Are you hooked on obedience?  Want to continue to hone your and your dog’s skills?  This class is for you.

Class Goals:

• Learn about what skills are required to compete in the three levels of AKC obedience.
• Learn some fundamental obedience competition skills that will allow you to go on to more advanced classes at ADOG.
• See that you have fun with your dog!

Details:

• Class Handout (PDF opens in new window/tab)

Strengthen your bond with your dog while learning the basics for competition obedience.

• Obedience Novice Outline
• Learn to make training fun for you and your dog.
• Learn heeling footwork including position, starts, halts, change of pace and turns (left, right, about turns).
• Perfect your dog’s attention while stationary and moving.
• Learn recalls and fronts and finishes.  Gizmo directions.
• Exposure to Figure 8’s.
• Sit/stand for Exam.
• Weekly Sit and Down Stays

Below are the skills covered in our Obedience Advanced class. “Doodles” are unusual things added to an exercise. Keeps your dog on their toes.

• Heeling: Drills and patterns. Refine all turns, change of pace and halts. Refine on and off leash
• Figure 8: Doodles. Refinement.
• Obedience Doodles: All turns. Fronts. Finishes. Find heel position. Set ups.
• Ring Procedures: Move from exercise to exercise with attention.
• Stand for Exam: Build skills.
• Recall: Work on recalls using Gizmo. Left and right finishes. One command to finish.
• Sit and Down: Goal is one minute sit and one minute down.
• Sit, Stay. Get Leash: Sit stay while handler gets leash and returns.
• Off leash heeling.
• Discussion of AKC Rules Book.
• Miscellaneous: Transitioning away from food and constant talking. Mild distractions.

You will be building on skills covered in Obedience Advanced class, Trial Ready will provide fun games, distractions and proofing challenges in preparation for competition. Teams will learn to move confidently around the ring together as one unit during exercises as well as between exercises.

• Heeling: typical ring patterns as well as more challenging unusual patterns including turns, changes of pace and halts, both on and off leash.
• Figure 8: exercises and drills to enhance performance.
• Fronts & Finishes: drills and games to enable dogs to perform fronts & finishes with accuracy and enthusiasm.
• Stand for Exam: assistance in teaching dog to stand promptly and maintain position until released by handler to move smartly to next exercise.
• Recalls: work toward prompt, brisk response to handler’s command as well as nailing fronts, with finishes to both left and right.
• Command Discrimination: exercises to teach dog to move promptly and efficiently into position changes.
• Stays: work on maintaining solid stays (sit, down and stand) on all exercises requiring dog to maintain position until released by handler.
• Retrieving and Drop on Recall will NOT be taught in this class, although dogs with those skills may be proofed and challenged on those exercises.