dog knows that cue, feel free to use it. 6. Watch me. Work on getting and keeping a few seconds of sustained eye contact. 7. By this point, your dog needs a good place or set up. If you are having trouble still getting your dog into position, focus on this behavior this week. 8. Bonus Work: If you would like to expand up Leave it, use another command to mean, you can have this treat now. I use Cookie. Put a bowl of treats and cover them with your hand. When you dog is able to maintain distance, take one treat out and say cookie while allowing your dog to have it. This expansion upon Leave it is particularly useful if you want your dog to be a therapy dog. The idea behind the command is that instead of the default, you can have it unless I tell you that you cannot, you are changing the default to, when you are working with me, you cannot have anything unless I hand it to you and/or tell you that you can have it by saying cookie or something similar.
WEEK 5. Homework 1. Work on maintaining a sit and/or a down position in more and more distracting situations. 2. Continue to practice your attention work with watch me. 3. Continue to work on your turns, and your footwork. Remember, consistent footwork is your friend. 4. You can never practice heeling enough. Find different places in which you can practice for a minute or two. If you take your dogs with you other places, get your dog out and practice heeling for 30 seconds in that new place. 5. Have your dog back up while you are beside your dog. Also work on it while you are in front of your dog. 6. Work on fronts. Use chairs or buckets at home to help your dog line up straight in front of you. Keep working on having your dog come front from more and more off-center positions.