Petra Ford, Faculty
Main info
I have been training and competing for several decades in a variety of sports including Hunt Tests, Field Trials, Nosework, Agility and Rally. My first love has always been competition obedience. I have been fortunate to win the AKC National Obedience Championship four times with three different dogs. All my dogs have earned placements at Nationals. My dog Tyler won the World Cup and was First-Runner Up. All my current dogs have earned OTCH’s, multiple High-In-Trial and High-Combined awards, wins and placements at Regionals, as well as numerous perfect 200 scores.
I find training endlessly fascinating. Figuring out how to be a better communicator with each of my dogs is a never-ending challenge that I whole heartedly embrace. I love solving training puzzles. It’s what has kept me in the sport for so many years. I especially love the incredible relationship developed with my dogs through training and competition.
Although not currently practicing, I am a Physical Therapist and a Canine Rehabilitation Therapist. These days I’m an instructor at FDSA and own a Boarding Kennel. I’m passionate about teaching and sharing what I have learned over the years. Watching students grow and succeed is incredibly rewarding.
In my spare time I love hiking and playing with the dogs, running, practicing yoga, meditating and spending time with friends. I enjoy writing blogs and working with my friend Laurie on our Canine Connection Podcast.
Petra Ford's current and upcoming classes
Creating Confidence in Your Obedience Dog
Most dogs are not innately confident. Especially when it comes to obedience. A sport that is not inherently self-reinforcing. A sport where dogs must learn to perform complex behaviors under a lot of pressure. In this course we will explore what we can do to improve our dog’s overall confidence and confidence in the ring. This starts with clear, consistent communication. We must learn how to read our dog’s most subtle cues in real time and adjust our response. We must understand our dog’s learning style and structure our teaching accordingly. We will look at how to create a training session where the dog has a high success rate while using a small ratio of errors to create resilience. We will play fun games with our dogs that empower them and teach them that they can overcome challenges. We will be working on YOUR confidence as well! We’ve all watched our dogs make mistakes and had no idea how to help them. Once you can read and understand your dog and their learning style, you will develop the skills to support them.
Fronts and Finishes
There are lots of fronts and finishes in obedience! Fronts and finishes are incredibly complicated. They consist of many pieces that all need to come together. Because they are so difficult, the error ratio tends to be high. Which leads to frustration for both dog and handler. It’s not uncommon for the dog’s return to the trainer to become slower and slower in anticipation of the dreaded front or finish. In this class we are going to break fronts and finishes down into small components. We will teach each piece thoroughly before moving on to the next step. Breaking them down this way gives the dogs a solid understanding of the behaviors. The dog’s success ratio is high which builds success. We will start by teaching the basics of front and finish. Then I will teach fun games to keep the dog animated and build a love for fronts and finishes. We will look at how to add them to the exercises in a way that maintains enthusiasm and accuracy. We will look at how to teach our dogs to work through distractions and pressure in a fun way. We will develop a communication system that will clearly explain to the dog how to fix errors. I will talk about the role of props and how to wean off them. This is a comprehensive course that covers fronts and finishes from basics through advanced skills. Whether you are just starting out, looking to fill some holes, refine the behaviors or work on advanced skills, this course will have material for you. Most importantly, my goal is to teach you how to make fronts & finishes fun behaviors that become inherently self-reinforcing for the dog.
Why choose us?
We offer a variety of online training solutions designed to help you and your furry friend achieve success
FAQ
Explore the questions we get asked most often and find out everything you need for a smooth experience with us.
Start by clicking on the Course Schedule link at the top of this page. If registration is open, select the course you wish to take from the list and click on that link. From that page, click on the registration link and choose the enrollment level you are interested in. This webpage describes the steps in more detail.
Registration opens on the 22nd of the month preceding the course start date (ie March 22 for courses beginning April 1st) and close on the 15th day of the month the session has started (ie April 15 for courses starting April 1st). You cannot register for 6 week courses outside of this period.
Scholarships are offered to students who do not feel they can afford the full tuition, but who have a sincere interest in expanding their skills as a dog sport trainer. Scholarships are offered in the form of a 50% tuition credit at the Bronze level. To apply, select the Scholarships link from the top menu (under new students) or click this link. We ask that if you are on a scholarship, you limit yourself to one class. There are a maximum of three scholarships per student permitted in a calendar year.
Our testimonials
Don't just take our word for it — see what our clients say about their experience working with us.