First Class

Your first class is scheduled for this Tuesday January 16 at 6:00 pm assuming that snow is not a factor that evening.  If it is a factor, we do have wiggle room for class starting one week later and ending one week later so that the full slate of six weeks have classes.

Sources

Your exercises in class will not be “new” approaches but will draw on concepts that I have been exposed to by many trainers – in person, in classes, online, in courses and workshops and in books/written material. 

I will try to put together a reference list but in the meantime, please note that I will shamelessly draw on “free” public videos of concepts/skills to illustrate and be using ideas that are derived from those in my references.  The illustration video sources are clearly marked on their Youtube channels however it is worth remembering that those demonstrating are often using approaches learned from others.  I am choosing class videos from publicly available videos for brevity and clarity as much as possible.

Things (other than dog and treats) that will be useful to bring:

Rubber Feed Bin

2-5 quart is usually good for medium sized dogs and you can buy theseat most feed stores.  You need room for both front feet comfortably and naturally on the object while dog rotates.

Alternatively, any non-slippery flat-bottomed bowl or elevated platform up to four inches high made of anything including telephone books, layers of thick cardboard or foam even wood is just fine.

Five gallon bucket or cone

Or upright object for your dog to go around.  Ideally this is inexpensive but big/tall enough to be a clear object to go around. It can be white or orange or anything those the visibility of white is great.  These are useful for figure eights and teaching go-out-and-around-and-come-back and also for carrying training items to parking lots etc.

A fridge clip or clothes peg

This will be a touch object that you can clip on objects or on your clothing.  You might wish to review hand touches before the first class making sure you mark and reward successful nose touches.

Review work

Two paws up

Please acclimatise or your dog to two paws up on the pot/perch/platform

    • luring is fine to start getting their feet on the pot however MARK the behaviour and then the actual treat feeding comes  – i.e. once the two paws are on the elevated pot.
    • At first you can mark/treat repeatedly while the two feet are up, but ideally to build speed and enthusiasm for the pot at this stage, you can also mark and then toss treat away from the pot.  The dog will pickup and eat the treat and then hopefully return to the pot with front feet back up.  This will quickly turn to a game of dog zooming to the bowl with front feet up and expecting reward.

Here is a video demonstrating teaching paws up on the pot:

Nose touches

You might wish to review hand touches before the first class making sure you mark and reward successful nose touches.

 

Nose touches (starting) review:  Nose touch review

Here is a video demonstrating introduction to nose touch: