Dog Community

What to teach?

mrv

Posted : 1/6/2007 9:12:25 AM

Ok I am looking for skills and actitivies to include in my advanced class. I have a situation in which I have class members who have taken my class repeatedly (I am the only option at the more advanced level). Only 3-4 of the class are interested in competition, the rest either are too new to the sport or really dont want anything more than fun with their dog. So competition class is offered only twice per year.

Since I have returning and new members who have two essential end goals, and I hate doing the same thing over and over again, I am looking for ideas of activities and skills to teach. The only thing that folks truely do not want is a clicker class. I assume we will get to that but it certainly wont be this year.

So, I would like a suggestions that I can cut and paste into a word processing document that I can build into lesson plans. I do have full set of rally equipment, a tunnel, a set of steps, some very shaky weave poles (fall down very easily) and some jumps with landing pads.

spiritdogs

Posted : 1/6/2007 11:56:08 AM

All my advanced classes are different because I structure them to what the students already know. I also query them on the first night to see what they are really happy with, and what they themselves would like more help with. (The answers I always get - come when called, jumping up, pulling on the lead - countersurfing - all the things they though I was nuts telling them in puppy class LOL, or that they didn't listen to, and now pay the price for [

])
I teach my students an emergency recall, a couple of tricks (spin, weave through legs, put toys away, say your prayers, etc.). I sometimes play a game, just for fun. (Doggy tic tac toe is one) I teach the "long down" and start having them get some distance on that, and the stay. We often do "leave it", but in more distracting situations to the point where they can walk next to, or over, a pile of dog biscuits, and the dog will "leave it". We do "back up" and "catch". Does that give you any ideas, or do you need some more? [

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micksmom

Posted : 1/6/2007 7:56:50 PM

Like Anne, where I was assisting, we'd see what the students were interested in or wanted/needed to work on. Other things we did- set up obstacles along the mats for heeling (chairs to weave through, sheet to walk over, low jumps, baby gates laid down, treats dropped, etc). Sometimes we played recall games- had the dogs in a stay at one end of the room, the handlers at the other (as if we were doing Sits & Downs). One at a time we'd call our dogs. Sometimes the handlers would move so we weren't infront of our dogs. We also sat in a chair for recalls. We do that two ways- facing our dogs and with our backs to them. Sits and Downs were always interesting- the trainer and I got very creative in proofing- my son came and played his sax a couple of times, we'd play catch in the middle of the room, the trainer would step over the more advanced dogs (during Down). Do you have a copy of the game My Dog Can Do That? There's some good stuff in there to try.

spiritdogs

Posted : 1/6/2007 8:43:11 PM

"Life Beyond Block Heeling" by Terry Ryan has some good stuff.
Also, if your students want come when called work, you can set up a relay race that builds on what micksmom described. Instead of handlers all calling their dogs from one side of the room, have one handler at each end of the room - they each call their dogs at the same time, so the dogs must pass each other on the way to their handlers. We also do "hide and seek". I hold the client's dog. The client disappears behind a door (the area where I do this prevents the dog from actually seeing where the handler went). And, the handler calls the dog, who must go and search for his owner. When the dog makes the "find", he gets a big jackpot.

mrv

Posted : 1/7/2007 8:58:43 AM

Thanks, got some ideas. If others occur to you folks, please include them. I will continue to check the thread.

Right now we will be doing directional commands, walking on both sides of the body, moving stops, and proofing work on basic commands.