December schedule

Does your dog seem uncomfortable with men? Is she afraid of the teeter, plastic bags or enclosed spaces? Does he seem stressed out? Many performance dogs (and companion dogs, too!) develop challenges like these, and solving these issues positively will hinge on your understanding of the fundamentals!

Anyone who has a fearful dog needs a thorough grounding in basic behavior modification concepts before attempting rehabilitation. How does desensitization work in real life? Is it ok to comfort a fearful dog? In this course we will go over the fundamentals of fear in dogs, what we often do as owners that makes it worse, and modern approaches to fixing it. This will be a Silver and Bronze level course only, with lecture and discussion, and is a pre-requisite for the Practical Applications course. 

Iliopsoas injuries are unfortunately becoming a fact in many performance dogs' lives, as well as the lives of active dogs. This course will review the reasons why so many dogs are suffering from iliopsoas issues, prevention of these problems, exercises and activities to assist in the prevention, addressing and recognizing and injury, appropriate exercises for an injury, and a safe, successful and realistic return to activities. Easy steps may be taken to assist in stacking the cards in your dogs' favor to help with the prevention of an iliopsoas problem. Dogs with predisposing factors, such as canine hip dysplasia, stifle disease, or lumbar transitionial vertebrae, should take extra steps to help them live an active and pain free life for the longest time possible. Your dog may be knocking the occasional bar in agility or refusing to walk on a slippery surface - there are many levels of iliopsoas problems and they all need to be addressed. Chronic iliopsoas problems may be associated with pelvic weaknesses or range of motion deficits. This course will not only examine the coordination of care for a dog with an iliopsoas problem but also steps to take to prevent an injury.

Interested in obedience or rally? This isn't a class full of heeling around in circles!

Do you struggle to get your dog's attention without a cookie (or toy!) in your hand? Are you tired of your dog only responding to a cue when you reach into your pocket?

Did you know that the MOST important time in a dog's early career in Nosework happens AFTER they learn target odor (as in NW101) and BEFORE they start their general searching? Making mistakes now are costly. In this transition time, the dog (and handler) learns searching habits, passive indication, precision, consistency, and the ability to work in new and novel locations. THIS class forms the initial foundation to get you off onto the right track. Without these skills, a team may suffer from missed hides and false alerts and their ability to move up the levels successfully may be hampered.

You’ve found the Joy! Now how are you going to keep it and use it in the ring! In Joy of Heeling Part Deux we will add some new games, start to add duration in heelwork and start to change the ratio of heeling to games. We will integrate the games into your obedience exercises and freestyle routines, and we’ll explore how you can use your Joy games to build value in your chains and sequences through back chaining! If you and your dog loved bringing more Joy to your Heeling in Rock it Like a Freestyler! You’ll love Part Deux. There’s no such thing as too much Joy of Heeling!

Are you and your dog struggling with heeling? Do you and your dog have nice heeling when you train, but the performance falls apart when you leave the comfort of home? Have you been stuck with the same problem for a while and have no idea how to move forward?

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!