RA590 Tricked into Freestyle: From Foundation to Fantastic!
Are you ready to add some paw-zazz to your trick training? Tired of the same old tricks of spins and weaves? Let’s kick it up a notch! We’ll take the basics and transform them into an array of awesome tricks and behaviors! Whether you do freestyle, therapy dog work, enjoy earning Trick Dog titles, or just love to train, this class will give you plenty of options to enhance your repertoire, your routine, and your training relationship!
Course Details
Are you ready to add some paw-zazz to your trick training? Tired of the same old tricks of spins and weaves? Let’s kick it up a notch! We’ll take the basics and transform them into an array of awesome tricks and behaviors! Whether you do freestyle, therapy dog work, enjoy earning Trick Dog titles, or just love to train, this class will give you plenty of options to enhance your repertoire, your routine, and your training relationship!
Teaching Approach
Each team works at their own pace and at a level where their dog is showing understanding and confidence for the exercises. Each week contains several exercises as handler's choice depending on dog and handler skill level.
Lectures are released weekly and include written descriptions and video demonstrations of each exercise in a step-by-step approach. Some lectures and exercises also include diagrams. Lectures and exercises start at a foundation level and take you through the process to more advanced skills. Supplemental lectures may be provided depending on need.
Video demonstrations of the exercises include the instructor's training sessions with her own dogs as well as actual students working the exercises. There are a variety of breeds and sizes represented in the demo vids. Demonstration video length varies between 1-3 minutes. Many of the demo videos are also captioned.
Students will be provided with both general and specific written feedback, often including timestamps for clarity. Students will be able to show their work for any previous weeks as well as the current week’s exercises for continued feedback.
The exercises can generally be completed in a small space. The equipment list is very specific to the class exercises so you will want to be sure to have them ahead of time to get the most benefit from the class.
This class will have a Teacher's Assistant (TA) available in the Facebook study group to help the Bronze and Silver students! Directions for joining that Facebook group will be in the classroom after you register.
Syllabus
Wk 1 Lecture: Trick, Tricky, Trickier Trickiest!
- How the Class is Structured
- Expectation for Students
- How to Pick and Choose
Wk 1.1 “Get this Party Started!” - Building Block Behaviors/Tricks
Lecture and Exercises: Value of base or foundation tricks
Pre-requisite Base or Foundation Tricks to Brush up on or Start.
- Fly: Wrap/around a cone or other prop
- Around: Circle handler
- Jump: A bar, person parts or other prop
- Thru: Pass between handlers legs from one side to the other
- Spins: CW and CCW
- Paw lift: On independent cues (verbal or physical)
- Back up: Independent of handler
- Between: Dog between handler’s legs
- Left and right side cues a plus!
Wk 1.2 Lecture only: Adduction/Compound tricks – Simplifying Complex Tricks
Wk 1.3 Lecture: Adding cues
Wk: 1.4 Base behaviors for week 2 tricks: Circle handler/Circle cone or prop instruction
Wk 1.5 Homework: Practice your dog's base behaviors and check cues
Wk 2 “Will it go Round in Circles” and “On a Wing and a Prayer - Tricks built from Circles and Jumps
- Wk 2.1 Circle handler opposite/Circle prop opposite
- Wk 2.2 Hoola hoop 8’s/Fig 8 between handler and prop
- Wk 2.3 Circle single leg/Circle 2 circle 1
- Wk 2.4 Rebound off wall/Rebound off handler
- Wk 2.5 Jump handler Arms (while circling!)
- Wk 2.6 Homework - Trick, Tricky, Trickier, Trickiest
Wk 3 “Dreamweaver” - Tricks built from Thru/forward weave
- Wk 3.1 Fig 8/elongated Fig 8
- Wk 3.2 Walk back weave from in front/Forward weave to walk back weave
- Wk 3.3 Fancy A weaves
- Wk 3.4 Arm weaves
- Wk 3.5 Homework - Trick, Tricky, Trickier, Trickiest
Wk 4 “Baby got Back” and “So Far Away” - Tricks built from Backing/Distance as a concept
- Wk 4.1 Back away distance/Distance Behavior
- Wk 4.2 Back circles/Back around a cane or prop
- Wk 4.3 Turn back thru/Back weaves
- Wk 4.4 Back fig 8/Back fig 8 with pivot
- Wk 4.5 Back up crawl or bow
- Wk 4.6 Supported Handstand
- Wk 4.7 Homework - Trick, Tricky, Trickier, Trickiest
Wk 5 “You Spin me Round and Round” and “Keep Lifting me Higher” - Tricks built from Spins and Paw lifts
- Wk 5.1 Inside spins/Thru to inside spin
- Wk 5.2 Kick spins
- Wk 5.3 Wipe/cover eyes
- Wk 5.4 Hold a cane
- Wk 5.5 Limp/Hop
- Wk 5.6 March (with or without touch/in front or behind)
- Wk 5.7 Homework - Trick, Tricky, Trickier, Trickiest
Wk 6 “Stuck in the Middle with you” and "Stand By Me" - Tricks Built from Left Right or Middle!
- Wk 6.1 Indies/Add a bow!
- Wk 6.2 Feet on Feet/on the move!
- Wk 6.3 Tuggers!
- Wk 6.4 Homework - Trick, Tricky, Trickier, Trickiest
Prerequisites & Supplies
Sample Lecture
Wk 3.2 Walk back weave/Forward weave to walk back weave
These are a couple of fun “thru” variations with a twist! Both figuratively and literally!
The base behavior is “thru”. The handler will be moving backward though as the dog weaves forward:
To start this behavior:
- Cue your dog to pass thru your leg to the other side
- As he does so, move your forward leg (the leg he just passed under) back, as if taking a step backward.
- This now leaves your other leg forward for your dog to pass thru. Cue your dog to go thru and again, step back with the other leg.
Forward weave to walk back weave – with a pivot transition
In this next variation, we will combine the forward walking weave, with a pivot, then the walk back weave:
Steps to create this combination
- Start with a few steps of your forward thru or walking weave
- With your leg forward, and your dog just finishing going under, encourage your dog to stay next to that forward leg, through your eye contact, hand target or position cue.
- Put your weight on the ball of your feet, bringing your heels up slightly and pivot in place with your dog is moving next to you on the outside as you turn away, 180 degrees.
- As you turn, your far leg from the dog is now open for you to cue your dog to go thru.
- Then step back with the forward leg, providing the new opening for your dog to go thru.
- You can now step back into the walk back weave.
Instructors
Julie Flanery (she/her), CPDT-KA has been working professionally with dogs and their handlers since 1993. She focuses on the needs of the dog and helping people form a strong relationship, through clear communication, and positive reinforcement. She has placed Obedience...
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